‘Captain America: Civil War’ Star Teases Twisted Villain

The Avengers will be forced to choose sides in the battle between Captain America and Iron Man in Marvel’s Captain America: Civil War, and while friends will become enemies in the epic showdown, there will be an actual villain in the mix: Daniel Bruhl is portraying Baron Zemo, the Nazi-era baddie from the Marvel comics, but the actor says directors Joe and Anthony Russo are putting a bit of an unexpected spin (or two) on his character to freshen him up for his big screen debut.

In a conversation with Business Insider to promote his role in Burnt (a ha), Bruhl revealed that his version of Baron Zemo will not wear the signature mask. Zemo famously wears a purple hood in the comics as a result of a brawl with Captain America, during which the villain’s face was covered in a lethal adhesive that resulted in his hood being forever grafted to his face (until after World War II).

This is excellent news for both Bruhl, who is a very talented actor, and for fans of Marvel films who have often felt as though the more literal physical translations of similar comic book baddies like Red Skull and and Malekith have left something to be desired.

There’s one more thing: Zemo is a villain from the World War II era, a former Nazi mad scientist whose background doesn’t exactly work in a contemporary setting. Bruhl says the Russos have found an interesting way to modernize the villain — and that he won’t be what you’re expecting:

You would be surprised, it’s different than what you’d think. It’s loosely connected to this character. But that’s what I like about the Marvel guys, some of the characters and things they’re dealing with always reference to current events so my character is from a different area than you would think.

With all the action playing out between Captain America, Iron Man, and their Avengers pals, it could be easy for Baron Zemo to get lost in the shuffle — and then there’s Marvel’s history of lackluster movie villains, but hopefully the Russos are on to something with Bruhl’s version of Baron Zemo.

Captain America: Civil War hits theaters on May 6, 2016.

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