Captain America: Civil War
Efforts to fix theMarvel Cinematic Universe ’s villain problemgo back toCaptain America : Civil War . While there was a lot more attention given to Vulture inSpider - Man : Homecomingand Killmonger inBlack Panther , Zemo is an underrated villain with peachy motivations and a Orcinus orca twist on an overuse trope .
For most ofCivil War , Zemo seems like the stepping pit to the real villains : the other Winter Soldiers . He put Bucky for the UN bombardment , all the while suggest that he ’s going to do even more damage by releasing all the other Winter Soldiers . rather it ’s revealed at the remainder of the movie that he ’s killed them , and his tangible intent was to work havoc on the Avengers in retaliation for losing his kinfolk in Sokovia from the event ofAvengers : Age of Ultron .
Related : Why Bucky DOESN’T Shoot Zemo In Falcon & Winter Soldier
The problem with Marvel villains up until Phase 3 is that they be given to be somewhat flat characters without great motivations . There were some serious villains and interesting twists ( see Hydra orThe Mandarin / Trevor ) , but there were a few too many boring villains seeming to want to demolish everything just because - like Malekith and Ronan . Zemo similarly seemed like he was sound for destruction with no real reasonableness with the Winter Soldiers . Most of the movie was spent put up that estimate , but all he actually wanted was revenge for lose his family . It ’s a very human motivation to have - much more than being a dark elf who wants to douse the universe into darkness for indecipherable reasons .
Civil War ’s twist also works because it ’s such a stiff twist plunk for up his motive . Zemo clear does n’t care about the other Winter Soldiers . When Tony , Steve , and Bucky confront him in the old Soviet base , they ’re all already stagnant . Zemo really does n’t want the power ofhaving those soldiersunder his control . After set up that terror for the whole flick , it ’s just gone .
This makesthe ending ofCaptain America : Civil Warreally about the characters first and first . Where many MCU movies would have turned into a huge action at law scene here , that already happened earlier in the movie . There ’s still a fight , but it ’s on a modest scurf . Zemo picked at the conflict that was already inactive with the Avengers and lend it to the forefront . Add in the personal element of Bucky having killed Tony Stark ’s parents as the Winter Soldier , and you have the perfect setup for a veridical , stark naked fight between Iron Man , Captain America , and the Winter Soldier .
Despite all of this , many sports fan do n’t remember Zemo as being one of the better MCU villain . Zemo even survives the oddment of the movie , with Black Panther barricade him from shooting himself and get away from facing jurist . This left the door open for his future appearance inThe Falcon and the Winter Soldier , where he will be the master opponent . It ’s the 2nd chance in the spotlight such an underrated villain deserves , and the chance for everyone , especially Bucky , toget payback for what Zemo didto them .
Next : Falcon & Winter Soldier Theory : What Zemo ’s Villain Plan Really Is
