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MCU’s Valentina Allegra de Fontaine: The Wild Changes Marvel Made to the Contessa

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Let’s delve into transformations of comic book characters inspired by external media sources, including those who were originally introduced off-screen. Today, we’re examining the integration of Valentina Allegra de Fontaine from the Marvel Cinematic Universe into the broader Marvel Universe.

Occasionally, an amusing predicament I find myself in involves beginning to draft an article, only to discover that I need to reference a topic I haven’t previously addressed. In such cases, I must detour and write that additional piece first, enabling me to complete this initial article. Recently, I encountered this conundrum while discussing the contrast between a character’s significance in the original comics versus their role in adapted films or TV series. Specifically, if a character is significantly more prominent in the adaptation, it tends to increase the likelihood of both A) seeing the adapted version reappear in the comics and B) fans being accepting of the changes.

Lately, the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s portrayal of Valentina Allegra de Fontaine has been intriguingly altered to fit within the Marvel Universe.

What was the Contessa like before the Marvel Cinematic Universe?

In simpler terms, Nick Fury served as Marvel Comics’ equivalent to both James Bond and Napoleon Solo from The Man From U.N.C.L.E., as he combined elements of their spy roles. While Bond and Solo had love interests, which were often referred to as “Bond girls,” Fury’s love interest was introduced as La Contessa Valentina Allegra de la Fontaine in the Marvel series, a character created by Jack Kirby and Stan Lee.

Initially, our character was deeply smitten with the Contessa, but as Steranko continued working on the series, he began to subtly emphasize the allure of the Contessa. This escalation eventually triggered an intriguing instance of censorship in Strange Tales #168. In this particular issue, the Contessa appears as follows:

However, here is how Steranko originally drew her…

In a more rephrased manner, the sentence could be: “A figure around page height of Val was spotted from behind, and I emphasized the shimmer on her attire, especially on her backside. I accentuated the form using satin fabric – but they dampened the gloss. Everything was darkened because it was excessively warm!

For quite some time, her main function was being Fury’s girlfriend. However, when Fury took a break from duty, Contessa stepped into the shoes of a high-ranking SHIELD agent, occasionally serving as director or second-in-command. I have a fondness for these ‘generic good agents’, though they may not receive much praise. They are essential characters because many stories necessitate a ‘good agent’, and these characters often meet unfortunate ends in stories to create drama. As such, dependable ‘good agents’ like Contessa are valuable in a shared universe. Here she is portrayed as the head of SHIELD during Onslaught in “Cable” #34 (written by Jeph Loeb, illustrated by Ian Churchill, Scott Hanna, and Art Thibert).

After Nick Fury re-joined SHIELD, Contessa resumed her role as his romantic partner until the “Secret Warriors” series penned by Jonathan Hickman. It was in the sixth issue of this series (co-written by Hickman, Brian Michael Bendis, and Stefano Caselli) that it was unveiled that Contessa had switched allegiance to Hydra, secretly working as Madame Hydra.

Initially, it appeared she was loyal to both SHIELD and Hydra. Yet, in issue #14 of Secret Warriors, written by Hickman and Casselli, she later disclosed that during this entire period, she had secretly been betraying both organizations. In truth, she belonged to the Soviet group called Leviation, a connection she maintained throughout her life.

In the final issue of Secret Warriors #28 (written by Hickman and illustrated by Allesandro Vitti), she confessed to Nick Fury that amidst everything else, there was only one person she truly came to care for deeply – him.

The story concludes with Fury preparing to rescue Contessa from prison, though she’s made brief appearances since then. With Nick Fury Sr. largely absent from the Marvel Universe, Contessa has effectively been put on hold as a character.

In recent times, the character was initially presented within the Marvel Cinematic Universe as Valentina Allegra de Fontaine, a shrouded figure in the world of covert operations. She was seen amassing agents from the MCU, among whom were Yelena Belova and USAgent…

So how was this change worked into the Marvel Universe?

How has the Contessa been altered in the Marvel Universe?

Initially, with only vague hints about Valentina Allegra de Fontaine joining the Thunderbolts in some capacity, writers Jackson Lanzing and Colin Kelly, along with artist Geraldo Borges, skillfully incorporated her into the freshly assembled Thunderbolts squad. The team’s foundation was laid in the extensive narrative of Captain America: Sentinel of Liberty, where Kelly and Lanzing had unveiled a secretive group called the Outer Circle, which had been orchestrating global events for a century. A member known as “The Revolution” was also introduced, serving as a check on their power to prevent them from becoming too dangerous. Eventually, Bucky Barnes assumed the role of The Revolution, working alongside Captain America to dismantle the Outer Circle permanently. However, with all the knowledge they had accumulated over a century, Bucky decided to establish a new team called the Thunderbolts, which would harness this information to combat the world’s most formidable villains.

He recruited Val…

A significant revelation emerges: The person you knew as Val actually perished in a Soviet prison camp, while the being you interact with now is a Life-Model-Decoy, to which Val’s consciousness was transferred.

As a devoted fan, I must say, it’s intriguing to uncover that Val, initially thought to be an ally in the Thunderbolts movie, turned out to be the antagonist instead. This revelation has led to another shift in the narrative, particularly in the ongoing series, Thunderbolts: Doomstrike, penned by Kelly and Lanzing. In this gripping tale, masterfully illustrated by artists Tomasso Bianchi and Yen Nitro, we learn that the true Contessa is alive! She has taken on the mantle of Citizen V, seeking retribution against the Life Model Decoy that hijacked her existence, and, unfortunately for Bucky, she’s not pleased with his role in it.

In the gaming world, I’m teaming up with Doctor Doom. In our second mission, I manipulate USAgent, using him to bring down Bucky – a fellow gamer who’s been wrongly framed for a devastating terrorist attack that razed his hometown in Indiana. The attack was orchestrated by Doom as retaliation against Bucky for not cooperating with him. However, in the heat of the battle, Bucky manages to break free…

Lanzing and Kelly have creatively adapted the Julia Louis-Dreyfus approach seen in the character Valentina, but they haven’t directly copied it. Instead, they’ve put their unique spin on it, resulting in some very clever work.

Alright, we’re wrapping up for today! If you have any suggestions for future episodes of Follow Your Path, feel free to email them to me at brianc@cbr.com!

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2025-05-11 06:44

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