Hidden detail in Captain America's first MCU movie shows how 1 original villain may return 13 years later

13 years since Captain America: The First AvengerA minor villain may return after a hidden detail from the MCU Phase 1 movie is 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 Marvel Comics villains, the Red Skull. Johann Schmidt of Hugo Weaving was not the only threat in The first revengeHowever, as the movie also introduced Toby Jones as the evil and scheming Arnim Zola.

Arnim Zola has been a recurring adversary of Steve Rogers and a number of other notable heroes since his Marvel Comics debut in 1977. Captain America and the Falcon #208. in Captain America: The First AvengerZola was a biochemist working for the Nazi Party and HYDRA, helping the Red Skull by converting energy from the Tesseract into weapons. Despite working under the thumb of the more haunting villain, it seems Arnim Zola is also planning for the future, as a hidden detail reveals that he has 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 Captain America: The First Avenger has gone unnoticed for the past 13 years since the release of the movie in 2011. As pointed out by Reddit User SSJSpawn, A pile of documents collected by Arnim Zola in The first revenge Includes a page that appears to show blueprints to a robotic body with a screen system in the stomach. This was obviously a fantastic call back to Arnim Zola's robotic body from Marvel Comics, which allowed the villain to upload his consciousness in various forms over the years, surviving for several decades.

Arnim Zola's robotic form from Marvel Comics is adapted to the giant computer bank hidden beneath Camp Lehigh in Captain America: The Winter SoldierAnd then was later seen in What if...? Season 1, when Zola took over an Ultron drone. even so, His unusual robotic body, with the screen embedded in his stomach displaying his face, has never been seen in live-action. Captain America: The First Avenger may have teased the evolution for the villain back in Phase 1, suggesting that Arnim Zola may yet return to the MCU.

Why the return of Arnim Zola would be great for the MCU

Arnim Zola's return would be back to the beginning of the MCU

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 recently confirmed the return of James Spader's Ultron, and Josh Brolin has teased Thanos coming back to the MCU, so it's possible that more classic villains could follow suit. HYDRA was a crucial antagonistic force in the early days of the MCU, and Arnim Zola was one of the faces of HYDRA, especially during the organization's quiet growth period in SHIELDSo it would be great for this to be revised.

Arnim Zola fought 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 2025s Captain America: Brave New World is already full of villains, it seems likely that Anthony Mackie will return as Sam Wilson in more sequels. Bring back Arnim Zola Captain America: The First Avenger Teasing his robot body would be a great way to connect the new adventures of Sam Wilson to the classic stories of Steve Rogers, while also bringing something fresh and exciting to the MCU.