When we first learned of plans for Captain America: Brave New World to feature The Boys star Giancarlo Esposito, speculation immediately started running rampant about who the actor might be playing.
Reportedly added during reshoots, we first caught sight of Esposito on the movie's set; those photos provided few clues and even the teaser trailer failed to clear anything up. Rumours he'd been cast as Bushmaster or G.W. Bridge soon started swirling but those were proven false at Comic-Con.
We now know that The Mandalorian and Breaking Bad icon is playing Sidewinder, a relatively obscure Captain America villain who will seemingly target Sam Wilson. In this feature, we've rounded up everything we know about this version of the character along with an in-depth look at his comic book history.
To read through this Captain America: Brave New World guide, click on the "Next"/"View List" buttons below.
5. Which Sidewinder Is Giancarlo Esposito Playing?
Sidewinder is a relatively obscure Captain America villain and three different characters have held the mantle.
The first was Seth Voelker. Introduced in 1980's Marvel Two-in-One #64, he was created by Mark Gruenwald, Ralph Macchio, and George Pérez. The second showed up in 1998's Iron Fist #1 (courtesy of Dan Jurgens and Jackson Guiceand) and never received a name; he did, however, die in that same issue after failing to infiltrate S.H.I.E.L.D.
The third and current Sidewinder is Gregory Bryan; created by Robert Kirkman and Scot Eaton in Captain America #31 two decades ago, he's very similar to the original version. In Captain America: Brave New World, Esposito will play Voelker.
4. The Serpent Society
In a 2014 "Marvel Event," Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige trolled us all when he announced Captain America 3 as Captain America: Serpent Society (moments later, we got the real Civil War title as Chris Evans, Robert Downey Jr., and Chadwick Boseman gathered on stage).
On the page, the Serpent Society is a snake-themed group of supervillains and mercenaries that was founded by Sidewinder. A recurring threat in Captain America comic books, members have included Constrictor, Death Adder, Diamondback, Slither, King Cobra, and Viper.
Assuming they haven't been cut - which is rumoured to be the case - we anticipate seeing WWE Superstar Seth Rollins as King Cobra and Rosa Salazar as Diamondback with Sidewinder again serving as leader.
3. What About His Comic Book History?
While Sidewinder has made dozens of appearances over the years, he's not exactly Red Skull or Crossbones! Still, he's picked up some big wins, even if he does fall into the "B" or "C" list category of supervillains.
Seth Voelker was hired by the Roxxon Oil Company to retrieve the Serpent Crown, an ancient magical artefact which offers its wearer a long list of superpowers. As Sidewinder, Voelker succeeded in his mission and later established his own supervillain group, the Serpent Society.
That was initially a success, though the villain was ultimately betrayed by Viper. However, Diamondback helped him and he continued doing his thing until retiring. Believe it or not, Voelker is now a television pundit who shares his thoughts on posthuman beings, including the Thunderbolts.
2. Sidewinder's Powers
The Sidewinder we've seen in the MCU appears to be relatively normal and appears to be outfitted with a variety of weapons. That's quite the contrast to what we've heard about Captain America: Brave New World's other Serpent Society members.
They're supposedly going to have various enhancements and, if Marvel Studios is looking to keep this movie grounded, it may be why they've been cut. As for the comic book Sidewinder, he's also a normal man and has only a teleportation cloak which can transport him and others.
Time will tell whether Esposito's version uses one of those, but we expect Voelker to follow in his comic book counterpart's footsteps by being a skilled businessman and fighter who takes charge of a successful group of mercenaries.
1. The Villains MCU Future
Esposito has confirmed that, following his appearance in Captain America: Brave New World, he'll next star in a Marvel Studios Disney+ series. Daredevil: Born Again is a likely possibility, though we could also see the actor being added to Ironheart in potential reshoots.
Talking about his MCU role at Comic-Con this weekend, the Better Call Saul star said:
"He’s a complicated guy who didn’t start in a nefarious way. He came to this in a different way, which hopefully will unfold. And I like it because you’ve seen me play certain villainous characters who use their brains, who are great at dictating what to do and how to do it."
"I like Sidewinder because he’s a very physical guy, and he’s got to go toe-to-toe with his physicality, and he knows how to use the tools of his trade. So he’s someone who plays against some of the things in the comic that you think could be true."
It sounds like this version of Sidewinder will be a little more proactive and Marvel Studios may well plan on having him assemble the Serpent Society across several MCU projects. Where is it all leading? That's a tough question, though Armor Wars makes the most sense, right?