German actor Thomas Kretschmann, who can currently be seen playing Dracula’s BFF Van Helsing on NBC’s “Dracula” — yes, Van Helsing and Dracula are partners in this new version — will be going back to his German roots for a role in Joss Whedon’s “The Avengers 2: Age of Ultron.”

Kretschmann has been tapped to play Baron von Strucker in the upcoming comic book sequel, joining James Spader as evil android Ultron. Being that Ultron’s name is in the title, I’m guessing he’ll be the main villain, while Kretschmann’s von Strucker will get second billing in the bad guy department.

In comic book canon, von Strucker is a former Nazi and one of the heads of evil villain organization HYDRA, last seen menacing Captain America during World War II in “Captain America: The First Avenger.”

Here’s a look at von Strucker from the comics:

Baron Von Strucker Comic Book

Production on Whedon’s “Avengers” sequel is set to begin next month for a May 1, 2015 release.

Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans, Chris Hemsworth, Mark Ruffalo, Scarlett Johansson, Samuel L. Jackson, and Jeremy Renner are all expected to reprise their characters from the first movie. They will be joined by Spader, along with Elizabeth Olsen and Aaron Johnson as Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver, respectively, and now, Kretschmann as von Strucker.