Marvel Producers Reveal That Julia Louis-Dreyfus Is "Game" For Bigger MCU Presence

As everyone knows by now, the second to last episode of Falcon and The Winter Soldier unexpectedly had Emmy Award-winning actor and TV icon Julia Louis-Dreyfus make her surprise debut as Val, or, Contessa Valentina Allegra de Fontaine. As has been previously reported, Louis-Dreyfus was originally intended to make her Marvel debut in the extensively delayed Black Widow solo film, but Marvel producers are indicating there are much bigger plans for both the actor and the character. Speaking in an interview with Entertainment Weekly, producers say there is a "100%" intention of bringing her back as much as possible.

"She's so talented, and you can do so much with her. And she's game for it," executive producer Marvel Studios producer Nate Moore said. "She certainly didn't come to us and say, 'I'll be in one show once.' She was like, 'I want to be a part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.' And we said, 'Great! Let's get you in and let's figure out how to use you.' And the truth is, I think you will see her in the future. Definitely."

While "I think" is still a little bit of a hedge, even if immediately followed up "definitely" in the quote, it's pretty safe to assume if it's being discussed this openly in interviews, Louis-Dreyfus having more than a few surprise cameos is largely a sure thing. More broadly on the same topic, a bit of fun trivia shared in the Entertainment Weekly is Louis-Dreyfus' being cast was also largely somehow kept a secret from the writers. The Falcon and the Winter Soldier director Kari Skogland added, "I don't know how that secret got kept... but somehow she was a nice surprise."

That said, it is still a secret what exactly Contessa's upcoming roles and significance might be. But in the meantime, as with WandaVision, The Falcon and the Winter Soldier will be the focus of an upcoming Assembled behind-the-scenes documentary special. The next special will be out April 30 on Disney+.