Julia Louis-Dreyfus on MCU’s Thunderbolts: She Wants to Hit Somebody

The first three phases of the Marvel Cinematic Universe had Nick Fury. The next three, at least, have Contessa Valentina Allegra de la Fontaine. Played by seven-time Emmy award-winner Julia Louis-Dreyfus, the shady character has popped up several times so far, and in her upcoming Marvel movie, Thunderbolts, the Seinfeld and Veep star wants to take things up a notch. She wants to hit somebody.

“I actually pitched it,” Louis-Dreyfus told Variety. “I told [Marvel] I really, really want to fight. We’ll see if that happens. I haven’t seen the script yet.” Set for release July 26, 2024, Thunderbolts will bring an end to Phase Five of the MCU, gearing up for the beginning of Phase Six. The team-up film, directed by Jake Schreier, features returning MCU characters Yelena Bolova (Florence Pugh), Bucky Barnes (Sebastian Stan), U.S. Agent (Wyatt Russell), Red Guardian (David Harbour), Taskmaster (Olga Kurylenko), Ghost (Hannah John-Kamen), and Thaddeous Ross (the man himself, Harrison Ford).

Somehow fitting into all of that is Val and, as Black Panther: Wakanda Forever producer Nate Moore told io9 last year, it’s an important part to play. “[In Wakanda Forever] you see Val sort of exerting her will more and more into the MCU, and that’s going to continue,” Moore said. “And it may seem unintentional, but it actually is building towards a larger narrative that we think is interesting … You start to see her as a Fury-esque character who is pulling some strings and the hope is her agenda is altruistic but who can be sure?”

Louis-Dreyfus also told Variety that filming starts in June so expect to get more drips and drabs in the coming months as new Marvel movies are released, all leading to Thunderbolts next summer.

Want more io9 news? Check out when to expect the latest Marvel, Star Wars, and Star Trek releases, what’s next for the DC Universe on film and TV, and everything you need to know about the future of Doctor Who.