Baron von Zemo: How to Write a Manipulative Villain

Here on Story Fortress, Mara and Sophia talk a lot about how to write a good villain. After all, a well-done villain is a crucial part of any story.

There are a couple key components to a well-done villain. He has to have a reason for acting the way he does. He can’t just be evil without a purpose, a justification for his deeds. A well-done villain must also be strong. He must pose a genuine threat to the hero and whatever the hero is pursuing. If the villain is too weak, we wonder why the heroes haven’t defeated him already. If he’s too victimized, we fail to hate him.

So how does one write a villain that has understandable motives, is strong enough to be frightening, and stands out from the typical? You write someone different, someone sneaky, dangerous, and unpredictable. A manipulative villain. Marvel Studios’ third installment in the Captain America trilogy provides some tips on just how to accomplish this.

Baron von Zemo

I can think of no better manipulative villain than Baron von Zemo, from Captain America: Civil War. It’s one of my all-time favorite movies, and Mara’s too. The writing was impressively tight, the action scenes were amazing, and of course the character development at the heart of it was incredibly deep and moving. And behind the scenes, moving all the strings like a master puppeteer, is the chilling Baron.

Civil War is the next MCU installment after Age of Ultron and The Winter Soldier. The Avengers are a strong, united team. Bucky, Cap’s best friend who was revealed to be the Winter Soldier, is currently missing after HYDRA, the organization that kidnapped and brainwashed him, attempted to take over SHIELD. The Avengers’ battles have become successively more destructive, with their last fight in Sokovia resulting indirectly in the destruction of an entire city. The movie picks up with a quick flashback to the moment when Bucky killed Tony’s parents, Howard Stark and his wife. From there, it quickly introduces the thread of the Sokovia Accords, which is an agreement the Avengers are pressured to sign, committing to stop working as vigilantes and only deploy at direct orders from the United Nations. Some members, like Tony, are all in favor of signing it, troubled with regret for the accidental deaths their missions have caused. Others, headed by the most-outspoken Steve, don’t want any government to have control over their actions, for fear they might be used to do immoral things.

Zemo is brought into the story via scenes that hint at his behavior in the background. At first, we’re a bit curious as to who this man is – but as we see him kill a stranger and then steal a HYDRA code book, we decide that he is up to no good. We have no idea exactly what his plan is or how he ties in to the seemingly-unrelated plot surrounding the Avengers and the controversial Accords. But clearly, Zemo is highly motivated, and he’s thought out what he plans to do very well. He abruptly assassinates the king of Wakanda while disguised as Bucky, triggering an international manhunt for Bucky that eventually ends in his capture. Zemo then builds an EMP, and is able to infiltrate SHIELD by posing as a psychological evaluator. Once he’s in the same room as Bucky, he activates his EMP, killing power in the city and using the code book he stole to activate Bucky as the Winter Soldier. Now everything he’s done up to this point makes sense.

The Avengers are completely blindsided. The Winter Soldier wreaks havoc in the SHIELD building and nearly escapes. Cap stops him, and as they try to figure out Zemo’s identity and motivations, Bucky explains that Zemo asked for a mission report from him, detailing how he murdered Howard Stark and his wife decades ago and stole a serum to create more Super Soldiers, currently frozen in Siberia. Cap, Bucky, and the Falcon set off at once, determined to beat Zemo to Siberia. Meanwhile, quick glimpses of Zemo along his journey encourages the audience’s conception that all Zemo is after is the Super Soldier army.

But it’s not. Conflict builds as Team Iron Man tries to stop Team Captain America from a mission that is in direct violation of the Sokovia Accords. With a schism in the Avengers team fully complete, the stage is set for the final battle.

Cap and Bucky, many bridges burned behind them, arrive at the HYDRA base in Siberia. They’re surprised when Tony Stark appears with an offer of peace, having done some research on Zemo’s past. Zemo, it appears, had a family that was killed in the Sokovia mess, and is out for revenge against the Avengers.

Together, they enter the base… only to find that all the frozen Super Soldiers are long since dead. And Zemo is waiting, safe behind glass, ready with a tape that initiates the biggest twist of the movie.

It’s the same clip played at the beginning of the movie: Bucky murdering Stark’s parents. Tony is thunderstruck – and angry. Even more so when he realizes that Cap already knew and hid it from him, defending Bucky.

And just like that, the final fight erupts. Revenge is a powerful theme in the film, and in that moment, Tony makes the same choice, the same justification, as Zemo. His loved ones were killed, so now he will rip the murderer limb from limb to ‘make it right.’

Zemo never fought the heroes. There was no epic battle between him and them. In fact, they were never even face-to-face until the end. But all along, he was staging events and dropping hints, luring the heroes into a trap and then turning them on each other. Instead of destroying them himself, he let them do all the hard work. It was masterful. And for the audience, it was horrifying, for now the heroes they’d grown to love were permanently rending their relationships apart.

How to Write a Manipulative Villain

Some of the most terrifying villains are the ones like Zemo, like Moriarty, Palpatine, Uriah Heap, and Porfiry Petrovitch. They know the heroes inside out and out, and have the cunning to twist their fears and motivations against them. They’re not gigantic, terrifying warriors with a huge sword – they lurk in the shadows, pulling strings. They might even come across as cowardly or passive. But then their master plan is revealed, and it turns out that they were the catalyst for conflict all along.

Emperor Palpatine sits in his chair, orchestrating Anakin’s downfall with smooth words and deceit. Uriah Heap preys on the malleable Mr. Wickfield to keep David from Agnes. Porfiry Petrovitch is especially unique, as he represents the upright and lawful while slyly examining and trapping the murderous, narcissistic hero Raskolnikov, whom we sympathize with and hate at the same time. This sort of villain isn’t the Goliath to kill – it’s the sneaky, whispering Delilah, the serpent that must be crushed.

The most terrifying villains are the ones that know precisely where to strike a hero – and how to make the heroes do all the work for them.

If you want to write a manipulative villain, they must understand your hero. They must know where their weakness lies and be able to twist it against them, turning the hero, or the hero’s friend, into their own worst nightmare. It’s perfect for a hero who thinks he’s got it all together – only to find out he’s been played like a fiddle.

Kinsey Holt is the first guest writer we’ve had on the blog. Let us know what you guys think of inviting other writers to collaborate with us on the Story Fortress in the future!

And check out Kinsey’s absolutely awesome blog here (you just might see a guest post from one of the Story Fortress writers there in the next few days!)

In the meantime, let us know in the comments who your favorite manipulative villain is!