12 Marvel Villains Who Should Have Been in Thunderbolts

12 Marvel Villains Who Should Have Been in Thunderbolts

ONE HOUR DANCING ZEMO | Marvel Studios’ The Falcon and The Winter Soldier | Disney+

It is a crime that Daniel Bruhl’s Zemo, one of, if not the, most fascinating villains in the Marvel Cinematic Universe isn’t part of the Thunderbolts, especially when Bucky Barnes somehow is. In the comics, Zemo formed the Thunderbolts out of his Masters of Evil to gain access to SHIELD and various tech. Admittedly, in the comics, Zemo has been a Nazi shithead for most of his career as well, and the MCU’s Zemo is neither of those things. But he has an agenda, a way he thinks he can protect the world and will do anything to achieve those goals—which would include, certainly, working with a bunch of bad guys and Russian assassins to stop something he deemed a threat. I know the movie Thunderbolts have been/will be assembled by the Contessa Valentina de Fontaine in the MCU, but Zemo could be their leader. The Contessa could free him from his cell in the Raft to use his tactical genius to guide her band of misfits. It writes itself!


Want more io9 news? Check out when to expect the latest Marvel and Star Wars releases, what’s next for the DC Universe on film and TV, and everything you need to know about House of the Dragon and Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power.