Movies - TV
Julia Louis-Dreyfus' Marvel Character
Has Been Inconsistent - And That May Be the Point
By BEN F. SILVERIO
Spoiler Warning!
This story contains spoilers for "Black Panther: Wakanda Forever."
Regarding the Marvel Cinematic Universe's version of Contessa Valentina Allegra de Fontaine (Julia Louis-Dreyfus), some True Believers believe that there may be inconsistencies in the character. Fans have pointed out that she has never been played the same way twice, and it feels like she has a different voice or quirk each time we see her onscreen.
We first meet de Fontaine in "Falcon and the Winter Soldier" when she recruits John Walker after he's stripped of his title and authority of Captain America. In the post-credits scene for "Black Widow," de Fontaine gives Yelena Belova her next mission, which happens to involve killing Clint Barton at the request of Eleanor Bishop (as seen in "Hawkeye").
In her latest appearance in "Black Panther: Wakanda Forever," the curtain finally gets pulled back more — she is the new director of the CIA, as well as the ex-wife of Everett K. Ross, with whom she has been colleagues for some time. It would make sense that she would act differently around different people to get what she wants from them.
The Contessa needs to act differently to yield the results she's looking for, which is why she's more aloof when dealing with Ross, but also knows to bug Shuri's Kimoyo beads since Ross would contact Wakanda at the first chance he could get. There's a chance that these inconsistencies in her character will continue if she finds herself in situations that call for them.