The an intriguing new character in episode five, Contessa Valentina Allegra de Fontaine. The Contessa has a long, important history in Marvel Comics, known mainly as a member of S.H.I.E.L.D. and a world-class spy. But there are many other spies in the Marvel Universe, some of whom she has strong ties to.
Spycraft has been an important element of the Marvel Universe for most of its existence in the comics and in the MCU. Though the purpose and the opponents sometimes shift over time, the object always remains the same for the best of the best. Get in, get the information, and get out without a trace.
The Contessa
The Contessa first appeared in Strange Tales #159 in August 1967, created by writer and artist Jim Steranko during his iconic run on Nick Fury, Agent Of S.H.I.E.L.D. Valentina quickly became associated with Fury both as a colleague and later as a romantic partner.
She would remain a fixture in his life over the years, though her more recent comic book affiliations might call into question how her MCU counterpart will operate. For a time, she was Madame Hydra, leader of the organization behind many of the MCU's early villains.
Nick Fury
Nick Fury is generally considered among the best, if not the best, covert operatives in the Marvel Universe. He was originally a member and later the director of S.H.I.E.L.D. with deep connections to virtually every major Marvel hero and villain. Fury debuted in Sgt. Fury and his Howling Commandos #1 in 1963, co-created by the legendary comic book duo of Stan Lee and Jack Kirby.
Fury was reinterpreted for the Ultimate Comics alternate universe in the early 2000s, with Samuel L. Jackson as the template for the hero. This in turn influenced the casting of Jackson as Fury in the first Iron Man movie in 2008.
Spymaster
With a name like Spymaster, it stands to reason this agent would be among the top spies in Marvel Comics. Spymaster is similar to a lot of Iron Man villains, in that his area of spycraft deals mostly with industrial espionage.
The stealing of industrial secrets from Stark Tech largely led to the Armor Wars in the comics, and perhaps the MCU. The true identity of the character isn't known, but he's remained a foil of Iron Man for many years. He first appeared in Iron Man #33 back in 1971.
The Foreigner
The Foreigner is a lesser-known villain in the comics, but one of the best spies in the Marvel Universe. The Foreigner is an accomplished mercenary and assassin who has had plenty of run-ins with various Marvel heroes, including Spider-Man, who he took on in his first appearance after making a bet that he could defeat the Wall-Crawler.
The Foreigner was married for a time to another significant Marvel mercenary, Silver Sable. Sable hails from the fictional Marvel country of Symkaria, which neighbors Latveria in Eastern Europe, the home of Fantastic Four villain Doctor Doom.
Mystique
Mystique's mutant ability to take on the appearance of anyone she sees makes her a natural for the spy game. It's not until a bit later in her supervillain career that Mystique actually becomes a traditional spy, though.
Though she uses multiple identities and aliases around the world, it's not until she becomes the secret agent of Charles Xavier, Professor X, that she puts her talents to use as a traditional spy. Xavier sends Mystique on a variety of missions under the radar to gather intelligence and accomplish his goals to create a better world for mutants.
Agent 13
Sharon Carter's journey in the MCU has been pretty different from the one in the comics. She has gone from Agent 13, a member of S.H.I.E.L.D., to Sharon Carter has been one of the top agents and spies within the international organization, often fighting alongside Captain America.
She was presumed dead for a long time beginning in the 90s, though it was later revealed that she had been deep undercover, and it was necessary for it to seem like she had died.
Fantomex
Fantomex is first and foremost a product of the Weapon Plus Program, a decades-long secretive operation that stemmed from the original experiments that produced Captain America and later produced Weapon X, Wolverine. Fantomex has used his ability to create illusions to infiltrate and destroy various spy organizations in the comics.
He used his skills to obtain a super-secret list of mutant slave traders, which he intended to blackmail. His powers and talents made him an ideal candidate for hip in Wolverine's version of X-Force, which specialized in the darker side of mutant operations.
Spider-Woman (Jessica Drew)
Spider-Woman may also be headed to the MCU soon if reports on Olivia Wilde's Marvel movie pan out. Jessica Drew would make a lot of sense as a new character in the franchise, given her connections to Spider-Man and S.H.I.E.L.D. Before she was part of the good guys, she was actually a secret HYDRA agent tasked with killing Nick Fury.
Jessica had no agency in that role, though. She was brainwashed by HYDRA to carry out the act, and eventually discovers the truth. She walks away from HYDRA but later goes back as part of a complicated gambit during Secret Invasion, and she could very easily appear in the Disney+ streaming series as well.
Mockingbird
Mockingbird is a fairly major member of S.H.I.E.L.D. and the Avengers family who has yet to make her MCU debut, at least properly. Adrianne Palicki appeared as the character in it's possible she could return to the MCU.
Bobbi Morse is a highly accomplished S.H.I.E.L.D. agent, number 19, and has been part of several teams including the Avengers and West Coast Avengers. She has been closely connected to Hawkeye and they were married at one point in the comic books.
Black Widow
The most famous Marvel spy, and the most important in the MCU, is Black Widow. Natasha Romanoff started off as a Russian spy, trained in the art of espionage and assassination in the Red Room. She later defected to the United States, becoming allies with Hawkeye and Daredevil.
From there she has had a long association with the Avengers, often using her outstanding skills to get into places and situations very obvious Avengers like the Hulk can't. Her movie will dive deep into the world of spycraft in the MCU, as the recent trailer showed.
