WARNING: The following contains spoilers for The Falcon and the Winter Soldier Episode 5, "Truth," now streaming on Disney+.

Julia Louis-Dreyfus's surprise cameo as Contessa Valentina Allegra de la Fontaine (Val for short) might set her up as a major player in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. In the comics, Val started as an Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. in the comics, but she was actually a double agent working for the spy organization Leviathan who took on the role of Madame Hydra. The MCU may seem her take on a similar role, with Val's interest in the disgraced John Walker potentially teasing the formation of the franchise's version of the Dark Avengers.

The Dark Avengers' MCU debut has been anticipated for years. The failure of the Sokovia Accords in Captain America: Civil War opened the door for the government-sponsored version of the team, and even without access to the team's comic book founder, Norman Osborn, enough evil versions of established heroes exist in the MCU to create a roster similar to the source material.

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In recent months, Disney+'s slate of MCU shows has also created new possibilities for the Dark Avengers' debut. Before he was apprehended at the end of WandaVision, S.W.O.R.D.'s Tyler Hayward created a potential recruit for the team in the form of the resurrected Vision. Hayward isn't likely to be the leader of the Dark Avengers, but he could be a cog in the machine that put the team together, with Val pulling the strings behind the scenes. That would make Val the Dark Avengers' version of Nick Fury, who, of course, played a pivotal role in the formation of Earth's Mightiest Heroes in the MCU.

To make the similarities to Fury even more apparent, Val was, at least before the pandemic, set to appear in Black Widow. According to a Vanity Fair piece published after "Truth" aired, she was going to debut in the film before appearing in The Falcon and The Winter Soldier and was expected to recruit a character from the film like she did Walker. Taskmaster and Melina Vostokoff are both worthy candidates for the Dark Avengers, but Yelena Belova would be the most interesting possibility, mostly because she's expected to take up the Black Widow mantle. That move would be true to the character's comic book roots; Belova has been Natasha Romanoff's dark reflection for most of her existence.

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Val could also recruit some characters from the MCU's past to fill out her team. If her connections got her access to Walker, she should have no trouble getting the chance to recruit the like of Justin Hammer and Abomination to fill roles mirroring their rivals, Tony Stark and Bruce Banner, respectively. Hammer would be a particularly interesting prospect because of his connection to the Iron Man technology and the fact that the Iron Patriot has a major role on the Dark Avengers team. Regardless of who decides to join up, though, it's clear Val's recruiting a super-team that will oppose what's left of Earth's Mightiest Heroes.

Directed by Kari Skogland, The Falcon and the Winter Soldier stars Anthony Mackie, Sebastian Stan, Emily VanCamp, Wyatt Russell, Noah Mills, Carl Lumbly and Daniel Brühl. New episodes debut on Fridays on Disney+.

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