Those who have watched Episode 5 of The Falcon & The Winter Soldier must have seen the new mysterious character.

A bit reminder, when John Walker was on trial for his murder, as soon as he left the room, a mysterious woman gave him her support and invited him to cooperate.

The woman is known as Contessa Valentina Allegra de Fontaine, or Val. She’s a new character with a hidden agenda.

So, who is she really? Here are some facts about Val. Take a look!

1. Madame Hydra

Up until now, it’s still unclear who Val really is in The Falcon and The Winter Soldier. However, in the comics, she’s a good-turns-evil kind of character.

In one story, Val was originally a SHIELD agent, who had a romantic interest with Nick Fury. She worked with Sharon Carter as part of Femme Force, a unit of well-trained female agents.

But at the end of the story, Val becomes Madame Hydra, replacing Viper in leading the most dangerous organization in the Marvel universe.

Will it be the same story as the MCU version? Let’s see.

2. Portrayed by The 11x Emmy Winner

Long before Episode 5 premiered, Malcolm Spellman, the writer and the creator of the show, shared bits about this. He told Comicbook.com that in Episode 5, there would be a cameo appearance of a new character played by a well-known actor. This character has never made an appearance in any MCU movie before.

For about a week, fans were made curious about this character, who turned out to be Val, portrayed by Julia Louis-Dreyfus. She’s a decorated actor who has won 11 Emmys.

Well, seems like the show did a great job making this mysterious cameo a surprise.

3. Should’ve Had Her Debut in Black Widow

According to Vanity Fair, Julia Louis-Dreyfus would make her debut in the MCU in Black Widow, which was initially planned to be released in 2020.

At that time, the release order of the MCU Phase 4 project was supposed to begin with Black Widow, followed by The Falcon and The Winter Soldier, and then Wandavision. However, due to the pandemic, Marvel Studios had to rearrange the release dates and Val made her first appearance in Episode 5 of The Falcon and The Winter Soldier.

4. Is Likely to Appear in Secret Invasion

Aside from The Falcon and The Winter Soldier & Black Widow, it seems to be very possible for Val to make an appearance in Secret Invasion. The reason being, in the comics, not only that she’s involved in SHIELD and Hydra missions, but Val’s also got captured and replaced by Skrull, who’s a master at disguising as a human.

Secret Invasion will center around Skrull’s effort in invading the earth, disguising himself as important figures even superheroes to take over the planet.

With this, it’s possible that Val will also appear in Secret Invasion aside from the other two projects.

5. The Person Behind The Power Broker

As we already know, the MCU doesn’t always share the same storyline with the comic book, and, in the MCU version, Val could be the person behind the Power Broker.

Here’s why. We know that Power Broker is an organization funded by Dr. Nagel in developing the Super Soldier Serum. But, unfortunately, the serum was stolen by the Flag Smashers, led by Karli Morgenthau.

Now, John Walker hates the Flag Smashers, up to the point where he killed one of the members, resulting in him losing the title of Captain America.

Val, who supports John’s action invites him to cooperate, which indicates that Val is part of Power Broker, which suffered loss caused by the Flag Smashers. With John Walker in her arsenal, Val or Power Broker will be able to take revenge on Karli and the other members.

But, what do you think? Do you agree with this theory? For more details, let’s see how the story pans out in the next episode next Friday, exclusively on Disney+ Hotstar.

Stick around for more gaming info and MCU news, and make sure to follow Dunia Games on Facebook and Instagram for the latest updates.

You can also buy vouchers for various games, such as Mobile Legends, Free Fire, Call of Duty Mobile, at lower prices by making your top-ups at Dunia Games!