The sequel might be called "Age of Ultron," but that doesn't mean the maniacal robot will be the only villain giving the Avengers trouble. No, they'll have to deal with Baron Wolfgang Von Strucker, who might just bring his HYDRA buddies along with him. Dracula actor Thomas Kretschmann will bring the Satan Claw wielding bad guy to life in the 2015 film and, as the actor revealed in a recent interview, many more films to come.
“I have a multi-picture deal, which means I will not only appear in the second part, but they’re planning with me for a longer period of time,” Kretschmann told B.Z. Berlin. “But I don’t know details yet, they’re keeping their cards close to their chest — top secret!” Strucker's future may be top secret, but that doesn't mean we can't speculate anyway.
Captain America 3
We already know Marvel's working on a third Captain America with Captain America: The Winter Soldier directors Joe and Anthony Russo attached. Since both Captain America and Baron Strucker have such strong ties to HYDRA – albeit in polar opposite ways – it might be wise to assume that whatever HYDRA plot gets hatched in Avengers: Age of Ultron could wrap up in Captain America 3.
Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.
The ABC drama has done a lot of hard work to establish original threats to the super-spy organization during its first season, but S.H.I.E.L.D.'s main opponent will always be HYDRA. After Coulson and his crew overthrow the Clairvoyant and the agents of Centipede, they'll have time to focus on HYDRA and Baron Strucker. Just imagine Agent May punching her way through a seemingly endless barrage of green-suited goons. Now that's good television.
Black Widow
With rumors of a Black Widow solo film constantly making the rounds, its possible that Marvel's introducing Baron Strucker in Avengers: Age of Ultron as part of a long game building up to a solo spy adventure. Black Widow already seems like a no-brainer, but putting the fan favorite character in a film alongside a – hopefully – scene-stealing villain will only make the film more appealing. Strucker even played a small role in one of many iterations of Natasha's comic book origin, as he originally helped turn Natasha into an assassin.
The Defenders
If Luke Cage, Iron Fist, Jessica Jones and Daredevil are all going to team up following their solo Netflix series, then they'll need a big bad threat to face. HYDRA invading New York City – where the shows will be filming – seems like a pretty big threat. Put Baron Strucker in charge of the assault, and you'll have a Netflix mini-series with all the gravitas of a blockbuster.
Agent Carter
While this show starring Hayley Atwell's founding S.H.I.E.L.D. agent is still only in the development phase, it's not too early to speculate about Strucker's possible involvement. Agent Carter could be the perfect way to show how HYDRA survived World War II and turned into whatever they are in Avengers: Age of Ultron – if they show up in that film. The war against Baron Strucker HYDRA and S.H.I.E.L.D. has raged on for decades in the comics, so it would make perfect sense to have them be the main protagonists of a show set in the 1950s.