A five-time Emmy-nominated actor who played an MCU villain in 2025 might be coming back to the franchise. Marvel Studios finally fulfilled fans' longtime wishes in 2025 as The Mandalorian actor Giancarlo Esposito boarded the MCU. After many rumors and theories as to who he would play when he joined Captain America: Brave New World in reshoots, he was confirmed to play the Serpent Society leader, Seth Voelker, aka Sidewinder.
In the official artbook for Captain America: Brave New World, producer Nate Moore teased that Giancarlo Esposito's Seth Voelker will escape prison and return to the MCU. As of now, no further MCU appearances have been announced for Esposito, but the actor teased that his superhero debut wasn't a one-and-done.
The former Marvel Studios exec pointed out how Sidewinder has teleportation powers in the comics, but in the MCU, is more of an escape artist. As such, Moore seemed to hint that the Serpent leader won't be spending too long in prison and will "probably escape again," likely to return in a future project:
"Because Sidewinder's power in publishing is teleportation, we liked the idea that he is an escape artist. Even though he's going to be put in custody, he'll probably escape again."
As reported by CinemaBlend, Esposito spoke at Phoenix Fan Fusion and confirmed his MCU character would be "teased and there will be a series afterwards." Having introduced Sidewinder in Captain America 4, the Breaking Bad veteran seems to be hinting that a Disney+ appearance is in his future.
Captain America 4 established Seth Voelker as a former member of the U.S. Army who left to form the mercenary group Serpent. Across Brave New World, he was hired to steal Adamantium and fight Sam Wilson before landing in a prison cell where he offered information on The Leader in hopes of a lighter sentence.
The MCU indicated that Sidewinder will serve a reduced sentence at the Allenwood maximum security prison in Pennsylvania. Ultimately, the Serpent leader promised to escape his incarceration, setting up a rematch with Wilson by stating, "When I break out, Captain, you won't walk away alive."
When Could Giancarlo Esposito Return to the MCU?
Breaking Bad alum Giancarlo Espostio once had aspirations to play Professor X in the MCU, and even revealed three traits he would bring to the X-Men leader. While these hopes have seemingly been dashed with his Sidewinder casting, which some considered a waste of such a talented and iconic actor, it seems Marvel Studios still has plans for him to appear more down the line.
Perhaps Serpent could one day become a recurring villainous organization in the MCU, akin to Hydra, forming ties with various antagonists and showing up in multiple projects for smaller action set pieces. This could see Esposito become a regular face in the MCU, which could build Sidewinder into a true icon.
Next year's Vision Quest recently added a mercenary villain with Todd Stashwick's Paladin, who will be after Vision and his technology in the Disney+ series. With Esposito confirming plans for Sidewinder to return on streaming, perhaps Paladin could be working for Serpent, setting him up to return in Vision Quest.
Currently, the only live-action MCU Disney+ series confirmed to be on the way are Wonder Man, Vision Quest, and more seasons of Daredevil: Born Again. Any of these could certainly find room for a mercenary or two, but it's equally possible that Sidewinder's return may be further down the line.
After all, Brave New World specifically teased that Sidewinder still has his sights on Captain America, and that face-off may be saved for after Avengers: Secret Wars, whenever Anthony Mackie's hero gets another project of his own.
