A few weeks ago it was reported that an audition listing was circulating in Hollywood that would apply to a new villain coming to Marvel's upcoming "Avengers" sequel. Now it has been confirmed that Thomas Kretschmann will be playing the role of Baron Wolfgang von Strucker, a villain in the Marvel comic universe.
Kretschmann, who plays Abraham van Helsing on NBC's Dracula, has signed on for a major villain role and sources indicate that he will confirm the rumor that the classic comic book character would be making an appearance in the film.
Baron Wolfgang con Strucker, for those unfamiliar with the comics, is an old-school Marvel bad guy created by San Lee and Jack Kirby back in 1964. He fought in World War II as a Nazi and was one of the main figures in starting the villainous organization HYDRA, which fans might remember from the first Captain America film. The character is an ageless being, which might explain how he's found his way to the modern day to clash against Earth's mightiest heroes.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, Joss Whedon is writing and directing the sequel, which will reunite the cast of the original as well as a few new faces and heroes. Elizabeth Olsen is joining the cast as the Scarlett Witch and Aaron Taylor-Johnson will play Quicksilver. In addition, the main villain, a sentient artificial intelligence being known as Ultron, will be played by The Black List's James Spader.
The presence of von Strucker might explain how the Scarlett Witch and Quicksilver exist in the Avenger's universe at all. The characters were mutants in the comic books but the film isn't able to acknowledge anything from the X-Men universe as that is owned by another studio altogether. The duo were the children of Magneto and members of the mutant brotherhood. Perhaps now their back-story will involve nefarious dealings with an ex-Nazi terrorist.
