Is Seth Rollins still in Captain America: Brave New World?

There’s been rumors swirling around wrestler Seth Rollins’ involvement in Captain America: Brave New World, so we’re sorting fact from fiction regarding the next MCU movie.

Ever since Hulk Hogan and Roddy Piper moved into movies during the 1980s, more wrestlers have followed suit, frequently transitioning to superhero flicks.

Dave Bautista became Drax the Destroyer in the Guardians of the Galaxy movies. John Cena was in The Suicide Squad as well as his own spinoff Peacemaker series. While Dwayne Johnson played the title character in Black Adam.

Now Seth Rollins is endeavoring to make that same move, by maybe playing a villain in Captain America: Brave New World. Here’s what we know…

Is Seth Rollins in Captain America: Brave New World?

Seth Rollins was cast in Captain America: Brave New World, and shot scenes for the superhero sequel, but recent reports suggest his sequences have been cut from the film.

While there’s been no official announcement regarding his participation in the sequel, unofficial footage released in May 2023 showed Rollins in costume on the set of the movie, which was then titled Captain America: New World Order.

Rollins confirmed his participation in October 2023, telling Last Meals: “It was a really good experience and I think it’s going to be pretty cool. I think [the WWE] audience is going to love it. I think their audience is going to love it, so it was a cool crossover to be able to jump into some totally different skin and try a new thing out for me.”

In January 2024, rumors circulated that Rollins’ character was being removed from the movie, however, as part of efforts to retool the sequel.

Then in May 2024, The Hollywood Reporter revealed that Captain America 4 was doing a round of reshoots in Atlanta that were set to last for 22 days.

New action sequences were added to the mix, while Giancarlo Esposito joined the cast as an (at-the-time) undisclosed villain. Who could be connected to Rollins’ character…

Who is Seth Rollins supposed to be playing in Captain America 4?

Marvel

Seth Rollins was thought to be playing King Cobra in Captain America: Brave New World, based on the footage that leaked from set.

Introduced in ‘Journey Into Mystery #98’ in 1963 – and created by writer Stan Lee and artist Don Heck – the character was a lab technician named Klaus Voorhees, who was working on a cure for deadly snake-bites.

But a combination of experimental venom and a bite from a radioactive cobra gave him powers, and turned him into a supervillain.

King Cobra is best known for his membership to mercenary team the Serpent Squad, which – if Rollins has been excised from the movie – makes an announcement at San Diego Comic-Con in July somewhat confusing.

During the convention, Breaking Bas star Giancarlo Esposito appeared onstage to reveal that he’s playing Seth Voelker, aka Sidewinder, the king of the Serpent Society.

So does that mean Rollins is still in Captain America: Brave New World as part of said team? Or is Sidewinder taking Cobra’s place as one of the movie’s villains? Until Marvel makes an official announcement, all we can do is speculate.

Who is Seth Rollins?

Seth Rollins is a professional wrestler who started out in Ring of Honor before joining the WWE in 2010, where he became a five-time world champion.

Born Colby Daniel Lopez in Davenport, Iowa, in 1986, he spent his early years training at a wrestling school run by Danny Daniels, before competing in Iowa’s independent scene using the ring moniker Gixx.

Then under the name Tyler Black, he moved around, appearing in the Independent Wrestling Association Mid-South, the NMA Midwest, and briefly in Total Nonstop Action Wrestling.

From 2007-2010 he worked for Ring of Honor, where Tyler Black became world champion and defended his title on seven occasions.

But then WWE came calling, where he became Seth Rollins, and carved out a hugely successful career, winning the WWE Championship twice, the Universal Championship twice, and the World Heavyweight Championship once.

Other achievements include 16 WWE championships, being named wrestler of the year multiple times, and holding the record for longest televised match in WWE history.

Away from the ring, Rollins began dating fellow wrestler Becky Lynch in 2019. The couple had a daughter named Roux in December 2020, and were married in June 2021.

While he’s also dabbled in acting, making his movie debut in Sharknado: The 4th Awakens (see above) before lending his vocal talents to The Jetsons & WWE: Robo-WrestleMania! and animated feature Trouble.

Rollins cameoed in Armed Response (2017) and Like a Boss (2020), though Captain America 4 is – or was depending on what’s happening behind-the-scenes – set to be his major celluloid breakthrough.

Captain America: Brave New World hits screens on February 14, 2025. For more comic book action, check out our list of the best superhero movies of all time. While here’s how Captain America 4 addresses a gaping hole in the MCU.