‘I’m not dead!’ MCU star addresses unexpected absence from one of Phase Five’s biggest films

The lineup of familiar villains and anti-heroes confirmed to be making up the roster of the MCU’s Thunderbolts, as first revealed at September’s D23 expo, contains a handful of heavy-hitters, but there’s one character who’s conspicuous for their absence. While the team includes the likes of Yelena Belova (Florence Pugh), Taskmaster (Olga Kurylenko), and Bucky Barnes (Sebastian Stan), there’s currently no indication if a fixture of the group from the comics could likewise appear.

Yes, we’re talking about Baron Helmut Zemo himself, the beloved manipulative mastermind who successfully destroyed the Avengers from within in Captain America: Civil War before dancing his way into meme immortality in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier. Given that Zemo is a frequent leader of the Thunderbolts in the source material, the lack of confirmation that he’s in the movie is puzzling. So what does the Sokovian aristocrat himself have to say about it?

As you would expect from a Marvel Studios veteran like him, actor Daniel Bruhl played his cards close to his chest when asked if he could explain why he’s been bolted from the Thunderbolts, but he did confirm to RadioTimes.com that his character isn’t dead and therefore is primed for a comeback whenever: “Even if I could… I couldn’t, you know,” he said. “The only thing I can say, everybody knows – is I’m not dead!”

Another major character not included in that initial lineup was Red Hulk, but now we know Harrison Ford is taking over as General Ross for both Thunderbolts and Captain America 4, so the odds are Zemo will show up in the anti-Avengers team-up flick somewhere, perhaps even as the antagonist. We’ll find out when the Thunderbolts assemble on the big screen on July 26, 2024.