Baron Helmut Zemo

Baron Helmut Zemo appears in Marvel Comics as a supervillain often fighting against Captain America and other members of the Avengers.

Baron Helmut Zemo from Captain America
Baron Helmut Zemo from Captain America Marvel Comics

Helmut made in his debut in Captain America #168 of December 1973.

The character was portrayed in the 2016 feature film Captain Marvel: Civil War.

Biography of Baron Helmut from Captain America

Helmut gained experience of violence and learned to oppress opposition following the example of how his father dealt with dissent at his Amazon territory.

Helmut’s father was Baron Heinrich Zemo. His father crushed opposition with a private and ruthless army.

Succeeding Baron Heinrich Zemo

Helmut would eventually replace his father in the Masters of Evil. His father formed that group to fight Captain as well as the Avengers.

During the clashes Heinrich is killed, with his son blaming Captain America and vowing to get his revenge.

He decided to learn all of the best fighting techniques so that he will be able to defeat Captain America when he meets him in combat.

The Phoenix

Helmut chooses to refer to himself as the Phoenix as he confronts Captain America alongside the Falcon.

However, the self styled Phoenix comes off worst during the fight as he falls into Adhesive X, which badly burns and leaves horribly scarred.

This disfigurement only acts to intensify his hatred of Captain America.

Monsters of Zola

After that violent encounter with Captain America and the Falcon nothing is heard or seen of him for many years.

However he spent that time devising ways to gain revenge against Captain America and the other Avengers.

By this time he is known as Baron Zemo and he has teamed up with the evil and twisted creatures produced by the warped genius of Armin Zola.

He worked closely with Zola’s monsters, especially Primus. Together they decide to lead Steve Rogers (who he already knows is Captain America) into an ambush by holding his friend, Arnold Roth captive.

As soon as the Captain has fought off the last of Zola’s monsters, Zemo reveals that he knows the Captain’s real identity.

The Masters of Evil

Following on from working with the monsters of Zola, Zemo decided to reform the Masters of Evil.

With this team he was able to gain control of the Avengers’ headquarters, though he did not gain the total victory he craved.

Captain America successfully regained control of the mansion and defeated his enemy once again.

Working with the Mother Superior

He next forms an alliance with Sinthea Schmidt a k a the Mother Superior in his efforts to take on the Avengers. He receives useful training from Mother Superior and her father Red Skull.

Again his strategy revolves around kidnapping somebody close to Captain America. He gains control of David Cox and persuades him to fight against the Captain.

After this plan fails, he goes back to Plan A and kidnaps Arnold Roth. When these plans both fail he turns against Schmidt who also defeats him.

Bringing Heinrich back to life

Zemo’s next scheme involved working alongside Bartroc’s brigade to resurrect Heinrich by using the Bloodstone.

After talking to his resurrected father, Helmut is annoyed when Heinrich informs him that he is a big disappointment as a son.

The Barroness, Zemo and the Kinder

Soon after bringing his father back, Zemo gets himself a wife, equally determined to defeat the Avengers.

Heike became Baroness Zemo and together they make the decision to adopt 25 kidnapped children they have dubbed the Wunderkinder.

These 25 Wunderkinder were taken as part of a chlid-slavery ring run by Daniel Dran.

The Zemos took the 25 they liked the most against their will in order to turn them into the nucleas of a revived Hitler Youth. All this was done at Castle Zemo.

The plan to turn the children into fantical Nazis especially devoted to the Baron and his wife was ruined by Captain America.

Assisted by Diamondback, Captain America was able to get into the castle and release the children.

Baron Helmut Zemo and The Thunderbolts

Baron Helmut Zemo decides to take advantage of the disappearance and apparent demise of the Avengers by forming another alternative group of superheroes.

Helmut decides to call the new group the Thunderbolts. This group pretends to be good to gain control of New York and then spread their power as far as they possibly can.

The Thunderbolts are actually the latest manifestation of the Masters of Evil with Zemo rebranding himself as Citizen V, after somebody his father had killed in the 1940s.

Accepted as the new force for good the Thunderbolts get to use the equipment left behind by the Fantastic 4 as well as the Avengers.

To make sure that they are still trusted the group even join Spiderman in his crime fighting efforts.

The plan almost gave Zemo control of the Earth yet the Thunderbolts turn against their founder and decide they prefer being good to being evil.

Helmut Zemo’s place as the leader is taken by a man who claims that he is the real Citizen V.

Powers and Abilities of Baron Zemo

Zemo was able to battle Captain America, the Avengers and other foes for so long due to his powers and abilities.

He was an able marksman, had received extensive martial arts and military training as well as having scientific knowledge and being an astute tactician.

Zemo carries with him a powerful arsenal of firearms besides having special powers that stem from him holding the Moonstones. He is able to control gravity, light and energy among other things.

Master Tactician:

Of all of the opponants of the Avengers, Zemo is arguably the most astute tactician as demonstrated by being a former commander of Sokovian military forces. Their defeat at the hands of the Avengers are another reason for his desire for revenge.

Zemo even came up with the tactic of dividing the Avengers and getting them to fight each other. That results in Iron Man and Captain America instigating the Avengers Civil War and making it far less effective in resisting Zemo.

To keep the Avengers fighting each other he does not release any of the Winter Soldiers to stop them resolving their differences.

Zemo is capable of speaking English, German and Russian, and could convince people that he is American.

He is highly capable of using computers and hacks into the files of the Avengers.


If you liked reading this biography of Baron Helmut Zemo, you can read more about Marvel super villains here.

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