The Marvel Cinematic Universe frequently kills off its villains once they've served their purpose a movie, but every so often one makes it out alive to either fight or another day or be imprisoned for their crimes. Daniel Brühl's Helmut Zemo falls into the latter category, as he was captured by Black Panther and subsequently imprisoned by Everett Ross. Zero is now locked in a containment cell and presumably serving a life sentence or two for his actions during Captain America: Civil War, but Brühl is hopeful that one day, Zemo will escape custody and return to antagonize the MCU again. When asked if he might return for a future Marvel movie, Brühl responded:
Well I hope so. I always say they didn't kill me, which is always a good sign. As you can imagine, it's extremely secretive. Even if I would know something, I would probably not be allowed to tell you. But again, I was very glad about the fact that he [did] not kill himself and [was] stopped by Black Panther and that he ends up in a prison. But I'm pretty sure he's going to get out of that prison somehow.
Helmut Zemo may not have special powers, use advanced technology or command an army, but he did accomplish what no other villain in the MCU has: fracturing the Avengers. Seeking revenge against the Avengers for the death of his family, who died when Earth's Mightiest Heroes were battling Ultron and his drones in Sokovia during Avengers: Age of Ultron, Zemo bombed the signing of the Sokovia Accords in Vienna and framed Bucky Barnes for the attack, which led to an already-bigger wedge being driven between Captain America: Civil War's main protagonists when Steve Rogers tried to protect Bucky. But that was just one step of Zemo's plan, and in the end, he was successful in seeing the Avengers team collapse, though Black Panther prevented him from committing suicide afterwards. Now Zemo is languishing in prison, but like Daniel Brühl noted, the man is smart enough that one of these days, he might just escape.
Of course, just because Daniel Brühl expressed interest to Screen Rant in reprising Helmut Zemo doesn't guarantee that will happen. There are other MCU baddies still breathing who haven't made a grand return yet. For example, Emil Blonsky, a.k.a. Abomination, was taken into custody by the U.S. military at the end of The Incredible Hulk, and we haven't heard a peep from him since then. With the Captain America film series seemingly over and Phase 4 marking a new beginning for this franchise, there's a distinct chance that Zemo actually will remain incarcerated for the rest of his life. But if the MCU ever needs an everyman, diabolical genius to cause trouble for one or more of its heroes, just remember that there's one ready to be broken out of prison whenever is convenient.
Rest assured, if it's announced that Daniel Brühl will reprise Helmut Zemo for another Marvel movie, we here at CinemaBlend will let you know. For now, the MCU's latest installment, Black Panther, is still playing in theaters, and Avengers: Infinity War will be released on May 4. You can also see Daniel Brühl in 7 Days in Entebbe, which is now playing in theaters.
