The Blacklist’s James Spader has already signed up to play the titular villain in the Joss Whedon-helmed Avengers: Age of Ultron, but the superhero sequel has now added Dracula and Stalingrad star Thomas Kretschmann as Baron Wolfgang von Strucker.
In the comics, Strucker often clashes with both Captain America and Nick Fury as the head of Hydra, the Nazi-like organisation run by the Red Skull in 2011’s Captain America: The First Avenger.
A few months ago – when a possible appearance from Strucker was first rumoured – it was reported that he would be featured in the first act of the movie and that Quicksilver (Aaron Taylor Johnson) and the Scarlet Witch (Elizabeth Olsen) were set to be on his side (at least at first), thereby meaning that the villain would serve the role that Magneto would if Marvel were able to use characters from the X-Men movies.
However, whether or not his role is ultimately a cameo or something more, THR claim that he’s signed a multi-picture deal. When it comes to Marvel Studios, that shouldn’t come as a surprise, and it’s likely that the next place we’ll see the villain is in a follow-up to this summer’s Captain America: The Winter Soldier.
Avengers: Age of Ultron is set to be released on May 1st, 2015.
