16 Problems Nobody Wants To Admit About Captain America: Civil War
9. Baron Zemo Isn't Going To Matter At All
Perhaps because they're painfully aware that they can't make RDJ the villain, Marvel are also adding a stuffed crust to their Avengers 2.5 pizza in the shape of new villain Baron Zemo (Daniel Bruhl), to remind everyone that this is still just a Cap movie.
The problem is context and competition. Cap will already have to face off with Crossbones as well as Stark's pro-registration forces, AND have some sort of narrative conflict with the returning Bucky. Plus he's got New Avengers to train and get in the field. The suggestion that the film is going to be able to balance all of that and a compelling villain, when their track record suggests they struggle with bad guys anyway, is worrying to say the least.
No matter how well Bruhl plays Zemo, no matter how good the design is, or how compelling the lore, there simply won't be enough time to actually sell him as an important enough element. And we'll end up with another Von Strucker situation where a legendary villain is relegated to a Dead Meat side concern.