Rosa Salazar almost made her Marvel Cinematic Universe debut as a villain in Captain America: Brave New World, and newly-revealed concept art shows what she could have looked like had she not been cut. You may know Rosa Salazar from Alita: Battle Angel, the Divergent and Maze Runner film series’, and Amazon Prime Video’s Undone. In 2025, however, she almost made her MCU debut in Captain America: Brave New World alongside Anthony Mackie, Danny Ramirez, Harrison Ford, and Tim Blake Nelson. Unfortunately, Diamondback was cut from the Phase 5 movie, leaving Salazar’s MCU future in jeopardy.
In a new post shared on Instagram, concept artist Michael Blackbear Uwandi revealed work he completed on Diamondback’s design for Brave New World. Uwandi noted that these designs stuck to the “techwear theme” that Brave New World originally intended for the Serpent Society – of which Diamondback is a prominent member in Marvel Comics. A full-body black costume, diamondback rattlesnake design to boot, and a snake-like face-mask, this would have been a fantastic costume for Rosa Salazar’s MCU debut, so it’s a shame she wasn’t included in the movie’s theatrical release.
Rosa Salazar was confirmed to have been cast in Captain America: Brave New World in December 2023, and was seen sporting bright pink hair for the role of Diamondback in set photos the following June. She would have appeared as a member of the Serpent Society when more members of the antagonistic group were intended to show up in Brave New World, which would have also included WWE wrestler Seth Rollins in an undisclosed role. A version of the Serpent Society did appear in the movie, led by Giancarlo Esposito’s Sidewinder, but neither Rollins nor Salazar’s Diamondback were included.
Marvel Comics’ Diamondback was first seen in 1985’s Captain America #310, with Rachel Leighton debuting as a member of the Serpent Society who came to blows with Steve Rogers’ Captain America. Over the years, she formed romantic feelings for Rogers, with gradually transformed her into an antihero, with her eventually leaving the Serpent Society and forming BAD Girls with Black Mamba and Asp. She later became an agent of SHIELD and a mercenary alongside Domino and Outlaw, so Captain America: Brave New World could have kick-started a long career for Diamondback in the MCU.
The costume seen in Uwandi’s concept art is vastly different from Diamondback’s Marvel Comics counterpart, who is typically seen in a bright pink outfit to match her colored hair. Rosa Salazar’s Diamondback would have retained this bold hair color, but sported a more grounded and realistic outfit. Since Giancarlo Esposito has teased future projects for Seth Voelker’s Sidewinder in the MCU, we could still see Salazar’s Diamondback brought to life, though Marvel Studios is yet to comment on this possibility.
Do you want to see Rosa Salazar debut as the MCU’s Diamondback after being snubbed from Brave New World? Let us know in the comments!
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