Why WWE’s Seth Rollins Was Excluded From Captain America: Brave New World

Seth Rollins is one of the many actors who have been Excerpt from “Captain America: Brave New World” but it wasn’t his fault. The WWE star was cast as the villainous Serpent Society member King Cobra, only to be replaced by Giancarlo Esposito’s Seth Voelker in the final version. Talk to Colliderdirector Julius Onah revealed that this was a purely creative decision based on the fact that Esposito’s character was more grounded than Rollins’ snake-loving rascal. As he said:

“When our period of additional photography came around, we just thought about what helps us ground this character while also nodding to things that seem a little over-the-top. And Giancarlo is so good at walking that fine line between larger than life and still feeling human. It became — I’ve said it many times — a no-brainer.”

“Captain America: Brave New World” might not feature Rollins, but the door isn’t closed for him to appear in the future Marvel Cinematic Universe Projects. Onah, for his part, had nothing but good things to say about the wrestler and his performance, even though his scenes were left in the editing room.

It seems Seth Rollins’ character was too over-the-top for a film that sees Harrison Ford’s Red Hulk go on a rampage. However, Julius Onah told Collider that he’s a fan of the WWE star — both as a performer and as a human being — and he hopes they can work together again at some point. In his own words:

“Seth is incredible. Amazing. I would work with him again in a heartbeat, but as we rehearsed the film, it was very clear that some of the tonal things we were playing with with the original iteration of Serpent Society needed to fit even more closely into the mold of the rest of the film.”

The good news for Onah and Marvel is that Rollins has no ill will toward them after being cut from “Captain America: Brave New World.” With that in mind, what did he say about it?

Seth Rollins’ comments on his removal from “Captain America: Brave New World” suggest he is not unhappy with the decision. By speaking to “Not just football with Cam Hayward” podcast, he revealed that he wasn’t upset about being replaced by the actor who played Gus on “Breaking Bad,” because he knows how phenomenal he is. That being said, the WWE star also hopes his scenes see the light of day in some capacity:

“I had a great time filming with those guys – we did some really cool stuff that ended up in the editing room. I hope that somehow it lives on as an Easter egg somewhere. I’d love to see some of those shots. I won’t give too much away, but it was a great experience. But yeah, man, they cut me. They cut me from the role.”

It seems like Rollins had an overall positive experience working with Marvel, and he’s been pretty open about his desire to work in Hollywood again. Regardless, he is focusing more on the wrestling business and he still hopes to be a part of it after his in-ring career ends.