Is there an aristocratic title that
sounds more unilaterally evil then Baron? There’s just something about that
title that makes you picture an evil wealthy noble holding a glass of wine,
swirling it evilly and plotting to murder his higher ranked sibling to steal their
title. Or maybe that’s just me. I can’t really think of a good Baron… other then
Red Baron Pizza. Just saying. Our next character does nothing to fix the image
of Barons, as he’s Baron Zemo.
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| Surprised his higher ups were cool with the crown... |
Heinrich Zemo was both a Baron and a
top scientist within the Nazi party during WW2. He worked in the same branch of
the third Reich as Red Skull, Baron Strucker and the other future members of
HYDRA. A really twisted SOB, Zemo would often test his latest death machines on
captured soldiers and even German civilians. His technology includes enormous
death rays, early model androids, and highly corrosive toxins. He often faced
off against Captain America and the Howling Commandos. While they clashed a few
times before, things came to a head when he was testing out his enormous death
ray cannon. He’d decided to test it on a nearby German town in an attempt to
kill the Howling Commandos. Nick Fury and his crew escaped, but the town was
still destroyed. Zemo planned to frame the Allies for the attack, but Fury and
the Commandos were able to expose Zemo. After this, he lost most of his standing
in the Nazi party, and he became universally despised. Not enough to get him
executed or fired, but he lost face… which made what happened next somewhat
ironic.
After that death ray fiasco, Zemo
began wearing a reddish-pink hood to cover his face. It kept the townsfolk from
throwing tomatoes at him, I imagine. His next great work was a powerful glue
that he dubbed Adhesive X. It was incredibly strong, and couldn’t be dissolved or
removed by the science of the time. His plan was to release on the Allies,
disabling their soldiers and vehicles. Thankfully, Captain Steven Rogers got
wind of it and confronted the mad scientists. During their battle, Captain
America threw his shield in that beautiful way that he does and shattered the
vat containing the adhesive. Adhesive X splashed all over, hitting Zemo in the
face, seeping into the hood and permanently fusing the fabric to his face. See?
Irony.
The hood didn’t affect his senses
or his ability to breath, but lacking a mouth hole made it impossible for him
to eat solid food. Being suck behind a mask forever drove Zemo insane… well… more
insane. He shifted from a more behind the scenes villain into a field commander
for the Third Reich. Once it became clear that the Nazis were pretty boned, Red
Skull sent Zemo to London. Why? To steal an experimental plane that the Allies
were working on. It wouldn’t save the German’s war effort, but that wasn’t that
son of a Schmitt’s real goal. No, Red Skull leaked the plan to the allies,
ensuring that Cap would face off against Zemo and kill his ambitious
subordinate.
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| He's going for Cap's heart. |
Zemo was able to get the drop on
Cap and Bucky, capturing his opponents and strapping them to the plane. Zemo
launched the plane, rigged with explosives, and set it off. Captain America was
able to get loose and fell into the sea, while Bucky was apparently killed in
the explosion. Believing himself finally rid of his hated rival, Zemo fled to South
America, where he spent the next few decades. He enslaved a tribe of natives
and lived as a king amonst them. Imagine his blinding rage when he learned Captain
America resurfaced.
After a few minor failed attempts
at killing the first Avenger, he formed the Masters of Evil. This team, composed
of opponents of the core Avengers, were hellbent on killing the Avengers. Their
plan was to spread Adhesive X all across New York. The plan was stalled by the
Teen Brigade, a group of young people that try to help the heroes whenever they
can, and finally stopped by the Avengers. Zemo escaped back to South America,
to continue plotting. He worked with Thor enemies the Enchantress and the Executioner
in one plot, and turned everyman Simon Williams into Wonder Man and had him
join the Avengers as a spy. Both plots were foiled with relative easy.
Things were ended when Zemo
kidnapped an Avenger’s Ally, Rick Jones. He freed his Masters of Evil and sent
the group to battle the Avengers. Leaving Captain America alone to face off
against him. They faced a pitched battle that ended with Zemo triggering an
avalanche with his gunshots, killing him in the fall. Captain America walked
away from the battle believing his partner Bucky had finally been avenged. While
that was the end of Heinrich Zemo, his mantle would rise again with his son,
Helmut. But that’s another story.
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| His son is a better dresser, just saying. |
Despite being one a long-time foe
of Captain America, Heinrich Zemo hasn’t gotten much screen time outside the
comics. This shouldn’t be too shocking, as the original Zemo is often eclipsed
by his son in terms of popularity. But he’s had a few roles.
The one I know the best was his
role in Avengers: Earth’s Mightiest Heroes. This version is a mix of both Zemo’s,
having the background and hatred of Captain America of Heinrich but wearing the
costume and having the superior fighting skills of Helmut. He was introduced in
the episode “Breakout part 1.” He was being held in the Raft, SHIELD’s highest
security prison. It’s where they hold the worst of the worst. This is largely a
cameo appearance, as he’s only there long enough to tell the deranged Franklin
Hall aka Graviton that he was the longest inmate of the Raft, surpassing Zemo’s
own six-year stint. He returns in “Living Legend.” He returned to HYDRA’s base,
to reclaim his place at the organizations head from Baron Strucker. In this
version he’d been one of HYDRA’s founders. He beats the piss out of Strucker
and his #2 The Grim Reaper, but changes his mind about controlling HYDRA when
he learns Captain America is alive. He leaves a humiliated Strucker and takes
HYDRA top scientists Arnim Zola with him. Zola unleashes a bioweapon called the
Doughboy to distract the Avengers while Zemo goes after Captain America. He’s
got a great line while dueling Cap, screaming “The Skull can have Bucky. Your
life is mine to take!” when he nearly strikes down Captain America. Cap is
saved by Black Panther and Zemo retreats. Afterwards, he’s approached by Thor
villain the Enchantress and the two form the Masters of Evil. He’s a major
recurring antagonist for the first season, escaping several attempts at
capture.
Heinrich Zemo is mentioned several times
in the third season Avengers Assemble, subtitled Ultron Revolution. He’s the driving force behind his son
Helmut’s attempt at reclaiming the family’s honor. His main episode is “The House
of Zemo.” In it, Helmut uses technology stolen from the time traveling Kang the
Conquering to bring his father to the present from 1943. The two Zemo’s battle
the Avengers in the present, and Heinrich bringing a third Zemo from 2099 to
the present for aid when he grows disappointed in Helmut. He’s eventually
forced back into his proper time.
He’s referenced once by Helmut Zemo
in Captain America: Civil War. He and the rest of the Zemo family were killed
during the events of Age of Ultron, when the Sokovian capital was raised and
dropped during Ultron’s attempt at an extinction event. This version of
Heinrich must have been an excellent parent as his death is what drove his spec
ops son insane and inspired him to use Bucky as a weapon to destroy the Avengers.
Heinrich Zemo is a villain that I
love to hate. Vain, egotistical, narcissistic and cruel, while also brilliant,
he’s everything you want in an evil Nazi scientist. He’s a character that I
think is mostly remembered for what he did, in forming the original Masters of
Evil, creating Wonder Man, and for being the father of the current Zemo, Helmut.
And while that’s a shame for Heinrich, it does help that his biggest claim to
fame was making the first Anti-Avengers team. While Red Skull will always be Captain
America’s greatest foes, Heinrich will always be in the top three. I mean, he’s
the reason that Captain America was believed dead for decades. It’s easy to
hate a Nazi, but Zemo makes it fun to.
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Twitter: @BasicsSuperhero
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