The long episode five of ‘Falcon and the Winter Soldier’ brought with it a promised secret cameo of these that Marvel likes to advertise so much. By the way, you can imagine that spoilers from now on. The Disney + series featured Julia Louis-Dreyfus (who we saw in ‘Veep’ as the last lead role) introducing herself to John Wilson. as Countess Valentina Allegra de Fontaine.
Logically this name so bombastic (the sixties, you know) as recognizable to fans has not gone unnoticed so its presence has already aroused all kinds of theories. But Who is this imposing woman And what can it mean for the Marvel Kinematic Universe?
The Spy Who Loved Nick Fury
Created by Jim Steranko, one of the best authors (especially cartoonists) that Marvel had on the payroll in the 60s, the Countess of Italian descent was looking for something that would fill her life and would make her debut in the pages of Strange Tales # 157 defeating in training own Nick Fury.
He soon became a full agent of SHIELD and was in the organization’s inner circle. Besides that, became the super spy’s main romantic interest, a relationship that would last a long time (and hopefully see Samuel L. Jackson and Dreyfus together). Already years later (I’m talking about half a century later) Val’s double agent status as a member of Leviathan would be revealed in ‘Secret Warriors’.
And this is the data that interests us the most, probably, for the future of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Yes in ‘Secret Invasion’ Fury discovers that the skrulls have supplanted most of the people of interest (superheroes, politicians, etc) globally (and among them Val), the next thing that is discovered (during ‘Secret Warriors’) is that SHIELD is under the control of Hydra (the reveal of ‘Captain America: Winter Soldier’ ).
There we have a bit of a kernel between enemy SHIELD organizations. If Hydra is born from the ashes of Nazism, Leviathan emerges as a Soviet organization that allies with Hydra. Among that alliance is the redevelopment of the Supersoldier serum. In a story written by Jonathan Hickman, the organization would betray this alliance and seize the technology capable of creating anyone into a super soldier.
An appearance scheduled for ‘Black Widow’
Although he did not stop talking during his appearance, the character played by Julia Louis-Dreyfus didn’t really reveal who she worked for or if she’s the so-called Power Broke, but what is clear is that his organization may be Hydra’s successor in the post-Endgame universe.
Also, Leviathan is related to the secret super spy program that created Black Widow. Which brings us to another topic, and is that the rumor circulates that this cameo (not like that, of course) was planned for the film starring Scarlett Johansson, according to Vanity Fair.
Considering that we have already seen Madripur, site quite related to Viper / Madame Hydra and that we have pending the series of ‘Secret Invasion’, all these elements seem to indicate that we are facing an apparition that is going to become quite a notorious presence in the future of Phase 4 from Marvel.
How all this fits into speculation and theories (is it the new Hydra? Is it riding a kind of Thunderbolts?) So we will have to be surprised by Kevin Feige’s plans.