Summary

  • Photo leak from Captain America: Brave New World reveals a new character played by Giancarlo Esposito.
  • Fans speculate Esposito's character could be an agent like Nick Fury or an X-Men villain like William Stryker.
  • Esposito's role may connect to MCU's future X-Men plans or even be a tease for a Daredevil series.

A recent photo leak fresh from the set of Marvel’s Captain America: Brave New World has revealed the look of a new character appearing in the film. This will be the first time appearance in the MCU for both the character and the legendary actor. Fans eager for the new Captain America are already speculating who this new, unnamed character could be.

Captain America: Brave New World is set to premiere in 2025, and production is already in full swing. Many believe that the film was shuffled around and was originally meant to hit theaters earlier, during late 2024, according to some recent marketing efforts done to draw up hype, including promotional material and even McDonald’s Happy Meal toys. Each new leak and promo have offered fans glimpses into the many new characters appearing in Captain America: Brave New World. Following this trend, a leaked still has revealed yet another new character.

Shared in a Reddit post by u/MarvelsGrantMan136, the still features hit actor Giancarlo Esposito (famed for iconic roles in Breaking Bad, Better Call Saul, and The Boys) on-set in full costume. This marks the actor’s first-ever appearance in the MCU. In the photo, Esposito is wearing a long, dark trench coat with a tactical vest on his chest holding three sheathed blades. The character also sports short, buzzed gray-speckled hair and sunglasses. Esposito, a popular actor who has long been fan-casted for roles in the MCU, has revealed that the role is one that he has not been cast as already by fans.

Many fans can’t help but notice the Nick Fury resemblance, and with Fury seemingly up in space (again) currently, fans are wondering whether Esposito will be playing a similar role as an agent of the government such as William Stryker, the iconic X-Men villain. This would make a lot of sense to tie-in to later MCU films, as a new live-action X-Men are set to appear in the MCU at some point in the (hopefully near) future.

Even more interesting is the popular theory that he is playing Paladin, a Daredevil villain. If this is true, it would line up with Esposito teasing that his character would appear in an MCU TV series, in this case Daredevil: Born Again. This would likely lower the scope of his role in his film debut to be more of a tease for later events. As Captain America: Brave New World soars to its 2025 release date, fans won’t have long to wait before all their questions are answered.

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    Captain America: Brave New World
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    Fantasy
    Adventure
    Action
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    Release Date
    February 14, 2025
    Runtime
    118 minutes
    Director
    Julius Onah
    Writers
    Dalan Musson, Malcolm Spellman
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    Cast

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      Anthony Mackie
      Sam Wilson / Captain America
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      Harrison Ford
      Thaddeus 'Thunderbolt' Ross / Red Hulk

    WHERE TO WATCH

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    Captain America: Brave New World (formerly titled New World Order)  marks Sam Wilson's first MCU big-screen appearance as Steve Rogers' successor after receiving the suit and shield in Phase 4's The Falcon and the Winter Soldier. Anthony Mackie returns as the titular Avenger alongside Danny Ramirez as Joaquin Torres, Carl Lumby as Isaiah Bradley, and Tim Blake Nelson as The Incredible Hulk's former ally Samuel Sterns. Harrison Ford makes his MCU debut replacing the late William Hurt as Thaddeus Ross.

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    Captain America
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    Captain America, created in 1940 by Joe Simon and Jack Kirby has become an icon of Marvel Comics. Acting as a major figure in the pages of comics while battling against foes like the Red Skull, Captain America has since jumped to the big screen to appear in various Marvel Cinematic Universe movies.

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    MCU
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    First Film
    Iron Man
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    Cast
    Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans, Chris Hemsworth, Scarlett Johansson, Mark Ruffalo, Jeremy Renner, Chadwick Boseman, Zoe Saldana, Chris Pratt, Tom Hiddleston, Iman Vellani
    TV Show(s)
    WandaVision, The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, Loki, Ms. Marvel, She-Hulk
    Movie(s)
    Iron Man, Spider-Man: Homecoming, Captain America: Civil War, Avengers: Endgame, Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings
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    Iron Man, Captain America, Thor, Hulk, Black Widow, Hawkeye
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    The Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) is a sprawling movie and television franchise that weaves together individual stories of superheroes including Captain America, Thor, Spider-Man, Hulk, Black Widow, and many more. The first film in the franchise, Iron Man, was released in 2008. The MCU has garnered critical praise and financial success, earning billions at the box office and becoming a cultural phenomenon.

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