MCU Phase 4 Made Zemo Marvel’s Real Version Of Batman

No live-action Marvel character has ever resembled DC’s Batman as much as Baron Zemo, and the MCU Phase 4 seems to be making him even more similar to the Caped Crusader. Very few characters have matched Batman’s popularity. For every fascinating and especially brutal Moon Knight, there are countless Black Foxes who can never compare to Batman’s wealth, gadgets, and almost god-like wits. Two of the MCU’s most Batman-like characters, Iron Man and Black Panther, have done justice to their comic book counterparts and have taken the “wealthy superhero” trope to new heights. However, Baron Helmut Zemo is the Marvel character who has come the closest to answering the question, “What would it be like if Batman existed in the MCU?”.

Zemo was the first-ever MCU villain to remain triumphant until the end credits. Captain America: Civil War established that he would attempt anything in order to achieve his goals, despite his lack of superpowers. Not only did he successfully break the Avengers apart, he also caused them to fight almost to the death. In fact, Zemo’s similarities to Batman start with their skills, as both Zemo and Batman are smart enough to obliterate the world’s leading superhero teams with only their intellect, which they weaponize due to their personal motivation: the tragic death of their loved ones. Bruce Wayne chose to fight crime after witnessing the death of his parents, and Zemo started hunting down the Avengers after they destroyed his home country, Sokovia, during the events of Avengers: Age of Ultron.

Kicking off Phase 4, The Falcon and the Winter Soldier expanded on the villain’s story by revealing that Zemo is a Sokovian Baron with a colossal amount of wealth and resources (including luxury cars and a private jet), and even a loyal butler who’s eager to stand by his side through his most questionable decisions. This, of course, is not unlike the Waynes’ family business and Bruce’s lifelong father-son relationship with Alfred Pennyworth. Baron Zemo also showcased his impressive accuracy and hand-to-hand combat abilities in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier episode 3. As if it weren’t enough, he also did it while wearing his signature purple mask. Zemo’s main goal is to get rid of superpowered individuals, and he uses strategy and resources to achieve it.

Of course, Baron Zemo and Batman are quite different, as Zemo is in no way intended to be a carbon copy of the Dark Knight. Zemo doesn’t hesitate to kill if it helps his objectives, while Batman chooses to spare even his most dangerous foes to respect his famous “no-killing” rule. Zemo also doesn’t seem too cautious about his public persona, whereas Batman barely gets a couple of hours of sleep while balancing his socialite life with his secret identity. Besides, Batman has proved himself enough of a hero to be a part of DC’s superhero trinity along with Superman and Wonder Woman, while Baron Zemo doesn’t mind becoming a villain as long as he accomplishes his missions. There’s also the fact that Zemo was already villainous before the fall of Sokovia, having led a paramilitary death squad in the past.

The MCU Phase 4 appears to be building up Baron Zemo to be the leader of his own team — the Thunderbolts. This is also a step toward Batman’s role in the Justice League as the sponsor and mastermind of his team (although the Thunderbolts are much more morally complicated than DC’s league of near-perfect gods). Batman and Zemo will never be the same, but it’s interesting to see the similarities between them and the effect that different circumstances have on their character development. Taking Zemo’s intentions into account, then, he could perhaps be called the most accurate live-action adaptation of DC’s Lex Luthor. Whatever Zemo’s MCU future is, he can either grow into a more Batman-like antihero or give in to his dark side and become the MCU’s own superhuman-hunting Lex Luthor, if more people like John Walker threaten the world with their unstable power.

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