Giancarlo Esposito reveals he originally didn’t play Sidewinder in Captain America: Brave New World and hopes he can return in a future MCU installment. Seth Voelker a.k.a Sidewinder is the Serpent Society’s top mercenary. In the MCU, Giancarlo Esposito’s Sidewinder plays a key role in the Leader’s plan to destablize the United States’ adamantium treaty, ruining President Ross’ reputation and ultimately leading him to transform into Red Hulk in front of the entire world. Sidewinder doesn’t die in Captain America: Brave New World, and his capture by Captain America sets up the villain’s eventual return.

In an interview with Empire, Giancarlo Esposito reveals that he was initially tapped to play the villain King Cobra in Captain America: Brave New World. However, Captain America: Brave New World‘s delays and plot changes led Esposito’s character to be exchanged for Seth Voelker a.k.a. Sidewinder. Esposito says he “loved” the idea of playing King Cobra, and when his character was changed, it was “a bit of a whirlwind” for him, but he “went there and knocked it out”. Esposito also says he hopes “to be in this universe a little longer” after Sidewinder’s secondary antagonist role in Captain America: Brave New World. Read Esposito’s full comments below:

“It was supposed to come out in March of 2024, and they decided they wanted to make some changes. I was on the phone with [producer] Nate Moore, who prepped me to be, possibly, a character called King Cobra, which I loved, because if I’m walking around the neighborhood, African-Americans go, ‘What’s up, King?’ I love it.”

“They call me King, baby! I mean, that’s the highest honor. But as it turned out, there [are other Kings] in the Marvel world, and this was connected to the Serpent Society – they were going back to the comics and trying to figure it out, and Nate said,

‘We can give you all the characteristics of King, but we think he should be Sidewinder.’ And they spoke about creating a character that was really grounded, in a mercenary fashion. They wanted to ground the movie when they went back in to do some additional shooting, and their focus now was on this additional character. So it was a bit of a whirlwind for me. I focused myself and I went in there and knocked it out. (…) And I’m hoping to be in this universe a little longer.”

What Giancarlo Esposito’s MCU Role Comments Mean

Giancarlo Esposito’s Sidewinder Was A Late Addition

Giancarlo Esposito’s MCU casting was announced late in Captain America: Brave New World‘s production. Esposito’s comments confirm that Sidewinder’s comic book origins were never essential to Captain America: Brave New World‘s plot, and that Esposito wasn’t cast with a specific role in mind. Sidewinder’s connection to the Serpent Society didn’t make or break the Leader’s plans, but Esposito’s character could become more important to the MCU in a future movie or show.

Giancarlo Esposito says he was excited about playing a character called “King Cobra”, in part because of the name. However, Sidewinder is the character who creates the Serpent Society in the source material, and Klaus Voorhees a.k.a. King Cobra joins him as a regular member. Eventually, Sidewinder retires and names King Cobra the Serpent Society’s new leader.

Our Take On Giancarlo Esposito’s MCU Role Comments

Giancarlo Esposito Deserves A Truly Significant MCU Role

Unfortunately, Giancarlo Esposito’s reveal only makes his MCU character seem more like an afterthought. Esposito wasn’t cast with Seth Voelker in mind, Sidewinder has a very small role in Captain America: Brave New World, and the Serpent Society barely had any significant impact on the plot. Hopefully, a future MCU installment delves into the Serpent Society and Giancarlo Esposito’s Seth Voelker gets the chance to be a true menace. There’s unfinished business between Captain America and Sidewinder, so the probability of seeing a rematch is high.

Source: Empire

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