The character made his debut five years earlier in Captain America: Civil War, where he orchestrated a sinister plot to tear the Avengers apart from the inside – and succeeded, killing King T'Chaka (John Kani) of Wakanda in the process.
In The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, his skills were temporarily enlisted by the titular duo, but he was sent back to prison at the end of the series, where he continued to use his considerable resources to manipulate the world outside.
Marvel fans have long expected this thread to continue, with the upcoming antihero flick Thunderbolts* being the obvious choice due to Zemo's historic link with that team, but alas, Brühl is not mentioned in the announced cast list.
Speaking to RadioTimes.com as his biographical drama series Becoming Karl Lagerfeld lands on Disney Plus, Brühl didn't have any concrete information to give – but reiterated that Zemo is alive and well in the MCU, and so could reappear at any moment.
"I can only repeat and say, I'm not dead," he teased.
Brühl elaborated that he has been enjoying the variety of his non-Marvel work, naming The Franchise – a satirical collaboration between Armando Iannucci (The Thick of It), Sam Mendes (Skyfall) and Jon Brown (Succession) – as a hotly anticipated release.
Daniel Brühl as Zemo in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier. Disney
He explained: "I’ve been blessed with a lot of different projects that I’ve really enjoyed doing [since 2021], including a very fun show for HBO, which is called The Franchise, which is a satire about superhero movies, and I had so much fun, I cannot tell you.
"So that was a very different experience, kind of going back into a similar world, but from a different angle."
The Franchise is still awaiting a confirmed release date, but Becoming Karl Lagerfeld is available to stream right now, telling the story of the controversial fashion designer's rise to prominence in 1970s Paris.
David Craig is the Senior Drama Writer for Radio Times, covering the latest and greatest scripted drama and comedy across television and streaming. Previously, he worked at Starburst Magazine, presented The Winter King Podcast for ITVX and studied Journalism at the University of Sheffield.
Abby Robinson is the Drama Editor for Radio Times, covering TV drama and comedy titles. She previously worked at Digital Spy as a TV writer, and as a content writer at Mumsnet. She possesses a postgraduate diploma and a degree in English Studies.
