The One Word That Got Julia Louis-Dreyfus Hooked Onto Thunderbolts Revival
Since Baron Zemo (Daniel Brühl) first appeared in "Captain America: Civil War," it seemed like a foregone conclusion that we would be seeing a live-action "Thunderbolts" in the near future. When first introduced in 1997, Zemo was the man with the plan and brought together a team of supervillains at his disposal. Now half a decade later, the time is finally here. The D23 Expo announced many exciting developments, as well as the cast list for the upcoming reformed villain team.
Surprisingly enough, Brühl was not announced to be included in the film (as of yet), but many fan-favorite characters will make up the Thunderbolts. Soviet assassins Yelena (Florence Pugh) and Bucky (Sebastian Stan) are headlining, along with the woman who is bringing them all together. Julia Louis-Dreyfus first appeared as Contessa Valentina Allegra de Fontaine in "The Falcon and the Winter Soldier," pulling the strings of U.S. Agent (Wyatt Russell). Though still largely mysterious, Louis-Dreyfus didn't need much convincing to join this iteration of the "Thunderbolts."
Julia Louis-Dreyfus just needed to hear the name
For Julia Louis-Dreyfus, her appearance in "The Falcon and the Winter Soldier" was just the beginning. With only a few minutes of screen time, she made an impression as she starts making moves on the level of Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson), who first implemented the Avengers Initiative.
"Whenever we talked about Valentina, even in the writer's room, she was sort of a more acerbic, funnier, but darker Nick Fury," executive producer Nate Moore told Marvel.com. "Someone who knows her secrets, who's not afraid to operate in the moral gray area, but maybe who isn't as inherently altruistic." Louis-Dreyfus brings an element of humor to the character, whose motives are still largely up for debate. And according to the Emmy-award winner, coming back to the Marvel universe was an easy decision. All Kevin Feige needed to say was Valentina Allegra de Fontaine's title: "Contessa" (via Marvel.com). Louis-Dreyfus couldn't say no after that.
For those asking exactly who is Valentina Allegra de Fontaine, she has a rich history in the Marvel universe and is exactly what this new phase of Marvel needs. Bringing on characters such as Yelena and Bucky, who yearn for companionship as well as redemption, brings a darker element to the cinematic universe. Now the only thing fans need is Zemo to round out the morally complex team.