Black Widow: Julia Louis-Dreyfus Plays Coy on Rumored Marvel Return

The Falcon and the Winter Solider did its job and then some expanding on the Marvel Cinematic Universe's more grounded stories in a world that's fully lived through the Blip. The show found a way at every turn to give more depth to both leading characters in Anthony Mackie's Sam Wilson and Sebastian Stan's Bucky Barnes, providing fans with six episodes' worth of thrilling action and drama. 

Along with long-standing MCU characters like Emily VanCamp's Sharon Carter and Daniel Brühl's Helmut Zemo appearing throughout, Episode 5 introduced a suspicious new character in Julia Louis-Dreyfus' Contessa Valentina Allegra de Fontaine. While this was her first appearance in Phase 4 of the MCU, it's becoming clear that "Val" isn't here for just a few minutes of screen time in two Disney+ episodes and nothing more.

Speaking about her next potential appearance, the new MCU actress seems to prefer to keep fans in the dark...

JULIA LOUIS-DREYFUS TALKS MCU FUTURE AS VAL 

Marvel

In a recent interview with Variety, Julia Louis-Dreyfus gave just a small tease on if and when she will return as Valentina Allegra de Fontaine within the MCU.

When asked if fans can expect to see Val again in a future MCU project — such as her rumored involvement in Black Widow or even the Secret Invasion Disney+ series — the new Marvel star revealed next-to-nothing, only commenting on how she's "always wanted to play a contessa, and the Marvel Cinematic Universe made it happen." 

WHEN WILL THIS MYSTERIOUS MCU CHARACTER RETURN?

Val was only on screen for about five minutes between The Falcon and the Winter Soldier's final two installments. However, her MCU debut set the stage for quite the interesting plot line as she looks to make her way into other corners of the universe as well.

Rumors had pointed to Julia Louis-Dreyfus' mystery woman first appearing in the Black Widow solo movie when it was initially supposed to arrive before The Falcon and the Winter Soldier. It's still unclear whether she will actually find her way into this movie when it debuts this summer, but if she does, it will confirm just how long she's been lurking in the shadows and pulling her dark plans together.

The last fans have seen of Val was when she helped bestow the U.S. Agent title upon John Walker as the series came to a close in Episode 6. It's becoming evident that Val will be sticking around for a while, with the only remaining mystery being where exactly she will come into play next.

All six episodes of The Falcon and the Winter Soldier are available to stream on Disney+.