Thomas Kretschmann Headshot - P 2013
Getty ImagesWe already know that Thomas Kretschmann will appear in next year’s Avengers: Age of Ultron as “Baron Wolfgang von Strucker” — but it turns out that there may be plans afoot for the character beyond dealing with Earth’s Mightiest Heroes one time.
“I have a multi-picture deal, which means I will not only appear in [Age of Ultron], but they’re planning with me for a longer period of time,” Kretschmann said in an interview with B.Z. Berlin (via, and translation courtesy of, ComicBookMovie.com). “I don’t know details yet, they’re keeping their cards close to their chest — top secret!”
STORY: ‘Stalingrad’ Actor Thomas Kretschmann to Play Villain in ‘Avengers: Age of Ultron’
In comic book continuity, von Strucker is a former ally of the Red Skull who went on to lead HYDRA, a terrorist organization best known for causing trouble for SHIELD, Captain America and the Thunderbolts. Whether or not Kretschmann could end up crossing from movies to ABC’s Agents of SHIELD in a future season remains at the mercy of multiple moving parts, not least of which is whether or not the show survives past Age of Ultron’s summer 2015 release.
Talking about working with Avengers director Joss Whedon, the actor joked that he was “overprepared,” going on to say that on his first day, he told the director, “This is huge, please have patience with me, I’m a bit nervous.”
Not necessarily what you’d expect from a megalomaniacal wannabe dictator, but they do say it’s the quiet ones you should watch out for…
