Zemo was a colonel in the Socovian Kill Squad. During the conflict between the Avengers and Ultron in Sokovia, Zemo’s family was killed, leading him to make it his lifelong goal to take down the Avengers. After Black Widow released all of S.H.I.E.L.D.'s files to the world, Zemo studied the encrypted data and discovered the location of a Russian general who worked for Hydra. He went to the general's house, found him, and killed him, ultimately locating the book to control the Winter Soldier, or Bucky Barnes. After blowing up a UN conference in Vienna and killing the King of Wakanda, he framed Bucky for this crime and tore the Avengers apart by revealing secrets that were meant to remain hidden. He is later seen in "Falcon and the Winter Soldier."