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itsbuckybitch:

eatingcroutons:

So I’ve been seeing multiple people literally calling MCU!Zemo a Nazi and just, no.

Whatever you may speculate about Zemo’s history in Sokovia, there is one thing that is abundantly clear about his role in the MCU: He represents the oppressed, not the oppressors.

He comes from a tiny country that was all but destroyed by the unilateral actions of US-based military superpowers acting outside of international law. He represents the dark end of the spectrum of reactions to that kind of violent imperialism, for sure. But he is a character whose homeland, people, and family were decimated by foreign military forces. Forces who see that devastation as nothing more than collateral damage, and whom he has no possible way of holding accountable. So he decides to seek justice the only way he believes he can.

Don’t get me wrong: Zemo does some terrible things in this film. But ultimately, what he represents is a violent, vengeful reaction to oppression.

To cast him as a Nazi not only completely disregards his on-screen actions (where he murders HYDRA agents and declares that HYDRA deserves to burn), but is a truly gross misrepresentation of his backstory, motivations, and role in the narrative.

Hey, guys, let’s all say this together: Nazi is not a synonym for ‘bad person’. It’s not even a synonym for ‘bad person who commits mass murder’. Nazism is a specific ideology defined by antisemitism, biological racism and fascist political beliefs. I know people are a bit trigger-happy with the Nazi accusations right now given what’s been happening in the comics, and given the ongoing misunderstandings about MCU!Hydra as a former Nazi organisation, but…like, holy shit. Zemo doesn’t even check one of those three boxes. 

You can’t call people Nazis just because you don’t like them.

Zemo is not a two-dimensional villain. He’s a tragic figure with a very legitimate grievance against the heroes, and he acts out on that grievance in one of the most ruthless, destructive, irresponsibly single-minded ways possible. In the end he’s not so different from Tony Stark: both of them suffer unbearable grief and loss, and respond to it by going on a murderous rampage. The difference between them is that Steve wasn’t there to stop Zemo before he crossed an unforgivable line in his quest for revenge.

Judge him as harshly as you like for what he did, but don’t try to make him something he’s not.