Baron Zemo
The Baron Zemo is the name used by several characters in the Marvel Universe.
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Baron Zemo (Heinrich Zemo)
- Main Article: Heinrich Zemo
Heinrich Zemo was a male human born at his family castle in Bavaria at the start of the 20th century. (Captain America: The Medusa Effect v1 #1)
During World War I, he came to serve in the German army where like many of his countrymen he felt betrayed when the civilian government in Berlin surrendered to the Allied Powers. In the chaotic years afterwards, he became one of the early supporters of Adolf Hitler and a member of the Nazi's Brown Shirts. During these years, the Fuhrer encouraged his followers to be fruitful and multiply in order to provide soldiers for the Fatherland. Thus, Heinrich Zemo came to marry and became a father. (Captain America: The Medusa Effect v1 #1)
Zemo was working on his invention known as Adhesive X when Captain America invaded his laboratories. In the course of destroying the only supply, the adhesive covered Zemo's cowled head, which became permanently affixed. As a result, Zemo was consumed with a violent, insane hatred for Captain America and mankind in general. (Avengers v1 #6) Believing that he had killed his rival at long last, Zemo fled to South America as Hitler and the Nazis fell and World War II ended. After the mask was permanently bonded to his face, Zemo abandoned his long-suffering wife and toddler son, toward whom he had become physically and emotionally abusive. With an army of mercenaries loyal to him, Zemo enslaved a tribe of natives and lived as a king, as he tried desperately to find a solvent that would remove his mask. After decades passed, Captain America was revived by the Avengers. This causes Zemo to renew his rivalry with the Captain. Among his attempts included sending agents to take the place of participants of a hand-to-hand combat demonstration with Captain America in order to capture him. As Captain America learned that Zemo was behind this attack, he sent a taunting message on Zemo's minions' communicator to provoke the villain into becoming more carelessly aggressive against him and thus provide an opportunity for the superhero to deal with the villain directly. (Tales of Suspense v1 #60) Heinrich then formed the original Masters of Evil to serve as an evil version of the Avengers; the other founding members included the villainous Black Knight, the Melter, and the Radioactive Man who were gathered by his pilot. He tried to have Adhesive X spread over New York, but the Teen Brigade seized Zemo's pilot, preventing him from speaking, then tied him up to stop him causing trouble. They switched the adhesive with the remover made by Paste-Pot Pete. Zemo used his sceptre's hypno-ray on the Teen Brigade, placing them under his control. (Avengers v1 #9) In his final battle with Captain America, Captain America used his shield to deflect the Sun's rays and cause Zemo to shoot blindly. His ray gun's shot hit a rock, starting an avalanche that killed him, and Captain America felt that Bucky's death had finally been avenged. (Avengers v1 #15)
Baron Zemo (Helmut Zemo)
- Main Article: Helmut Zemo
Helmut Zemo was a male human born the son of Heinrich Zemo a master Nazi scientist and enemy of Captain America during World War II and thus became the 13th Baron Zemo. Heinrich raised his son to believe in the Nazi ideals of a master race, and that only the Zemo line should be ruling the world. (Captain America: The Medusa Effect v1 #1) Upon learning of his father's death, Helmut, an engineer and strategist himself, blamed Captain America, and adopted the guise of the Phoenix in order to kill him in revenge. However, Zemo was defeated, ultimately falling into a vat of Adhesive X and horribly disfiguring him. (Captain America v1 #168) When he next re-surfaced, he began operating under the identity of Baron Zemo where he started working with Arnim Zola's monstrous creations. Allied with Primus, he kidnapped Steve Rogers' childhood friend Arnold Roth to lure him into a trap. (Captain America v1 #275)
Overview
In appearance, Baron Zemo were figures from a family line that wore a distinct purple costume that included a face-concealing mask. (Avengers v1 #4)
The Barony of Zemo included:
- Harbin Zemo :
- Hademar Zemo :
- Heller Zemo :
- Herbert Zemo :
- Helmuth Zemo :
- Hackett Zemo :
- Hartwig Zemo :
- Hilliard Zemo :
- Hoffman Zemo :
- Hobart Zemo :
- Herman Zemo :
- Heinrich Zemo :
- Helmut Zemo :
The family line maintained their own residence in the form of Castle Zemo that they retained even after World War II. (Captain America v1 #168)
In Bagalia, a residence of the Baron was established to serve as a headquarters for their operations with this being known as Tower Zemo. (Avengers Undercover v1 #2)
During the Hydra take-over of the U.S., a school was established to indoctrinate children with the institution being called the Baron Zemo's School for Superior Students. (Deadpool v6 #32)
Notes
- The concept of Baron Zemo was created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby where it made its first appearance in Avengers v1 #4 (March, 1964).
Alternate Versions
- In Ultimate Thor v1 #3 (2010), an alternate version of Baron Zemo appeared in the setting of the Ultimate Marvel reality set on Earth-1610 in the Multiverse. It was revealed to actually being a human disguise of Loki Odinson in 1939 where under the Nazi supervillain disguise allowed him to wage an attack on Asgard with a coalition army of Frost Giants and Nazi soldiers. He killed Heimdall, feeding his blood the the Nazi soldiers in combination with the power of the Norn Stones to augment their strength. The plan was successful and Asgard burned, but not before Odin banished Loki to the Room Without Doors.
- In Iron Man Noir v1 #1 (2010), an alternate version of Baron Zemo appeared in the setting of the Marvel Noir reality set on Earth-90214 in the Multiverse. It was revealed that this version was actually an identity being used by Howard Stark who Strucker chemically brainwashed through a combination of zolpidem, ethanol, methyl chloride, and "ophentonyl" to become the latest bearer of the Zemo mantle.
In other media
Television
- In The Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes, Baron Zemo appeared in the setting of the animated television series where he was voiced by actor Robin Atkin Downes. This version as an amalgam of Heinrich and Helmut Zemo with him being active in World War II yet having the younger Zemo's costume. A noted foe of Captain America, during World War II he became accidentally exposed to his own Chemical X during a fight against the Americans. He was only saved by the intervention of Arnim Zola with a side effect being him able to survive even to the modern age.
- In Avengers Assemble, both Baron Zemo's appeared in the setting of the animated television series where they were voiced by actors Danny Jacobs and David Kaye.
Films
- In Captain America, Winter Soldier, Helmut Zemo appeared in the setting of the live-action film set in the Marvel Cinematic Universe where he was portrayed by actor Daniel Brühl.
Video games
- In Captain America: Super Soldier, Baron Zemo appeared in the setting of the third-person single-player video based on the MCU where he was voiced by actor Steven Blum. Baron Heinrich Zemo was a German nobleman by the time of World War II and the husband of German noblewoman Hilda Zemo. The twelfth Baron Zemo, Heinrich Zemo was fascinated when he was told the legacy of his family by his father Herman Zemo, and of the connection Harbin Zemo and Heller Zemo had with the Sleeper. Heinrich was by far the most arrogant of the Barons, claiming that he was the greatest of them and that it would be he who would awaken the Sleeper. He mused in his journals, chronicling the quest the Zemo Bloodline had long taken, about the Sleeper's origins as possibly hailing from aliens or gods, as well as thinking that 'Emperor Zemo' had a nice ring to it. During this period, Zemo was contacted by a man named Johann Schmidt who called himself the Red Skull. While Heinrich confessed that it was an overly theatrical title, the Baron decided he would meet with him. The two held their discussion in the ballroom of Castle Zemo, though the Baron was disappointed to find that the greatness was lost on Schmidt. He noted that the Red Skull had a single-minded drive for the acquisition of power, and agreed to further meetings, believing an alliance would be mutually beneficial. Over time, the Baron came to admire the way Skull manipulated the political trouble in Berlin to create an army loyal to him: HYDRA, and he agreed to let the Skull post troops in the Castle as they worked.
Other
- In Marvel's Wastelanders, King Zemo appeared in the 2021 radio drama podcast series set in the Wastelands on Earth-15513 in the Multiverse. The persona was first held by Herman Zemo voiced by actor Ki Hong Lee and later by Ash Morse who was voiced by actor Sasha Lane.
Appearances
- Avengers v1: (1964)
- Captain America v1:
External Links
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