Earlier this month, Giancarlo Esposito couldn’t resist telling fans at CCXP Mexico that he had finally been cast in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. At the time, Esposito declined to share any details about his character or where he would show up. But he did say it would happen “sooner than you think.” And he was right, because the project is filming right now and it will be in theaters early next year.
Via The Hollywood Reporter, Esposito has been added to the cast of Captain America: Brave New World, which will be Marvel’s first movie of 2025. The secrecy surrounding Esposito’s character is so tight that his role is reportedly listed as “undisclosed” on the call sheets. However, THR is reporting that Esposito is playing a “villainous role.”
Esposito had a career resurgence after portraying Gus Fring in Breaking Bad, a role he reprised for the prequel series Better Call Saul. Since then, Esposito has portrayed villains in The Mandalorian and Revolution, and a morally ambivalent character on Prime Video’s The Boys.
During his CCXP Mexico appearance, Esposito dropped another hint that his MCU character “is original, and new, and fresh.” That suggests that he’s playing a villain who hasn’t previously appeared in a Marvel movie. But with so many comic book villains to choose from, it’s hard to narrow down the possibilities.
The Brave New World reshoots are scheduled to run 22 days in Atlanta, with expanded action scenes for Anthony Mackie’s Captain America. Marvel will release Captain America: Brave New World on February 14, 2025.