Valentina Allegra de Fontaine’s Marvel Cinematic Universe début was initially planned for Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, according to Ryan Coogler. Since the release of Iron Man, the MCU has had a history of adjusting, expanding, and reducing the length of its films and television programs to improve the story’s flow or free up time for the actors and directors. Marvel Studios was compelled by COVID to make significant adjustments, changing the conclusion of films like WandaVision and The Falcon and the Winter Soldier. Sometimes characters must be typed in when performers are not available, however, this may also happen the other way around.
Julia Louis-Dreyfus, who played Valentina Allegra de Fontaine in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever and first appeared in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, is one character that Coogler disputes as having been pushed into the film. Coogler claimed that the sequel was planned to make Val’s MCU debut when discussing how fans believe that Marvel Studios compelled him to include the character in the movie. Coogler had intended to include the character in his film when both projects were still in development, even though Black Widow and The Falcon and the Winter Soldier were the first to feature her. Below is his whole quote:
Yeah, nobody was shoehorned in or asked to be put into the movie or anything like that. Actually, in this version, [Louis-Dreyfus’s role] was pared back in order to make space for dealing with T’Challa’s death. And we had Val in there before she even appeared in any of the other movies, before Black Widow and [the series] Falcon and the Winter Soldier. People assume that we were told to put her in, but she was there from the beginning.
What Made Falcon & Winter Soldier A More Successful MCU Debut For Val?
Contessa Valentina Allegra de Fontaine was originally presented in Strange Tales No. 157. She was a superspy from Italy who became Nick Fury’s romantic interest. In the comics, her past has subsequently grown convoluted, and now she even serves as the new Madame Hydra. Her role in the MCU is condensed to that of an enigmatic agent who may or may not be a C.I.A. agent and Everett K. Ross’s ex-wife (Martin Freeman). She was scheduled to make her debut in Black Widow, but COVID switched around Marvel’s productions, thus she instead made her debut in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier.
Val’s entrance in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier served as a stronger introduction to the character despite the forced change from the original release schedule. Apart from starting Yelena Belova’s (Florence Pugh) quest to assassinate Clint Barton (Jeremy Renner) in Hawkeye, Val only makes an appearance at the very end of Black Widow, and her debut offers very little insight into her personality. Even though it was funny if she hadn’t originally appeared in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, her entrance in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever would have left viewers with more questions than answers about her motivations.