Why WWE's Seth Rollins Was Cut From Captain America: Brave New World

Seth Rollins is one of the several actors who was cut from "Captain America: Brave New World," but it was through no fault of his own. The WWE star was cast as the villainous King Cobra, a member of the Serpent Society, only to be replaced by Giancarlo Esposito's Seth Voelker in the finished version. Speaking to Collider, director Julius Onah revealed that it was a purely creative decision based on Esposito's character being more grounded than Rollins' snake-loving rascal. As he put it:

"When our additional photography period came, we just thought through what helps us ground this character and still nod towards things that feel a bit heightened. And Giancarlo is so good about walking that fine line between larger than life but still feeling human. It became — I've said this over and over — something of a no-brainer."

"Captain America: Brave New World" might not feature Rollins, but the door isn't closed to him appearing in future Marvel Cinematic Universe projects. Onah, for his part, has had nothing but good things to say about the wrestler and his performance, even if his scenes were left on the cutting room floor.

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

"Seth is amazing. Incredible. I would work with him again in a heartbeat, but as we were iterating on the movie, it was very clear that some of the tonal things that we were playing with the original iteration of Serpent Society had to fit even more closely in the mold with the rest of the movie."

The good news for Onah and Marvel is that Rollins isn't harboring any ill will toward them after being cut from "Captain America: Brave New World." With that in mind, what has he said on the matter?

Seth Rollins' comments about being cut from "Captain America: Brave New World" suggest that he isn't unhappy about the decision. While speaking to the "Not Just Football with Cam Hayward" podcast, he revealed that he isn't angry about being replaced by the actor who played Gus on "Breaking Bad," as he knows how phenomenal he is. With 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 on the cutting room floor. I hope somehow it lives on in Easter egg form somewhere. I'd love to see some of those shots. I won't give away too much, but it was a great experience. But yeah, man, they cut me. They cut me from the role."

It seems that Rollins had a positive experience overall while working with Marvel, and he's been pretty open about being willing to work in Hollywood again. Be that as it may, he is more focused on the wrestling business, and he still hopes to be part of it after his in-ring career winds down.