Director Julius Onah Confims Sidewinder and the Serpent Society Will Be Back in Future MCU Projects

Back in 2014, Kevin Feige pulled a fast one on us. He teased Captain America: Serpent Society before revealing the real title—Civil War. It was a joke at the time, but now, a decade later, the Serpent Society is finally getting its moment in Captain America: Brave New World. And according to director Julius Onah, this is just the beginning.

‘We’ve talked about the Serpent Society from the start,’ Onah says. ‘There’s a lot more story to tell.’ Marvel producer Nate Moore backs him up, explaining that the group was never meant to be a throwaway reference.

In the new film, Anthony Mackie’s Captain America and Danny Ramirez’s Falcon face off against the Serpent Society, a deadly special-ops team. They’re stealing adamantium for a mysterious buyer, and their leader, Sidewinder, played by Giancarlo Esposito, proves to be a force to be reckoned with.

Esposito, known for his chilling roles in Breaking Bad and The Boys, brings a new level of intensity to the character. ‘I wanted to show how physical I can be,’ he says. ‘I’m a runner, a swimmer, a cyclist, and now I’m deep into Pilates.’

The comics version of Sidewinder had a flashy, snake-themed costume, but Esposito worked closely with Onah to ground the character in reality. ‘I didn’t want to look like that,’ he admits, though he still pulled inspiration from the comics. He even added a touch of blue to his eyes to match Sidewinder’s original design. ‘It’s subtle, but it’s there,’ he says.

Marvel isn’t treating these villains as a one-off threat. Onah makes it clear—Sidewinder and the Serpent Society are here to stay. ‘This is just the setup for more,’ he teases. ‘They’re not going anywhere.’ That means we’ll be seeing more of Esposito’s chilling performance, and the Serpent Society will likely have a bigger role in future MCU stories.

No fake-outs this time. The Serpent Society is officially part of the bigger picture, and we’re just getting started.

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