Thomas Kretschmann has been cast as Baron Wolfgang von Strucker in "Avengers: Age of Ultron."

The role was rumored throughout the last few weeks, but there had been no confirmation about who would take on the role.

Despite the formal announcement of the role, there has been no information on how Baron von Strucker will be used in the movie. Previous reports indicated that the villain would likely appear in the opening sequences of the movie prior to the formal introduction of the film's main villain Ultron. Of course, it is also likely von Strucker could play a sidekick to Ultron in the film, thus adding more baddies for the team of superheroes to take on. James Spader has already been cast in the role of Ultron.

Strucker was first introduced in 1964 as a Nazi officer who did battle with Nick Fury during World War II. He does not have any powers, but is considered immortal. He also has two twin children called Andrea and Andreas. Some speculate that Quicksilver and Scarlet Witch, which have been confirmed for the new film, could be his children in the film.

Kretschmann has appeared as Van Helsing in NBC's "Dracula" series. He has also been seen in "The Pianist," "Blade II," "U-571," "Wanted" and Peter Jackson's "King Kong."

The new film will be directed by Joss Whedon and stars Chris Evans, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Scarlett Johansson, Robert Downey Jr., Chris Hemsworth, Samuel L. Jackson and Mark Ruffalo among others.

The film will be released on May 1, 2015.