What happens to the puppeteers?

Strangely, Marvel doesn’t kill Zemo – and it is strange, since the vast majority of the MCU villains die during their first outing. And this is where the Russos have made the smartest of all moves. Even if Zemo doesn’t appear in any more movies, the fact that Black Panther spared his life means that he understood that revenge is a dish best not served at all. And so he proves to be a genuine hero by saving Zemo from killing himself and letting justice decide the villain’s fate.

In the same way, Batman doesn’t kill Luthor – and this is such a weird a thing to say: in a twist of events, Batman doesn’t kill. He doesn’t even brand him, for that matter, after realizing that that is not the way. Thus, Lex is also spared.

And even if Lex doesn’t appear in future movies (Jesse Eisenberg said that the writers haven’t decided just yet on what will happen next with the character), it is a fitting end. And that is because the human justice was the one to settle the score and not some mad and paranoid vigilante.

Next, going back in time…