History:
(Thunderbolts Presents: Zemo - Born Better#4 (fb) - BTS) - Herman became Baron at a very young age and proved incapable of continuing his father's efforts. Like many other noblemen of his era he didn't do anything about the problems that eventually led to a weakening of the European states, which eventually led to the events preceeding World War I.

(Thunderbolts Presents: Zemo - Born Better#3) - To protect Zemo Keep, Herman fought with his soldiers along with the German Army against British invaders, but Castle Zemo was still heavily damaged during the war. One day a time-displaced Helmut Zemo fought in front of Herman Union Jack (James Montgomery) on the battlefield. Union Jack escaped after hurling Helmut into Herman and his soldiers, which angered Helmut's ancestor. Herman then ordered to bring out the cannons to fire mustard gas at the British soldiers. The surrounding hills were secured and Herman and his soldiers returned to the heavily damaged Castle Zemo. Inside the castle Herman added Union Jack's rifle to his weapon collection and then gloated over the effectiveness of their mustard gas with the additives he had developed. Helmut couldn't listen to Herman anymore and started leaving, but Herman stopped him and after Helmut told him how his face was damaged by gases, Herman wanted to study him. Helmut angrily attacked Herman, whose soldiers' immediately drew their guns on Helmut. Helmut pushed Herman into his soldiers, jumped through the window and was drawn to his next ancestor, his father Heinrich Zemo.

(Thunderbolts Presents: Zemo - Born Better#4 (fb) - BTS) - Herman died of a heart attack in 1921. Herman's studies in engineering and sciences inspired his son Heinrich, who continued to work in the same fields for Nazi Germany.

Comments: Created by Fabian Nicieza, Tom Grummett & Gary Erskine.

In Thunderbolts I#39 (June, 2000) a portrait of Heinrich and Hilda was seen during the attack of Scourge (Jack Monroe) on Heinrich's son Helmut in Castle Zemo. Helmut clearly identified the people depicted in the portrait as his parents before it was destroyed. In Thunderbolts Presents: Zemo - Born Better#3 (June, 2007) it was revealed by Wendell Volker, a distant cousin of Helmut Zemo, that the portrait was painted in 1932, but he misidentified the person in the painting as Heinrich's father, Herman, who died in 1921 according to Volker's own notes seen in Thunderbolts Presents: Zemo - Born Better#4 (July, 2007). I believe Helmut is the more trustworthy source in this case because he actually knew his father. It is also far more likely that Heinrich Zemo wore Nazi regalia in a portrait than Herman. Though it was not impossible that both had joined the Nazi Party at this point, it was not that big of a deal yet before Herman's death that he would've been depicted with a Swastika on his hat.