Captain America: Brave New Worldwill feature several villains pitted against the noticeably non-superpowered Sam Wilson in his first starring role on the big screen in theMCU, and I’m concerned that the one I’m most excited about will be sidelined. I’ve been excited aboutCaptain America: Brave New Worldsince it was first announced for many reasons. Seeing Sam Wilson in the titular role for the first time since he accepted it inThe Falcon and the Winter Soldieris one of these reasons, but I was also curious to see whichvillains would appear inBrave New World.
My excitement was then supercharged when it was announced that Red Hulk and othercharacters typically tied to Bruce Bannerwould be starring in this Captain America movie. Nevertheless, I couldn’t help but wonder if there wasn’t a more applicable enemy for Cap to face while lamenting the fact that we’ll probably never get to seeHulk pitted against his red nemesis. This changed when a Hollywood legend was confirmed to be portraying one of Captain America’s most longstanding enemies - though I now worry if he’ll get the screentime he deserves.
Giancarlo Esposito’s Marvel Villain Debut Is Seriously Exciting For More Than One Reason
The Debut Has Been Long-Awaited
Giancarlo Esposito, best known for portraying Gus Fring inBreaking Badand Moff Gideon inThe Mandalorian, is portraying Seth Voelker AKASidewinder inCaptain America: Brave New World. According to Esposito, this role is much unlike his most famous, as Sidewinder is a far more physical character who will likely be giving Cap a run for his money in combat. While Giancarlo Esposito’s involvement is exciting in itself,bringing Sidewinder to life on the big screen has been a long time coming for fansofCaptain America’s Marvel history.
Captain America: Civil Warwas initially unveiled asCaptain America: Serpent Societyas a smokescreen to save the big reveal for last when MCU Phase 3 was revealed in 2014.
Sidewinder is the leader of the Serpent Society and one of Captain America’s obscure yet no less iconic supervillains. He leads the Serpent Society, a functional union of villainous mercenaries that boast various snake-based powers in Marvel Comics. While the grounded tones ofCaptain America: Brave New World(Red Hulk notwithstanding) may preclude the MCU from pursuing such zany powers on the big screen,I think their involvement in a Captain America project is still an exciting prospect. The only issue I can see now is that Red Hulk’s involvement might overshadow their MCU debut.
Captain America: Brave New World’s Villain Number Makes Sidewinder’s Debut Complicated
Two High-Profile Villains Risk Causing Sidewinder To Take A Back Seat
Captain America is set to face off against two powerhouse Marvel villains in Red Hulk and the Leader. From theCaptain America: Brave New Worldtrailer, Cap’s fight with Red Hulk looks like it will be the main attraction and the Leader’s manipulations from behind the scenes are unlikely to be upstaged by a collection of mercenaries. I’m not complaining about their involvement, of course, as I can’t wait to see how Sam will work around the significant gulf in power between him and both gamma-powered villains - butI wonder how much time will be afforded to Esposito’s performance.
Instead, it looks like Sidewinder and the Serpent Society could have been included as a secondary subset of villains to accentuate Sam Wilson’s powers.
Instead, it looks like Sidewinder and the Serpent Society could have been included as a secondary subset of villains to accentuate Sam Wilson’s powers. Instead of making the flagship character ofBrave New Worldlook comparatively powerless for the majority of the movie, it could be thatSam Wilson is able to wipe the floor with a highly skilled contingent of mercenaries to prove that he is just as much a powerful superheroas his MCU co-stars. I’m pretty excited to see Sam and Seth’s showdown nonetheless, and it is thankfully likely that this won’t be Esposito’s only MCU appearance.
Giancarlo Esposito’s MCU Future Comments May Avoid Sidewinder Becoming Wasted Marvel Character
Giancarlo Esposito Spoke About Future Appearances
I think there is a lot of potential to explore with the Serpent Society and Sidewinder. While they could be considered B-tier villains, the MCU has repeatedly proved that it can shoot obscure characters into superstardom time and again. Sidewinder looks like he could be next in line based on his minimal yet punchy appearances in the trailer. Thankfully, it looks as though Sidewinder will survive his encounter with Captain America and reassert himself ina future MCU installment, asGiancarlo Esposito revealed in an interview withABChow he hopes to develop the character.
Part of the incorporation of Sidewinder’s colors I brought into the costume that I’m wearing. I’m hoping that it gives them inspiration in movies to come that will allow me to take on more of that serpent persona. You’ve never seen me play a character like this. This guy knows how to use a rifle, a pistol, knives, [he is] very, very physical, active with his physicality, punches, kicks, all that.
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Not only is this a good sign for Sidewinder’s continued involvement, but I’m glad to hear that Esposito hopes to lean into the serpentine aspect of Sidewinder. I’m totally on board with grounded portrayals of comic book characters in superhero movies, of course, but I also know how well the MCU handles the more outlandish aspects of its comic book adaptations, andthere’s plenty of potential with Seth Voelker. Hopefully,Captain America: Brave New Worldwill give some kind of clear hint as to how Voelker can return, but now we’ll have to wait and see on February 14.
