Red Hulk won't be the only villain Sam Wilson faces in Captain America: Brave New World as several other Marvel antagonists are coming to play.
The villains of Brave New World will have a lot to contend with as four heroes have already been confirmed including an all-new Captain America and Falcon, along with Isaiah Bradley and the Israeli hero Sabra.
The Villains of Captain America: Brave New World Explained
Red Hulk (Thaddeus E. 'Thunderbolt' Ross)
From hunting Hulk to introducing the Sokovia Accords, Thaddeus E. "Thunderbolt" Ross has been a recurring antagonist in the MCU for over a decade. Now, the general-turned-politician is back with a new face (as Harrison Ford takes over the role from the late William Hurt) and a new role - President of the United States.
Since Ross last appeared in the MCU timeline at Tony Stark's funeral in Avengers: Endgame, the anti-superhero politician has been elected president, and is now hoping for Sam Wilson to help him rebuild the Avengers.
But President Ross won't just be a moral and political threat for Wilson to overcome this time around, as he will finally be taking his own dose of gamma radiation to become the Red Hulk (find out more about the villain and his powers).
While Ford's name needs no introduction, the actor is best known for appearing in Star Wars, Blade Runner, and Indiana Jones.
The Leader (Samuel Sterns)
Almost 17 years later, Captain America 4 will resolve the most infamous cliffhanger in MCU history from The Incredible Hulk. The 2008 movie ending saw Samuel Sterns, a scientist who was helping Bruce Banner search for a cure to his gamma condition, mutate himself into the villainous Leader.
New merch for Brave New World offered a look at the Leader, who has largely been absent from the trailers and is expected to be working behind the scenes of the MCU's latest conspiracy. The Leader will also seemingly be the one to turn President Ross into the Red Hulk going into the movie.
In Marvel Comics, the Leader's enhanced brain allows him to create force fields, control minds, erase memories, and instill mental blocks. These powers will likely play into Captain America 4 as a brain-washed Isaiah Bradley has already been revealed in the trailers but could shift from superhuman to technological.
Tim Blake Nelson will reprise his The Incredible Hulk role as Sterns, with other credits in Holes, Minority Report, Just Mercy, and The Ballad of Buster Scruggs.
Sidewinder (Seth Voelker)
Breaking Bad star Giancarlo Esposito wasn't originally placed to appear in Captain America 4 until he joined the cast in a round of reshoots. After a drawn-out mystery surrounding his character's identity, he was announced at San Diego Comic-Con as Seth Voelker... the King of the Serpent Society... Sidewinder.
Marvel Studios appears to be kitting out Esposito with a grounded, badass aesthetic, but Sidewinder is a very different villain in the comics. On the pages, the Serpent Society leader can be found with a vibrant outfit of blue and fiery colors, along with an arsenal of teleportation powers.
Before Esposito was uncovered as Sidewinder, the actor confirmed at Phoenix Fan Fusion (via CinemaBlend) that his MCU villain "will be teased and there will be a series afterward." For now, it's unclear what Disney+ series that Marvel Studios is eyeing Sidewinder and the Serpent Society to appear in after Brave New World.
Esposito is best known for his roles in Breaking Bad, Better Call Saul, The Mandalorian, and The Boys. Before joining the MCU with Captain America 4, the actor had his sights on playing X-Men hero Professor X.
Diamondback (Rachel Leighton)
Actress Rosa Salazar will appear in Captain America 4 as Diamondback, whose first look surfaced thanks to a McDonald's Happy Meal toy. The female antagonist is a member of the Serpent Society, but it's unclear whether she will already be working with Sidewinder in the MCU or if that team is yet to form.
The original casting call for Diamondback noted the actress would be "a villain but also possibly a love interest." As the Serpent Society femme fatale has been romantically involved with Steve Rogers' Captain America before, perhaps this storyline could be passed over to Sam Wilson in the MCU.
While Diamondback was originally painted as a villain, her feelings for Rogers drove her to the side of good, one day becoming a SHIELD agent. Diamondback, aka Rachel Leighton, has no superpowers and is simply a highly athletic woman with talents for martial arts, gymnastics, and throwing objects.
Salazar has previously featured in Alita: Battle Angel, Bird Box, and The Maze Runner franchise.
Copperhead (David Lawfers)
David Lawfers, aka Copperhead, will also feature in Captain America 4 as a member of the Serpent Society, working with Diamondback and Sidewinder.
An official clip from Brave New World revealed a look at Captain America beating down Copperhead while Falcon handles some biker stragglers.
In Marvel Comics, Copperhead wears a copper suit and wields and arsenal of gadgets that include gauntlets to shoot poisonous energy blasts.
Copperhead will be played by Icelandic actor Jóhannes Haukur Jóhannesson, who has past credits in Game of Thrones, Succession, and Vikings: Valhalla.
Captain America 4 Cut EVEN More Villains
During the early days of Captain America 4's first round of filming, WWE superstar Seth Rollins was set to join the MCU as a member of the Serpent Society (rumored to be Cobra), and a look at his Marvel villain even appeared online.
Unfortunately, as Brave New World underwent changes and reshoots, Rollins was cut, and Giancarlo Esposito was cast as Sidewinder, the leader of the Serpent Society and seemingly the WWE star's replacement.
During an interview with ComicBook, director Julius Onah addressed why Rollins was cut from Captain America 4. The MCU newcomer explained the difficulty with the snake-like Serpent Society of "trying to figure out the version that works tonally works best in a movie like this:"
“You know, when you’re taking characters like Serpent Society from publishing, who, as you know, are individuals dressed up as snakes and have snake-adjacent powers, you’re always iterating and trying to figure out the version that tonally works best in a movie like this."
The director praised Rollins as "incredible" but noted that as the planned reshoots neared, the team realized they needed an actor who "can bring a very specific kind of gravitas that works with this tone:"
"I love Seth, Seth’s incredible. But as we were evolving, and we knew we had an additional photography period, just one that we did early on in the process that was planned. We were trying to figure out, ‘Hey, who’s somebody that can bring a very specific kind of gravitas that works with this tone.’"
He continued to explain how Esposito was a "no-brainer" when his schedule opened up and called his presence in the movie "a blessing:"
"And when Giancarlo became available, it was such a no-brainer... So it’s really about making sure that all the elements work in the grounded tone and vision that I have for this film. And as we evolved and iterated, Giancarlo just made sense. And what a blessing to have in this film."
It appears that upon examining the footage recorded for Captain America 4, the team realized that the version of the Serpent Society that was led by Rollins' Cobra with snake-like costumes and technology didn't match the tone of the movie.
Thus, Esposito was sought out to head up the Serpent Society as Sidewinder instead, bringing with him more "gravitas" and a "grounded tone." By all accounts, the Captain America 4 villain seems to have abandoned much of the comic book snakiness in favor of a more grounded terrorist aesthetic.
In early set videos, Rollins was fighting alongside more Serpent Society members, meaning even more villains and actors could have been cut under this change. But the team still remains in the final cut with three members confirmed so far - Sidewinder, Copperhead, and Diamondback.
The significance of the Serpent Society in Captain America 4 is unclear, but they could be limited to an early action sequence. This would allow the villainous ensemble to be introduced and set up for a future project while keeping the focus on the threat of the Leader, President Ross, and his Red Hulk persona.
Captain America: Brave New World hits theaters on Friday, February 14.
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