Baron Zemo appeared in 1973 Marvel Comics called Captain America. Baron Helmut Zemo, was the 13th Baron Zemo, a title of German nobility. His family pledged their loyalty and service to the German Empire in return for Castle Zemo and land that they could pass to their heirs. Following the death of his father, Helmut took up the title, and much like his father and their fathers before him, he too was disfigured by Adhesive X and forced to don a mask. The 13th Baron took over the leadership of the Masters of Evil and became one of the leading members of Hydra.
Baron Helmut Zemo, the 13th Baron Zemo was born to Baron Heinrich Zemo, a master Nazi scientist and enemy of Captain America during World War II. Heinrich raised his son to believe in the Nazi ideals of a master race, and that only the Zemo line should be ruling the world.
Upon learning of his father's death, Helmut, an engineer and strategist himself, blamed Captain America, and adopted the guise of the Phoenix in order to kill him in revenge. However, Zemo was defeated, ultimately falling into a vat of Adhesive X and horribly disfiguring him.
Resurfacing years later as Baron Zemo, he began working with Arnim Zola's monstrous creations. Allied with Primus, he kidnapped Steve Rogers' childhood friend Arnold Roth to lure him into a trap. Captain Rogers fought hordes of Zola's mutates before revealing that he knew Zemo's secret identity.
Zemo later encountered Sinthea Shmidt (Mother Superior) and her father Johan (The Red Skull), and recognized the benefits of learning from them. Once his training was complete, Zemo again kidnapped one of Captain America's friends, this time David Cox, and brainwashed him to fight Cap. Zemo then kidnapped Arnold Roth again, and directed a shared mental re-enactment of Heinrich Zemo's last World War II encounter with Captain America. He turned against Mother Superior, but was overpowered by her psychic powers.
Powers and Abilities[]
- Slowed Aging: Like his father, Zemo makes use of the Compound X serum to retain his youth and vitality, despite his considerable chronological age.
- Genius-level intellect: Helmut is a strategic and tactical genius, as well as a brilliant planner and organizer. He also has an impressive scientific and inventive ability, but not at the level his father was.
- Master Combatant: He is a masterful combatant, surpassing his late father in physical skill and prowess, but is only slightly under the level of Captain America.
- Expert Swordsman: He is a world-class fencer portraying phenomenal skill with a rapier, medieval broadswords, and possibly other weapons used in Medieval Europe.
- Expert Marksman: Helmut is an Olympic-level marksman with firearms.
- Master Tactician: He is very skilled in field tactics, close range combat, and even turning the tide of any debate that he is involved in to his favor.
- Master of Deception: Although he can be truthful in simple conversations with his peers, it is hard to deduce what Helmut is really thinking or planning in his mind. He can appear and appeal as an ally to any villain or hero, but may simply be using them to do his bidding; it can vary from using them as a shield against another foe, or even getting him past security inside a highly secure structure such as the U.N. He has gone as far as earning respect and acceptance from former enemies such as Captain America in order to ensure the success of any scheme he hatches. Helmut Zemo is truly a dangerous individual who will travel any distance to achieve his goals.
- Influential Expert: He is a dangerous influence to any individual he meets. He has used his ability to morally change persons with even the greatest of good intentions to ruthless human beings. His tactics have sometimes even caused individuals to question their own morality, and judgment towards other individuals.
Arsenal[]
- Baron Zemo's Suit: He sometimes wears circuitry in his hood guarding against psychic assault.
- Adhesive X: Zemo occasionally uses weapons or traps incorporating his father's Adhesive X, which forms an unbreakable bond with any substance unless it is subjected to a special solvent.
- Moonstone: Zemo has usurped Karla Sofen's moonstones, alien power gems which enable him to manipulate energy on a massive scale for effects such as strength/durability augmentation, space warp creation, gravity manipulation, light manipulation, molecular phasing, and more.
- Baron Zemo's Sword: Zemo wields a sword. Zemo makes use of much of the same devices invented by his father, including particle, formula, and adhesive X, as well as his dad's disintegrator gun and anti-psychic headband. In close-combat, he prefers an Adamantium sword. He also makes use of various energy weapons and mind-control devices.