Warning: This article contains full spoilers for Black Widow as well as The Falcon and the Winter Soldier!
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Black Widow is now out in theaters (and on Disney+ premier access), and the film’s post credits scene features the return of a character we first met in the penultimate episode of The Falcon and the Winter Soldier. Yes, it’s the return of Seinfeld and Veep star Julia Louis-Dreyfus as the Contessa Valentina Allegra de Fontaine, who is also known as Madame Hydra in the comics!
Given Contessa’s connections to other Marvel heroes like Nick Fury and the fact that such a big-name actress is playing her, it’s clear that she is going to be a big part of Phase 4 of the MCU as she seems to be assembling some kind of team of superheroes (villains?) at this point. To get an idea of what that might involve, let’s take a look at Contessa’s comic book roots and what could be in store for this intriguing and deadly character.
Julia Louis-Dreyfus’s Valentina in Black Widow
In Black Widow’s mid-credits scene, which takes place sometime after Avengers: Endgame, and therefore after the death of Scarlett Johansson’s Natasha Romanoff/Black Widow, we see Florence Pugh’s Yelena Belova visiting her “sister’s” grave. And then Val shows up, who Yelena clearly already knows and in fact works with. The Contessa gives Yelena her next assignment, and it’s none other than Clint Barton, who Yelena needs to take out (Belova is under the mistaken impression that Clint was the cause of Nat’s death). Which of course is setting up Pugh’s appearance on the upcoming Jeremy Renner/Hailee Steinfeld Hawkeye Disney+ series.
For the full details on Black Widow’s post credits scene, head here. But read on for more about the Contessa’s Marvel Comics history and how she might figure into the MCU moving forward.
Who Is Contessa Valentina Allegra de Fontaine?
Her name is quite a mouthful, but Contessa Valentina Allegra de Fontaine is all about making a strong first impression. She certainly left an impression on Nick Fury. Created by writer/artist Jim Steranko, Contessa made her debut way back in 1967’s Strange Tales #159. At the time, Nick Fury wasn’t yet the mastermind SHIELD director we know him as today. Instead, he was simply Nick Fury: Agent of SHIELD, and his globetrotting adventures were heavily inspired by the James Bond movies. And what fun is a Bond adventure without a Bond girl?
That’s basically where Contessa comes in, though describing her as “Nick Fury’s girlfriend” doesn’t begin to do her justice. She immediately wins Fury’s eye (no pun intended) with a well-placed judo throw during a sparring match, and the two have been practically inseparable ever since. As Fury works his way up the ranks, Contessa too becomes one of the agency’s most valuable assets. She’s also a member of SHIELD’s unfortunately named Femme Force, a team spearheaded by none other than Agent 13 herself, Sharon Carter. Along with former Howling Commando Dum Dum Dugan, Contessa is Fury’s most faithful ally.
Or so he thinks. It turns out there’s much more to her tragic back-story than even the Director of SHIELD could have guessed. Contessa may be wealthy, debonair and literal Italian nobility, but her childhood was anything but easy. As a girl she saw her parents executed for aiding a group of rebels. Though she claims to have joined SHIELD in order to give meaning to their deaths, in truth Contessa is a mole with ties to both Hydra and its Russian counterpart, Leviathan. Her love for Fury is genuine, but her goals don’t necessarily align with that of SHIELD or the US government.
The Falcon and the Winter Soldier: Is Contessa a Hero or Villain?
Watching Louis-Dreyfus in action as Contessa, it can be tough to get a read on who she is and what she really wants. Why exactly is she trying to recruit the discredited former Captain America John Walker, who takes the name U.S. Agent by the end of The Falcon and the Winter Soldier? Is John Walker being groomed to join a team of fanatical, patriotic killers? At this point we simply don’t know, but we do know that Contessa is a character who doesn’t neatly fit into the hero or villain categories.
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For most of her comic book career, Contessa has been portrayed as a heroic agent of SHIELD. It was only in 2009’s Secret Warriors (a major source of inspiration for both Agents of SHIELD and Agent Carter) that Fury learned the truth about the agency to which he devoted his life. SHIELD has always been a part of Hydra. At this point, Contessa reveals her true colors by claiming the mantle of Madame Hydra. But it’s not long before she betrays her Hydra allies by revealing herself to be truly aligned with Leviathan. So basically, she’s a double mole. By the end of the series, Fury manages to outwit his enemies and manipulates Hydra and Leviathan into destroying one another, leaving a defeated Contessa to rot in a German prison. But ever the romantic, Fury gives it all up to free “his girl” from a lifetime of captivity.
At this point, it’s hard to say whether Contessa will be a force for good or evil in the MCU. We don’t even know how much, if any, of her history with Nick Fury will be adapted for this universe. But as someone who suffered immense tragedy as a child, she seems to value those willing to cross moral and legal lines in order to do what needs to be done (as she sees it, anyway). That may explain the literal calling card she leaves with John Walker. One side is black and the other white, suggesting she believes good and evil are just two sides of the same coin.
Contessa’s MCU Future: Dark Avengers or Thunderbolts?
Again, we surely haven’t seen the last of Louis-Dreyfus as Contessa in the MCU. Around the time she debuted on Falcon and the Winter solider, we learned Contessa was originally intended to first show up in the Black Widow movie. Of course, because of the pandemic Black Widow was delayed. But now we can discern a pattern in her appearances: She’s recruiting super-folk! First John Walker, and now Yelena Belova. It certainly implies a connection to the seedy, espionage-focused underground of this superhero universe. Could she be part of the Leviathan organization? Leviathan already played a big part in Agent Carter, but that organization has had decades to regroup and plan its next move.
If Leviathan is coming back into play, Marvel may finally be gearing up to show us what state the espionage world is in following the collapse of SHIELD. As far as the movies would have us believe, Hydra was effectively dismantled in the year following the events of Captain America: The Winter Soldier. Agents of SHIELD showed that wasn’t entirely the case, but it’s still unclear whether the movies will ever acknowledge the events of that series. The inclusion of the Darkhold in WandaVision may suggest neither Agents of SHIELD nor Hulu shows like Runaways are officially part of the MCU. So it’s anyone’s guess at this point whether Hydra might return. Perhaps Contessa will become Madame Hydra in the MCU, playing Hydra and the relatively young agency SWORD against one another for Leviathan’s benefit?
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But now after Black Widow, it’s clear that Contessa is building a team, no matter who it is who she answers to. And maybe, unlike the Avengers, this team is all about getting results despite how much collateral damage they cause along the way.
Could we be seeing the seeds of the Thunderbolts in the Marvel Universe? A Thunderbolts movie/series has been heavily rumored for a while now. That team has undergone several incarnations in the comics, including as a very Suicide Squad-esque lineup of incarcerated villains. But the original Thunderbolts were a team of villains taking on new identities to fill the power vacuum left by the missing Avengers. That team was even led by Baron Zemo!
Finally, it’s also worth pointing out that Contessa is one of several Marvel characters who’s kidnapped and replaced by a Skrull impostor in 2008’s Secret Invasion. With a Nick Fury-centric Secret Invasion series in the works at Disney+, it may be no coincidence that Fury’s special lady-friend has suddenly made her first MCU appearance. Whatever Contessa’s motives, we can guarantee the rabbit hole goes very deep.
What do you think is going on with Contessa in the MCU? Let’s discuss in the comments!
July 9, 2021: This story has been updated with the latest information on Black Widow.
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Jesse is a mild-mannered staff writer for IGN. Allow him to lend a machete to your intellectual thicket by following @jschedeen on Twitter.
