Summary
After years of campaigning for a role in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Giancarlo Esposito surprised fans when it was revealed he had joined the cast of Marvel Studios’Captain America: Brave New World. The actor first revealed his casting during a panel at a convention, andset photos quickly confirmed the actor’s involvementin the project. However, at the time, it was unknown which character he would be playing in the film.
Speculation ran rampant for weeks. However, despite the various guesses, Esposito was quick to note that fans had yet to guess his character’s role. It wasn’t until Marvel Studios took the Hall H stage during San Diego Comic-Con in July thatEsposito revealed he would be playing SidewinderinCaptain America: Brave New World. Now that we know who the actor is playing, let’s break down who Sidewinder is within Marvel Comics and what fans can expect to see when the movie premieres next year.
Who Exactly is Sidewinder in the Comics?
Seth Voelker, aka Sidewinder, first debuted in Marvel Comics back inMarvel Two-in-One#64. The character was created by Mark Gruenwald and Ralph Macchio along with artist George Pérez. Voelker was previously an economics professor at a college, but he was unfortunately relieved of his position and ultimately found himself working at the Roxxon Oil Company. A company that, as many fans will note,has been teasedthroughout many Marvel Cinematic Universe productions already, including the firstIron Manand evenDaredevil. The character ended up performing criminal acts for Roxxon and, rather than using his legal name, took on the mantle of Sidewinder because of the abilities he obtained through the use of a special cloak. The cloak made it so Sidewinder could travel through dimensions and teleport. After taking on the Sidewinder name, Roxxon’s president helped to assemble the Serpent Squad, which the character would lead. The team consisted of Sidewinder, Anaconda, Death Adder, and Black Mamba. The team would later go on to become theSerpent Societyalongside a plethora of newsnake-themed villains.
Sidewinder’s economic knowledge helped the villain team to become one of the most impressive organizations. Despite this, Sidewinder eventually decided to leave the Serpent Society after Viper joined the Serpent Society, causing numerous team-members to go against Sidewinder. This led to Sidewinder eventually turning the leadership of the team over to Viper before abandoning his life of crime with the Serpent Society. There would go on to be two more Sidewinders in Marvel Comics. The second Sidewinder was killed off after failing to infiltrate S.H.I.E.L.D. in 1998. While the third, Gregory Bryan, remains the current Sidewinder within the comics. Bryan has similar powers to the original Sidewinder that he obtained thanks to the Brand Corporation.
What Can Fans Expect in Brave New World?
As is the case with most Marvel Studios projects, it is highly unlikely Sidewinder will be a mirror image of his comic book counterpart. In fact, the trailer has already shown Espositio’s live-action take on the character looks nothing like the villain from the comics. However, while Sidewinder doesn’t don a cloak in the movie, he is seen sporting a brown trenchcoat. It is possible Marvel Studios has found another way to portray the character and his powers. Then again, it is of note that the studio hasn’t specified which Sidewinder the actor is set to portray. With three different iterations, it’s possible the studio has opted to take bits from each version and make their own take on Sidewinder specifically forCaptain America: Brave New World. This, of course, seems the most likely route, as Marvel Studios has always found a way to reinterpret most of the villains they use within the Marvel Cinematic Universe. There are a few exceptions, of course. The villains who are set to help tell an overarching story are generally lifted from the comics - both in appearance and ability. However, the small-scale bad guys are usually reinvented to help tell the necessary story.
While the Serpent Society are known as Captain America foes within Marvel Comics, these are characters the general audience probably has no knowledge about. With that in mind, one could assume the powers and even the costuming of the villain group will be adjusted to fit within the parameters ofBrave New World. A film that looks to betaking inspiration fromCaptain America: The Winter Soldierin both story and styling. We know Sidewinder will be one of the bad guys in the movie. Is it possible he - and the Serpent Society - are working withThe Leaderto try and infiltrate Thaddeus ‘Thunderbolt’ Ross' office? Or will the Serpent Society simply be a team that is quickly defeated, leading to a showdown betweenRed Hulkand Captain America against The Leader? There are plenty of possibilities. One can only hope that theSerpent Society and Giancarlo Esposito are not wastedwhen all is said and done.
Captain America: Brave New Worlddebuts in theaters on February 15th, 2025.
