Captain America: Brave New World - Who Is Diamondback?

Game ZXC

Marvel Cinematic Universe

Marvel has a lot riding on Captain America: Brave New World. Fans loved Sam Wilson, but his shared buddy cop series with Bucky failed to impress. Brave New World will be his proper debut as the new Captain America. He'll rebrand with a new cast of allies and enemies. MCU fans are thrilled to experience Red Hulk and the Leader, but there may be another antagonist in the mix. A new Diamondback may join the MCU in Captain America: Brave New World.

It's fair to say that Marvel has overstuffed their cinematic universe. There are so many superheroes with very little screentime and massive expectations. The next generation will break into various teams, but each member will likely carry less than half of the iconography of their predecessors. Anthony Mackie's Sam Wilson's Captain America is a rare exception. Giving an established character a beloved name could make Sam one of the biggest stars of future phases.

Can Captain America: Brave New World Avoid the Mistakes of Thor: Love and Thunder?

Both Thor and Captain America are receiving fourth movies after Endgame. Could Captain America 4 rise where Thor: Love and Thunder fell flat?

Who is Diamondback in Marvel Comics?

Fans may remember Erik LaRey Harvey's evil arms dealer, Willis "Diamondback" Stryker, from Luke Cage. The Diamondback that will likely appear in Captain America: Brave New World is unrelated. Rachel "Diamondback" Leighton is a minor antagonist who first appeared in Captain America #310. Leighton was born in Texas and grew up in New York City. Her early life was difficult. Her older brother set her up with either the mercenary Crossbones or the supervillain Trapster, depending on the story. Both iterations involve unpleasant sexual assault implications. She left her retail gig behind to become a mercenary. She received training from a former steelworker named Blanche Sitznski. Sitznski underwent experimental genetic augmentation procedures to become Anaconda, a superhuman agent for the Roxxon Oil Company. Anaconda was a founding member of Roxxon's Serpent Squad. Under Anaconda's guidance, Leighton took the name Diamondback and followed her mentor into the new Serpent Society.

The Serpent Society wasn't exactly the Legion of Doom. It was more of a labor union for superhuman criminals. Diamondback had no superpowers. Instead, she was a gifted gymnast who threw various diamond-based projectiles at foes. Diamondback is a notoriously fickle figure in the comics. She serves the Serpent Society but frequently turns against them to aid the heroes. She's betrayed Captain America and her villainous allies in the Serpent Society several times, occasionally switching sides several times in the same story. She worked with several other teams, once even working for S.H.I.E.L.D. A 2016 Captain America comic depicted her escape as Captain America and his allies arrested the rest of the Serpent Society. She was last seen as part of Domino's Posse.

What is Diamondback's relationship with Captain America?

Diamondback fell in love with Steve Rogers the moment she saw him. Though she's routinely portrayed as an antagonist, she's also one of Steve's least-mentioned love interests. Their first encounter saw her fall head-over-heels for Cap, prompting her to spare him when asked to eliminate him in combat. Diamondback betrayed the Serpent Society several times to feed Steve information. They worked together to defeat Baron Zemo's warriors while hunting an ancient artifact. This led to their first date, which Diamondback enlisted several allies to defend from lesser villains. Steve helped her escape the Serpent Society before they could execute her. She later risked her life to give Steve a chance to survive. She saved Steve's life and continued their relationship, but the Red Skull assassinated Captain America, leaving Rachel to find love elsewhere. She was broadly less kind to Steve's replacement, Sam. She kidnapped the new Cap but changed allegiance again to save him before fleeing the Serpent Society.

Will Diamondback appear in Captain America: Brave New World?

Fans have imagined Diamondback's involvement since the late 2010s. Kevin Feige announced Captain America: Serpent Society as a joke before debuting Civil War in 2014. Many speculated on Diamondback's involvement in Brave New World after a casting call vaguely matching the character's description entered public knowledge. The Instagram post above demonstrates a foreign ad for McDonald's toys, including Red Hulk and Diamondback. Assuming the world's largest fast food company isn't making things up, this toy commercial spoils two of the major characters in the fourth Captain America film.

Diamondback could be a love interest for Sam Wilson in Captain America: Brave New World. Her usual place in the plot won't be available without Steve Rogers. Short of a big reveal depicting the serpentine supervillian as the former Cap's lost flame, her position must be different. She could also just be an unattached antagonist, as she is in her brief appearance alongside Sam Wilson in the comics. Diamondback could bring the Serpent Society to the big screen, just as Kevin Feige joked about a decade ago. Either way, Rachel Leighton will be one of the new villains to reach the MCU in Captain America: Brave New World.