Julia Louis-Dreyfus’ Valentina in Wakanda Without end is vital to Marvel’s subsequent section

For all of the superheroes and villains within the Marvel Cinematic Universe, there’s by no means a scarcity of standard (seeming) folks working for the world’s numerous authorities organizations. The truth is, one of many MCU’s newest additions to the clandestine ranks is Contessa Allegra de Fontaine, performed by Julia Louis-Dreyfus of Seinfeld and Veep fame. For those who’ve stored up with Marvel films, you realize that Fontaine simply retains popping up in a single hero’s story or one other.

The Falcon and the Winter Soldier marked the primary look by within the MCU, however not the final; she additionally popped up in Black Widow’s mid-credits sequence the place she recruited Florence Pugh’s Yelena into her service. And now she’s again once more within the Black Panther sequel. So the place’s all of it going?

[Ed. note: This story contains major spoilers for Black Panther: Wakanda Forever.]

Picture: Marvel Studios

Fontaine’s Black Panther: Wakanda Without end look is essentially the most substantial function but for Louis-Dreyfus’ time within the MCU, nevertheless it rides the identical line of subtly sinister that she’s already captured so effectively in her first two cameos. Within the film, Fontaine is the brand new head of the CIA and the direct boss of her former husband Everett Ross (Martin Freeman), who’s been secretly passing alongside info to Wakanda ever since Shuri saves his life within the first film.

In her quest to assist america receive Vibranium, Fontaine spends most of this film as an enemy of Wakanda, suspecting them of sabotaging different nation’s makes an attempt at mining the mineral. She and Everett in the end aren’t too consequential to the plot, however within the grand scheme of issues, this looks like little greater than a pitstop for Fontaine as she strikes towards her subsequent appearances and her bigger ambitions.

As devoted Marvel followers know, The Falcon and the Winter Soldier units up Val as an anti-Nick Fury, recruiting John Walker’s disgraced “Captain America” for an unstated initiative that might use his extra violent instincts. The MCU may observe the comics nearly wherever from right here.

Who’s Contessa Valentina Allegra de Fontaine within the comics?

Picture: Brian Michael Bendis, Jonathan Hickman, Stefano Caselli/Marvel Comics

Effectively, relying on if you ask this query, she’s both an Italian jet-setter turned long-time SHIELD agent or… Madame Hydra.

First launched by Jim Steranko in 1967 for a Nick Fury and Captain America crossover story, author Steve Englehart introduced Valentina into Captain America comics correct in 1972. She’s a minor sufficient character with an extended sufficient historical past that the MCU may choose up nearly any facet of her adventures and take an enormous swing.

Valentina dated Nick Fury for a bit whereas she was a SHIELD agent. (Professional tip: Don’t date your coworkers in case you belong to a corporation the place 50% of the staff are sleeper brokers.) She additionally ran an all-female undercover agent group for some time. It’s ultimately revealed that her Italian heritage was a canopy story and that she was actually a Russian operative — that doesn’t appear to be the way in which the MCU goes, however who is aware of!

The very last thing Valentina did in Marvel Comics continuity was to defect and grow to be a senior chief of Hydra, taking over the ceaselessly used title “Madame Hydra,” till she betrayed Hydra to a different clandestine worldwide spy operation. If the Marvel Cinematic Universe wished Hydra to lift its serpentine head once more, Valentina is also a technique to do it.

Or, the MCU may go in a very completely different course that doesn’t have something to do with the stuff comics writers have completed with Valentina earlier than. Her subsequent confirmed look is in see her once more in 2024’s Thunderbolts, which can, in principle, see her oversee a group of less-than-noble, Avengers-adjacent fighters. Confirmed for the group are Yelena Belova (Florence Pugh), John Walker (Wyatt Russell), Pink Justice (David Harbour), Taskmaster (Olga Kurylenko), and Ghost (Hannah John-Kamen). May Black Panther’s Everett Ross or one other member of Wakanda be alongside for the experience?

Don’t even trouble guessing: if there’s something we all know for positive in regards to the MCU iteration of Valentina, it’s that she will mainly do no matter she needs, wrangle whoever she needs, and pop up wherever.