Ryan Coogler reveals that Valentina Allegra de Fontaine's Marvel Cinematic Universe debut was originally intended to be in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. Since Iron Man, the MCU has been known to make readjustments, additions and subtractions to their movies and television shows in an effort to either make the narrative flow smoothly, or to make time for actors and filmmakers. COVID forced Marvel Studios to make radical changes, forcing them to change the ending to shows such as WandaVision and The Falcon and the Winter Soldier. Other times actors are unavailable and have to be written out, though sometimes the opposite occurs and characters are written in.
One character who Coogler denies as having been forced into Black Panther: Wakanda Forever was Julia Louis-Dreyfus as Valentina Allegra de Fontaine, a character who initially made her debut in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier. While speaking with The New York Times, Coogler spoke about how fans assume that Marvel Studios forced him to put the character in the film, but revealed that the sequel was intended to be Val's MCU debut. While Black Widow and The Falcon and the Winter Soldier featured her first, Coogler had planned to feature the character in his movie while both projects were still developing. Read his full quote below:
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.
Why Falcon & Winter Soldier Was A Better MCU Debut For Val
Contessa Valentina Allegra de Fontaine made her first appearance in Strange Tales No. 157 and was introduced as an Italian superspy who became a romantic interest for the character of Nick Fury. Her history has since become complicated in the comics with her even becoming the new Madame Hydra. The MCU simplifies her as an enigmatic agent, who may or may not be working for the C.I.A., and the ex-wife of Everett K. Ross (Martin Freeman). She was supposed to appear in Black Widow first, but COVID shuffled Marvel's projects around resulting in her making her first appearance in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier.
Despite the forced shift from the initial release plan, Val's appearance in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier first made for a better introduction for the character. Val only appears in the tail end of Black Widow and aside from her setting Yelena Belova (Florence Pugh) on her path to kill Clint Barton (Jeremy Renner) in Hawkeye, her introduction gives very little intrigue into her character. Her appearance in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, while amusing, would have left audiences with more questions than answers as to what her motives are had she not first appeared in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier. The miniseries allowed for Louis-Dreyfus to flex Val out and get audiences to be attracted to her demeanor and motives, especially for her plans for the future.
Val's MCU Future Explained
Since her debut, it has become apparent that Val is intended to set up for a major event, which looks to be the Thunderbolts movie. So far, her appearances have left an impact with audiences and fans who are interested in seeing what her motives are and how she will fare in the greater MCU and Multiverse Saga. While it was better that she debuted earlier, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever showed how much power and authority the character possessed and what she is capable of. Besides Thunderbolts, it is unknown what her next MCU appearance will be, but it is sure to continue to surprise audiences.
Source: The New York Times
