Anghus Houvouras on whether Captain America: Civil War’s Zemo is the best Marvel movie villain…
Marvel movies have become a staple of blockbuster cinema, conquering the cineplex multiple times each year with crowd pleasing popcorn pictures. While everyone has been pleased as punch with the heroes that populate the Marvel cinematic universe, the villains have been sorely lacking. Actually, ‘sorely lacking’ might be an understatement.
The other day I was jokingly discussing the topic while trying to rank the top Marvel villains. The top of that list is a no-brainer: Tom Hiddleston’s Loki is by far the most interesting and engaging villain Marvel has created. His work was the highlight of both Thor films and he gave the Avengers a Machiavellian foil and a credible world conquering threat.
So obviously, Loki is #1. So who would be #2? Cue the brain fart.
Some would say The Winter Soldier, but since most fans were familiar with his temporary villain status, it almost feels disingenuous to add him to the list. If we’re talking actual villains, picking second place becomes a more difficult proposition. Ultron was entertaining but lacked a real sense of dread. Joss Whedon took one of the most feared villains in comics and transformed him into a synthetic, sarcastic mess. Lee Pace made Ronan a rather menacing figure, but he lacked levels. Hugo Weaving’s Red Skull didn’t leave much of an impression. Corey Stoll’s Yellowjacket was a scenery chewing monstrosity that was more monster than man. Every Iron Man villain has taken the ‘dark mirror’ approach and given us three iterations of evil Iron Man. And Josh Brolin’s Thanos hasn’t really done anything other than sit menacingly in a chair and utter gravely edicts.
Other than Loki, Marvel villains have been, at best, thinly written and at worst, terribly conceived and staged. Captain America: Civil War finally gives us our second great villain of the marvel movie era: Zemo.
Spoilers ahead. Read at your own risk.
I went into Civil War prepared for another inconsequential villain that would seem slight in comparison to the massive number of heroes featured in the story. But Daniel Bruhl’s Zemo is something of a revelation: a villain rooted in tragedy in a way other Marvel villains have not. In a movie about dueling ideologies and superheroes existing in a world without consequence, Zemo ends up providing a villainous perspective that hasn’t been visited in the Marvel Cinematic Universe: a human one.
Zemo is a different breed of villain. One whose motivations are personal and surprising. The reveal of Zemo’s villainous turn is perfectly staged in the third act. After watching him mercilessly torture, kill, and scheme to manipulate the Avengers, you begin to think this is just another psychopath hellbent on chaos. However, when you learn Zemo is seeking revenge for deaths caused by The Avengers’ hubris (i.e. Ultron), his story takes on a tragic turn. One that I think Daniel Bruhl sold perfectly in a final, heartbreaking scene.
What I love most about Zemo is that of all the Marvel villains he is the least powerful. There are no special abilities or technologically enhanced exoskeletons at his disposal. He is able to dismantle the Avengers with nothing more than the power of his mind. Zemo plays a glorious game of chess measuring the power of each piece on the board and moving them into position to take down Earth’s Mightiest Heroes.
Zemo is the second great villain of the Marvel cinematic universe. To me, he’s the most interesting Marvel villain yet.
Anghus Houvouras is a North Carolina based writer and filmmaker and the co-host of Across the Pondcast. Follow him on Twitter.
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https://youtu.be/b7Ozs5mj5ao?list=PL18yMRIfoszEaHYNDTy5C-cH9Oa2gN5ng
Originally published May 4, 2016. Updated April 15, 2018.
