Marvel Fans On Reddit Think That They've Figured Out Giancarlo Esposito's MCU Role
The Marvel Cinematic Universe is loaded with top-notch acting talent, from established entertainment favorites to Hollywood rising stars. Some actors have even played more than one character in the MCU. At the same time, there are still plenty of pop culture icons yet to appear in the sprawling franchise. For the longest time, Giancarlo Esposito's name was strangely missing from the MCU, with it only recently coming to light that the "Breaking Bad" and "Mandalorian" star will appear in "Captain America: Brave New World." Set images have leaked of Esposito in costume (via @Christo45951886 on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter), yet the question remains, who did he sign the dotted line to play?
Unsurprisingly, MCU fans have put their thinking caps on to theorize about Esposito's MCU character. Many on Reddit have come to believe that he's set to play mercenary Raul Bushman, who was name-dropped on "Moon Knight" as the one responsible for leaving Marc Spector (Oscar Isaac) for dead and killing Abdallah El-Faouly (Usama Soliman). Esposito previously shared at the 2024 Phoenix Fan Fusion event that his character would be teased before heading to TV. It seems that "Brave New World" is the place for that tease, so could a second "Moon Knight" season be in the works with Esposito's Bushman as the main villain?
If Bushman is about to join the MCU, with Esposito behind him, no less, fans could be in for quite a violent spectacle between him and Spector — if their comic history is of any indication.
If Bushman is coming to the MCU, the potential Moon Knight Season 2 could be brutal
Between Giancarlo Esposito's mercenary-like costume for "Captain America: Brave New World," the rumors surrounding his character's MCU trajectory, and the potential creation of "Moon Knight" Season 2, there seems to be a chance Esposito will bring Bushman to the franchise. If this is the case, odds are one or more clashes between him and a vengeful Marc Spector are in the cards. Using their comic history as a guide, their combat could introduce a level of brutality never seen in the MCU.
In the pages of Marvel Comics, Moon Knight and Bushman are bitter rivals after the latter leaves Spector to die in the Egyptian desert. After several bloody clashes, their feud comes to a head in "Moon Knight" #2 from 2006, where the Fist of Khonshu gets the upper hand on his longtime adversary. In hopes of bringing their war to an end, he carves off Bushman's face, killing him for a time. Like nearly everyone in comics, though, Bushman eventually returns from the grave, only for him to again come up short against Moon Knight and all of his powers in a brutal fight, where he's impaled on a machine gun.
Try as Marvel Studios might to keep the MCU largely family-friendly, in the case of Bushman and Moon Knight's rivalry, it'll have to go into R-rated territory. Their battles are known for their brutality, so not going all-in would be something of disservice to their history. Of course, it remains unconfirmed if Giancarlo Esposito is even playing Bushman in the MCU and if "Moon Knight" Season 2 is happening, so we'll just have to wait and see if such confrontations are possible in the first place.