Secret Warriors 2 NM 1st Madame Hydra MCU Jonathan Hickman Thunderbolts Movie 1s

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Secret Warriors #2 (Marvel Comics) Written by BRIAN MICHAEL BENDIS & JONATHAN HICKMAN Penciled by STEFANO CASELLI! Cover by JIM CHEUNG! Exploding out of the pages of Secret Invasion and Mighty Avengers!! cking up from the earth-shattering conclusion to issue one… we find out who Nick Fury and his Secret Warriors’ real enemies are, where they’ve been hiding, and why they chose now to make their existence known. Get ready, this is going to send shock-waves that will ripple throughout the Marvel Universe. Hail Hydra! 32 pages.

“Oh, Nicholas. We’ve been dancing for years and for the first time you’re hearing the music.” —Baron von Strucker

Featured Characters:
Quake (Daisy Johnson)
Stonewall (Jerry Sledge)
Hellfire (J.T. James)
Slingshot (Yo-Yo Rodriguez)
The Druid (Sebastian Druid)
Phobos (Alexander Aaron)
Nick Fury (Main story and recap)
High Council of Hydra (First appearance) (Only in flashback)
Baron Wolfgang von Strucker Baron Wolfgang von Strucker (Only in flashback) (Joins team)
Viper (Ophelia Sarkissian) Viper (Ophelia Sarkissian) (Only in flashback) (Joins team)
Kraken (Only in flashback) (First appearance as Kraken) (Joins team)
Madame Hydra (Only in flashback) (First appearance as Madame Hydra) (Joins team)
The Hive (First appearance) (Only in flashback) (Joins team)
Gorgon (Tomi Shishido) (Resurrection) (Only in flashback) (Joins team)
Ms. Fischer (First appearance) (Only in flashback)

Baron von Strucker is in his undersea headquarters Ichor, watching the Skrulls battle Earth’s heroes. He then asks the infiltrators in his base to show themselves. The Skrulls do so, planning on taking him out to take control of Hydra. However, Strucker defeats them easily with his Satan Claw. He demands to one of them as to how many infiltrators are in Ichor. The Skrull answers that they have endless numbers. Rather than rooting out all the Skrulls that had infiltrated his organization, Strucker destroyed Ichor, killing humans and aliens alike. He escapes the base’s destruction, planning on conquering the world rather than owning it. Strucker rebuilds Hydra, posting recruitment through colleges and stealing S.H.I.E.L.D. technologies. However, his aide de camp, Ms. Fischer informs him of Nick Fury’s discovery of the Carousel base in Chicago. Strucker then comments that they both had been dancing for years and finally his nemesis hears the music. He then decides to call in an inner circle, comprised of Kraken, Madame Hydra, Hive, and Viper. However, they are missing one person.

Meanwhile, Nick Fury is with Daisy, explaining the revelation of S.H.I.E.L.D. being Hydra, which makes everything he had done for decades to be a complete lie. He tells her that now, they are going to wake up and get even.

Daisy joins the rest of the Secret Warriors to dinner. Phobos then reveals that he can see the future and prophesies about each member: The Druid will become a great hero; Slingshot will get hurt but Stonewall will care for her; Daisy will do a great job soon and Hellfire will die.

When the Secret Warriors arrive back at the Cocoon, Fury briefs them on what’s happened. The war they will fight will require no mistakes. He then says that one of them has to go undercover in Hydra.

Meanwhile, the new inner circle of Hydra attack The Hand at one of their temples, forcing the monks there to revive Gorgon. The grandmaster, however, demands Strucker’s head, to which Strucker agrees. Unfortunately, the Hand finds out too late that Strucker had tricked them, as Gorgon’s remains consumes them, turning them to dust.

Who Is Madame Hydra? Julia Louis-Dreyfus’ MCU Future Explained
It looks like The Falcon and the Winter Soldier just introduced Madame Hydra. Here’s what role this new villain could have in the MCU’s future.

It looks like The Falcon and the Winter Soldier just brought Madame Hydra to the MCU, via a cameo from Julia Louis-Dreyfus. The critically-acclaimed actress, known for her comedic roles in shows like Seinfeld and Veep, just made her MCU debut in episode 5 of the Disney+ series. She introduced herself as Contessa Valentina Allegra de Fontaine, a character with strong ties to Nick Fury and Captain America in Marvel Comics.

Agents of SHIELD utilized the original Madame Hydra in season 4 by having the android known as AIDA adopt the identity in a virtual reality. But, the Darkhold appearing in WandaVision proves that the ABC series isn’t holding Marvel back from revisiting certain concepts and characters first established in the show. Now, thanks to The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, the MCU may have a new take on the iconic Marvel villain, one that Marvel could have huge plans for in Phase 4 and beyond.

Julia Louis-Dreyfus made her grand entrance as the Contessa during a scene where John Walker (Wyatt Russell) was still reeling from the government’s decision to cut ties with him and strip him of the Captain America mantle. After expressing that she had no problems with him killing the Flag-Smasher in episode 4, Fontaine handed him what seemed to be a blank card and announced that she’d be contacting him later. Who she really is and what she wants from Walker are mysteries that The Falcon and the Winter Soldier hasn’t touched upon yet, but they’re to sure to be explored in the future.

Contessa Valentia Allegra de Fontaine made her first comic appearance in 1967’s Strange Tales #159 and served as a key supporting character in numerous Nick Fury stories. She once had a life as a socialite in Italy, but left it all behind to become a SHIELD agent. Her contributions and loyalty to the organization made her into one of Fury’s most reliable allies during the late 1960s and 1970s. She also worked with Captain America, who often went on missions for SHIELD when they needed his assistance. Fontaine, who was Fury’s main love interest, eventually developed romantic, unrequited feelings for Steve Rogers, which culminated in a growing divide between Captain America and Fury.

Fontaine also led a team of female SHIELD agents known as Femme Force, and continued to have a high-ranking position at SHIELD for quite some time. Things took a turn, however, when it was revealed that Fontaine was secretly evil all along, despite years of being utilized as a hero. Apparently, she was a Russian sleeper agent. Following the reveal, she succeeded in taking over HYDRA and becoming the second Madame Hydra, which is a name that formally belonged to a notable Captain America villain and one of their former leaders.

Given her comic book history, it’s possible that the MCU’s Valentina de Fontaine is its version of Madame Hydra. In the comic books, Madame Hydra is commonly regarded as one of Captain America’s greatest and most ruthless villains, and is often mentioned in the same breath as characters like the Red Skull and Baron Zemo. Unfortunately, Steve Rogers (Chris Evans) was denied a chance at facing off against any version of her on the big screen, but Marvel can still deliver a Captain America vs. Madame Hydra conflict, and the setup in episode 5 indicates this could be what The Falcon and the Winter Soldier is building toward. It’s not clear yet what Marvel intends for episode 6, but if the plan is for Sam (Anthony Mackie) and Bucky (Sebastian Stan) to focus on other loose ends, she may not encounter them until a second season or at some other time. If and when that happens, she can act as the first major villain that Sam has to deal with as Captain America.

It’s been reported that The Falcon and the Winter Soldier wasn’t supposed to be the first time audiences laid eyes on the MCU’s Contessa Valentina Allegra de Fontaine. Instead, she was to appear first in Black Widow, but the release dates being pushed back forced that plan to change. That being said, Louis-Dreyfus can still appear in Black Widow in some capacity. If so, more about who she is could be revealed when the film releases in July 2021. It’s possible that she’s looking to bring HYDRA back in a big way, and that she’ll be pulling some strings during Black Widow’s adventure. When considering her espionage connections and background as a Russian spy in Marvel Comics, that would make a lot of sense. Regardless, whatever she’s up to in the movie can lead into her Phase 4 scheme and give fans an idea of what use she has for John Walker.

Marvel’s original plan to put Louis-Dreyfus in Black Widow and her cameo in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier hint at her having a big MCU arc. Madame Hydra was one of the most challenging opponents Captain America has ever faced in the comics, and there were even times where she was a threat to the entire Avengers team. If Fontaine is indeed the MCU’s Madame Hydra, it would be fitting for her to be utilized in a similar way. A character of her caliber deserves to be treated as a worthy adversary of Falcon, Bucky, and other MCU superheroes. She could act as somewhat of an evil counterpart to Nick Fury by involving herself in multiple stories, all to achieve her own goals.

As for where she could pop up again, she could return in upcoming MCU TV shows such as Armor Wars, Hawkeye, and Secret Invasion. Both she and Walker could appear in any of these shows as antagonists to the main characters. Based on the history of the original Madame Hydra in Marvel Comics, it would make sense for this version to use the conflicts that plays out in Armor Wars and Secret Invasion to HYDRA’s advantage. Fontaine herself had a role in Marvel Comics’ “Secret Invasion” event, as one of many people to be replaced by a Skrull imposter. Another possible direction Marvel can take her in is for her secret machinations to force a handful of heroes to form a new team on Avengers on Disney+.

Near mint, 1st print. Bagged & Boarded.