When Giancarlo Esposito confirmed he'd joined the MCU in a mystery role, speculation immediately went into overdrive. Names like Professor X, Magneto, and Doctor Doom were batted around, only for The Boys star to be spotted on the Captain America: Brave New World set.
Added during reshoots, it's believed Esposito is taking the place of the Serpent Society as a secondary villain in Sam Wilson's first outing as Captain America.
Social media scoopers have claimed the actor's gun-toting baddie is G.W. Bridge/George Washington Bridge, an obscure character from the comics who has ties to Cable's Wild Pack and S.H.I.E.L.D.
During a convention appearance this weekend, Esposito appeared to debunk those claims.
"The character I'm playing is a badass," he started. "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 it. I'm not telling you who I'm playing...people are trying to guess and no one has guessed correctly yet."
It's possible he hasn't seen the recent chatter about G.W. Bridge, though we find that hard to believe based on the huge amount of coverage that rumour has received. Esposito has previously said he'll appear in this movie and then a Disney+ TV series, with the prevailing theory for the latter being Daredevil: Born Again or Ironheart.
Check out Esposito's comments, and @MyTimeToShineH's response, in the X posts below.
After meeting with newly elected U.S. President Thaddeus Ross, played by Harrison Ford in his Marvel Cinematic Universe debut, Sam 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.
Captain America: Brave New World 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.