WARNING: The following contains spoilers for The Falcon and the Winter Soldier Episode 6, "One World, One People," now streaming on Disney+.
In the Marvel Cinematic Universe, most people would point to Thanos as its most successful villain. He snapped half of life away in Avengers: Infinity War, while his younger self waged a war in Endgame that resulted in the death of Iron Man. Admittedly, others such as Loki and Killmonger did make an impact, but they never really achieved full victory like the Mad Titan. Plus, they also left fans with a sympathetic taste in their mouths after their defeats and deaths.
However, come the finale of The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, we finally see who's the most successful of the bunch, and it's easily the most conniving and calculating in Baron Zemo (Daniel Brühl).
Zemo has notched two big wins, the first of which occurred in Captain America: Civil War. He destabilized the Avengers by using Bucky Barnes against them. Bringing out the ghost of the Winter Soldier got Earth's Mightiest Heroes to split up as he knew once he reprogrammed Bucky, he'd get Steve Rogers to defend him while Tony Stark's team would fight back. His plan even pulled in the remnants of Hydra, reminding the world how far S.H.I.E.L.D. fell. This fracture would make it easy for Thanos to steal the Infinity Stones and enact his plan.
Zemo's second win comes in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, although it's a surprise, as many felt he turned a new leaf after Bucky turned him over to the Dora Milaje. He did help Sam and Bucky chase Karli, the Flag Smashers and the super soldier serum down. Plus, after he was sent to the Raft, it seemed like he'd be able to do no more damage and might have been up for redemption. That notion's now blown away, literally, due to the actions of his clinical butler.
After Karli's defeated at the Global Repatriation Council summit in New York and her four remaining super soldiers are taken into custody, as the prison van drives off, it explodes. We then see Zemo's butler in a car on a hill looking at the fiery scene with a trigger in his hand, admiring his handiwork. We later catch a glimpse of Zemo in the Raft listening to the news on the radio, hearing how the last of the super soldiers were incinerated in the blast. He gives a sinister smile, lies down in his cell and takes a nap with his book on his chest as it's mission accomplished.
Zemo made it clear that the world could not exist with super soldiers as it'd tilt the power scales. They were an abomination and represented everything broken with an oppressive world. The idea of such high-caliber soldiers, to him, helped raze his home of Sokovia, and since then his philosophy has always been to keep all of humanity on an even keel -- something which requires methodical work.
The interesting thing is that no one traces it back to Zemo -- apart from Countess Valentina Allegra de Fontaine, but she was either in on it, or doesn't care as it helps her own mission of policing the world. Ultimately, it shows Zemo, even in jail, has resources and is a resilient person who always gets what he wants. He's cerebral, sets dominoes up and shadowy contingency plans so even if he's out of commission, he has a way of getting the job done.
Directed by Kari Skogland, The Falcon and the Winter Soldier stars Anthony Mackie, Sebastian Stan, Emily VanCamp, Wyatt Russell, Noah Mills, Carl Lumbly and Daniel Brühl. The series is available on Disney+.