Marvel brought in a living legend for the penultimate episode of The Falcon & The Winter Soldier. Julia Louis-Dreyfus made quite the entrance as Contessa Valentina Allegra de Fontaine. Her appearance was brief, but she packed quite a punch.
So, who is Valentina Allegra de Fontaine? She is a character from the Marvel Comics. HollywoodLife has rounded up 5 key things you should know about this character who could have a long run in the MCU.
1. Valentina shows up to speak to John Walker.
After John Walker is stripped of being Captain America and given an “other than honorable discharge,” Valentina Allegra de Fontaine walks through the door wearing some fierce boots. “Well, these boots are not made for walking,” she says. She takes a seat next to John and says, “Look, I would have killed the bastard, too. Nobody in there is mad at you about that. I mean, you would have been doing ’em a favor if you’d taken out the whole lot.” She tells John that he did “the right thing, taking the serum.” Valentina adds that taking the serum has made him “very, very valuable to certain people.” She thinks it was the “second-best choice” he’s ever made. The best choice he’ll ever make is picking up the phone when she calls. Before she leaves, she makes sure John knows that Captain America’s shield doesn’t belong to the government. It’s a “legal gray area.”
2. JLD was supposed to be in ‘Black Widow’ first.
Julia Louis-Dreyfus’ Valentina Allegra de Fontaine was reportedly going to be introduced in the Black Widow film, according to Vanity Fair. The movie was supposed to be released in May 2020 before The Falcon & The Winter Soldier, but the COVID-19 pandemic has pushed back the release over a year. Black Widow, now being released July 9, may give us a more in-depth introduction to Valentina Allegra.
3. Valentina is a trained super spy.
Valentina is a “superb hand-to-hand combatant, brilliant marksman, espionage officer, and excellent combat leader and strategist,” according to her official Marvel profile. The character is also familiar with “a variety of exotic weaponry used by S.H.I.E.L.D., Hydra, and Leviathan. She often wears bulletproof fabrics and carries a pistol.” In her early days, she attends the S.H.I.E.L.D Academy. She later joins Hydra and goes by the name of Madame Hydra. She’s also been an agent for Leviathan, a Soviet terrorist organization.
4. She was a love interest for Nick Fury.
At one point, Valentina becomes romantically involved with Nick Fury after meeting him at the S.H.I.E.L.D Academy. She moves in with him but is jealous of his past relationship with Laura Brown. Valentina flirts with Steve Rogers in retaliation, and Fury ends up fighting Steve over Val. Val eventually gets involved and admits she loves Fury. They have a very tumultuous on-again, off-again relationship.
5. Marvel has switched up Valentina’s look.
In the Marvel Comics, Valentina has jet-black hair with a white streak. In The Falcon & The Winter Soldier, Valentina shows up with black hair and a deep purple streak. She’s giving off major Agatha Harkness vibes with that purple streak.