Big news for Marvel's upcoming The Avengers: Age of Ultron: According to Indiewire, Marvel has officially cast the film's villain character, Baron Wolfgang von Strucker, and the choice is certainly a surprising one. The lucky actor? Thomas Kretschmann, a German-born actor best known for his roles in 1993's Stalingrad, 2002's The Pianist, and as Abraham Van Helsing in NBC's currently airing series, Dracula.
Kretschmann has, unsurprisingly, been signed for multiple contracts, and he joins franchise regulars Scarlett Johansson, Chris Evans, Chris Hemsworth, Jeremy Renner, Robert Downey Jr., Mark Ruffalo, and new cast members Elizabeth Olsen and Aaron Taylor-Johnson.
As for his character—in The Avengers universe, Baron Wolfgang von Strucker is a ageless former Nazi officer who is the leader of S.H.I.E.L.D.'s enemy, HYDRA. So, yeah, pretty villainous! Slashfilm has some spoilers about his involvement in the film, if you're interested in reading about that.
The Avengers: Age of Ultron will hit theaters on May 1, 2015.
[via Indiewire]
