13 years since Captain America: The First Avenger, a minor villain could return after a hidden detail from the MCU Phase 1 movie has been uncovered. Captain America: The First Avenger marked 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 Schmidt wasn't the only threat in The First Avenger, however, as the movie also introduced Toby Jones as the sinister and scheming Arnim Zola.
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Arnim Zola has been a recurring adversary to Steve Rogers, and a number of other notable heroes, since his Marvel Comics debut in 1977's Captain America and the Falcon #208. In Captain America: The First Avenger, Zola was a biochemist working for the Nazi 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 seems Arnim 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 in Captain America: The First Avenger had gone unnoticed for the last 13 years since the movie's 2011 release. As pointed out by Reddit user SSJSpawn, a pile of documents collected by Arnim Zola in The First Avenger includes 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 to Arnim Zola's robotic body from 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 in Captain America: The Winter Soldier, and then was later seen in What 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 Avenger may have teased this evolution for the villain way back in Phase 1, suggesting that Arnim 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, and Josh Brolin has teased Thanos coming back to 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.
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. While 2025's Captain America: Brave New World is already jam-packed with villains, it seems likely that Anthony Mackie will return as Sam Wilson in more sequels. Bringing back Arnim Zola after Captain America: The First Avenger teased 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.
