A NEW look at Rosa Salazar in hot pink hair for her character Diamondback in #CaptainAmerica4 has been shared with us by @AtlantaFilming
What do you think of the hair? Are you excited to see this character in Cap 4? pic.twitter.com/GIa0fg5EZo
— The Cosmic Circus (@MyCosmicCircus) June 2, 2024
Rosa Salazar as Diamondback
Rachel Leighton aka Diamondback probably got the furthest into production before the editor’s blade fell upon her. Not only are there photos of the character on set, but Diamondback even made it into some leaked Happy Meal promos before she was cut from the movie.
Played by Rosa Salazar of Alita: Battle Angel and the Short Treks standout “The Trouble With Edward,” Diamondback debuted during writer Mark Gruenwald’s defining run on Captain America. 1985’s Captain America #310, penciled by Paul Neary, introduced Rachel Leighton as a member of the Serpent Society. Although immediately attracted to Captain America, her affections weren’t returned until she and Sidewinder enlisted his help after the villain Viper overtook the Society.
Eventually, Rachel and Steve Rogers became lovers, albeit in a conflicted relationship. While Steve wanted to see the best in her, he couldn’t help but take issue with her connections to unsavory characters, especially the mercenary Crossbones. Rachel, for her part, resented Steve’s mistrust, especially since Crossbones was her abuser. The relationship came to an end after Rachel killed fellow Serpent Society member Snapdragon, and while the two have had brushes ever since, they never fully reconciled.
It’s entirely possible that Diamondback would have been a romantic interest for Sam in the finished film. While she’s most often associated with Rogers, Sam’s counseling background would have made him a natural to help her move from villainy to heroism. However, with Sam’s usual comic love interest Leila Taylor added to the film, played by Xosha Roquemore, and Giancarlo Esposito added as Serpent Society leader Sidewinder, Diamondback was probably deemed redundant and removed late in the process.
Seth Rollins as Serpent Society Member
Speaking of the Serpent Society, perhaps the most high-profile addition and removal from Brave New World was WWE star Seth Rollins, who is featured in the set photo above. Although we knew that he would be playing a member of Serpent (as the team is called in the movie, giving it more of a James Bond Spectre feel), no one has yet released specifics, not even Rollins. Judging by the set photos of Rollins in costume, most assume he played a variation of Cobra or Anaconda.
Neither Cobra nor Anaconda are particularly rich characters, which suggests that Rollins would have just had the role of henchman or heavy, somebody who gives Sam some trouble in a single set-piece, but doesn’t affect much of the plot. However, rumors suggested that Rollins’s character would connect to plot involving the U.S. government stealing adamantium as its own counter to vibranium (more on that later).
