Falcon And Winter Soldier Episode 5 - La Contessa Explained

What La Contessa May Have Planned For John Walker

Interestingly, but also expectedly, La Contessa didn't reveal who she was working for in her introduction this week, only stating that Walker taking the serum has made him "very valuable to certain people", which you'd have to assume she's working with.

With that in mind, it would be safe to assume that this incarnation of La Contessa doesn't have anything to do with S.H.I.E.L.D. She may have been a former agent, absolutely, but the implication in this scene is that she serves a different organisation, and one that could potentially be recruiting enhanced individuals to carry out their wishes.

That may sound like a bit of a leap, but remember that the character was initially due to make their debut in Black Widow, which was also meant to be the first instalment of the MCU's fourth phase. Her introduction in this episode was done in such a way that assumed familiarity on the audience's part, leading in with her footsteps first before panning upwards to reveal her face, so one would assume she's already done something similar in Black Widow.

How or when she appears in that film is still unknown; flashbacks are a possibility that can't be ruled out (seeing La Contessa doing super spy stuff would be great to see), but given the expectation that the Thunderbolts look likely to be introduced in a future MCU phase, it's worth considering that La Contessa may have already recruited the antagonist of Black Widow, Taskmaster, by the time The Falcon and the Winter Soldier takes place.

Might this be a bit of a leap? Absolutely, and it's almost certain that Louis-Dreyfus' character will appear in the series finale next week. However, even if it's not the Thunderbolts that La Contessa could be putting together, the character has served so many powerful interests and organisations in the comics that it makes sense for her MCU counterpart to follow a similar route, whether that be for J.A.N.U.S., or even the Kratos Club seen in the Ultimate Universe.

Regardless of whatever her true intentions are, there's also a chance that La Contessa's presence will lead to Jonathan Walker becoming a recurring character in other MCU productions. It would be easy to see Marvel potentially putting a permanent end to the character once The Falcon and the Winter Solider wraps up next Friday, but equally, Walker has a long and storied history in the comics, and there's plenty of potential for further onscreen adventures there - especially if he were to appear as part of an ensemble, as he's done on numerous occasions in the comics.