One of the most pleasant surprises about The Falcon and the Winter Soldier has been Daniel Brühl’s Zemo, with the Captain America: Civil War villain in real danger of becoming a genuine fan favorite if he doesn’t betray Sam and Bucky before the end of the six-episode run.
In his Marvel Cinematic Universe debut, the character was depicted as a cold and calculating bad guy who came perilously close to dismantling the Avengers from the inside out despite not having any superpowers, with his grief the only weapon he needed. Most people thought he’d pick up right from where he left off in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, but his arc has been a joy to watch. Sure, there’s still absolutely no reason to trust the guy and he’s clearly got his own agenda, but Brühl’s understated charisma and comic timing has made the Baron one of the highlights of the show so far now that he’s been allowed to cut loose a little bit.
Then there’s the Zemo Cut, which saw the actor go viral after his sweet moves on the dance floor in Madripoor instantly set the internet ablaze. As a joke, #ReleaseTheZemoCut was trending worldwide, but Marvel Studios responded in kind by releasing a one-hour loop of Brühl getting down, leading to plenty of trolling from the MCU fanbase directed at Zack Snyder’s Justice League.
In a new interview, Brühl has now revealed that he was thrilled Marvel kept the dancing in the episode, especially after he improvised what would be the summer’s hottest routine in clubs around the world under normal circumstances.
“What we see in Madripoor, this is Zemo. It wasn’t on the page, it was improvised. I thought it was so much fun because this guy has been sitting and rotting in a German prison cell. So, it’s time to let off some steam. I like the way that Sam and Bucky react to it, being truly annoyed. I thought for Zemo, his tactic is the more noticeable you are in that moment, the less suspicion that you arouse. But, I think Sam and Bucky clearly see that differently. Another thing that I’m very happy they kept was the dance. There are some moments where you’re not sure if they’ll really keep it in the final cut, but they did. And that’s something I enjoy so much about working with Marvel in general. They create this atmosphere of looseness, fearlessness, and joy. That’s the way it should be.”
Both Brühl and Zemo have been hugely valuable additions to The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, and depending on how the finale plays out, we may not have seen the last of him, either, especially with all those Thunderbolts rumors making the rounds.