Captain America: Brave New World's reshoots resulted in sweeping changes to the Marvel Studios movie, including a new opening which swapped the Serpent Society for Giancarlo Esposito's Sidewinder.
We've known for a while that additional photography meant Seth Rollins' Serpent Society member, for example, would no longer receive any screentime. However, it was widely reported that Rosa Salazar was still set to make an appearance as Rachel Leighton/Diamondback.
According to multiple sources, Salazar no longer appears in Captain America: Brave New World. The actor is best known for her role in Alita: Battle Angel and the Maze Runner movies. It seems, like Rollins, her MCU debut will have to wait.
You may also recall reports that The Walking Dead: Dead City and Ghostbusters: Afterlife star Logan Kim had been tapped to play the MCU's Amadeus Cho. That was confirmed by reliable insiders and spoiled by test screenings; however, the future Totally Awesome Hulk also isn't in Captain America: Brave New World's final cut.
The post-credits scene originally referenced Amadeus and The Leader's role in him becoming a Hulk, but it appears that - and anything else which might set the stage for a World War Hulk project - has been scrapped to make this a more standalone story.
Captain America: Brave New World director Julius Onah was recently asked to explain why he cut the Serpent Society, suggesting the costumed villains didn't fit the movie's tone. The same may have applied to a kid who can transform into a Hulk.
"You know, when you’re taking characters like Serpent Society from publishing, who, as you know, are individuals dressed up as snakes and have snake adjacent powers, you’re always iterating and trying to figure out the version that totally works best in a movie like this," Onah said. "I love Seth, Seth’s incredible."
"But as we were evolving and we knew we had an additional photography period, just one that we did early on in the process that’s planned," the filmmaker continued. "We were trying to figure out, ‘Hey, who’s somebody that can bring a very specific kind of gravitas that works with this tone.’ And when Giancarlo became available, it was such a no brainer."
In Captain America: Brave New World, after meeting with newly elected U.S. President Thaddeus Ross, played by Harrison Ford in his Marvel Cinematic Universe debut, Sam Wilson finds himself in the middle of an international incident. He must discover the reason behind a nefarious global plot before the true mastermind has the entire world seeing red.
The movie stars Anthony Mackie, Danny Ramirez, Shira Haas, Xosha Roquemore, Carl Lumbly, with Giancarlo Esposito, Liv Tyler, Tim Blake Nelson, and Harrison Ford. The movie is directed by Julius Onah and produced by Kevin Feige and Nate Moore. Louis D’Esposito and Charles Newirth serve as executive producers.
Captain America: Brave New World opens in U.S. theaters on February 14, 2025.