Captain America 4 Leak Confirms One Big Change To A Marvel Villain
Contains potential spoilers for "Captain America: Brave New World"
"Captain America: Brave New World" has been undergoing some reshoots over the late spring months, and among the cast members spotted on set for those redos is Rosa Salazar. The actress — previously seen shooting with dark hair — seems to be sporting pink locks in photos snagged on social media. That means Salazar's a near-lock for playing the pink-haired Diamondback, better known as Rachel Leighton. Diamondback has long been entangled in the life of the original Captain America, Steve Rogers, making her first appearance in Cap's mid-80's run with "Captain America" #310.
A NEW look at Rosa Salazar in hot pink hair for her character Diamondback in #CaptainAmerica4 has been shared with us by @AtlantaFilming
What do you think of the hair? Are you excited to see this character in Cap 4? pic.twitter.com/GIa0fg5EZo
— The Cosmic Circus (@MyCosmicCircus) June 2, 2024
Rachel has a fascinating history that makes her one of Rogers' strongest foes — and greatest allies. Her inclusion in the film has been less controversial than that of Israeli superhero Sabra, and it remains to be seen whether she'll be friend or enemy — or if the reshoots have changed anything about her. Other changes will include more of Giancarlo Esposito and a suit upgrade for the current Captain America, Anthony Mackie's Sam Wilson. The reshoots should run an additional 22 days. In the meantime, what has Rachel Leighton been up to in the comics?
Rachel Leighton has been Cap's enemy -- and his lover
So who's Diamondback in Captain America's storied history? The Texas native becomes a gang member when she moves to New York City, then undergoes training so that she can defend herself among the heroes and villains of Earth-616. She is initially introduced as a member of The Serpent Society. Tasked with taking down MODOK, Rachel soon falls in love with Steve — which proves problematic to the villainous society she's entered into.
After she's drummed out of her new union, her friends Asp, Black Mamba, and Anaconda nonetheless take her side. They eventually form the crimefighting offshoot B.A.D. Girls. Rachel does not have a very auspicious time in the Marvel world. She and Steve eventually break up, and the last time comic fans see her, she's been paralyzed after being infected with mind-controlling nanobots during the V-Battalion saga. To save her mind, Citizen V fries the nanoprobes controlling Rachel, resulting in her paralysis. The B.A.D. Girls split up soon after they team up with Cable, who enlists them to steal some important technology and fight Deadpool along the way.
Lover, friend, foe or nightmare, Cap's friends and family will find out what kind of person the Marvel Cinematic Universe's version of Rachel is when "Captain America: Brave New World" is released in 2025.