Following the trailer drop for Captain America: Brave New World, comic book fans are becoming increasingly confident in Giancarlo Esposito’s role in the MCU. However, he’s only featured in a handful of shorts in the recently released trailer; the Parish star appears to be playing an antagonist role in the movie or perhaps that of an anti-hero. To newcomers, those who entered Marvel’s fantastic comic book universe via the MCU, the role and the character remain obscure, but to the veterans, it’s pretty obvious that Giancarlo Esposito’s role in the upcoming movie is that of G. W. Bridge.
Oh, we couldn’t have been more wrong. In our defense, we were made to believe that Giancarlo Esposito was portraying the character of G. W. Bridge. We got to see a few high-octane frames and shots of the actor, and several entertainment industry insiders basically fueled the rumor mill by sharing that particular information, which was further purported by various news and media outlets. Then came San Diego Comic-Con, and with it came the official confirmation—the character Giancarlo Esposito is going to portray in the upcoming Brave New World, which is none other than Sidewinder.
Of course, the crowd cheered and clapped after hearing this announcement, partially because he gets to play the villain — a type of role that suits him pretty well— and not the morally ambiguous George Washington Bridge. While there’s nothing wrong with G. W. Bridge, the MCU already has plenty of anti-heroes, and it will be hard to overshadow Deadpool and Venom, especially now that the former made its way to the MCU in the most fantastic Deadpool & Wolverine, and with latter on the way.
Another reason why the fans cheered is that the inclusion of Sidewinder also means that we’re likely to encounter his organization, Serpent Society, in future MCU releases — along with all the great baddies that entails. Despite not being a household name among rogues, Sidewinder is still a pretty interesting character. Created by Mark Gruenwald, Ralph Macchio, and George Perez, the character of Sidewinder had three iterations within the Marvel Comics Universe, with the first one, named Seth Voelker, debuting in Marvel Two-in-One #64, published in 1980.
In an interview following SDCC, Giancarlo Esposito talked about his character, calling him a “physical” and rather complicated guy who didn’t start in a nefarious way, expressing hope that Sidewinder’s origin story would be explored in the upcoming movie, at least to a degree. In a press interview with BGN, he also added that with Sidewinder, he’s “hoping to create a villain you will never forget”.
You can watch more of our cast interviews with Captain America: Brave New World below:
Now considering that we got to see Sidewinder in his human form, seeing Sidewinder’s origins isn’t outside the realm of possibilities.
The original Sidewinder, Seth Voelker, was originally human, an economics professor who was hired by the Roxxon Oil Company to work as an economics analyst after he failed to make tenure. However, he discovered Roxxon Oil’s criminal schemes, and the company permitted him to apply for mutagenic alterations. Following his chemical mutation, he gained the powers of teleportation and was able to retrieve the Serpent Crown, which grants the wearer immortality and the ability to control one’s mind.
Roxxon also equipped Sidewinder with a cloak that amplified his teleportation abilities, which allowed him to expand his criminal career further. After he left Roxxon Oil and attracted several snake-themed villains, including Anaconda, Death Adder, and Black Mamba, Sidewinder organized Serpent Society, which was a rather successful criminal organization, much to Captain America’s frustration. So, considering that he’s one of the villains Captain America frequently came face-to-face with, Sidewinder’s addition to Brave New World isn’t all that surprising.
Judging by the trailer, Marvel decided to change some elements about the character, and since he still isn’t in his reptilian form, we can assume that Brave New World also serves as an introduction to Sidewinder. Given the creative liberties Marvel can take, we’re wondering if he’ll ever assume a reptilian form or just a reptilian-like armor and adornments. This is rather interesting because this isn’t the only character that has been rewritten for the upcoming movie.
Namely, actress Shira Haas portrays the character of Ruth Bat-Serpah—also known as Sabra—a mutant agent for Mossad, the Israeli secret service organization. However, due to the ongoing political controversies, including those between Israel and Hamas, Marvel decided to rewrite the character and turn her into a former Black Widow who is now a high-ranking US official close to the President. This didn’t change the very nature of the character, but it has changed her background.
Though he had a versatile and dynamic acting career, Giancarlo Esposito is probably best known for portraying villains and antagonists in various releases, including Gus Fring in Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul, Moff Gideon in The Mandalorian, Stan Edgar in The Boys, and Anton Castillo, a ruthless dictator of the fictional Caribbean Island of Yara in the Far Cry 6 video game. We have very little doubt in his ability to portray Sidewinder, who is both a physical and cerebral character, and we can hardly wait to see him on the silver screen on February 14, 2025.