Warning: SPOILERS for Black Panther: Wakanda Forever I’m ahead!
Even ignoring the people who appear in the credits scenes, Marvel Studios manages to keep some appearances under wraps from time to time until a film is released. In case of Black Panther: Wakanda Foreverthe public learned that Valentina Allegra de Fontaine by Julia Louis-Dreyfus, whom we had already seen in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier Yes Black Widow, had a role to play in history. However, there has been criticism of Valentina’s appearance in wakanda foreverand director/co-writer Ryan Coogler dismisses it.
General, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever was very well received, received positive reviews from both critics and general audiences, and has grossed over $800 million worldwide as of this writing. That said, for some, Fontaine’s Valentina Allegra felt stuck in the story, and Ryan Coogler responded to that belief by telling The New York Times the following:
Yeah, nobody got involved or asked to be cast in the film or anything like that. Indeed, in this version, [Louis-Dreyfus’s role] was cut down to make room for T’Challa’s death. And we had Val there before she was even in any of the other movies, before Black Widow and [the series] Falcon and the Winter Soldier. People assume we were told to wear it, but it was always there.
So straight from Ryan Coogler, this wasn’t one of those instances where Marvel Studios mandated that Fontaine’s Valentina Allegra be included in Black Panther: Wakanda Foreverwhether its presence feels organic or not. Coogler had not only included her in the sequel long before that The Falcon and the Winter Soldier Yes Black Widow came out, but actually had a bigger role before black panther 2 it had to be redesigned to deal with T’Challa’s death following the death of Chadwick Boseman. That doesn’t mean you have to like the way Valentina was used wakanda foreverbut as Coogler explained, she was always going to be involved in those particular MCU proceedings.
After appointing John Walker as United States agent in the The Falcon and the Winter Soldierthen hire Yelena Belova to kill Clint Barton in Black Widow end credits scene (what the killer tried to do on Disney+ Hawk eye series), Black Panther: Wakanda Forever brought back Valentina Allegra de Fontaine as the new CIA director, also revealing that she was the ex-wife of Martin Freeman’s Everett Ross. Although the ex-spouses were cordial to each other at first wakanda forever, Valentina then arrested Everett for sharing classified information with the Wakandans about US plans for the African nation. Luckily for Ross, Okoye freed him at the end of the film.
We will meet with Everett Ross next year at covert invasion limited series, but as far as Valentina Allegra de Fontaine is concerned, it is confirmed that she will appear in radius. Along with the cast of Yelena Belova and John Walker, Valentina’s initial lineup also includes Sebastian Stan’s Bucky Barnes, David Harbour’s Alexei Shostakov/Red Guardian, Hannah John-Kamen’s Ava Starr/Ghost, and Olga Kurylenko’s Antonia Dreykov/Taskmaster. Harrison Ford will also appear as Thaddeus “Thunderbolt” Ross following his first appearance as the character in Captain America: New World Order.
radius releases July 26, 2024 and while Black Panther: Wakanda Forever Still in theaters, it should be available to Disney+ subscribers in early 2023. Be sure to check out our upcoming Marvel Movie Guide for more big-screen shows this superhero franchise has in store.
Source: Cinemablend
