Director Julius Onah has revealed how Captain America: Brave New World altered the Serpent Society from comic book villains into a grounded military group. The film, which is now in cinemas, stars Anthony Mackie as Sam Wilson and Captain America alongside Harrison Ford as Thaddeus "Thunderbolt" Ross.
The project underwent an evolution during development, specifically in how it managed its antagonists. Giancarlo Esposito was cast as Sidewinder, a character known in comics for leading the Serpent Society group of snake-themed bad guys. While the organization was always part of the film's DNA, early story versions approached comic roots before moving to something more rooted.
Onah discussed the aesthetic choices during an interview with Variety. "This is another case of the aesthetics and the tone of the film. Serpent Society has always been part of the story since I united myself, but as you are probably well aware, in publication, these characters dress in clothes similar to snakes and have powers similar to snakes," Onah said.
"Some of them are, you know, so exaggerated that they can also be a little cartoon," Onah said. "Since we were repeating how to bring them to the MCU, we leaned on a little more acute versions and also versions that were a little more rooted."
Developing a Grounded Thriller Tone
Onah explained that the more realistic depiction felt right for the story. "We discovered that the most rooted version, although it didn't have some of the really fun and interesting things in the publication, seemed much more authentic to the film," Onah said.
Planned additional photography played a key role in perfecting how the group functioned. Filming adjustments ultimately led to Esposito joining the cast and changing how the organization was portrayed.
"You always want to honor publishing. You always want to honor what fans love, but at the same time, you want to do what is right for the film. So I wouldn't say it was ever what it was in the comics, but it died a little more," Onah said.
Private Military Inspiration
The director drew inspiration from thriller films while refining the storyline. "As we further obtained our process, it was simply clear, this wants to sit in a [grounded] tone. I was trying to bring references like The day of the jackal AND Empty pointProcedural, paranoid and political thriller and having a snake company that felt more rooted would make more sense," Onah said.
"So we started thinking about private military companies, thinking about this side as the leader of a group that could be a kind of combination between that and a war lord. This started to become really, really interesting," Onah said.
Instead of maintaining the Serpent Society as extravagant snake-themed supercriminals, the film reinvents them as a realistic and dangerous force. The change fits the political thriller tone Onah sought to achieve for the Marvel Cinematic Universe release.
