The surprise cameo in the latest The Falcon and the Winter Soldier episode might have set up a major villain down the line in the MCU.
Malcolm Spellman, one of the writers behind The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, had claimed episode five would be quite emotional. And he wasn’t entirely wrong.
There were a lot of sentiments flowing in the series’s second last adventure, but it wasn’t any of the intense emotional rhythms that had us weeping for joy.
It was, in fact, the unexpected appearance of a new character who also happens to be an incredible 11 times Emmy winner, and she’s about to transform the Marvel Cinematic Universe forever.
Following the previous week’s brutal ending, the 5th episode appeared to bookend John Walker‘s storyline quite rapidly. Sam and Bucky join forces to beat him up, which seems a little ironic given how much they’ve killed themselves, but perhaps it’s not the same when the cameras are rolling.
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The government then summons their chosen soldier for a trial, after which John is compelled to relinquish his position as the new Captain America.
Walker appears to be defeated and willing to give up, sighing at the hypocrisy of it all. But then he gets a shocking visit from Contessa Valentina Allegra de Fontaine, a new character with an amazing name portrayed by none other than Julia Louis-Dreyfus.
Watch: The Secret Behind That Cameo in Falcon and Winter Soldier – IGN Fix Entertainment
This surprised us as well, and not only because Marvel had kept her appearance completely in the dark. Julia is a comic icon whose performance on Seinfeld, Veep, and Arrested Development is legendary. Did we mention she’s been nominated for eleven Emmy Awards?
Julia was definitely not someone we were counting on seeing in Marvel‘s new Disney+ series. However, it now looks like we’ll be witnessing a lot more of her in the near future.
When we first encounter Contessa Valentina Allegra de Fontaine, she convinces John Walker that his decisions aren’t as misplaced as the government would make him feel, since they’re more interested in protecting themselves.
However, what she’s really invested in is John himself. As she states, having the Super Soldier serum has turned the despised Captain America quite useful to specific people.
Although Contessa does not disclose who these individuals might be, she tells John to await her call on the issue before mentioning the fact that the government does not really own the captain’s shield.
These phrases propagate an idea that pays dividends in the mid-credits scene, where we see John build his own shield, establishing him as the anti-hero known as US Agent from the comic books.
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Julia’s introduction, meanwhile, will have an effect on the larger MCU, establishing Contessa as the main character in future ventures.
According to Vanity Fair, this latest Big Bad was expected to surface first in Black Widow (2021), but several setbacks disrupted Marvel‘s intended order.
Although we’re not 100% sure what Julia’s part will be in that movie, her character is based on a prominent comics figure known as Madame Hydra, which indicates that Contessa may have received her training in the same Soviet course as Black Widow.
The Falcon and the Winter Soldier finale airs on 23rd April 2021.
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Last modified: May 2, 2021
