13 years sinceCaptain America: The First Avenger, a minor villain could return after a hidden detail from theMCUPhase 1 movie has been uncovered.Captain America: The First Avengermarked the debut of Chris Evans' titular super-soldier, Steve Rogers, and pitted him against one of his most notable villains from Marvel Comics, the Red Skull.Hugo Weaving’s Johann Schmidtwasn’t the only threat inThe First Avenger, however, as the movie also introduced Toby Jones as the sinister and scheming Arnim Zola.
Arnim Zola has been a recurring adversary to Steve Rogers, and a number of other notable heroes, since his Marvel Comics debut in 1977’sCaptain America and the Falcon #208. InCaptain America: The First Avenger, Zola was a biochemist working for theNazi Party and HYDRA, helping the Red Skull by transforming energy from the Tesseract into weapons. Despite working under the thumb of the more haunting villain, it seemsArnim Zola was also planning for the future, as a hidden detail reveals he had found the key to his possible immortality.
Arnim Zola’s Robot Body Is Teased In Captain America: The First Avenger
Arnim Zola Worked Out How To Live Forever In Marvel Comics
Surprisingly, a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it detail inCaptain America: The First Avengerhad gone unnoticed for the last 13 years since the movie’s 2011 release. As pointed out byReddituser SSJSpawn,a pile of documents collected by Arnim Zola inThe First Avengerincludes a page that seems to show blueprints to a robotic body with a screen system in the stomach. This was evidently a fantastic call-back toArnim Zola’s robotic bodyfrom Marvel Comics, which allowed the villain to upload his consciousness into various forms over the years, surviving for several decades.
Arnim Zola’s robotic form from Marvel Comics was adapted into the giant computer bank hidden beneath Camp Lehigh inCaptain America: The Winter Soldier, and then was later seen inWhat If…?season 1, as Zola took over an Ultron drone. Even so,his unusual robotic body, with the screen embedded in the stomach displaying his face, has never been seen in live-action.Captain America: The First Avengermay have teased this evolution for the villain way back in Phase 1, suggesting thatArnim Zola could still return to the MCU.
Why Arnim Zola’s Return Would Be Great For The MCU
Arnim Zola’s Return Would Hark Back To The MCU’s Beginnings
Even though he was a relatively inconsequential villain, it would be fantastic to see Toby Jones' Arnim Zola return in the MCU’s future. Marvel Studios has recently confirmed the return of James Spader’s Ultron, andJosh Brolin has teased Thanos coming backto the MCU, so it’s possible more classic villains could follow suit.HYDRA was a crucial antagonistic force in the MCU’s early days, and Arnim Zola was one of the faces of HYDRA, particularly during the organization’s quiet growth period within SHIELD, so it would be great for this to be revisited.
Ranking Every Villain In The Captain America Movies
From Red Skull to Crossbones to the Winter Soldier, Steve Rogers faced a bunch of iconic villains in the MCU’s Captain America solo movies.
Arnim Zola battled both Steve Rogers and Sam Wilson in Marvel Comics, so it would be great to see him return to take on the MCU’s new Captain America. While2025’sCaptain America: Brave New Worldis already jam-packed with villains, it seems likely that Anthony Mackie will return as Sam Wilson in more sequels. Bringing back Arnim Zola afterCaptain America: The First Avengerteased his robot body would be a great way to connect Sam Wilson’s new adventures to Steve Rogers' classic stories, while bringing something fresh and exciting to the MCU, too.
Captain America: The First Avenger
Cast
Captain America: The First Avenger follows Steve Rogers, a frail man from Brooklyn transformed into the super-soldier Captain America during World War II. As he aids the war effort, Rogers confronts Red Skull, who seeks world domination through a powerful device for a nefarious organization.
