After teasing his MCU role for months, Giancarlo Esposito surprised everyone when he revealed he would be playing Seth Voelker, the King of the Serpent Society, in Captain America: Brave New World. A far cry from the characters fans most frequently theorized Esposito would play, Voelker, aka Sidewinder, was a surprise across the board as Marvel insiders had all been led to believe he was playing the even more obscure G.W. Bridge.
While the appearance of the Serpent Society in Brave New World wasn’t a surprise (set photos revealed a pair of members very early on in production), casting Esposito as its most senior member right smack dab in the middle of the action was. The trailer for the film reveals Sidewinder as an antagonistic agent of chaos and now Esposito may have given away his character’s ultimate goals.
During an appearance at Chicago’s Fan Expo, Esposito revealed some new information about Sidewinder and, potentially, his motives.
Presenting Voelker as a great, scientific mind is a change of pace for the character who, in the comics, was more of a criminally minded businessman. However, given the role that the Adamantium race is set to play in Captain America: Brave New World, it seems clear that Sidewinder and his fellow Serpents have their own plans for the mystery metal. And while a scientifically minded Sidewinder is a new take on the character, having a member of the Serpent Society armed with Adamantium would not be. In the comics, Frank Payne, who went by the name Constrictor, was once armed with Adamantium coils that he used to whip and, get this, constrict his enemies.
Combined with a previous revelation by Espositio that his character will be featured in a streaming series after the events of Brave New World, it sounds as though the Serpent Society is in the MCU to stay. If they are to do so and prove a formidable threat against Earth’s Mightiest Heroes, having a man leading the pack who can crack the code of how to utilize Adamantium will prove very valuable.
Captain America: Brave New World is set for a February 14th, 2025 release.
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