Joss Whedon has reportedly added another villain to his Avengers: Age Of Ultron (opens in new tab) cast, having just signed Thomas Kretschmann to the ever-expanding sequel.
The Hollywood Reporter states that Kretchmann has joined the film as Baron Wolfgang von Strucker, a villain from the comics who, in the Marvel-verse, is a Nazi officer who becomes a head of HYDRA.
Star scoopers Latino Review reported on the character’s presence in the film a month ago (opens in new tab) , with their sources stating that Strucker is the boss of the Scarlet Witch (Elizabeth Olsen) and Quicksilver (Aaron Taylor-Johnson).
That’s unconfirmed, though, so take it with a little pinch of salt.
Either way, Strucker won’t be the only Big Bad in the film – according to LR , he’s only a supporting villain, which means he could be answering to the titular Ultron (who’s being voiced by James Spader).
It’ll be a shake-up for Kretschmann; he’s best known as the heroic Van Helsing on NBC’s Dracula .
Avengers: Age Of Ultron opens in the UK on 1 May 2015.