Giancarlo Esposito has a foot in a number of major franchises, including the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The Breaking Bad alum made his MCU debut as the villainous Seth Voelker (Sidewinder) in 2025’s Captain America: Brave New World. Before landing that part, though, Esposito was fancast as Professor X for the X-Men reboot. While that’s no longer a possibility, Esposito still likes the idea of playing a different mutant. He, however, also named a DC character I’d love to see him play even more.
A few years ago, there was a lot of hype surrounding the notion of Esposito playing the famous mutant leader, and he was open about loving the idea of playing Charles Xavier. Then came his Brave New World casting and, earlier this year, Christopher Abbott was officially cast to play Xavier in Jake Schreier’s X-Men movie. Esposito recently reflected on that major fancast while speaking with Polygon and further expressed his love for Charles and also named another major mutant as one of his favorites:
Professor X, just to be clear, was a fan casting idea that got spread very quickly, and it was an idea that appealed to me because of who Professor X is. I like Magneto. I like that world.
The idea of Esposito playing Erik Lehnsherr is actually quite interesting, and the star certainly has the gravitas for such a role. However, even aside from the fact that he already plays a character in the MCU, there would need to be certain storytelling considerations if the Mandalorian alum were to play the villain. After all, much of Erik’s backstory is linked to the Holocaust. As intriguing as it is to think about what Esposito would do with Magnus, though, I can’t stop thinking about another character he named:
Freeze is another one that I would like to be.
That’s Mr. Freeze, for those who aren’t aware, and I could absolutely see Giancarlo Esposito help bring the scientist-turned-supervillain to life. Esposito gives off the imposing aura that’s synonymous with Freeze as well as the calculating and unfeeling vibe he’s historically had. As for what upcoming superhero movie the character could show up in, I could see him being featured in a film involving the DCU’s Batman. I can’t see Matt Reeves using a character like Victor Fries in his more grounded universe (though I’d love to see that, too.)
So, with all this talk about alternate MCU roles and a DC character, how does Esposito feel about Sidewinder? Well, he shared some thoughts on that as well:
I like Sidewinder, and I love the fact that I could be that mercenary, but I was even more interested in playing Seth Voelker, the scientist, the educated man who then flipped. There's a story there which I didn't have the ability to tell in what I had to do in Captain America 4.
Overall, Captain America: Brave New World wasn’t critically acclaimed, as viewers took issue with a number of elements. One of the film’s flaws – which is common amongst many MCU films – is that it underutilizes its villains, including Sidewinder. With that in mind, I can understand why Esposito would be a bit disappointed about how the character is portrayed in the movie. I still hope Esposito returns to the franchise, especially since X-Men characters appear to be off the table. But I’ll also hold out hope for a Mr. Freeze casting.
See Giancarlo Esposito as Sidewinder in Captain America: Brave New World, which is streamable with a Disney+ subscription. Also, be sure to stay up to date on upcoming Marvel movies.
