The Falcon & The Winter Soldier: 12 Biggest Takeaways From Episode 5

12. La Contessa Valentia Allegra De La Fontaine

For several weeks prior to the episode's release, there were rumours of this entry in the series featuring a huge cameo appearance that fans of the comics would love. After Paul Bettany did something similar in the build up to the WandaVision finale, some fans were understandably skeptical, as he was really just having a laugh with himself, but this episode certainly delivered.

Julia Louis-Dreyfus made her MCU debut on Disney+ as she approached John Walker and his wife after being stripped of the Captain America title, introducing herself as La Contessa Valentina Allegra de la Fontaine, a big name (pun definitely intended) from the source material.

As a very successful Agent of SHIELD, Contessa became incredibly important as a spy during the Cold War, and eventually struck up a romantic relationship with Nick Fury. However, she also worked as a double agent for the Russians, and eventually defected to Hydra.

This was when she picked up the wonderfully creative moniker of Madame Hydra, before going on to continue her impressive streak of double crossing just about everyone she has ever worked for. The MCU history of the character is as of yet unrevealed, as is her plan moving forward in the franchise, but it's fair to assume that fans will be seeing a lot more from her in the coming years.