Captain America: Brave New World Set Photo Offers First Look at Giancarlo Esposito’s Mystery Character

Captain America: Brave New World’s latest set photos show off a new look at Giancarlo Esposito as an unnamed villain. In the latest picture from the reshoots, Esposito is walking towards the location dressed in a brown-lined coat and shades. (You can see that image from Christopher Oquendo here!) Up top, the villain is rocking at least three knives and three guns. His pants would seem to be military-influenced with combat boots. Clearly, Captain America: Brave New World is shooting for a grounded, realistic tone. (Well, as much as it can be with a Red Hulk probably coming in to ruin Sam Wilson’s day.) Not a lot is known about Esposito’s MCU villain. However, with 20 days of reshoots in progress, it’s safe to say The Boys star has a pretty big role in the 2025 blockbuster.

For weeks now, Esposito has teased his introduction to the Marvel Universe. Yesterday, multiple trades confirmed that The Mandalorian star would be joining the fray in Captain America: Brave New World. There have been no character details announced by Marvel just yet. A lot of the prominent fancasts are completely off the board now. (Remember when the Internet thought that Esposito would be playing a main X-Men character like Magneto or Professor X?) With the villain in-tow, Marvel Studios’ focus shifts toward getting Captain America’s next big-screen adventure to the heights of previous entries.

What Does This Mean For Captain America?

Well, for starters, it means that Sam Wilson is up for one heck of a fight. ComicBook’s Phase Zero podcast spoke to Marvel producer Nate Moore about Captain America: Brave New World. During our chat, the Marvel braintrust member teased some real hurdles for Anthony Mackie’s Avenger to clear. You can add Esposito to the fray as just one more obstacle for Cap to fly over in the new movie.

“I think, he’s not Steve Rogers and I think that’s a good thing,” Moore told our hosts. “Because to me, this new Cap is Rocky. He’s going to be the underdog in any situation. He’s not a super soldier. He’s not a hundred years old. He doesn’t have the Avengers. What happens with this guy who announces publicly kind of, without the support, ‘I’m new Captain America.’ What happens next? I think is fascinating because he’s a guy. He’s a guy with wings and a shield, but he is a guy. 

“So, we’re going to put him through the wringer and make him earn it, and see what happens when he is outweighed, outclassed, out-everything,” the producer added. “What makes somebody Captain America? I’m going to argue it’s not being a super soldier. And I think we’re going to prove that with Mackie and Sam Wilson.”

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