While Red Hulk easily steals the show in Captain America: Brave New World‘s new teaser trailer, the mystery surrounding Breaking Bad star Giancarlo Esposito’s character has also generated plenty of buzz. So, who does Giancarlo Esposito play in Captain America: Brave New World?
Related: Is Red Hulk a Villain in the Marvel Universe?
Who Giancarlo Esposito Plays in Captain America 4, Explained
Giancarlo Esposito portrays Seth Voelker/Sidewinder in Captain America: Brave New World. As in the comics, Sidewider heads up the Serpent Society: a bunch of snake-themed supervillains. Marvel Studios boss Kevin Feige previously joked about the Serpent Society appearing in 2016’s Captain America: Civil War, however, Brave New World marks their first MCU appearance.
Little is known about the MCU version of Sidewinder at this stage, although the teaser supplies two key pieces of intel. One: Esposito is playing Sidewinder as a guy with serious military chops. Two: Sidewinder will apparently confront Sam Wilson/Captain America directly. The teaser seemingly shows Sidewinder spraying Cap’s shield with gunfire, although this might be misdirection on the studio’s part. Is Sidewinder also in league with Brave New World‘s main baddie, Samuel Sterns/The Leader? Maybe. We’ll have to wait until the movie drops in 2025 to find out!
Interestingly, Esposito’s Sidewinder wasn’t always part of Captain America: Brave New World‘s story. Esposito only joined the fourth Captain America installment’s cast in May 2024, as part of reshoots that reportedly lasted 22 days. This indicates that screenwriter Matthew Orton introduced Sidewinder while reworking Brave New World‘s script in December 2023.
Regardless, Marvel Studios apparently has big plans for Esposito, based on comments by the actor himself. At a recent fan event, Esposito hinted that Sidewinder is only “teased” in Captain America: Brave New World, and that “there will be a series afterwards.” Whether this means that Brave New World will lead into a second Captain America-centric Disney+ show (following 2021’s The Falcon and the Winter Soldier) remains to be seen, however.
Marvel Fans Were Convinced Esposito’s Captain America 4 Character Was Someone Else
So, Giancarlo Esposito officially plays Sidewinder in Captain America 4 – but that’s not who fans were expecting him to portray. Indeed, a sizeable segment of the franchise’s fanbase was convinced that Esposito would appear as G.W. Bridge in Brave New World.
In the comics, George Washington Bridge (seriously: that’s his actual name) is an ex-mercenary turned Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. That certainly fits with what we’ve seen of Esposito’s performance, although Bridge is more commonly associated with the X-Men’s corner of the Marvel Universe than Captain America’s.
Related: Captain America: Brave New World Trailer Reveals First Look at Red Hulk
That said, Esposito did his best to downplay the G.W. Bridge rumors, insisting that fans hadn’t yet figured out his MCU role.
“The character I’m playing is a badass,” he told a convention audience. “That always excites me. For me to develop that character in line with the character’s inception is a fascinating art for me. I had an incredible time shooting [Captain America 4]. I’m not telling you who I’m playing… people are trying to guess and no one has guessed correctly yet.”
Captain America: Brave New World arrives in cinemas on Feb. 14, 2025.
The above article was updated on 7/30/2024 by the original author to include information about Sidewinder.
Published: Jul 30, 2024 09:12 am