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* RedHerring: Initially, early in ''Series/TheFalconAndTheWinterSoldier'', there were hints that he would double-cross Sam and Bucky and act as part of the BigBadEnsemble, [[spoiler:however, by Episode 5, it turns out not to be the case as he willingly turn himself in to the authorities without a fight.]]
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* MilitarySuperhero: Or more like "Military Super-AntiHero" once Zemo officially dons his comic book persona in ''Series/TheFalconAndTheWinterSoldier'', undergoes a complete AdaptationalHeroism in contrast to his original depiction and cooperates with Sam and Bucky in aiding them to fight the Flag Smashers, using his black-ops military combat training to his advantage and even wearing his CoolMask from his time as a spec-ops colonel.
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* TokenEvilTeammate: He joins up with Bucky and Sam in ''Falcon and the Winter Soldier'', but while he's cooperative and even occasionally friendly, he's had no HeelFaceTurn nor a desire to make up for his actions in ''Cilvil War'', simply wanting to take down the flag smashers to 'finish his work'
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* TokenEvilTeammate: He joins up with Bucky and Sam in ''Falcon and the Winter Soldier'', but while he's cooperative and even occasionally friendly, he's had no HeelFaceTurn nor a desire to make up for his actions in ''Cilvil ''Civil War'', simply wanting to take down the flag smashers Flag-Smashers to 'finish his work'work'.
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* CoolMask: Zemo dons his signature purple mask while being attacked by bounty hunters in Madripoor. According to WordOfGod, it was previously used during his time as a colonel in Sokovia's black ops program.
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Changed line(s) 7 (click to see context) from:
[[caption-width-right:300:[[labelnote:Click here to see Zemo as he appears in ''The Falcon and the Winter Soldier'']]https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/baronhelmutzemothefalconandthewintersoldier.png[softreturn]''"I have no intention to leave my work unfinished."''[[/labelnote]]]]
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** To Wanda Maximoff. Both were proud Sokovians who held the Avengers responsible for the destruction of their country and the deaths of their families. Wanda was born into poverty while Zemo was born into wealth. Wanda's love for her country and hatred for those she blamed for destroying it led her to join HYDRA, while Zemo's patriotism led him to a military career. Wanda is one of the most powerful enhanced humans in the MCU, while Zemo is a BadassNormal who hates the existence of powered individuals. Wanda let go of her desire for revenge and wants nothing more than the simple life she grew up watching in old American TV shows, while Zemo doesn't care that his quest for vengeance led to a life in prison.
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* OutsideContextProblem: To the Flag-Smashers. They anticipated most of the threats they would face (The Power Broker, a few Avengers, the new Captain America, and the government) but not Zemo. As such, when he launches an attack on them they don't see it coming [[spoiler:as seen when he manages to intercept Karli, destroy the serums she has, and came close to killing her and when he orders his butler to blow up the prisoner transport containing the remaining Flag-Smashers, killing all of them at once.]]
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** To the Power Broker, aka [[spoiler:Sharon Carter]]. Both of them are filthy rich adversaries to our heroes that want to stop the Flag-Smashers at all costs. However, Zemo was [[OldMoney born wealthy due to being a Baron]] and has no interest in acquiring more power for himself, whereas the Power Broker made their fortune by illegal means over the span of a couple of years, and wants to make themselves [[NoveauRiche even more powerful and rich]]. Zemo also opposes the Flag-Smashers for philosophical reasons, while the Power Broker only wants to stop them because they interfered with their business.
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** To the Power Broker, aka [[spoiler:Sharon Carter]]. Both of them are filthy rich adversaries to our heroes that want to stop the Flag-Smashers at all costs. However, Zemo was [[OldMoney born wealthy due to being a Baron]] and has no interest in acquiring more power for himself, whereas the Power Broker made their fortune by illegal means over the span of a couple of years, and wants to make themselves [[NoveauRiche [[NouveauRiche even more powerful and rich]]. Zemo also opposes the Flag-Smashers for philosophical reasons, while the Power Broker only wants to stop them because they interfered with their business.
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** To the Power Broker, aka [[spoiler:Sharon Carter]]. Both of them are filthy rich adversaries to our heroes that want to stop the Flag-Smashers at all costs. However, Zemo was [[OldMoney born wealthy due to being a Baron]] and has no interest in acquiring more power for himself, whereas the Power Broker made their fortune by illegal means over the span of a couple of years, and wants to make themselves even more powerful and rich. Zemo also opposes the Flag-Smashers for philosophical reasons, while the Power Broker only wants to stop them because they interfered with their business.
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** To the Power Broker, aka [[spoiler:Sharon Carter]]. Both of them are filthy rich adversaries to our heroes that want to stop the Flag-Smashers at all costs. However, Zemo was [[OldMoney born wealthy due to being a Baron]] and has no interest in acquiring more power for himself, whereas the Power Broker made their fortune by illegal means over the span of a couple of years, and wants to make themselves [[NoveauRiche even more powerful and rich.rich]]. Zemo also opposes the Flag-Smashers for philosophical reasons, while the Power Broker only wants to stop them because they interfered with their business.
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* NothingLeftToDoButDie: After getting Tony to fight Steve and Bucky, Zemo decides to listen to his wife's voicemail one last time, before deleting it and attempting to commit suicide.
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* NothingLeftToDoButDie: After getting Tony to fight Steve and Bucky, Zemo decides to listen to his wife's voicemail one last time, before deleting it and attempting to commit suicide. T'Challa decides not to let him take the easy way out and thwarts the suicide attempt.
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* NaziHunter: As part of his AdaptationalNiceGuy he's no longer a member of the Nazi-affiliated and fascistic HYDRA group, but is shown to despite and openly oppose them, telling Karpov that "HYDRA deserves its place on the ash heap". ''Series/TheFalconAndTheWinterSoldier'' has him openly despise Nazis and reveals that he'd been hunting down and killing HYDRA members for ''years'' as part of his quest to destroy the Super Serum, long before the destruction of Sokovia.
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* NaziHunter: As part of his AdaptationalNiceGuy he's no longer a member of the Nazi-affiliated and fascistic HYDRA group, but is shown to despite despise and openly oppose them, telling Karpov that "HYDRA deserves its place on the ash heap". ''Series/TheFalconAndTheWinterSoldier'' has him openly despise Nazis and reveals that he'd been hunting down and killing HYDRA members for ''years'' as part of his quest to destroy the Super Serum, long before the destruction of Sokovia.
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Changed line(s) 189 (click to see context) from:
* VillainProtagonist: In ''Series/TheFalconAndTheWinterSoldier'', he teams up with Sam and Bucky to take down the Flag Smashers, getting more screen time and more of his development unlike in ''Civil War''. In a bit of a subversion, he ends up comitting very little actual villainy other than [[KickTheSonOfABitch arranging for the deaths of the remaining Flag-Smashers.]]
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* VillainProtagonist: In ''Series/TheFalconAndTheWinterSoldier'', he teams up with Sam and Bucky to take down the Flag Smashers, getting more screen time and more of his development unlike in ''Civil War''. In a bit of a subversion, he ends up comitting [[VillainyFreeVillain committing very little actual villainy villainy]] other than [[KickTheSonOfABitch arranging for the deaths of the remaining Flag-Smashers.]]
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Civil War didn't show off his wealth but the guy bought or assembled a nice-sized EMP generator and had it shipped to the German power plant. That's not exactly pocket change. He clearly had financial resources to draw from. In Civil War it was ambiguous (life savings, family wealth, insurance payout), in Winter Falcon they provide a more concrete answer.
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* {{Retcon}}:Nothing in ''Civil War'' implied he was particularly wealthy, with him seeming to just be a normal Sokovian solider before the disaster. ''Falcon and the Winter Soldier'' reveals not only is he well off, but that he and his family were 'like royalty', this seems to have been done to push him to be more in line with his comic counterpart.
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* {{Retcon}}:Nothing in {{Retcon}}: Downplayed. ''Civil War'' implied did not go out of its way to show he was particularly wealthy, with him seeming to be just be a normal Sokovian solider soldier before the disaster. ''Falcon and the Winter Soldier'' reveals not only is he well off, but that he is well off and his family were 'like royalty', this royalty' with him claiming the title of ''Baron''. This seems to have been done to push him to be more in line with his comic counterpart.
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** He takes a couple jabs at the racism in American society in ''Falcon and the Winter Soldier.''
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* {{Retcon}}:Nothing in ''Civil War'' implied he was particularly wealthy, with him seeming to just be a normal Sokovian solider before the disaster. ''Falcon and the Winter Soldier'' reveals not only is he well off, but that he and his family were 'like royalty', this seems to have been done to push him to be more in line with his comic counterpart.
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* TheSixthRanger: The initial Duo of Bucky and Sam becomes a trio 3 episodes into ''The Falcon and the Winter Soldier'' when he joins up with them.
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* TokenEvilTeammate: He joins up with Bucky and Sam in ''Falcon and the Winter Soldier'', but while he's cooperative and even occasionally friendly, he's had no HeelFaceTurn nor a desire to make up for his actions in ''Cilvil War'', simply wanting to take down the flag smashers to 'finish his work'
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* {{Foil}}: To the Power Broker, aka [[spoiler:Sharon Carter]].
** Both of them are filthy rich adversaries to our heroes that want to stop the Flag-Smashers at all costs. However, Zemo inherited his OldMoney due to being a Baron, and uses his wealth primarily for pragmatic purposes, whereas the [[spoiler:Sharon]] got their money illegally over the span of a couple of years, and wants to use it to make themselves more powerful and rich. Zemo also wants to stop the Flag-Smashers for philosophical reasons, while the Power Broker wants to stop them for pragmatic reasons.
** Both of them are filthy rich adversaries to our heroes that want to stop the Flag-Smashers at all costs. However, Zemo inherited his OldMoney due to being a Baron, and uses his wealth primarily for pragmatic purposes, whereas the [[spoiler:Sharon]] got their money illegally over the span of a couple of years, and wants to use it to make themselves more powerful and rich. Zemo also wants to stop the Flag-Smashers for philosophical reasons, while the Power Broker wants to stop them for pragmatic reasons.
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* {{Foil}}: {{Foil}}:
** To the Power Broker, aka [[spoiler:SharonCarter]].Carter]]. Both of them are filthy rich adversaries to our heroes that want to stop the Flag-Smashers at all costs. However, Zemo was [[OldMoney born wealthy due to being a Baron]] and has no interest in acquiring more power for himself, whereas the Power Broker made their fortune by illegal means over the span of a couple of years, and wants to make themselves even more powerful and rich. Zemo also opposes the Flag-Smashers for philosophical reasons, while the Power Broker only wants to stop them because they interfered with their business.
** Zemo is also contrasted with John Walker. Bothof them are filthy rich adversaries to our heroes that want on a mission to stop the Flag-Smashers at all costs. However, Flag Smashers, but while Zemo inherited his OldMoney due to being a Baron, and uses his wealth primarily for pragmatic purposes, whereas the [[spoiler:Sharon]] got their money illegally over the span of a couple of years, and wants to use it to make themselves more powerful and rich. Zemo also wants to stop the Flag-Smashers for is an independent agent with complex philosophical reasons, while motivations who relies primarily on cunning and intelligence, Walker is a blunt instrument of the Power Broker wants U.S. government who consistently favors brute force over more subtle methods or negotiation. When presented with an opportunity to stop them [[spoiler:inject themselves with the super soldier serum, Zemo remains steadfast in his belief that no one should have this power and immediately begins to destroy the vials, whereas Walker succumbs to the temptation and takes the last remaining vial for pragmatic reasons. himself]].
** To the Power Broker, aka [[spoiler:Sharon
** Zemo is also contrasted with John Walker. Both
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* PetTheDog: During a debate with Sam and Bucky, he concedes the point that Steve was the only super-soldier who was never corrupted in any way, but also points out there has never been another Steve Rogers. In Episode 5, while Bucky has him at gunpoint, he tells him that he has decided ''not'' to kill him, and as a sign of respect, crossed his name off in Bucky's book before turning himself in peacefully to the Dora Milaje. [[spoiler:Episode 6 reveals that Zemo wasn't fooling around - he legitimately could have had Bucky killed at any point, but decided not to. In his own way, he was acknowledging that Bucky may very well be that second Steve Rogers.]]
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** As of ''Series/TheFalconAndTheWinterSoldier'', Zemo develops this towards Sam Wilson due to his refusal to be ehnanced into being super soldier while maintaining his idealistic outlook. He also concedes that Steve Rogers was not corrupted by the power he held but holds him as an exception.
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** As of ''Series/TheFalconAndTheWinterSoldier'', Zemo develops this towards Sam Wilson due to his refusal to be ehnanced enhanced into being a super soldier while maintaining his idealistic outlook. He also concedes that Steve Rogers was not corrupted by the power he held obtained but holds him as an exception.
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* WellIntentionedExtremist: Zemo's objective in ''The Falcon and The Winter Soldier'' is to stop the creation of any and all super soldiers, believing that they create symbols of facism like the Red Skull once did. He accomplishes this in the fourth episode by shooting Karli Morgenthau multiple times and then smashing the remaining vials as Nico is helping her escape him.
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* WellIntentionedExtremist: Zemo's objective in ''The Falcon and The Winter Soldier'' is to stop the creation of any and all super soldiers, believing that they create become symbols of facism supremacism and fascism like the Red Skull once did. He accomplishes this in the fourth episode by shooting Karli Morgenthau multiple times and then smashing the remaining vials as Nico is helping her escape him.
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* BewareTheSuperman: In ''The Falcon and the Winter Soldier'', Zemo argues that the desire to become superhuman is invariably tied to supremacist ideals, which is why he believes that superheroes are a danger and should not be allowed to exist. While doesn't necessarily dislike them personally and even acknowledges that some of them might have good intentions, he is very critical of the fact that they are [[HeroWorshipper put on pedestals]] while their flaws are ignored and subsequently inspire BlindObedience, which he directly compares to the CultOfPersonality at the center of authoritarian movements like the Nazis and HYDRA.
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* BewareTheSuperman: In ''The Falcon and the Winter Soldier'', Zemo argues that the desire to become superhuman is invariably tied to supremacist ideals, which is why he believes that superheroes are a danger and should not be allowed to exist. While he doesn't necessarily dislike them personally and even acknowledges that some of them might have good intentions, he is very critical of the fact that they are [[HeroWorshipper put on pedestals]] while their flaws are ignored and subsequently inspire BlindObedience, which he directly compares to the CultOfPersonality at the center of authoritarian movements like the Nazis and HYDRA.
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* FriendlyEnemy: After breaking out of prison, Zemo is nothing but cordial and respectful towards Sam and Bucky, even as they blatantly express their distrust towards him because of what he did in ''Civil War''. During their collaboration, Zemo discusses his philosophical/political thoughts with Sam and Bucky in a loose way, allowing them to counter his arguments and recognizing what he agrees with. He also happily indulges in dancing and drinking alongside his would-be enemies without ever betraying them. Finally, he allows himself to be taken back to prison after accomplishing his goals, holding no ill will towards Sam or Bucky as he leaves with the Dora Milaje.
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* {{Foil}}: To the Power Broker, aka [[spoiler:Sharon Carter]].
** Both of them are filthy rich adversaries to our heroes that want to stop the Flag-Smashers at all costs. However, Zemo inherited his OldMoney due to being a Baron, and uses his wealth primarily for pragmatic purposes, whereas the [[spoiler:Sharon]] got their money illegally over the span of a couple of years, and wants to use it to make themselves more powerful and rich. Zemo also wants to stop the Flag-Smashers for philosophical reasons, while the Power Broker wants to stop them for pragmatic reasons.
** Both of them are filthy rich adversaries to our heroes that want to stop the Flag-Smashers at all costs. However, Zemo inherited his OldMoney due to being a Baron, and uses his wealth primarily for pragmatic purposes, whereas the [[spoiler:Sharon]] got their money illegally over the span of a couple of years, and wants to use it to make themselves more powerful and rich. Zemo also wants to stop the Flag-Smashers for philosophical reasons, while the Power Broker wants to stop them for pragmatic reasons.
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** Zemo believes that "gods" like the Avengers should not be allowed to exist. Sam points out that be decreeing who deserves to exist, he's speaking like a god.
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** Zemo believes that "gods" like the Avengers should not be allowed to exist. Sam points out that be by decreeing who deserves to exist, he's speaking like a god.
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That's a hell of a sentence. Let's fix that up a bit.
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* AdaptationalHeroism: In ''The Falcon and the Winter Soldier'', when he does don his iconic comic book alter ego, unlike in the comics where he was a straight-up one-note supervillain, Zemo here is depicted so far as an AmbiguouslyEvil AntiHero ally of Avengers Sam and Bucky without mostly ever betraying them until his escape from the hotel in the fourth episode with most of his redeeming and justifiable qualities shown upfront more than his villainous qualities that ''Civil War'' mostly showcased, but still likely an on-and-off antagonist simultaneously during his EnemyMine with the two superheroes.
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* AdaptationalHeroism: In ''The Falcon and the Winter Soldier'', when he does don finally dons his iconic comic book alter ego, unlike in the comics where look, he was a straight-up one-note supervillain, Zemo here is depicted so far more as an AmbiguouslyEvil AntiHero ally of Avengers Sam and Bucky without mostly ever betraying them until his escape from rather than the hotel one-note supervillain he usually is in the fourth episode with most comics. More of his redeeming and justifiable qualities are shown upfront more here rather than his the villainous qualities he displayed in Civil War, as all he wants is to make sure that ''Civil War'' mostly showcased, but still likely an on-and-off antagonist simultaneously during his EnemyMine with the two superheroes.super soldier serum is destroyed. Even when he escapes from Sam and Bucky in episode 4, he is found at the monument to Sokovia waiting for Bucky, and goes peacefully without a fight when the Dora Milaje arrive to arrest him.
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* DecoyProtagonist: After seemingly fulfilling the role as the {{Tritagonist}} in ''The Falcon and the Winter Soldier'', [[spoiler:he is then arrested in the penultimate episode, leaving John Walker to take up this role in the season finale following redeeming himself by rescuing a van full of hostages.]]
* GracefulLoser: [[spoiler:Turns himself in to the Wakandan authorities with no hard feelings.]]
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* {{Tritagonist}}: Of ''Series/TheFalconAndTheWinterSoldier'', when he teams up with Sam and Bucky in their crusade to defeat the Flag Smashers, while being more developed as a character in contrast to his debut in ''Civil War'' along the way of the narrative.
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* {{Tritagonist}}: Of ''Series/TheFalconAndTheWinterSoldier'', when he teams up with Sam and Bucky in their crusade to defeat the Flag Smashers, while being more developed as a character in contrast to his debut in ''Civil War'' along the way of the narrative. [[spoiler:[[DecoyProtagonist However after having turning himself in to the Wakandan authorities in the fifth episode,]] John Walker once again takes up this role in the season finale after initially appearing to be a DecoyProtagonist in regards to this role for his seemingly FaceHeelTurn killing of Nico at the end of Episode 4.]]
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* FaceDeathWithDignity: When T'Challa finally catches up with him at the end of ''Civil War'', he's completely calm and fully prepared for T'Challa to kill him to avenge his father, even seeming to acknowledge that in his mind T'Challa's revenge against him is just as justified as his own revenge against the Avengers. Later, in episode 5 of ''The Falcon and the Winter Soldier'', [[spoiler: he's completely calm and accepting when it looks like Bucky is going to execute him, and later he calmly walks away with the Dora Milaje when they show up to take him into custody, knowing there's a decent chance he's going to be executed in a spectacular fashion in Wakanda for killing the king (for some reason the Dora Milaje went to all that trouble just to turn him over to the U.N. where he'll be held in the same prison that used to hold Captain America's half of the Avengers, but he's got no way of knowing that).]]
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* FaceDeathWithDignity: FaceDeathWithDignity:
** When T'Challa finally catches up with him at the end of ''Civil War'', he's completely calm and fully prepared for T'Challa to kill him to avenge his father, even seeming to acknowledge that in his mind T'Challa's revenge against him is just as justified as his own revenge against theAvengers. Later, in Avengers.
** In episode 5 of ''The Falcon and the Winter Soldier'', [[spoiler: he's completely calm and accepting when it looks like Bucky is going to execute him, and later he calmly walks away with the Dora Milaje when they show up to take him into custody, knowing there's a decent chance he's going to be executed in a spectacular fashion in Wakanda for killing the king (for some reason the Dora Milaje went to all that trouble just to turn him over to the U.N. where he'll be held in the same prison that used to hold Captain America's half of the Avengers, but he's got no way of knowing that).]]
** When T'Challa finally catches up with him at the end of ''Civil War'', he's completely calm and fully prepared for T'Challa to kill him to avenge his father, even seeming to acknowledge that in his mind T'Challa's revenge against him is just as justified as his own revenge against the
** In episode 5 of ''The Falcon and the Winter Soldier'', [[spoiler: he's completely calm and accepting when it looks like Bucky is going to execute him, and later he calmly walks away with the Dora Milaje when they show up to take him into custody, knowing there's a decent chance he's going to be executed in a spectacular fashion in Wakanda for killing the king (for some reason the Dora Milaje went to all that trouble just to turn him over to the U.N. where he'll be held in the same prison that used to hold Captain America's half of the Avengers, but he's got no way of knowing that).]]
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* CapeBusters: Has a personal grudge against the Avengers and plots to destroy them by pitting them against one another. By the time of ''The Falcon and the Winter Soldier'', he has apparently narrowed his vendetta to all super soldiers, stating that they "cannot be allowed to exist." At the same time, as stated above in BewareTheSuperman, his is more nuanced compared to other versions of this trope.
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* CapeBusters: Has His main goal is the eradication of every superpowered individual he sees as a danger to the public. In ''Civil War'', he is primarily motivated by a personal grudge against the Avengers Avengers, whom he blames for the destruction of his country and plots to destroy them by pitting them against one another. By the time deaths of his family, but ''The Falcon and the Winter Soldier'', he has apparently narrowed his vendetta to all super soldiers, stating Soldier'' reveals that they "cannot be allowed he is opposed to exist." At the same time, as stated above idolization of superhumans in BewareTheSuperman, his is more nuanced compared general and even has him teaming up with Sam and Bucky to other versions of this trope.hunt down the Flag-Smashers.
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* BewareTheSuperman: His return in ''The Falcon and the Winter Soldier'' reveals his own take on the idea. While he is against the idea of a SuperSoldier on principle, he is not specifically against them as people, but more how they are precisely [[TheParagon put on a pedestal]], [[WartsAndAll their flaws washed away/ignored]] and [[HeroWorshipper subsequently inspire]] BlindObedience. He specifically notes how the personal loyalty inspired by Steve Rogers to Sam and Bucky (then, even now) precisely drives them to such extremes--even breaking the law much like they did to free him. [[VillainHasAPoint Sam and Bucky do not protest the point]]. He admits that [[TheParagon Steve]] was not corrupted by the power he was given but points out there was only one of him compared to the many who would abuse it. [[spoiler:He is proven right on this point by John Walker taking the super soldier serum and going off the deep end.]]
** Notably, this is also why he finds Bucky a bit tolerable, since he is being bewared of. [[spoiler:Later on, Bucky defies his assessment of him (i.e. that he is still, deep down, the Winter Soldier) by having him dead-to-rights at gunpoint, and then revealing its magazine empty--worldlessly asserting he is no longer that man. [[VillainRespect Zemo respectfully concedes]].]]
** Notably, this is also why he finds Bucky a bit tolerable, since he is being bewared of. [[spoiler:Later on, Bucky defies his assessment of him (i.e. that he is still, deep down, the Winter Soldier) by having him dead-to-rights at gunpoint, and then revealing its magazine empty--worldlessly asserting he is no longer that man. [[VillainRespect Zemo respectfully concedes]].]]
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* BewareTheSuperman: His return in In ''The Falcon and the Winter Soldier'' reveals his own take on Soldier'', Zemo argues that the idea. desire to become superhuman is invariably tied to supremacist ideals, which is why he believes that superheroes are a danger and should not be allowed to exist. While doesn't necessarily dislike them personally and even acknowledges that some of them might have good intentions, he is against very critical of the idea of a SuperSoldier on principle, he is not specifically against them as people, but more how fact that they are precisely [[TheParagon put on a pedestal]], [[WartsAndAll their flaws washed away/ignored]] and [[HeroWorshipper put on pedestals]] while their flaws are ignored and subsequently inspire]] BlindObedience. He specifically notes how the personal loyalty inspired by Steve Rogers to Sam and Bucky (then, even now) precisely drives them to such extremes--even breaking the law much like they did to free him. [[VillainHasAPoint Sam and Bucky do not protest the point]]. He admits that [[TheParagon Steve]] was not corrupted by the power inspire BlindObedience, which he was given but points out there was only one of him compared directly compares to the many who would abuse it. [[spoiler:He is proven right on this point by John Walker taking CultOfPersonality at the super soldier serum center of authoritarian movements like the Nazis and going off the deep end.]]
** Notably, this is also why he finds Bucky a bit tolerable, since he is being bewared of. [[spoiler:Later on, Bucky defies his assessment of him (i.e. that he is still, deep down, the Winter Soldier) by having him dead-to-rights at gunpoint, and then revealing its magazine empty--worldlessly asserting he is no longer that man. [[VillainRespect Zemo respectfully concedes]].]]HYDRA.
** Notably, this is also why he finds Bucky a bit tolerable, since he is being bewared of. [[spoiler:Later on, Bucky defies his assessment of him (i.e. that he is still, deep down, the Winter Soldier) by having him dead-to-rights at gunpoint, and then revealing its magazine empty--worldlessly asserting he is no longer that man. [[VillainRespect Zemo respectfully concedes]].]]
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* VillainHasAPoint:
** In episode 4 of ''The Falcon and the Winter Soldier'', Zemo explains why he doesn't believe that super soldiers should be allowed to exist. By his own previous statements, Sam would probably agree with much of what he says, and John Walker spends the rest of the episode illustrating Zemo's arguments.
** Zemo also warns Sam that Karli has become too radicalized (especially after taking the Super Soldier Serum) and it's pointless to try to talk her down. [[spoiler:The finale proves Zemo was right when Karli tries to kill Sam after he's foiled her plans and tries to do it again.]]
** In episode 4 of ''The Falcon and the Winter Soldier'', Zemo explains why he doesn't believe that super soldiers should be allowed to exist. By his own previous statements, Sam would probably agree with much of what he says, and John Walker spends the rest of the episode illustrating Zemo's arguments.
** Zemo also warns Sam that Karli has become too radicalized (especially after taking the Super Soldier Serum) and it's pointless to try to talk her down. [[spoiler:The finale proves Zemo was right when Karli tries to kill Sam after he's foiled her plans and tries to do it again.]]
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* VillainHasAPoint:
**VillainHasAPoint: In episode 4 of ''The Falcon and the Winter Soldier'', Zemo explains at length why he doesn't believe that super soldiers should be allowed to exist. By his own previous statements, exist, and brings up some very convincing arguments about the dangers of idolizing people with superhuman abilities.
** He specifically notes how the personal loyalty inspired by Steve Rogers to Sam and Bucky drives them to dangerous extremes--even breaking the law much like they did to free him. Sam and Bucky do not protest the point. While Zemo admits that [[TheParagon Steve]] himself was not corrupted by the power he was given, he also points out there was only one of him compared to the many who wouldprobably agree with much of what he says, and abuse it. [[spoiler:He is proven right when John Walker spends takes the rest of the episode illustrating Zemo's arguments.
super soldier serum and immediately uses his new powers to execute a surrendering Flag-Smasher in public]].
** Zemo also warns Sam that Karli has become too radicalized (especially after taking the Super Soldier Serum) and it's pointless to try to talk her down. [[spoiler:The finale proves Zemowas right when Karli tries to kill Sam after he's foiled her plans and tries to do it again.]]plans]].
**
** He specifically notes how the personal loyalty inspired by Steve Rogers to Sam and Bucky drives them to dangerous extremes--even breaking the law much like they did to free him. Sam and Bucky do not protest the point. While Zemo admits that [[TheParagon Steve]] himself was not corrupted by the power he was given, he also points out there was only one of him compared to the many who would
** Zemo also warns Sam that Karli has become too radicalized (especially after taking the Super Soldier Serum) and it's pointless to try to talk her down. [[spoiler:The finale proves Zemo
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* VillainRespect: As of ''Series/TheFalconAndTheWinterSoldier'', Zemo develops this towards Sam Wilson due to his refusal to be ehnanced into being super soldier while maintaining his idealistic outlook. He also concedes that Steve Rogers was not corrupted by the power he held but holds him as an exception.
to:
* VillainRespect: VillainRespect:
** As of ''Series/TheFalconAndTheWinterSoldier'', Zemo develops this towards Sam Wilson due to his refusal to be ehnanced into being super soldier while maintaining his idealistic outlook. He also concedes that Steve Rogers was not corrupted by the power he held but holds him as anexception.exception.
** When Bucky defies Zemo's assessment of him (i.e. that he is still, deep down, the Winter Soldier) by having him dead-to-rights at gunpoint, and then revealing its magazine empty--worldlessly asserting he is no longer that man--Zemo respectfully concedes and wishes him well before being taken into custody.
** As of ''Series/TheFalconAndTheWinterSoldier'', Zemo develops this towards Sam Wilson due to his refusal to be ehnanced into being super soldier while maintaining his idealistic outlook. He also concedes that Steve Rogers was not corrupted by the power he held but holds him as an
** When Bucky defies Zemo's assessment of him (i.e. that he is still, deep down, the Winter Soldier) by having him dead-to-rights at gunpoint, and then revealing its magazine empty--worldlessly asserting he is no longer that man--Zemo respectfully concedes and wishes him well before being taken into custody.
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* JerkassHasAPoint: In episode 4 of ''The Falcon and the Winter Soldier'', Zemo explains why he doesn’t believe that super soldiers should be allowed to exist. By his own previous statements, Sam would probably agree with much of what he says, and John Walker spends the rest of the episode illustrating his arguments.
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* VillainHasAPoint: In ''Series/TheFalconAndTheWinterSoldier'', Zemo warns Sam that Karli has become too radicalized (especially after taking the Super Soldier Serum) and it's pointless to try to talk her down. [[spoiler:The finale proves Zemo was right when Karli tries to kill Sam after he's foiled her plans and tries to do it again.]]
* VillainProtagonist: So far of ''Series/TheFalconAndTheWinterSoldier'', when he teams up with Sam and Bucky to take down the Flag Smashers, getting more screen time and more of his development unlike in ''Civil War''. In a bit of a subversion, he ends up comitting very little actual villainy other than [[KickTheSonOfABitch arranging for the deaths of the remaining Flag-Smashers.]]
* VillainProtagonist: So far of ''Series/TheFalconAndTheWinterSoldier'', when he teams up with Sam and Bucky to take down the Flag Smashers, getting more screen time and more of his development unlike in ''Civil War''. In a bit of a subversion, he ends up comitting very little actual villainy other than [[KickTheSonOfABitch arranging for the deaths of the remaining Flag-Smashers.]]
to:
* VillainHasAPoint: VillainHasAPoint:
** In''Series/TheFalconAndTheWinterSoldier'', episode 4 of ''The Falcon and the Winter Soldier'', Zemo explains why he doesn't believe that super soldiers should be allowed to exist. By his own previous statements, Sam would probably agree with much of what he says, and John Walker spends the rest of the episode illustrating Zemo's arguments.
** Zemo also warns Sam that Karli has become too radicalized (especially after taking the Super Soldier Serum) and it's pointless to try to talk her down. [[spoiler:The finale proves Zemo was right when Karli tries to kill Sam after he's foiled her plans and tries to do it again.]]
* VillainProtagonist:So far of In ''Series/TheFalconAndTheWinterSoldier'', when he teams up with Sam and Bucky to take down the Flag Smashers, getting more screen time and more of his development unlike in ''Civil War''. In a bit of a subversion, he ends up comitting very little actual villainy other than [[KickTheSonOfABitch arranging for the deaths of the remaining Flag-Smashers.]]
** In
** Zemo also warns Sam that Karli has become too radicalized (especially after taking the Super Soldier Serum) and it's pointless to try to talk her down. [[spoiler:The finale proves Zemo was right when Karli tries to kill Sam after he's foiled her plans and tries to do it again.]]
* VillainProtagonist:
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* VillainProtagonist: So far of ''Series/TheFalconAndTheWinterSoldier'', when he teams up with Sam and Bucky to take down the Flag Smashers, getting more screen time and more of his development unlike in ''Civil War''.
to:
* VillainProtagonist: So far of ''Series/TheFalconAndTheWinterSoldier'', when he teams up with Sam and Bucky to take down the Flag Smashers, getting more screen time and more of his development unlike in ''Civil War''. In a bit of a subversion, he ends up comitting very little actual villainy other than [[KickTheSonOfABitch arranging for the deaths of the remaining Flag-Smashers.]]
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[[center: [- [[Characters/MarvelCinematicUniverse Main Character Index]] > Villainous Individuals and Organizations > [[Characters/MCUOtherSupervillains Other Supervillains]] > [[Characters/MCUUltron Ultron]] | [[Characters/MCUEgotheLivingPlanet Ego the Living Planet]] | '''Baron Helmut Zemo''' | [[Characters/MCUHela Hela]] | [[Characters/MCUErikKillmonger Erik Killmonger]] | [[Characters/MCUMysterio Mysterio]] ([[Characters/MCUMysterioQuentinBeck Quentin Beck]]) | [[Characters/MCUKilgrave Kilgrave]] -]]]
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!!''[[ComicBook/BaronZemo Baron Helmut Zemo]]''
[[quoteright:300:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/8e1a8599_e7ae_4835_bed4_97dc4236832f_1_201_a.jpeg]]
[[caption-width-right:300:''"I have experience, and patience. A man can do anything if he has those."'']]
[[caption-width-right:300:[[labelnote:Click here to see Zemo as he appears in ''The Falcon and the Winter Soldier'']]https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/baronhelmutzemothefalconandthewintersoldier.png[softreturn]''"I have no intention to leave my work unfinished."''[[/labelnote]]]]
!!!'''Species:''' Human
!!!'''Citizenship:''' Stateless, formerly Sokovian
!!!'''Portrayed By:''' Creator/DanielBruhl
!!!'''Voiced By:''' Javier Olguín (Latin-American Spanish dub)
!!!'''Appearances:''' ''Film/CaptainAmericaCivilWar'' | ''Film/{{Black Panther|2018}}'' [[note]]Archive photography[[/note]] | ''Series/TheFalconAndTheWinterSoldier''
->''"An empire toppled by its enemies can rise again. But one which crumbles from within? That's dead. Forever."''\\\
A Sokovian baron and former special ops colonel who has a grudge against the Avengers due to their involvement in the Battle of Sokovia, which led to the death of his family. Zemo seeks to exploit tensions within the Avengers in order to get them to disperse and potentially even dispose of one another... And he's ultimately successful, as the Avengers end up being fractured for years after his plan is complete.\\\
Eight years after the events of ''Civil War'', Sam Wilson and Bucky Barnes turn to Zemo in helping them track down a new formula of the super-soldier serum and stopping the Flag-Smashers, forming a ''very'' uneasy alliance.
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[[folder:Tropes A to G]]
* AdaptationalAttractiveness: He's quite handsome here, while his comic counterpart usually has to wear a mask to hide his hideously charred, disfigured face. This is true to his first appearance in the comics as a one-shot villain, before he was scarred upon becoming a recurring character.
* AdaptationalHeroism: In ''The Falcon and the Winter Soldier'', when he does don his iconic comic book alter ego, unlike in the comics where he was a straight-up one-note supervillain, Zemo here is depicted so far as an AmbiguouslyEvil AntiHero ally of Avengers Sam and Bucky without mostly ever betraying them until his escape from the hotel in the fourth episode with most of his redeeming and justifiable qualities shown upfront more than his villainous qualities that ''Civil War'' mostly showcased, but still likely an on-and-off antagonist simultaneously during his EnemyMine with the two superheroes.
* AdaptationalNationality: In the comics Helmut Zemo is German, but here he is a Sokovian. Ironically, his actor actually is German, and ''The Falcon and the Winter Soldier'' sees a bit of his German accent creep in. He also has a vast array of vehicles and a private plane in Germany, and seems very familiar with both Berlin and the German language. Whether this is a {{Retcon}} into making him part German or just a MythologyGag is yet to be seen, though he does identify Sokovia as "his country".
* AdaptationalNiceGuy: His comic counterpart and that of his father were ''[[ThoseWackyNazis literal Nazis]]'' who wanted mass genocide and world domination, and while the Helmut of the comics did grow out of the former, he still tends to try the latter. This version of Zemo, despite being on a black ops killing team, has a much simpler and more sympathetic motivation, while his father was merely a civilian. Neither have any ties to HYDRA (aside from Helmut's exploitation of HYDRA's Winter Soldier project), while the versions from the comics are both prominent members of that organisation.
* AdaptationalWimp: In the comics Zemo is a major adversary of Captain America and the Avengers, with a particular emphasis on his skills at fencing and manipulation. While this version retains his cunning, he is also presented as much less of a direct threat to anyone despite being a former black operative; when Black Panther decides to bring him in alive, he goes down with barely a struggle. Most of his success ties into this, with him exploiting his lack of obvious supervillainous affect to stay under the heroes' radar until his plan requires him to show his hand, then [[FlawExploitation relying on Steve and Tony's flaws and personal issues to do most of the work for him]]. ''Series/TheFalconAndTheWinterSoldier'' shows that he hasn't forgotten how to do his own dirty work, however, putting his soldier skills to use alongside his usual guile and strategizing once he gets back into the fray.
* AdaptationPersonalityChange: In the comics, Zemo is generally depicted as an unapologetic villain who is primarily driven by a selfish desire to rule over others. His film version, on the other hand, has a much more sympathetic motive for his villainous actions, as he's just a victim of the Avengers' collateral damage in Sokovia seeking revenge for the death of his entire family.
* AffablyEvil:
** He's the BigBad of ''Civil War'' and is more than willing to commit mass murder to achieve his ends, but the times he acts polite or remorseful are genuine. He states he'd rather avoid unnecessary deaths if he can, [[EvenEvilHasStandards has a few standards]], apologizes to T'Challa for killing his father, has [[NiceToTheWaiter regular courteous interactions with a staff member of the hotel he's staying at]], and even eventually apologizes to Bucky for using him. Considering he's just a grieving man who's dedicated to avenging the deaths of his family, it makes sense he wouldn't act like a cackling maniac.
** By ''The Falcon And The Winter Soldier'', he is shown to be fairly courteous to those around him (who, apart from [[NiceToTheWaiter his family butler]] were his enemies before) and he is capable of holding civil conversations with ''Bucky'', even offering him a genuine apology for his actions in ''Civil War''. He also agrees to join Sam and Bucky's crusade against the Flag-Smashers, without the driving of a hard bargain one might expect from him. He is also fully willing to lend his resources from the criminal underground to Sam and Bucky to take the Flag-Smashers down, no questions asked.
* AlasPoorVillain: His defeat in ''Civil War'' is treated as an utterly somber affair, with him having nothing left after completing his plan and hoping to commit SuicideByCop at T'Challa's hands before trying to kill himself when T'Challa [[CharacterDevelopment refuses to be consumed by vengeance as Zemo has]]. Even though he got what he wanted (up to a point), it doesn't change the fact that his family is gone forever.
* TheAlcoholic: Following his escape from prison in ''The Falcon and the Winter Soldier'', Zemo reveals himself to be a little bit of a tippler, partaking in shots, champagne, helping himself to Sharon's expensive liquor collection, then taking more shots at a club. [[NotSoAboveItAll He apparently approves of the way they party in Madripoor.]]
* AllForNothing: He wanted to destroy the Avengers and was content with them dividing. Thanos's arrival and the events of ''Endgame'' undo all of that. In fact, the Avengers are no doubt more beloved than ever as a result.
* AntiVillain: Despite the grim and often hypocritical in hindsight actions he resorts to, he does have some good traits and was hoping for a cleaner way to get what he wanted first. Also, his motive -- revenge for the collateral damage-induced loss of his family -- is at least a little sympathetic.
* AppleOfDiscord: His EvilPlan is to find evidence that Bucky Barnes murdered Tony Stark's parents while under HYDRA control and show it to Stark, so Bucky's friend Steve Rogers and Tony will turn on each other over whether to spare or kill Bucky, and the Avengers will be ripped apart as they side with one leader or the other.
* ArchEnemy: Since the death of Ulysses Klaue, it seems Zemo has taken his seat as Wakanda's most wanted for the death of King T'Chaka. Not a ''day'' after he breaks out of prison, Ayo is already hot on his trail to capture him.
* AristocratsAreEvil: It's revealed in ''The Falcon and the Winter Soldier'' that he is a nobleman like his comic counterpart. Though unlike said counterpart, his upbringing had nothing to do with him becoming a villain since his father was by all accounts a decent man in this universe.
* BadassLongcoat: The events of ''The Falcon and the Winter Soldier'' have Zemo wearing a stylish winter coat, complete with ConspicuousGloves.
* BadassNormal: Unlike most of the Avengers, he's just a plain old human. But, through sheer patience and ingenuity, he still managed to tear them apart. During the trip to Madripoor he proves to be no slouch in combat either, reminding everyone he was former special forces. He also comes much closer to permanently stopping Morgenthau than Falcon or Bucky have ever managed so far, largely because he's fully willing to kill.
* TheBadGuyWins: {{Downplayed|Trope}}. Zemo has achieved his goals but with never with the fully desired outcome.
** While none of the Avengers die as a consequence of his plan in ''Film/CaptainAmericaCivilWar'', he accomplishes his main goal in dividing them and is content with this. While the looming threat of Thanos forces them back together in ''Film/AvengersInfinityWar'' and ''Film/AvengersEndgame'', the reunion turns out to be temporary -- by the time of ''Spider-Man: Far From Home'', ''Series/WandaVision'', and ''The Falcon and the Winter Soldier'', the Avengers are still very much defunct.
** In ''Series/TheFalconAndTheWinterSoldier'', [[spoiler:he successfully killed the man who recreated the super soldier formula and destroyed all but one of the remaining samples while inadvertently leading to John Walker gaining the Super Serum for himself. This turns in Zemo's favor after Walker brutally executes a defenseless Flag Smasher in broad daylight in front of civilians, corrupting the image of super soldiers in the public eye. He willing gives up a chance at pulling a VillainExitStageLeft to visit a memorial and allows him self to be captured, his work done.]]
** [[spoiler:In the final episode, he instructs his butler to kill the remaining Flag Smashers by blowing up their van. He overhears the news of this on the radio with silent satisfaction that the super soldiers that could be placed on pedestals are now dead.]]
* BatmanGambit: He's good at finding ways to make other people do things for him by exploiting their predictable behavior.
** He framed Bucky Barnes for bombing the United Nations, then relied on everyone else including Captain America hunting him down for it, and further that no one but the Avengers would even be capable of killing Bucky, to get access to Barnes and his knowledge of HYDRA bases.
** He arranges for his ruse to be discovered by the media, relying on Tony to find out and make amends with Captain America, so they'll both find the Siberian compound where Zemo reveals to them that Bucky killed Tony's parents.
** His entire plan is based on assumptions from the S.H.I.E.L.D. intel on the Avengers he's studied that Captain America's over-protectiveness of his friends and Iron Man's complex over the death of his parents would mean not only that the two would turn on each other if Bucky's involvement in the Starks' death was revealed, but that Steve wouldn't have talked to Tony about Bucky's potential involvement beforehand.
*** His setup gambled on the fact that it is a conflict that only works if there are no voices of reason to hold either of them back. The fact that the airport fight left only two active members of the Avengers, Bucky and a third party present in the Hydra compound in a place where no one would interfere was a happy accident for him since most of the Avengers present could have prevented things from reaching the breaking point. Of course, this is covered under HeadsIWinTailsYouLose.
* BeardOfEvil: He has grown a beard during his eight years in prison as seen in Episode 2 of ''The Falcon and the Winter Soldier''.
* BewareTheSuperman: His return in ''The Falcon and the Winter Soldier'' reveals his own take on the idea. While he is against the idea of a SuperSoldier on principle, he is not specifically against them as people, but more how they are precisely [[TheParagon put on a pedestal]], [[WartsAndAll their flaws washed away/ignored]] and [[HeroWorshipper subsequently inspire]] BlindObedience. He specifically notes how the personal loyalty inspired by Steve Rogers to Sam and Bucky (then, even now) precisely drives them to such extremes--even breaking the law much like they did to free him. [[VillainHasAPoint Sam and Bucky do not protest the point]]. He admits that [[TheParagon Steve]] was not corrupted by the power he was given but points out there was only one of him compared to the many who would abuse it. [[spoiler:He is proven right on this point by John Walker taking the super soldier serum and going off the deep end.]]
** Notably, this is also why he finds Bucky a bit tolerable, since he is being bewared of. [[spoiler:Later on, Bucky defies his assessment of him (i.e. that he is still, deep down, the Winter Soldier) by having him dead-to-rights at gunpoint, and then revealing its magazine empty--worldlessly asserting he is no longer that man. [[VillainRespect Zemo respectfully concedes]].]]
* BigBad: Of ''Film/CaptainAmericaCivilWar''. He exploits and exacerbates the ideological differences between Captain America and Iron Man, resulting in the eponymous GoodVsGood conflict that threatens to destroy the Avengers.
* BigDamnVillains: As Sam, Bucky, and Sharon are pinned down by bounty hunters in the Madripoor shipyard, Zemo suddenly makes a grandiose entrance in full villain garb on a ledge, killing several assassins by shooting a nearby gas tank with his pistol before going to ground and taking down the rest in close combat, opening up the heroes' window of escape.
* BlueBlood: ''The Falcon and The Winter Soldier'' reveals that he was always a baron. While the fall of Sokovia took away most of the power of the title he still has a lot of money and connections as a result of his position.
* BreakingTheFellowship: Thanks to his efforts, the Avengers are severely compromised, with several of the foundational friendships that held them together torn apart and anyone who sided with Cap imprisoned or branded a fugitive. Even Tony and his supporters still bear physical and mental scars caused by fighting their friends.
* TheBusCameBack: After being imprisoned at the end of ''Civil War'', Zemo returns in ''The Falcon and the Winter Soldier'', with the title characters seeking his assistance in tracking down the source of the Flag Smashers's SuperSoldier powers.
* CapeBusters: Has a personal grudge against the Avengers and plots to destroy them by pitting them against one another. By the time of ''The Falcon and the Winter Soldier'', he has apparently narrowed his vendetta to all super soldiers, stating that they "cannot be allowed to exist." At the same time, as stated above in BewareTheSuperman, his is more nuanced compared to other versions of this trope.
* CardboardPrison: Zemo still has a lot of connections and resources despite still being in prison. [[spoiler:Even from within the Raft he is still able to order his butler to kill the last of the Flag Smashers]].
* CharacterTic: He has a habit of tilting his head whenever he's attempting to manipulate someone. It seems to be a subconscious thing he does, as he immediately stops doing it when Sam notices and lampshades it in Episode 4 of ''The Falcon and The Winter Soldier''.
* TheChessmaster: He plays all the Avengers like pawns. He frames Bucky for a crime, to have the world hunt him and lure him out of hiding. This partially causes the Avengers to turn on each other, divided over Bucky's innocence. He takes the UN interrogator's place, extorting information out of Bucky and using the trigger words to activate Bucky's soldier conditioning. Before finally showing Tony the tape of what really happened to his parents, sending him into a murderous rage to kill Bucky.
* ColonelBadass: He used to be a Colonel in the Sokovian Special Forces, and he is one of the most effective foes the Avengers have faced -- though not because of his combat abilities, but because of how effective he is about executing his plans.
* ComicBookMoviesDontUseCodenames: In ''Civil War'', he's never called "Baron Zemo", the title he goes by in the comics, and is instead referred to by his military rank ''Colonel''. This is subverted in ''The Falcon and the Winter Soldier'', which reveals that he was Sokovian royalty and has several characters address him as "Baron".
* TheComicallySerious: His stoic demeanour tends to stick out when he's in the same room as [[WorldOfSnark Sam and Bucky]], like when he awkwardly jumps to the defense of Music/MarvinGaye's "Trouble Man" soundtrack, or his [[SucksAtDancing crappy dancing]] in Sharon's nightclub.
* CompositeCharacter: He takes Klaue's role as the man who murders King T'Chaka.
* CoolCar: He actually has a ''lot'' of these. His family owned an impressive collection of classics, with plenty of Rolls' and Bentleys in his garage. It's a taste he himself had acquired, as he, Sam, Bucky and Sharon make their getaway out of Madripoor in a super-charged muscle car he had stashed in the docks.
* CrusadingWidower: His wife was among the civilian casualties in Sokovia. He keeps a recording of her last voice message on his phone.
* CunningLinguist: Zemo's multilingualism allows him to assume different identities. Aside from his native Sokovian, he speaks English, German, Russian, and presumably French, given that he was able to convincingly impersonate a French-speaking psychologist.
* DeathSeeker: Once he has put Iron Man against Bucky and Cap, he first attempts to persuade Black Panther into killing him, then decides to shoot himself. Black Panther catches the bullet before snagging him a headlock so he can face justice.
* {{Determinator}}: He manages to find new resolve after ''Civil War'', and Iron Man's sacrifice has done little to change his views. With Iron Man dead and Captain America retired, he decides he will stop the creation of any and all super soldiers in the world no matter what happens.
* DivideAndConquer: His plan against the Avengers, seeing that there's absolutely no chance he can fight them on his own. He even compares the Avengers to some sort of a mighty empire, which can only be felled by using this tactic.
* DrivenToSuicide: Tries to [[StrikeMeDownWithAllOfYourHatred goad T'Challa into killing him]], and then to shoot himself when he refuses. Neither works out for him; making enemies of a guy with SuperStrength and a bulletproof suit was a bad idea, evidently.
* ElitesAreMoreGlamorous: His family is Sokovian nobility and he was colonel in EKO Scorpion, Sokovia's black ops kill squad. Even if Sokovia was a developing Balkans country, that still makes him pretty dangerous.
* EnemyMine: DownplayedTrope. Despite not personally hating Sam and Bucky, the latter two consider their alliance with Zemo this due to ''Civil War'' and the damage he caused; the only reason they tolerate him is that he can accomodate them with the resources they need to take down the Flag-Smashers. To his credit, Zemo doesn't hesitate in helping their cause because of his BewareTheSuperman beliefs, even expressing interest in facing Karli Morgenthau herself.
* EvenEvilHasStandards:
** In a stark contrast to his comics depiction, he lacks any affiliation with HYDRA and outright states that they deserved to be brought down. A conversation in ''Falcon and the Winter Soldier'' reveals he despises the Red Skull and those who idolize him, and he kills Doctor Nagel while the man is gloating about being a god.
** Despite his profound hatred of the Avengers, he declined to unleash the other five Winter Soldiers and shot them dead rather than risk someone else doing so, as they were worse than Bucky and would do untold damage to the world given the order. He also seems uncomfortable with the concept of experimenting on humans in general.
--->'''Zemo''': If it's any comfort, they died in their sleep. Did you really think I wanted ''more'' of you?
* EvilGenius: While he has combat training, his greatest strength is his intellect. Aside from his abilities as TheChessmaster, Zemo was able to [[TheCracker crack the encrypted HYDRA files]] on the Winter Soldier program that Black Widow released to the Internet and build a very effective [=EMP=] bomb in his hotel room.
* FaceDeathWithDignity: When T'Challa finally catches up with him at the end of ''Civil War'', he's completely calm and fully prepared for T'Challa to kill him to avenge his father, even seeming to acknowledge that in his mind T'Challa's revenge against him is just as justified as his own revenge against the Avengers. Later, in episode 5 of ''The Falcon and the Winter Soldier'', [[spoiler: he's completely calm and accepting when it looks like Bucky is going to execute him, and later he calmly walks away with the Dora Milaje when they show up to take him into custody, knowing there's a decent chance he's going to be executed in a spectacular fashion in Wakanda for killing the king (for some reason the Dora Milaje went to all that trouble just to turn him over to the U.N. where he'll be held in the same prison that used to hold Captain America's half of the Avengers, but he's got no way of knowing that).]]
* FacialScruff: [[spoiler:His brief appearance in the second episode of Series/TheFalconAndTheWinterSoldier has Zemo with this due to his time spent in prison. Downplayed in that it looks relatively thin despite having been locked up for eight years at this point, and he shaves it off shortly after.]]
* FantasticRacism: He has a distaste for enhanced individuals in general, and super soldiers in specific. Specially if such super soldiers are put on pedestals he deems completely unearned.
* FlawExploitation: He turns the Avengers, particularly Steve and Tony, against each other through a series of {{Batman Gambit}}s with the ultimate goal of making them fight each other to the death -- or if not that, at least to the point of no longer being a cohesive unit. In particular, he reveals to Tony the truth of what happened to his parents knowing that he'll go into an UnstoppableRage against Bucky and that Cap will prioritise keeping Bucky alive even at Tony's expense.
* FriendToAllChildren: Invoked in ''The Falcon and the Winter Soldier''. In the fourth episode, Zemo earns the trust of a few children in Latvia by offering them sweets in exchange for information. But he also uses to opportunity to manipulate them into thinking Bucky and Sam aren't to be trusted.
* FourEyesZeroSoul: When he infiltrates the UN compound to activate the Winter Soldier, he wears a pair of glasses as part of his disguise.
* FromNobodyToNightmare:
** Zemo was "just" a special forces operative, but when his family was killed, he used his intel on HYDRA to take on the Avengers and came closer to destroying the team than any previous villain.
** ''Falcon and the Winter Soldier'' reveals that at some point, he became involved with the criminal underground, under the simple but accurate alias of "Baron".
* GambitRoulette: The final part his master plan relies on little other than his assumptions on the personalities and capabilities of various characters after studying thousands of pieces of intel from HYDRA and S.H.I.E.L.D. that Black Widow dumped online back in ''Winter Soldier''. The whole thing would have fallen apart if...
** A) Captain America and Bucky had captured Zemo before Iron Man arrived (then again, he ''was'' in a fortified bunker that would take serious fire-power to break through).
** B) Iron Man had not figured out where Cap and Bucky were headed in the first place.
** C) Iron Man had not come alone, meaning there might have been someone to restrain him or talk him down after he learned the truth.
** D) Black Panther had succeeded in killing Bucky during one of their three fights during the course of the film (of course it’s [[OutsideContextProblem highly unlikely]] that he even knew the Black Panther ''existed'').
** E) Captain America told Iron Man that the deaths of his parents were orchestrated by HYDRA.
* GodzillaThreshold: Sam and Bucky see recruiting him to stop the Flag-Smashers at this...and ultimately cross it when they run out of options.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Tropes H to X]]
* HeadsIWinTailsYouLose: Even if any of the above had happened, Zemo still would’ve won because his entire goal was for the Avengers to disband - whether through an amicable parting-of-ways or a bloodbath - it was always a matter of how big his win would be. The only real flaw in his plan was the interference of Black Panther, and the creation of the Sokovia Accords, both of which he’d have no way to account for.
* HeWhoFightsMonsters: He wants to take revenge for the death of his family, which he blames on the Avengers for causing collateral damage in the Battle of Sokovia. In doing so, he is responsible for the deaths of dozens of innocent people himself. He even earns someone coming after ''him'' for revenge in T'Challa.
* HiddenAgendaVillain: His motives remain unclear for much of ''Civil War'' and are only revealed as the final battle is taking place.
* HiddenDepths: [[StrangeMindsThinkAlike Like Sam]], he's a fan of Music/MarvinGaye and considers "Trouble Man" a masterpiece.
* HighCollarOfDoom: He does the MarqueeAlterEgo and NotWearingTights through the whole of ''Civil War'', but his winter gear in the third act features a large collar turned up, giving off this vibe. His supervillain gear in ''Falcon and the Winter Soldier'' also features one of these, albeit with his comic self's fur trim included.
* HumanShield: Thanks to his EKO Scorpion training, is fully capable of taking hostages to hide and shoot behind, as a group of assassins in Madripoor discovered.
* {{Hypocrite}}:
** Zemo hates the Avengers after the collateral damage they caused killed his family. So he decides to split the team up and in the process causes collateral damage that kills other people's family members.
** Zemo believes that "gods" like the Avengers should not be allowed to exist. Sam points out that be decreeing who deserves to exist, he's speaking like a god.
* InterruptedSuicide: After explaining his motivations to T'Challa and apologizing for the death of his father, Zemo tries to shoot himself in the head. T'Challa, however, has none of that, and stops him to make sure he pays for his crimes and turns him over to the authorities.
-->'''T'Challa:''' [[CruelMercy The living are not done with you yet.]]
* ItsPersonal: Zemo has a personal vendetta against the Avengers. His family was killed during the Battle of Sokovia and he simply wants revenge on those he holds responsible. As pointed out in BewareTheSuperman, he extends this to any Super Soldier held in such high regard, which is why he has no problem teaming up with Sam (who's more or less BadassNormal like himself) and Bucky (who ''is'' a Super Soldier, but isn't exactly held in high regard). [[spoiler: When he, Sam, Bucky, and Sharon come across the HYDRA scientist responsible for creating ''more'' Super Soldiers after the failed Siberian Winter Soldiers, Zemo [[TranquilFury quietly and stoically shoots the man]] before the team is attacked.]]
* JerkassHasAPoint: In episode 4 of ''The Falcon and the Winter Soldier'', Zemo explains why he doesn’t believe that super soldiers should be allowed to exist. By his own previous statements, Sam would probably agree with much of what he says, and John Walker spends the rest of the episode illustrating his arguments.
* KickTheSonOfABitch:
** Tortures and kills Vasily Karpov for information. Karpov is not only a still loyal HYDRA operative but one of the main leaders of the Winter Soldier project and ordered the death of the Starks and his slow death is just desserts. He does the same to [[spoiler: the HYDRA scientist responsible for making more Super Soldiers in ''Falcon and the Winter Soldier'', finishing his work from Siberia.]]
** He also happily participates in the interrogation of Doctor Nagel, the MadScientist who recreated the Super Soldier Serum via human experimentation, and personally guns the man down.
* KillAndReplace: Murders the psychologist who was supposed to be evaluating Bucky and takes his place, taking the opportunity to activate Bucky's brainwashing during the evaluation.
* KnightOfCerebus: He's a VillainousUnderdog, but he manages to tear the Avengers apart through tactics. Unlike previous villains, his methods includes manipulating Tony into trying to execute Bucky to avenge the deaths of his parents and turning on Steve in the process. Averted in ''Series/TheFalconAndTheWinterSoldier'' when his LaughablyEvil side lightens the mood.
* KnowWhenToFoldEm:
** Zig-zagged; he knows very well that he can never kill the Avengers himself, since more powerful men than him have tried and all have failed, which is why he makes a plan to get them to kill each other for him.
** In the secret HYDRA lab in Madripoor, he and his comrades come under attack. Not knowing where the assailants are, Zemo makes a quick getaway, causing Sam and the others to think he bailed... only to show up moments later [[PragmaticVillainy when the assassins are in plain view, making it much easier for him to take them down]].
** [[spoiler: When the Dora Milaje apprehend him a second time in episode 5 of ''Series/TheFalconAndTheWinterSoldier'', he surrenders himself without a fight, presumably both because he knew he had no chance of victory and because [[TheBadGuyWins he had already achieved his goal of destroying the current iteration of the super-soldier serum.]]]]
* LaserGuidedKarma:
** He uses Bucky's TriggerPhrase while the latter's locked in an apparatus, making him go on a rampage. By the end of ''Civil War'', he himself is locked in the same apparatus.
** He kills T'Challa's father in the course of his EvilPlan. After T'Challa learns the truth about this, he foils Zemo's attempted suicide to ensure he faces justice for his crimes.
* LastNameBasis: So far, nobody in the MCU has called him by his first name Helmut.
* LaughablyEvil: Downplayed the next time he makes an appearance as he becomes TheComicallySerious in an EndearinglyDorky kind of way when he joins in Sam's conversation with Bucky to praise Music/MarvinGaye's "Trouble Man" soundtrack, or his [[SucksAtDancing lame dancing]] in Sharon's nightclub.
* {{Leitmotif}}: When he appears in ''The Falcon and the Winter Soldier'', he's accompanied by a [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VgwBGKSCnto distinctly foreboding tune]].
* ManipulativeBastard: He is very skilled at manipulation, having studied the Avengers' psychological profiles in order to exploit their individual weaknesses and play them against each other.
* ManOfWealthAndTaste: Zemo is a baron and ''more'' than loaded, owning a private jet, a fleet of classic cars, a personal retainer, and plenty of money and stashed resources.
* MarqueeAlterEgo: In ''Civil War'', Zemo does not wear a mask -- or any kind of costume at all, unlike his comic book counterpart. This changes in ''The Falcon and the Winter Soldier''.
* MasterOfDisguise: Zemo uses prosthetics and heavy makeup in order to convincingly make himself look like Bucky Barnes in the security cameras, fooling just about everyone into thinking the latter was responsible for the UN explosion. He later pulls a KillAndReplace on the psychiatrist who was intended to interview a contained Bucky with no one none the wiser until things start going wrong. Although the latter example is downplayed as when Tony finally discovers the real psychiatrist's body, he looks decidedly nothing like Zemo's impersonation of him.
* MightAsWellNotBeInPrisonAtAll: Sure, Zemo might be imprisoned in the Raft at the end of ''Series/TheFalconAndTheWinterSoldier'', but he's still got a loyal butler who's willing to blow up a prison transport with the remaining Flag-Smashers inside of it while he relaxes and reads in solitary confinement. Contessa Valentina Allegra de Fontaine also implies that she's in contact with Zemo and are collaborating on mutually shared goals (such as the aforementioned transport bombing).
* MisplacedRetribution: Zemo holds the Avengers responsible for all the damage Ultron caused; while Tony and Bruce did create Ultron (after the former was influenced by Wanda), the "end all human life" thing was still ''his'' idea. The rest of the Avengers, however didn't know about Tony's plan, and did their best to stop Ultron once he went rogue.
* MoralMyopia: He seeks to avenge his family, but he ends up killing multiple innocents who surely had family of their own. He acknowledges this, seeing as how he apologizes to Black Panther for killing his father but by that time he’s hoping to be killed so he can join his family, either by T’Challa or his own hand, so it’s more about easing his conscience rather than remorse for what his actions indirectly caused.
* MovieSuperheroesWearBlack: Instead of the purple and gold costume he had in the comics, he sticks to dark civilian clothes. Near the end of ''Civil War'', he has a pitch-black coat with [[HighCollarOfDoom a large collar.]] ''The Falcon and the Winter Soldier'' trailers and promo images however reveal he’ll be getting a new costume featuring his signature purple mask and even incorporating the classic ermine trim on his collar.
* NaziHunter: As part of his AdaptationalNiceGuy he's no longer a member of the Nazi-affiliated and fascistic HYDRA group, but is shown to despite and openly oppose them, telling Karpov that "HYDRA deserves its place on the ash heap". ''Series/TheFalconAndTheWinterSoldier'' has him openly despise Nazis and reveals that he'd been hunting down and killing HYDRA members for ''years'' as part of his quest to destroy the Super Serum, long before the destruction of Sokovia.
* NecessaryEvil: How Bucky, and ''especially'' Sam, view him in their fight against the Flag-Smashers. No one knows more about the super-soldier serum and Hydra than Zemo, and fortunately for them, they have a common enemy in the Flag-Smashers.
* NiceJobFixingItVillain: While his plan does succeed in its goal, it does allow Steve to find Bucky, after fruitlessly spending two years scouring the Earth for him, and gives them an ally who can get the brainwashing out of Bucky's head.
* NiceToTheWaiter: He is quite friendly and courteous to both a staff member of the hotel he stayed at for ''Civil War'', and his old family butler.
* NoNonsenseNemesis: Zemo is an ''extremely'' pragmatic man who knows full well that he's just an ordinary person in an [[WorldOfBadass extraordinary world]], and realizes that it will give him no quarter if he were to dally about with regards to his vengeance. He has no choice but to be utterly cutthroat if he wants to complete his goal. This is especially shown in his first full-blown action sequence in ''Falcon and the Winter Soldier'', taking down assassins after himself and the heroes in a surprise attack that wouldn't be out of place in a first-person shooter game.
* NonActionBigBad: Although he has military training, he never directly fights any of the Avengers in ''Civil War'', acknowledging that he could never physically stand up to the likes of them. Instead, he relies more on subterfuge and deception. Becomes a SubvertedTrope by the time of ''Falcon and the Winter Soldier'', showing he's fully capable of taking down several assassins after the heroes, though all of them are still normal humans.
* NotSoAboveItAll: After being freed from prison in ''The Falcon and the Winter Soldier'', Zemo shows that he isn't a stoic and unpleasant individual 24/7. Notably, he jumps in on Sam and Bucky's conversation about Marvin Gaye's ''Troubleman'' soundtrack to give his own thoughts on the record, and he can be seen thoroughly enjoying himself Madripoor, drinking quite a bit of hard liquor and awkwardly dancing at the Little Princess nightclub.
* NothingLeftToDoButDie: After getting Tony to fight Steve and Bucky, Zemo decides to listen to his wife's voicemail one last time, before deleting it and attempting to commit suicide.
* NotHyperbole: In episode 5 of ''The Falcon and the Winter Soldier'', Zemo tells Bucky that [[YouWillBeSpared he's decided not to kill him]]. At first it seems like hyperbole on Zemo's part, given that he's unarmed and Bucky has him cornered and at gunpoint. However, episode 6 shows [[spoiler: Zemo had already made arrangements for the Flag Smashers to be discretely killed once all the excitement was over, even if he himself was already captured or killed. From his experiences with him over the past few days, Zemo apparently had decided that killing Bucky wasn't necessary despite him being an enhanced human, and thus hadn't made any such arrangements for him]].
* NothingPersonal: He tells T'Challa that he is sorry for killing his father and that he seemed like a good man in ''Civil War''. While conversing with Bucky for the first time since the events of that film in ''The Falcon and the Winter Soldier'', he says this verbatim about using him to tear apart the Avengers.
* NotWearingTights: He doesn't wear anything remotely resembling a costume in ''Civil War''. However, he dons the purple mask in ''The Falcon and the Winter Soldier''.
* OutlivingOnesOffspring: His son was a casualty from the Avengers' fight with Ultron.
* OldMoney: He is generationally wealthy due to his family being Sokovian royalty.
* OnlySaneMan: In ''The Falcon and the Winter Soldier'', it says ''a lot'' about Sam's present circle of associates that (other than Sharon Carter) Zemo is by far the most mentally well-balanced individual Sam has around him at his job.
* PapaWolf: The reason he's out to destroy the Avengers? His family was killed in their fight with Ultron.
* PatrioticFervor: Averted. As Zemo himself remarks ruefully, while he served in Sokovia's armed forces, his drive for vengeance isn't out of any love for the country, as he never actually had much patriotic feeling. ''The Falcon and The Winter Soldier'' shows that he ''does'' have some serious grievances over how it ended up, though, even chastising Sam and Bucky for not visiting the memorial.
* PoliticallyCorrectVillain: As part of his AdaptationalNiceGuy he's no longer a member of the [[PoliticallyIncorrectVillain Nazi-affiliated and fascistic HYDRA group]], but is a fan of Marvin Gaye and understands ''Trouble Man'' (Sam's favorite album) to be a condensation of the African-American experience. Also berates Sam for stereotyping himself as a "pimp" just because he's flamboyantly dressed.
* PurpleIsPowerful: ''The Falcon and the Winter Soldier'' sees Zemo don a purple mask, coat, and gloves as he resurfaces to the criminal world.
* PutOnAPrisonBus: Zemo is taken to prison by Black Panther before he can commit suicide, ultimately sitting out the next few years until his return in ''Series/TheFalconAndTheWinterSoldier''. [[spoiler: And it happens again in Episode 5 of the aforementioned series, where he's taken by the Dora Milaje to the Raft.]]
* PyrrhicVictory: Zemo succeeds in fracturing [[TheTeam the Avengers]] and getting the majority of them branded as fugitives, but he is also captured by Black Panther and still has to face prosecution for the murders he committed. It also works vice versa on his capture being a PyrrhicVictory for the heroes. Best summarized by the following exchange:
-->'''Everett K. Ross:''' So how does it feel? To spend all that time, all that effort, and to see it fail so spectacularly?\\
'''Helmut Zemo:''' [[WasItReallyWorthIt ...Did it?]]
* RevengeMyopia: Getting his revenge was worth anything -- including inflicting upon others the same pain he complained about suffering. Lampshaded at the end of the movie, when T'Challa observes that the revenge he seeks has consumed him. Worse still, because he tore the Avengers apart, they had no gameplan and were unable to present a united front against Thanos, leading to [[spoiler:even more families the universe over being devastated by the Snap]].
* RoguesGalleryTransplant: Downplayed. While Zemo is still an enemy of Captain America and The Falcon as he was in the comics, he also ends up becoming an enemy of Black Panther's, due to his involvement in King T'Chaka's death. It extends to the entire nation of Wakanda as well, as they immediately dispatch Ayo to apprehend him when he escapes from prison in ''The Falcon and the Winter Soldier''.
* RoyalsWhoActuallyDoSomething: His noble lineage while serving in the Sokovian special forces makes him this.
* SecretlyWealthy: He may have been living the gritty villain life in ''Civil War'' (probably to fly under the radar), but ''The Falcon and the Winter Soldier'' reveals that he is a wealthy Baron like his comics counterpart. Sam even reacts with "So all this time, you've been ''rich''?"
* ASinisterClue: Zemo is left-handed and is the BigBad of ''Civil War''. Shooting a gun with his left hand starts off his BigDamnVillains moment in ''Falcon and the Winter Soldier''.
* SucksAtDancing: While the gang rests and spends the night at Sharon's club in Madripoor, [[{{Understatement}} Zemo's dancing moves leave him wanting]]. Let's just say he was [[Franchise/MassEffect channeling his inner Commander Shepard.]]
* SuicideByCop: After apologizing to T'Challa for killing his father, he says that he seemed like a good man "with a dutiful son", saying this last part with a meaningful glance, obviously hinting that he's fine with T'Challa taking vengeance upon him now. When T'Challa refuses to do so, Zemo attempts to just shoot himself, but T'Challa thwarts this effort as well.
* SuperheroMovieVillainsDie: Subverted. After completing his plan to turn Iron Man and Captain America against each other, he first attempts [[SuicideByCop Suicide by Black Panther]]. ''Attempts'' being the operative word, as T'Challa refuses when he realises how close he came to turning out like Zemo. As a result, Zemo attempts to shoot himself in the head, but Black Panther stops him and turns him into the authorities, leaving him incarcerated but very much alive.
* SupportingProtagonist: Of ''Series/TheFalconAndTheWinterSoldier'', as most of Bucky's and Sam's story and dynamic are sometimes told from his viewpoint during his team-up with them.
* TheyLookJustLikeEveryoneElse: There's nothing from his looks that would suggest that he's more than just an everyday guy.
* TookALevelInCheerfulness: He's much more upbeat in ''The Falcon and the Winter Soldier'' than he was in ''Captain America: Civil War''. Which makes sense: in the latter he had just lost his family and was on a revenge quest whereas in the former the stakes aren't as personal and he's had time to grieve for his family in prison, meaning he has the time and temperament to joke around, make fun of "allies" and dance badly.
* TookALevelInKindness: Downplayed, but in ''The Falcon and the Winter Soldier'', he's much friendlier with Sam and Bucky than he was with Tony and Steve in ''Civil War''. Justified, as this time around he's working together with them to take down the Flag-Smashers and even then he still takes the time to engage them in relatively civil conversations.
* TragicVillain: He pursues his vengeance purely because he feels he has nothing else to live for without his family. This is highlighted by his decision to goad Black Panther into killing him and, when that doesn't work, shoot himself.
* {{Tritagonist}}: Of ''Series/TheFalconAndTheWinterSoldier'', when he teams up with Sam and Bucky in their crusade to defeat the Flag Smashers, while being more developed as a character in contrast to his debut in ''Civil War'' along the way of the narrative.
* TranquilFury: Despite spending the whole movie on a murderous crusade, Zemo avoids all the theatrics of Loki or Ultron and seldom even raises his voice. This includes when he finally spells out his motives to the heroes.
* {{Troll}}: Even when he's not manipulating or killing everyone around him, he's kind of a dick, as seen in his reappearance in ''Falcon and the Winter Soldier'', reciting Bucky's trigger phrase, knowing it doesn't work, just to upset him, needling Sam about his experience in the Raft, and later telling his retainer to serve Sam and Bucky them any food that's gone off.
* TruerToTheText: Zemo in ''Civil War'' was a borderline InNameOnly depiction of him. ''The Falcon and the Winter Soldier'' retroactively adds a ''lot'' more aspects of the original comic character, such as his noble status, his costume, and his physical prowess.
* UnknownRival: To the Flag-Smashers, particularly Karli Morgenthau. Do to being enhanced with the super-soldier serum, Zemo considers the Flag-Smashers to be dangerous individuals, and is more than willing to form an EnemyMine with Sam and Bucky to take them down. Karli on the other hand, isn't even aware that Zemo exists until he shoots her and destroys the serum right in front of her. Even then, she seems more content to get up and run than to try to confront him for his actions.
* UnwittingInstigatorOfDoom: He successfully managed to break up the Avengers, hoping to bring down the most powerful team of beings in the universe to avenge the deaths of his family. Unfortunately for him, it worked a little too well, as they don't stand on a united front when [[Film/AvengersInfinityWar Thanos arrives]] and, despite putting up a good fight, get flattened by the Mad Titan. Said Mad Titan then uses the Infinity Stones to wipe out half of all life in the universe, turning the world into a total mess that it spends five years trying to recover from until the Avengers [[Film/AvengersEndgame find a way to set things right]]. Even when they do undo the Snap, the world falls into utter chaos once again trying to handle those that were restored to life, leading to the Flag-Smashers taking rise and causing just enough trouble to force Bucky and Sam to bust Zemo out of jail to help them.
* VillainHasAPoint: In ''Series/TheFalconAndTheWinterSoldier'', Zemo warns Sam that Karli has become too radicalized (especially after taking the Super Soldier Serum) and it's pointless to try to talk her down. [[spoiler:The finale proves Zemo was right when Karli tries to kill Sam after he's foiled her plans and tries to do it again.]]
* VillainProtagonist: So far of ''Series/TheFalconAndTheWinterSoldier'', when he teams up with Sam and Bucky to take down the Flag Smashers, getting more screen time and more of his development unlike in ''Civil War''.
* VillainRespect: As of ''Series/TheFalconAndTheWinterSoldier'', Zemo develops this towards Sam Wilson due to his refusal to be ehnanced into being super soldier while maintaining his idealistic outlook. He also concedes that Steve Rogers was not corrupted by the power he held but holds him as an exception.
* VillainousUnderdog: He's not a PhysicalGod, not an alien, nor a SuperSoldier. He's just a former military colonel with patience, a simple yet effective plan, and ThePowerOfHate. This is exactly why Sam and Bucky decide to bring him into their crusade against the Flag-Smashers.
* WeakButSkilled: Invoked. Zemo is a professionally trained special ops colonel who has the combat skills to take down regular men with ease. However, he knows that no amount of skill can destroy a group of enhanced individuals like the Avengers, and so relies on his manipulation and espionage skills to turn them against each other instead.
* WeaponOfChoice: A Smith and Wesson 6906 pistol, which he uses to execute the other Winter Soldiers and attempt suicide.
* WellIntentionedExtremist: Zemo's objective in ''The Falcon and The Winter Soldier'' is to stop the creation of any and all super soldiers, believing that they create symbols of facism like the Red Skull once did. He accomplishes this in the fourth episode by shooting Karli Morgenthau multiple times and then smashing the remaining vials as Nico is helping her escape him.
* WhatYouAreInTheDark: [[spoiler:When Zemo corners Karli and discovers the last of the Super Soldier Serum in her possession, rather than take it for himself, which would have made his mission a lot easier, he smashes the vials and would have successfully destroyed them all had Walker not intervened.]]
* WickedCultured: He's a connoiseur of music and art, as revealed in ''Falcon and the Winter Soldier''.
* WoobieDestroyerOfWorlds: He has quite a sympathetic motive for his mission of revenge against the Avengers, namely that he blames them for the death of his family.
* XanatosSpeedChess:
** He's not in control of everything that happens in ''Civil War'' (for one thing, he has nothing to do with the Sokovia Accords), but he's good at taking advantage of unexpected situations to further his plans.
** Even more so in ''The Falcon and the Winter Soldier''. In ''Civil War'', at least he still instigates most of the events, but in the show, he's broken out of prison without having expected to and is more or less thrust into an ongoing conflict he has nothing to do with. He still manages to play the heroes and the villains—[[EvilVsEvil that he utterly disagrees with]]—and so far [[spoiler:[[VillainExitStageLeft has gotten away completely unscathed]], once again having succeeded at what [[NoNonsenseNemesis he set out to do]]]].
[[/folder]]
[[quoteright:300:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/8e1a8599_e7ae_4835_bed4_97dc4236832f_1_201_a.jpeg]]
[[caption-width-right:300:''"I have experience, and patience. A man can do anything if he has those."'']]
[[caption-width-right:300:[[labelnote:Click here to see Zemo as he appears in ''The Falcon and the Winter Soldier'']]https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/baronhelmutzemothefalconandthewintersoldier.png[softreturn]''"I have no intention to leave my work unfinished."''[[/labelnote]]]]
!!!'''Species:''' Human
!!!'''Citizenship:''' Stateless, formerly Sokovian
!!!'''Portrayed By:''' Creator/DanielBruhl
!!!'''Voiced By:''' Javier Olguín (Latin-American Spanish dub)
!!!'''Appearances:''' ''Film/CaptainAmericaCivilWar'' | ''Film/{{Black Panther|2018}}'' [[note]]Archive photography[[/note]] | ''Series/TheFalconAndTheWinterSoldier''
->''"An empire toppled by its enemies can rise again. But one which crumbles from within? That's dead. Forever."''\\\
A Sokovian baron and former special ops colonel who has a grudge against the Avengers due to their involvement in the Battle of Sokovia, which led to the death of his family. Zemo seeks to exploit tensions within the Avengers in order to get them to disperse and potentially even dispose of one another... And he's ultimately successful, as the Avengers end up being fractured for years after his plan is complete.\\\
Eight years after the events of ''Civil War'', Sam Wilson and Bucky Barnes turn to Zemo in helping them track down a new formula of the super-soldier serum and stopping the Flag-Smashers, forming a ''very'' uneasy alliance.
----
[[folder:Tropes A to G]]
* AdaptationalAttractiveness: He's quite handsome here, while his comic counterpart usually has to wear a mask to hide his hideously charred, disfigured face. This is true to his first appearance in the comics as a one-shot villain, before he was scarred upon becoming a recurring character.
* AdaptationalHeroism: In ''The Falcon and the Winter Soldier'', when he does don his iconic comic book alter ego, unlike in the comics where he was a straight-up one-note supervillain, Zemo here is depicted so far as an AmbiguouslyEvil AntiHero ally of Avengers Sam and Bucky without mostly ever betraying them until his escape from the hotel in the fourth episode with most of his redeeming and justifiable qualities shown upfront more than his villainous qualities that ''Civil War'' mostly showcased, but still likely an on-and-off antagonist simultaneously during his EnemyMine with the two superheroes.
* AdaptationalNationality: In the comics Helmut Zemo is German, but here he is a Sokovian. Ironically, his actor actually is German, and ''The Falcon and the Winter Soldier'' sees a bit of his German accent creep in. He also has a vast array of vehicles and a private plane in Germany, and seems very familiar with both Berlin and the German language. Whether this is a {{Retcon}} into making him part German or just a MythologyGag is yet to be seen, though he does identify Sokovia as "his country".
* AdaptationalNiceGuy: His comic counterpart and that of his father were ''[[ThoseWackyNazis literal Nazis]]'' who wanted mass genocide and world domination, and while the Helmut of the comics did grow out of the former, he still tends to try the latter. This version of Zemo, despite being on a black ops killing team, has a much simpler and more sympathetic motivation, while his father was merely a civilian. Neither have any ties to HYDRA (aside from Helmut's exploitation of HYDRA's Winter Soldier project), while the versions from the comics are both prominent members of that organisation.
* AdaptationalWimp: In the comics Zemo is a major adversary of Captain America and the Avengers, with a particular emphasis on his skills at fencing and manipulation. While this version retains his cunning, he is also presented as much less of a direct threat to anyone despite being a former black operative; when Black Panther decides to bring him in alive, he goes down with barely a struggle. Most of his success ties into this, with him exploiting his lack of obvious supervillainous affect to stay under the heroes' radar until his plan requires him to show his hand, then [[FlawExploitation relying on Steve and Tony's flaws and personal issues to do most of the work for him]]. ''Series/TheFalconAndTheWinterSoldier'' shows that he hasn't forgotten how to do his own dirty work, however, putting his soldier skills to use alongside his usual guile and strategizing once he gets back into the fray.
* AdaptationPersonalityChange: In the comics, Zemo is generally depicted as an unapologetic villain who is primarily driven by a selfish desire to rule over others. His film version, on the other hand, has a much more sympathetic motive for his villainous actions, as he's just a victim of the Avengers' collateral damage in Sokovia seeking revenge for the death of his entire family.
* AffablyEvil:
** He's the BigBad of ''Civil War'' and is more than willing to commit mass murder to achieve his ends, but the times he acts polite or remorseful are genuine. He states he'd rather avoid unnecessary deaths if he can, [[EvenEvilHasStandards has a few standards]], apologizes to T'Challa for killing his father, has [[NiceToTheWaiter regular courteous interactions with a staff member of the hotel he's staying at]], and even eventually apologizes to Bucky for using him. Considering he's just a grieving man who's dedicated to avenging the deaths of his family, it makes sense he wouldn't act like a cackling maniac.
** By ''The Falcon And The Winter Soldier'', he is shown to be fairly courteous to those around him (who, apart from [[NiceToTheWaiter his family butler]] were his enemies before) and he is capable of holding civil conversations with ''Bucky'', even offering him a genuine apology for his actions in ''Civil War''. He also agrees to join Sam and Bucky's crusade against the Flag-Smashers, without the driving of a hard bargain one might expect from him. He is also fully willing to lend his resources from the criminal underground to Sam and Bucky to take the Flag-Smashers down, no questions asked.
* AlasPoorVillain: His defeat in ''Civil War'' is treated as an utterly somber affair, with him having nothing left after completing his plan and hoping to commit SuicideByCop at T'Challa's hands before trying to kill himself when T'Challa [[CharacterDevelopment refuses to be consumed by vengeance as Zemo has]]. Even though he got what he wanted (up to a point), it doesn't change the fact that his family is gone forever.
* TheAlcoholic: Following his escape from prison in ''The Falcon and the Winter Soldier'', Zemo reveals himself to be a little bit of a tippler, partaking in shots, champagne, helping himself to Sharon's expensive liquor collection, then taking more shots at a club. [[NotSoAboveItAll He apparently approves of the way they party in Madripoor.]]
* AllForNothing: He wanted to destroy the Avengers and was content with them dividing. Thanos's arrival and the events of ''Endgame'' undo all of that. In fact, the Avengers are no doubt more beloved than ever as a result.
* AntiVillain: Despite the grim and often hypocritical in hindsight actions he resorts to, he does have some good traits and was hoping for a cleaner way to get what he wanted first. Also, his motive -- revenge for the collateral damage-induced loss of his family -- is at least a little sympathetic.
* AppleOfDiscord: His EvilPlan is to find evidence that Bucky Barnes murdered Tony Stark's parents while under HYDRA control and show it to Stark, so Bucky's friend Steve Rogers and Tony will turn on each other over whether to spare or kill Bucky, and the Avengers will be ripped apart as they side with one leader or the other.
* ArchEnemy: Since the death of Ulysses Klaue, it seems Zemo has taken his seat as Wakanda's most wanted for the death of King T'Chaka. Not a ''day'' after he breaks out of prison, Ayo is already hot on his trail to capture him.
* AristocratsAreEvil: It's revealed in ''The Falcon and the Winter Soldier'' that he is a nobleman like his comic counterpart. Though unlike said counterpart, his upbringing had nothing to do with him becoming a villain since his father was by all accounts a decent man in this universe.
* BadassLongcoat: The events of ''The Falcon and the Winter Soldier'' have Zemo wearing a stylish winter coat, complete with ConspicuousGloves.
* BadassNormal: Unlike most of the Avengers, he's just a plain old human. But, through sheer patience and ingenuity, he still managed to tear them apart. During the trip to Madripoor he proves to be no slouch in combat either, reminding everyone he was former special forces. He also comes much closer to permanently stopping Morgenthau than Falcon or Bucky have ever managed so far, largely because he's fully willing to kill.
* TheBadGuyWins: {{Downplayed|Trope}}. Zemo has achieved his goals but with never with the fully desired outcome.
** While none of the Avengers die as a consequence of his plan in ''Film/CaptainAmericaCivilWar'', he accomplishes his main goal in dividing them and is content with this. While the looming threat of Thanos forces them back together in ''Film/AvengersInfinityWar'' and ''Film/AvengersEndgame'', the reunion turns out to be temporary -- by the time of ''Spider-Man: Far From Home'', ''Series/WandaVision'', and ''The Falcon and the Winter Soldier'', the Avengers are still very much defunct.
** In ''Series/TheFalconAndTheWinterSoldier'', [[spoiler:he successfully killed the man who recreated the super soldier formula and destroyed all but one of the remaining samples while inadvertently leading to John Walker gaining the Super Serum for himself. This turns in Zemo's favor after Walker brutally executes a defenseless Flag Smasher in broad daylight in front of civilians, corrupting the image of super soldiers in the public eye. He willing gives up a chance at pulling a VillainExitStageLeft to visit a memorial and allows him self to be captured, his work done.]]
** [[spoiler:In the final episode, he instructs his butler to kill the remaining Flag Smashers by blowing up their van. He overhears the news of this on the radio with silent satisfaction that the super soldiers that could be placed on pedestals are now dead.]]
* BatmanGambit: He's good at finding ways to make other people do things for him by exploiting their predictable behavior.
** He framed Bucky Barnes for bombing the United Nations, then relied on everyone else including Captain America hunting him down for it, and further that no one but the Avengers would even be capable of killing Bucky, to get access to Barnes and his knowledge of HYDRA bases.
** He arranges for his ruse to be discovered by the media, relying on Tony to find out and make amends with Captain America, so they'll both find the Siberian compound where Zemo reveals to them that Bucky killed Tony's parents.
** His entire plan is based on assumptions from the S.H.I.E.L.D. intel on the Avengers he's studied that Captain America's over-protectiveness of his friends and Iron Man's complex over the death of his parents would mean not only that the two would turn on each other if Bucky's involvement in the Starks' death was revealed, but that Steve wouldn't have talked to Tony about Bucky's potential involvement beforehand.
*** His setup gambled on the fact that it is a conflict that only works if there are no voices of reason to hold either of them back. The fact that the airport fight left only two active members of the Avengers, Bucky and a third party present in the Hydra compound in a place where no one would interfere was a happy accident for him since most of the Avengers present could have prevented things from reaching the breaking point. Of course, this is covered under HeadsIWinTailsYouLose.
* BeardOfEvil: He has grown a beard during his eight years in prison as seen in Episode 2 of ''The Falcon and the Winter Soldier''.
* BewareTheSuperman: His return in ''The Falcon and the Winter Soldier'' reveals his own take on the idea. While he is against the idea of a SuperSoldier on principle, he is not specifically against them as people, but more how they are precisely [[TheParagon put on a pedestal]], [[WartsAndAll their flaws washed away/ignored]] and [[HeroWorshipper subsequently inspire]] BlindObedience. He specifically notes how the personal loyalty inspired by Steve Rogers to Sam and Bucky (then, even now) precisely drives them to such extremes--even breaking the law much like they did to free him. [[VillainHasAPoint Sam and Bucky do not protest the point]]. He admits that [[TheParagon Steve]] was not corrupted by the power he was given but points out there was only one of him compared to the many who would abuse it. [[spoiler:He is proven right on this point by John Walker taking the super soldier serum and going off the deep end.]]
** Notably, this is also why he finds Bucky a bit tolerable, since he is being bewared of. [[spoiler:Later on, Bucky defies his assessment of him (i.e. that he is still, deep down, the Winter Soldier) by having him dead-to-rights at gunpoint, and then revealing its magazine empty--worldlessly asserting he is no longer that man. [[VillainRespect Zemo respectfully concedes]].]]
* BigBad: Of ''Film/CaptainAmericaCivilWar''. He exploits and exacerbates the ideological differences between Captain America and Iron Man, resulting in the eponymous GoodVsGood conflict that threatens to destroy the Avengers.
* BigDamnVillains: As Sam, Bucky, and Sharon are pinned down by bounty hunters in the Madripoor shipyard, Zemo suddenly makes a grandiose entrance in full villain garb on a ledge, killing several assassins by shooting a nearby gas tank with his pistol before going to ground and taking down the rest in close combat, opening up the heroes' window of escape.
* BlueBlood: ''The Falcon and The Winter Soldier'' reveals that he was always a baron. While the fall of Sokovia took away most of the power of the title he still has a lot of money and connections as a result of his position.
* BreakingTheFellowship: Thanks to his efforts, the Avengers are severely compromised, with several of the foundational friendships that held them together torn apart and anyone who sided with Cap imprisoned or branded a fugitive. Even Tony and his supporters still bear physical and mental scars caused by fighting their friends.
* TheBusCameBack: After being imprisoned at the end of ''Civil War'', Zemo returns in ''The Falcon and the Winter Soldier'', with the title characters seeking his assistance in tracking down the source of the Flag Smashers's SuperSoldier powers.
* CapeBusters: Has a personal grudge against the Avengers and plots to destroy them by pitting them against one another. By the time of ''The Falcon and the Winter Soldier'', he has apparently narrowed his vendetta to all super soldiers, stating that they "cannot be allowed to exist." At the same time, as stated above in BewareTheSuperman, his is more nuanced compared to other versions of this trope.
* CardboardPrison: Zemo still has a lot of connections and resources despite still being in prison. [[spoiler:Even from within the Raft he is still able to order his butler to kill the last of the Flag Smashers]].
* CharacterTic: He has a habit of tilting his head whenever he's attempting to manipulate someone. It seems to be a subconscious thing he does, as he immediately stops doing it when Sam notices and lampshades it in Episode 4 of ''The Falcon and The Winter Soldier''.
* TheChessmaster: He plays all the Avengers like pawns. He frames Bucky for a crime, to have the world hunt him and lure him out of hiding. This partially causes the Avengers to turn on each other, divided over Bucky's innocence. He takes the UN interrogator's place, extorting information out of Bucky and using the trigger words to activate Bucky's soldier conditioning. Before finally showing Tony the tape of what really happened to his parents, sending him into a murderous rage to kill Bucky.
* ColonelBadass: He used to be a Colonel in the Sokovian Special Forces, and he is one of the most effective foes the Avengers have faced -- though not because of his combat abilities, but because of how effective he is about executing his plans.
* ComicBookMoviesDontUseCodenames: In ''Civil War'', he's never called "Baron Zemo", the title he goes by in the comics, and is instead referred to by his military rank ''Colonel''. This is subverted in ''The Falcon and the Winter Soldier'', which reveals that he was Sokovian royalty and has several characters address him as "Baron".
* TheComicallySerious: His stoic demeanour tends to stick out when he's in the same room as [[WorldOfSnark Sam and Bucky]], like when he awkwardly jumps to the defense of Music/MarvinGaye's "Trouble Man" soundtrack, or his [[SucksAtDancing crappy dancing]] in Sharon's nightclub.
* CompositeCharacter: He takes Klaue's role as the man who murders King T'Chaka.
* CoolCar: He actually has a ''lot'' of these. His family owned an impressive collection of classics, with plenty of Rolls' and Bentleys in his garage. It's a taste he himself had acquired, as he, Sam, Bucky and Sharon make their getaway out of Madripoor in a super-charged muscle car he had stashed in the docks.
* CrusadingWidower: His wife was among the civilian casualties in Sokovia. He keeps a recording of her last voice message on his phone.
* CunningLinguist: Zemo's multilingualism allows him to assume different identities. Aside from his native Sokovian, he speaks English, German, Russian, and presumably French, given that he was able to convincingly impersonate a French-speaking psychologist.
* DeathSeeker: Once he has put Iron Man against Bucky and Cap, he first attempts to persuade Black Panther into killing him, then decides to shoot himself. Black Panther catches the bullet before snagging him a headlock so he can face justice.
* {{Determinator}}: He manages to find new resolve after ''Civil War'', and Iron Man's sacrifice has done little to change his views. With Iron Man dead and Captain America retired, he decides he will stop the creation of any and all super soldiers in the world no matter what happens.
* DivideAndConquer: His plan against the Avengers, seeing that there's absolutely no chance he can fight them on his own. He even compares the Avengers to some sort of a mighty empire, which can only be felled by using this tactic.
* DrivenToSuicide: Tries to [[StrikeMeDownWithAllOfYourHatred goad T'Challa into killing him]], and then to shoot himself when he refuses. Neither works out for him; making enemies of a guy with SuperStrength and a bulletproof suit was a bad idea, evidently.
* ElitesAreMoreGlamorous: His family is Sokovian nobility and he was colonel in EKO Scorpion, Sokovia's black ops kill squad. Even if Sokovia was a developing Balkans country, that still makes him pretty dangerous.
* EnemyMine: DownplayedTrope. Despite not personally hating Sam and Bucky, the latter two consider their alliance with Zemo this due to ''Civil War'' and the damage he caused; the only reason they tolerate him is that he can accomodate them with the resources they need to take down the Flag-Smashers. To his credit, Zemo doesn't hesitate in helping their cause because of his BewareTheSuperman beliefs, even expressing interest in facing Karli Morgenthau herself.
* EvenEvilHasStandards:
** In a stark contrast to his comics depiction, he lacks any affiliation with HYDRA and outright states that they deserved to be brought down. A conversation in ''Falcon and the Winter Soldier'' reveals he despises the Red Skull and those who idolize him, and he kills Doctor Nagel while the man is gloating about being a god.
** Despite his profound hatred of the Avengers, he declined to unleash the other five Winter Soldiers and shot them dead rather than risk someone else doing so, as they were worse than Bucky and would do untold damage to the world given the order. He also seems uncomfortable with the concept of experimenting on humans in general.
--->'''Zemo''': If it's any comfort, they died in their sleep. Did you really think I wanted ''more'' of you?
* EvilGenius: While he has combat training, his greatest strength is his intellect. Aside from his abilities as TheChessmaster, Zemo was able to [[TheCracker crack the encrypted HYDRA files]] on the Winter Soldier program that Black Widow released to the Internet and build a very effective [=EMP=] bomb in his hotel room.
* FaceDeathWithDignity: When T'Challa finally catches up with him at the end of ''Civil War'', he's completely calm and fully prepared for T'Challa to kill him to avenge his father, even seeming to acknowledge that in his mind T'Challa's revenge against him is just as justified as his own revenge against the Avengers. Later, in episode 5 of ''The Falcon and the Winter Soldier'', [[spoiler: he's completely calm and accepting when it looks like Bucky is going to execute him, and later he calmly walks away with the Dora Milaje when they show up to take him into custody, knowing there's a decent chance he's going to be executed in a spectacular fashion in Wakanda for killing the king (for some reason the Dora Milaje went to all that trouble just to turn him over to the U.N. where he'll be held in the same prison that used to hold Captain America's half of the Avengers, but he's got no way of knowing that).]]
* FacialScruff: [[spoiler:His brief appearance in the second episode of Series/TheFalconAndTheWinterSoldier has Zemo with this due to his time spent in prison. Downplayed in that it looks relatively thin despite having been locked up for eight years at this point, and he shaves it off shortly after.]]
* FantasticRacism: He has a distaste for enhanced individuals in general, and super soldiers in specific. Specially if such super soldiers are put on pedestals he deems completely unearned.
* FlawExploitation: He turns the Avengers, particularly Steve and Tony, against each other through a series of {{Batman Gambit}}s with the ultimate goal of making them fight each other to the death -- or if not that, at least to the point of no longer being a cohesive unit. In particular, he reveals to Tony the truth of what happened to his parents knowing that he'll go into an UnstoppableRage against Bucky and that Cap will prioritise keeping Bucky alive even at Tony's expense.
* FriendToAllChildren: Invoked in ''The Falcon and the Winter Soldier''. In the fourth episode, Zemo earns the trust of a few children in Latvia by offering them sweets in exchange for information. But he also uses to opportunity to manipulate them into thinking Bucky and Sam aren't to be trusted.
* FourEyesZeroSoul: When he infiltrates the UN compound to activate the Winter Soldier, he wears a pair of glasses as part of his disguise.
* FromNobodyToNightmare:
** Zemo was "just" a special forces operative, but when his family was killed, he used his intel on HYDRA to take on the Avengers and came closer to destroying the team than any previous villain.
** ''Falcon and the Winter Soldier'' reveals that at some point, he became involved with the criminal underground, under the simple but accurate alias of "Baron".
* GambitRoulette: The final part his master plan relies on little other than his assumptions on the personalities and capabilities of various characters after studying thousands of pieces of intel from HYDRA and S.H.I.E.L.D. that Black Widow dumped online back in ''Winter Soldier''. The whole thing would have fallen apart if...
** A) Captain America and Bucky had captured Zemo before Iron Man arrived (then again, he ''was'' in a fortified bunker that would take serious fire-power to break through).
** B) Iron Man had not figured out where Cap and Bucky were headed in the first place.
** C) Iron Man had not come alone, meaning there might have been someone to restrain him or talk him down after he learned the truth.
** D) Black Panther had succeeded in killing Bucky during one of their three fights during the course of the film (of course it’s [[OutsideContextProblem highly unlikely]] that he even knew the Black Panther ''existed'').
** E) Captain America told Iron Man that the deaths of his parents were orchestrated by HYDRA.
* GodzillaThreshold: Sam and Bucky see recruiting him to stop the Flag-Smashers at this...and ultimately cross it when they run out of options.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Tropes H to X]]
* HeadsIWinTailsYouLose: Even if any of the above had happened, Zemo still would’ve won because his entire goal was for the Avengers to disband - whether through an amicable parting-of-ways or a bloodbath - it was always a matter of how big his win would be. The only real flaw in his plan was the interference of Black Panther, and the creation of the Sokovia Accords, both of which he’d have no way to account for.
* HeWhoFightsMonsters: He wants to take revenge for the death of his family, which he blames on the Avengers for causing collateral damage in the Battle of Sokovia. In doing so, he is responsible for the deaths of dozens of innocent people himself. He even earns someone coming after ''him'' for revenge in T'Challa.
* HiddenAgendaVillain: His motives remain unclear for much of ''Civil War'' and are only revealed as the final battle is taking place.
* HiddenDepths: [[StrangeMindsThinkAlike Like Sam]], he's a fan of Music/MarvinGaye and considers "Trouble Man" a masterpiece.
* HighCollarOfDoom: He does the MarqueeAlterEgo and NotWearingTights through the whole of ''Civil War'', but his winter gear in the third act features a large collar turned up, giving off this vibe. His supervillain gear in ''Falcon and the Winter Soldier'' also features one of these, albeit with his comic self's fur trim included.
* HumanShield: Thanks to his EKO Scorpion training, is fully capable of taking hostages to hide and shoot behind, as a group of assassins in Madripoor discovered.
* {{Hypocrite}}:
** Zemo hates the Avengers after the collateral damage they caused killed his family. So he decides to split the team up and in the process causes collateral damage that kills other people's family members.
** Zemo believes that "gods" like the Avengers should not be allowed to exist. Sam points out that be decreeing who deserves to exist, he's speaking like a god.
* InterruptedSuicide: After explaining his motivations to T'Challa and apologizing for the death of his father, Zemo tries to shoot himself in the head. T'Challa, however, has none of that, and stops him to make sure he pays for his crimes and turns him over to the authorities.
-->'''T'Challa:''' [[CruelMercy The living are not done with you yet.]]
* ItsPersonal: Zemo has a personal vendetta against the Avengers. His family was killed during the Battle of Sokovia and he simply wants revenge on those he holds responsible. As pointed out in BewareTheSuperman, he extends this to any Super Soldier held in such high regard, which is why he has no problem teaming up with Sam (who's more or less BadassNormal like himself) and Bucky (who ''is'' a Super Soldier, but isn't exactly held in high regard). [[spoiler: When he, Sam, Bucky, and Sharon come across the HYDRA scientist responsible for creating ''more'' Super Soldiers after the failed Siberian Winter Soldiers, Zemo [[TranquilFury quietly and stoically shoots the man]] before the team is attacked.]]
* JerkassHasAPoint: In episode 4 of ''The Falcon and the Winter Soldier'', Zemo explains why he doesn’t believe that super soldiers should be allowed to exist. By his own previous statements, Sam would probably agree with much of what he says, and John Walker spends the rest of the episode illustrating his arguments.
* KickTheSonOfABitch:
** Tortures and kills Vasily Karpov for information. Karpov is not only a still loyal HYDRA operative but one of the main leaders of the Winter Soldier project and ordered the death of the Starks and his slow death is just desserts. He does the same to [[spoiler: the HYDRA scientist responsible for making more Super Soldiers in ''Falcon and the Winter Soldier'', finishing his work from Siberia.]]
** He also happily participates in the interrogation of Doctor Nagel, the MadScientist who recreated the Super Soldier Serum via human experimentation, and personally guns the man down.
* KillAndReplace: Murders the psychologist who was supposed to be evaluating Bucky and takes his place, taking the opportunity to activate Bucky's brainwashing during the evaluation.
* KnightOfCerebus: He's a VillainousUnderdog, but he manages to tear the Avengers apart through tactics. Unlike previous villains, his methods includes manipulating Tony into trying to execute Bucky to avenge the deaths of his parents and turning on Steve in the process. Averted in ''Series/TheFalconAndTheWinterSoldier'' when his LaughablyEvil side lightens the mood.
* KnowWhenToFoldEm:
** Zig-zagged; he knows very well that he can never kill the Avengers himself, since more powerful men than him have tried and all have failed, which is why he makes a plan to get them to kill each other for him.
** In the secret HYDRA lab in Madripoor, he and his comrades come under attack. Not knowing where the assailants are, Zemo makes a quick getaway, causing Sam and the others to think he bailed... only to show up moments later [[PragmaticVillainy when the assassins are in plain view, making it much easier for him to take them down]].
** [[spoiler: When the Dora Milaje apprehend him a second time in episode 5 of ''Series/TheFalconAndTheWinterSoldier'', he surrenders himself without a fight, presumably both because he knew he had no chance of victory and because [[TheBadGuyWins he had already achieved his goal of destroying the current iteration of the super-soldier serum.]]]]
* LaserGuidedKarma:
** He uses Bucky's TriggerPhrase while the latter's locked in an apparatus, making him go on a rampage. By the end of ''Civil War'', he himself is locked in the same apparatus.
** He kills T'Challa's father in the course of his EvilPlan. After T'Challa learns the truth about this, he foils Zemo's attempted suicide to ensure he faces justice for his crimes.
* LastNameBasis: So far, nobody in the MCU has called him by his first name Helmut.
* LaughablyEvil: Downplayed the next time he makes an appearance as he becomes TheComicallySerious in an EndearinglyDorky kind of way when he joins in Sam's conversation with Bucky to praise Music/MarvinGaye's "Trouble Man" soundtrack, or his [[SucksAtDancing lame dancing]] in Sharon's nightclub.
* {{Leitmotif}}: When he appears in ''The Falcon and the Winter Soldier'', he's accompanied by a [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VgwBGKSCnto distinctly foreboding tune]].
* ManipulativeBastard: He is very skilled at manipulation, having studied the Avengers' psychological profiles in order to exploit their individual weaknesses and play them against each other.
* ManOfWealthAndTaste: Zemo is a baron and ''more'' than loaded, owning a private jet, a fleet of classic cars, a personal retainer, and plenty of money and stashed resources.
* MarqueeAlterEgo: In ''Civil War'', Zemo does not wear a mask -- or any kind of costume at all, unlike his comic book counterpart. This changes in ''The Falcon and the Winter Soldier''.
* MasterOfDisguise: Zemo uses prosthetics and heavy makeup in order to convincingly make himself look like Bucky Barnes in the security cameras, fooling just about everyone into thinking the latter was responsible for the UN explosion. He later pulls a KillAndReplace on the psychiatrist who was intended to interview a contained Bucky with no one none the wiser until things start going wrong. Although the latter example is downplayed as when Tony finally discovers the real psychiatrist's body, he looks decidedly nothing like Zemo's impersonation of him.
* MightAsWellNotBeInPrisonAtAll: Sure, Zemo might be imprisoned in the Raft at the end of ''Series/TheFalconAndTheWinterSoldier'', but he's still got a loyal butler who's willing to blow up a prison transport with the remaining Flag-Smashers inside of it while he relaxes and reads in solitary confinement. Contessa Valentina Allegra de Fontaine also implies that she's in contact with Zemo and are collaborating on mutually shared goals (such as the aforementioned transport bombing).
* MisplacedRetribution: Zemo holds the Avengers responsible for all the damage Ultron caused; while Tony and Bruce did create Ultron (after the former was influenced by Wanda), the "end all human life" thing was still ''his'' idea. The rest of the Avengers, however didn't know about Tony's plan, and did their best to stop Ultron once he went rogue.
* MoralMyopia: He seeks to avenge his family, but he ends up killing multiple innocents who surely had family of their own. He acknowledges this, seeing as how he apologizes to Black Panther for killing his father but by that time he’s hoping to be killed so he can join his family, either by T’Challa or his own hand, so it’s more about easing his conscience rather than remorse for what his actions indirectly caused.
* MovieSuperheroesWearBlack: Instead of the purple and gold costume he had in the comics, he sticks to dark civilian clothes. Near the end of ''Civil War'', he has a pitch-black coat with [[HighCollarOfDoom a large collar.]] ''The Falcon and the Winter Soldier'' trailers and promo images however reveal he’ll be getting a new costume featuring his signature purple mask and even incorporating the classic ermine trim on his collar.
* NaziHunter: As part of his AdaptationalNiceGuy he's no longer a member of the Nazi-affiliated and fascistic HYDRA group, but is shown to despite and openly oppose them, telling Karpov that "HYDRA deserves its place on the ash heap". ''Series/TheFalconAndTheWinterSoldier'' has him openly despise Nazis and reveals that he'd been hunting down and killing HYDRA members for ''years'' as part of his quest to destroy the Super Serum, long before the destruction of Sokovia.
* NecessaryEvil: How Bucky, and ''especially'' Sam, view him in their fight against the Flag-Smashers. No one knows more about the super-soldier serum and Hydra than Zemo, and fortunately for them, they have a common enemy in the Flag-Smashers.
* NiceJobFixingItVillain: While his plan does succeed in its goal, it does allow Steve to find Bucky, after fruitlessly spending two years scouring the Earth for him, and gives them an ally who can get the brainwashing out of Bucky's head.
* NiceToTheWaiter: He is quite friendly and courteous to both a staff member of the hotel he stayed at for ''Civil War'', and his old family butler.
* NoNonsenseNemesis: Zemo is an ''extremely'' pragmatic man who knows full well that he's just an ordinary person in an [[WorldOfBadass extraordinary world]], and realizes that it will give him no quarter if he were to dally about with regards to his vengeance. He has no choice but to be utterly cutthroat if he wants to complete his goal. This is especially shown in his first full-blown action sequence in ''Falcon and the Winter Soldier'', taking down assassins after himself and the heroes in a surprise attack that wouldn't be out of place in a first-person shooter game.
* NonActionBigBad: Although he has military training, he never directly fights any of the Avengers in ''Civil War'', acknowledging that he could never physically stand up to the likes of them. Instead, he relies more on subterfuge and deception. Becomes a SubvertedTrope by the time of ''Falcon and the Winter Soldier'', showing he's fully capable of taking down several assassins after the heroes, though all of them are still normal humans.
* NotSoAboveItAll: After being freed from prison in ''The Falcon and the Winter Soldier'', Zemo shows that he isn't a stoic and unpleasant individual 24/7. Notably, he jumps in on Sam and Bucky's conversation about Marvin Gaye's ''Troubleman'' soundtrack to give his own thoughts on the record, and he can be seen thoroughly enjoying himself Madripoor, drinking quite a bit of hard liquor and awkwardly dancing at the Little Princess nightclub.
* NothingLeftToDoButDie: After getting Tony to fight Steve and Bucky, Zemo decides to listen to his wife's voicemail one last time, before deleting it and attempting to commit suicide.
* NotHyperbole: In episode 5 of ''The Falcon and the Winter Soldier'', Zemo tells Bucky that [[YouWillBeSpared he's decided not to kill him]]. At first it seems like hyperbole on Zemo's part, given that he's unarmed and Bucky has him cornered and at gunpoint. However, episode 6 shows [[spoiler: Zemo had already made arrangements for the Flag Smashers to be discretely killed once all the excitement was over, even if he himself was already captured or killed. From his experiences with him over the past few days, Zemo apparently had decided that killing Bucky wasn't necessary despite him being an enhanced human, and thus hadn't made any such arrangements for him]].
* NothingPersonal: He tells T'Challa that he is sorry for killing his father and that he seemed like a good man in ''Civil War''. While conversing with Bucky for the first time since the events of that film in ''The Falcon and the Winter Soldier'', he says this verbatim about using him to tear apart the Avengers.
* NotWearingTights: He doesn't wear anything remotely resembling a costume in ''Civil War''. However, he dons the purple mask in ''The Falcon and the Winter Soldier''.
* OutlivingOnesOffspring: His son was a casualty from the Avengers' fight with Ultron.
* OldMoney: He is generationally wealthy due to his family being Sokovian royalty.
* OnlySaneMan: In ''The Falcon and the Winter Soldier'', it says ''a lot'' about Sam's present circle of associates that (other than Sharon Carter) Zemo is by far the most mentally well-balanced individual Sam has around him at his job.
* PapaWolf: The reason he's out to destroy the Avengers? His family was killed in their fight with Ultron.
* PatrioticFervor: Averted. As Zemo himself remarks ruefully, while he served in Sokovia's armed forces, his drive for vengeance isn't out of any love for the country, as he never actually had much patriotic feeling. ''The Falcon and The Winter Soldier'' shows that he ''does'' have some serious grievances over how it ended up, though, even chastising Sam and Bucky for not visiting the memorial.
* PoliticallyCorrectVillain: As part of his AdaptationalNiceGuy he's no longer a member of the [[PoliticallyIncorrectVillain Nazi-affiliated and fascistic HYDRA group]], but is a fan of Marvin Gaye and understands ''Trouble Man'' (Sam's favorite album) to be a condensation of the African-American experience. Also berates Sam for stereotyping himself as a "pimp" just because he's flamboyantly dressed.
* PurpleIsPowerful: ''The Falcon and the Winter Soldier'' sees Zemo don a purple mask, coat, and gloves as he resurfaces to the criminal world.
* PutOnAPrisonBus: Zemo is taken to prison by Black Panther before he can commit suicide, ultimately sitting out the next few years until his return in ''Series/TheFalconAndTheWinterSoldier''. [[spoiler: And it happens again in Episode 5 of the aforementioned series, where he's taken by the Dora Milaje to the Raft.]]
* PyrrhicVictory: Zemo succeeds in fracturing [[TheTeam the Avengers]] and getting the majority of them branded as fugitives, but he is also captured by Black Panther and still has to face prosecution for the murders he committed. It also works vice versa on his capture being a PyrrhicVictory for the heroes. Best summarized by the following exchange:
-->'''Everett K. Ross:''' So how does it feel? To spend all that time, all that effort, and to see it fail so spectacularly?\\
'''Helmut Zemo:''' [[WasItReallyWorthIt ...Did it?]]
* RevengeMyopia: Getting his revenge was worth anything -- including inflicting upon others the same pain he complained about suffering. Lampshaded at the end of the movie, when T'Challa observes that the revenge he seeks has consumed him. Worse still, because he tore the Avengers apart, they had no gameplan and were unable to present a united front against Thanos, leading to [[spoiler:even more families the universe over being devastated by the Snap]].
* RoguesGalleryTransplant: Downplayed. While Zemo is still an enemy of Captain America and The Falcon as he was in the comics, he also ends up becoming an enemy of Black Panther's, due to his involvement in King T'Chaka's death. It extends to the entire nation of Wakanda as well, as they immediately dispatch Ayo to apprehend him when he escapes from prison in ''The Falcon and the Winter Soldier''.
* RoyalsWhoActuallyDoSomething: His noble lineage while serving in the Sokovian special forces makes him this.
* SecretlyWealthy: He may have been living the gritty villain life in ''Civil War'' (probably to fly under the radar), but ''The Falcon and the Winter Soldier'' reveals that he is a wealthy Baron like his comics counterpart. Sam even reacts with "So all this time, you've been ''rich''?"
* ASinisterClue: Zemo is left-handed and is the BigBad of ''Civil War''. Shooting a gun with his left hand starts off his BigDamnVillains moment in ''Falcon and the Winter Soldier''.
* SucksAtDancing: While the gang rests and spends the night at Sharon's club in Madripoor, [[{{Understatement}} Zemo's dancing moves leave him wanting]]. Let's just say he was [[Franchise/MassEffect channeling his inner Commander Shepard.]]
* SuicideByCop: After apologizing to T'Challa for killing his father, he says that he seemed like a good man "with a dutiful son", saying this last part with a meaningful glance, obviously hinting that he's fine with T'Challa taking vengeance upon him now. When T'Challa refuses to do so, Zemo attempts to just shoot himself, but T'Challa thwarts this effort as well.
* SuperheroMovieVillainsDie: Subverted. After completing his plan to turn Iron Man and Captain America against each other, he first attempts [[SuicideByCop Suicide by Black Panther]]. ''Attempts'' being the operative word, as T'Challa refuses when he realises how close he came to turning out like Zemo. As a result, Zemo attempts to shoot himself in the head, but Black Panther stops him and turns him into the authorities, leaving him incarcerated but very much alive.
* SupportingProtagonist: Of ''Series/TheFalconAndTheWinterSoldier'', as most of Bucky's and Sam's story and dynamic are sometimes told from his viewpoint during his team-up with them.
* TheyLookJustLikeEveryoneElse: There's nothing from his looks that would suggest that he's more than just an everyday guy.
* TookALevelInCheerfulness: He's much more upbeat in ''The Falcon and the Winter Soldier'' than he was in ''Captain America: Civil War''. Which makes sense: in the latter he had just lost his family and was on a revenge quest whereas in the former the stakes aren't as personal and he's had time to grieve for his family in prison, meaning he has the time and temperament to joke around, make fun of "allies" and dance badly.
* TookALevelInKindness: Downplayed, but in ''The Falcon and the Winter Soldier'', he's much friendlier with Sam and Bucky than he was with Tony and Steve in ''Civil War''. Justified, as this time around he's working together with them to take down the Flag-Smashers and even then he still takes the time to engage them in relatively civil conversations.
* TragicVillain: He pursues his vengeance purely because he feels he has nothing else to live for without his family. This is highlighted by his decision to goad Black Panther into killing him and, when that doesn't work, shoot himself.
* {{Tritagonist}}: Of ''Series/TheFalconAndTheWinterSoldier'', when he teams up with Sam and Bucky in their crusade to defeat the Flag Smashers, while being more developed as a character in contrast to his debut in ''Civil War'' along the way of the narrative.
* TranquilFury: Despite spending the whole movie on a murderous crusade, Zemo avoids all the theatrics of Loki or Ultron and seldom even raises his voice. This includes when he finally spells out his motives to the heroes.
* {{Troll}}: Even when he's not manipulating or killing everyone around him, he's kind of a dick, as seen in his reappearance in ''Falcon and the Winter Soldier'', reciting Bucky's trigger phrase, knowing it doesn't work, just to upset him, needling Sam about his experience in the Raft, and later telling his retainer to serve Sam and Bucky them any food that's gone off.
* TruerToTheText: Zemo in ''Civil War'' was a borderline InNameOnly depiction of him. ''The Falcon and the Winter Soldier'' retroactively adds a ''lot'' more aspects of the original comic character, such as his noble status, his costume, and his physical prowess.
* UnknownRival: To the Flag-Smashers, particularly Karli Morgenthau. Do to being enhanced with the super-soldier serum, Zemo considers the Flag-Smashers to be dangerous individuals, and is more than willing to form an EnemyMine with Sam and Bucky to take them down. Karli on the other hand, isn't even aware that Zemo exists until he shoots her and destroys the serum right in front of her. Even then, she seems more content to get up and run than to try to confront him for his actions.
* UnwittingInstigatorOfDoom: He successfully managed to break up the Avengers, hoping to bring down the most powerful team of beings in the universe to avenge the deaths of his family. Unfortunately for him, it worked a little too well, as they don't stand on a united front when [[Film/AvengersInfinityWar Thanos arrives]] and, despite putting up a good fight, get flattened by the Mad Titan. Said Mad Titan then uses the Infinity Stones to wipe out half of all life in the universe, turning the world into a total mess that it spends five years trying to recover from until the Avengers [[Film/AvengersEndgame find a way to set things right]]. Even when they do undo the Snap, the world falls into utter chaos once again trying to handle those that were restored to life, leading to the Flag-Smashers taking rise and causing just enough trouble to force Bucky and Sam to bust Zemo out of jail to help them.
* VillainHasAPoint: In ''Series/TheFalconAndTheWinterSoldier'', Zemo warns Sam that Karli has become too radicalized (especially after taking the Super Soldier Serum) and it's pointless to try to talk her down. [[spoiler:The finale proves Zemo was right when Karli tries to kill Sam after he's foiled her plans and tries to do it again.]]
* VillainProtagonist: So far of ''Series/TheFalconAndTheWinterSoldier'', when he teams up with Sam and Bucky to take down the Flag Smashers, getting more screen time and more of his development unlike in ''Civil War''.
* VillainRespect: As of ''Series/TheFalconAndTheWinterSoldier'', Zemo develops this towards Sam Wilson due to his refusal to be ehnanced into being super soldier while maintaining his idealistic outlook. He also concedes that Steve Rogers was not corrupted by the power he held but holds him as an exception.
* VillainousUnderdog: He's not a PhysicalGod, not an alien, nor a SuperSoldier. He's just a former military colonel with patience, a simple yet effective plan, and ThePowerOfHate. This is exactly why Sam and Bucky decide to bring him into their crusade against the Flag-Smashers.
* WeakButSkilled: Invoked. Zemo is a professionally trained special ops colonel who has the combat skills to take down regular men with ease. However, he knows that no amount of skill can destroy a group of enhanced individuals like the Avengers, and so relies on his manipulation and espionage skills to turn them against each other instead.
* WeaponOfChoice: A Smith and Wesson 6906 pistol, which he uses to execute the other Winter Soldiers and attempt suicide.
* WellIntentionedExtremist: Zemo's objective in ''The Falcon and The Winter Soldier'' is to stop the creation of any and all super soldiers, believing that they create symbols of facism like the Red Skull once did. He accomplishes this in the fourth episode by shooting Karli Morgenthau multiple times and then smashing the remaining vials as Nico is helping her escape him.
* WhatYouAreInTheDark: [[spoiler:When Zemo corners Karli and discovers the last of the Super Soldier Serum in her possession, rather than take it for himself, which would have made his mission a lot easier, he smashes the vials and would have successfully destroyed them all had Walker not intervened.]]
* WickedCultured: He's a connoiseur of music and art, as revealed in ''Falcon and the Winter Soldier''.
* WoobieDestroyerOfWorlds: He has quite a sympathetic motive for his mission of revenge against the Avengers, namely that he blames them for the death of his family.
* XanatosSpeedChess:
** He's not in control of everything that happens in ''Civil War'' (for one thing, he has nothing to do with the Sokovia Accords), but he's good at taking advantage of unexpected situations to further his plans.
** Even more so in ''The Falcon and the Winter Soldier''. In ''Civil War'', at least he still instigates most of the events, but in the show, he's broken out of prison without having expected to and is more or less thrust into an ongoing conflict he has nothing to do with. He still manages to play the heroes and the villains—[[EvilVsEvil that he utterly disagrees with]]—and so far [[spoiler:[[VillainExitStageLeft has gotten away completely unscathed]], once again having succeeded at what [[NoNonsenseNemesis he set out to do]]]].
[[/folder]]
