‘Thunderbolts*’ Director Jake Schreier Comments on One Character’s Polarizing Absence

The next chapter in the story of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) will unfold on May 2, when Thunderbolts* hits theaters.

The arrival of the Thunderbolts will usher in a new era for the MCU as the latest Marvel super-team will not be comprised of the well-meaning Avengers, but a group of antiheroes and former villains.

Under the watcful eye of Valentina Allegra de Fontaine (Julia Louis Dreyfus), the Thunderbolts* will bring together former villains and anti-heroes including Yelena Belova (Florence Pugh), Red Guardian (David Harbour), Ghost (Hannah John-Kamen), the Winter Soldier (Sebastian Stan), Taskmaster (Olga Kurylenko), and U.S. Agent (Wyatt Russell).

Photo: Marvel

Where Is Baron Zemo?

While fans are understandably excited to see the Thunderbolts team up, the MCU’s version of the iconic comic book team does have one glaring omission- Baron Zemo.

Photo: Marvel Studios

For those who may not remember, Baron Helmut J. Zemo made his MCU debut in Captain America: Civil War, where he was portrayed as a grieving mastermind who blamed the Avengers for the death of his family during the Battle of Sokovia.

Throughout the course of the movie, Zemo framed the Winter Soldier for bombing the United Nations and eventually pitted the Avengers against each other.

Photo: Marvel Studios

Captured by Black Panther and taken into custody, Zemo would bve broken out of prison eight years later by Bucky Barnes, who needed his help tracking down the Flag Smashers. At the conclusion of The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, Zemo was taken back into custody and imprisoned in The Raft.

He has not appeared in the MCU since.

Jake Schreier Says Zemo Was Never Going to Be in ‘Thunderbolts*’

As Baron Zemo is the founder and leader of the Thunderbolts in the Marvel comics, fans have been understandably disappointed that he does not appear alongside the MCU version of the team.

Photo: Marvel

According to director Jake Schreier, however, there was never any plan to include Zemo in Thunderbolts*. Instead, the role of mastermind behind the team has been filled by Valentina Allegra de Fontaine.

When asked by Dexerto if Marvel ever planned on including Zemo in the film, the director was adamant that they did not.

Photo: Marvel

“There was no version that I was presented with where that was ever true, from the first draft that I read,” Schreier told us. “There are like a few character shifts since then, but not so much, and Baron Zemo was not in there.”

A New Kind of Thunderbolts

Unlike the comic book version of the Thunderbolts, which was comprised of villains masquerading as heroes, the MCU’s Thunderbolts are largely reformed former villains who want to do the right thing.

“It’s funny because I know there’s other corners of the internet that wish that this was more that first run of Thunderbolts. Where it’s, you know, villains masquerading as heroes,” added Schreier.

Photo: Marvel

“And I think our movie is meant, in some ways, to kind of honor that idea. But coming at it from a different angle.”

Thunderbolts* will hit theaters on May 2.