Will Julia Louis-Dreyfus' Val (Valentina Allegra de Fontaine) be leader of MCU's Thunderbolts? Possibilities explored following William Hurt's unfortunate demise

A recent report stated that a Thunderbolts film set in the Marvel Cinematic Universe is reportedly in development. To be directed by Jake Schreier, best known for films like Paper Towns, the script will be penned by Black Widow writer Eric Pearson.

With a Thunderbolts project in development, there is a massive elephant in the room. Thaddeus E "Thunderbolt" Ross is a huge part of the group in the comics, but sadly, William Hurt, who portrayed the character in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, has passed away.

With that comes the conversation of who will lead the Thunderbolts, and all signs lead towards Valentina Allegra de Fontaine leading the group. But before we can talk about that, let's first explore her comic book background.

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Valentina Allegra de Fontaine in the MCU and her role in the Thunderbolts?

Julia Louis-Dreyfus is currently portraying Valentina Allegra de Fontaine in the MCU. Making her debut in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, Fontaine was seen interacting with John Walker, aka the US Agent, and giving him a new suit. That's the first setup for the Thunderbolts right here.

Valentina Allegra de Fontaine debuted in 1967 (Image via Marvel Studios)

The second time we saw her in the MCU was at the end of Black Widow, where she made Yelena Belova go after Hawkeye. Convincing her that he was responsible for the death of Natasha, Fontaine already has an in with Yelena.

Valentina Allegra de Fontaine was created by Jim Steranko and debuted first in Strange Tales #159 in May 1967. According to sources, there isn't much to her past other than that her parents were sleeper agents.

Valentina Allegra de Fontaine meeting Yelena Belova (Image via Marvel Studios)

She would enter S.H.I.E.L.D. and encounter Nick Fury there. Val would impress him by overpowering him in hand-to-hand combat, leading her to have a much more prominent role at S.H.I.E.L.D.

Nick Fury and Valentina would soon get romantically involved, but she would eventually get jealous of his ex, Laura Brown. This would cause Valentina to flirt with Captain America and make him and Fury butt heads with each other.

Valentina would also lead S.H.I.E.L.D.'s Femme Forces and eventually have a pretty complicated relationship with Sharon Carter. This would be due to her flirting with Captain America.

Valentina Allegra de Fontaine hatching an evil plan as Madame Hydra (Image via Marvel Comics)

Val has also changed sides and worked with the enemy on many occasions. She was a part of Hydra and took on the mantle of Madame Hydra.

She would end up betraying Hydra as well and would find herself imprisoned. However, Fury would devise a plan to get her out.

With her introduction to the MCU, we don't exactly know what her history has been till now. Maybe she was romantically involved with Fury somehow, but we won't know until it's revealed.

But the question remains, will she end up being the leader of the Thunderbolts? Ross is the leader in the comics as he transforms into the Red Hulk. With William Hurt's passing, the character might also be killed off.

Valentina has already been gathering anti-heroes for her cause and is set up as a critical player for the MCU's future. So, it doesn't seem that far off that she might end up leading the Thunderbolts.