Meet Contessa Valentina Allegra de Fontaine, Master Spy and Double Agent

Spies lurk in every corner of the Marvel Universe, but few hold as many secrets as Contessa Valentina Allegra de Fontaine. Even though Valentina, or Val for short, spent her career close to Nick Fury Sr. and fought alongside S.H.I.E.L.D., she kept her true motivations hidden. As a master of espionage, Val manipulated her way into becoming a leader of both S.H.I.E.L.D. and Hydra while working for Leviathan, an even more secretive organization.

In THUNDERBOLTS: DOOMSTRIKE (2025), Val is set to face her most cunning foe yet: herself. Valentina found a place in Doctor Doom's global empire, but her robotic duplicate joined Bucky Barnes, Yelena Belova, and the rest of the Thunderbolts to oppose Doom's reign. Let’s take a closer look at Val and break down why she's one of the most dangerous spies in the Marvel Universe.

WHO IS VALENTINA DE FONTAINE?

To this day, Valentina Allegra de Fontaine’s real name remains unknown; her parents posed as a wealthy Italian family, which led to their deaths. They had been members of Leviathan, a Soviet-era spy organization Val also pledged allegiance to. When Val first appeared in STRANGE TALES (1951) #159 by Jim Steranko, she seemed to be a new S.H.I.E.L.D. recruit. However, Val was deep undercover as a double agent.

On the orders of Leviathan, Val leaned into the role of the mourning daughter who wanted revenge. This act led to Dum Dum Dugan recruiting her for S.H.I.E.L.D. While training at S.H.I.E.L.D.'s covert academy, Val met the elder Nick Fury, who was skeptical of her presence there. As Fury criticized her, Val brought him to the ground with a judo throw, which deeply impressed him.
 

VAL AND NICK FURY

After their first meeting, Valentina and Nick Fury grew closer both personally and professionally. Along with S.H.I.E.L.D. agent Clay Quartermain, Val insisted on teaming up with Nick to take on Plan Chu, a criminal mastermind who was actually a robot controlled by Doctor Doom. While working together, the relationship between Nick and Val became romantic in NICK FURY, AGENT OF S.H.I.E.L.D. (1968) #2.

During a battle against Scorpio, the crime lord replaced Fury and made him look like a Life-Model Decoy, a robotic duplicate frequently used by S.H.I.E.L.D. and its foes. The Contessa realized that something seemed off about the supposed robot, paving the way for Nick to strike back against the villain.

Nick and Val's relationship briefly ended when he was accused of betraying S.H.I.E.L.D. Although ultimately proven innocent, Fury rekindled his romance with a woman named Laura Brown.

AGENT OF S.H.I.E.L.D.

Valentina remained a major figure within S.H.I.E.L.D. even as she and Nick Fury grew apart. She joined an all-woman S.H.I.E.L.D. squad called Femme Force in CAPTAIN AMERICA (1968) #144. However, she feuded with the team's leader, Sharon Carter, and flirted with Captain America (Steve Rogers). Captain America and Fury grew apart as their mutual interest in Val drove a wedge between them.

In MARVEL SPOTLIGHT (1971) #31 by Jim Starlin and Howard Chaykin, Val learned one of Fury’s greatest secrets: he kept himself young with an annual dose of the Infinity Formula. This serum dramatically slowed his body's aging. When the criminal Steel Harris tried to withhold the substance from Fury, the Contessa found the secret formula and gave him a life-saving injection.

THE END AND REBIRTH OF S.H.I.E.L.D.

Despite her true allegiances, Valentina continued to pose as a dedicated S.H.I.E.L.D. agent for years. After villainous Life-Model Decoys took over S.H.I.E.L.D., Fury investigated the conspiracy in NICK FURY VS. S.H.I.E.L.D. (1988) #1 by Bob Harras and Paul Neary. Once S.H.I.E.L.D. branded Nick a traitor, Val felt obligated to bring him in. However, she too was replaced by a robotic L.M.D. When Fury eventually defeated the machines, S.H.I.E.L.D. disbanded, and Valentina went to work with the CIA.

To take on the alien Death's Head Squadron and Hydra, Valentina teamed up with Fury and several other ex-S.H.I.E.L.D. agents in NICK FURY: AGENT OF S.H.I.E.L.D. (1989) #1. She convinced Nick to restart S.H.I.E.L.D. and joined the reformed organization as one of its first recruits.

Although they were romantically involved with other people, Val and Nick also considered restarting their relationship. This contemplation was cut short after a Hydra attack left Val seriously injured. Once recovered, she recommitted herself to S.H.I.E.L.D. and eventually resumed her relationship with Nick.

DIRECTOR OF S.H.I.E.L.D.

After dedicating years to the agency, Valentina Allegra de Fontaine became the leader of S.H.I.E.L.D. following the apparent assassination of Nick Fury by a brainwashed Punisher. While longtime allies like Captain America and Sharon Carter thought Fury faked his death, Val took the loss of her partner seriously and succeeded him as the Director of S.H.I.E.L.D.

As Director, Val had a tense encounter with X-Force, oversaw Kitty Pryde joining S.H.I.E.L.D., and commanded the agency as a fleet of Sentinels brought down the Helicarrier during an attack by the psychic entity, Onslaught. Val stepped down when Fury resurfaced in an artificial pocket dimension; the dead Fury was revealed to have been an L.M.D.

VAL IN THE SHADOWS

In the following years, Valentina de Fontaine disappeared to the edges of the Marvel Universe. She briefly resurfaced as S.H.I.E.L.D.'s representative to the United Kingdom, where she helped Union Jack. She also joined a small squad with G.W. Bridge, Silver Sable, and Domino to capture the Punisher and his nemesis, Jigsaw, in PUNISHER: WAR JOURNAL (2006) #14 by Matt Fraction and Scott Wegener.

Around this time, the Skrulls secretly replaced Valentina with one of their alien shape-shifters. When Nick Fury seemingly met his longtime love, he sensed something off about "Val" and killed the imposter in MIGHTY AVENGERS (2007) #12. As she reverted to her alien form, Nick uncovered the Skrulls' invasion efforts and quietly assembled a group of heroes called the Secret Warriors. During SECRET INVASION (2008), the heroes rescued Val, but she turned down Fury’s offer to join his team and seemingly retired.

BECOMING MADAME HYDRA

Still acting on behalf of Leviathan, Valentina secretly joined Hydra and became the new Madame Hydra in SECRET WARRIORS (2009) #6 by Jonathan Hickman, Brian Michael Bendis, and Stefano Caselli. As Madame Hydra, Val joined the High Council of Hydra and coordinated attacks against Fury's team, even as she continued meeting with Nick.

With the help of her Hydra ally Viper, Val acquired a mysterious box and gave it to Magadan, the leader of the resurgent Leviathan. Val then executed Viper and returned to Leviathan to help Magadan use the box to resurrect the organization's hibernating army.

By the end of a three-way war between the covert groups, Leviathan was destroyed, the Hydra High Council disbanded, and Fury's team had taken heavy losses. Val allowed herself to get arrested to catch Fury's attention. Despite their competing loyalties, Val confirmed her feelings for Nick, who prepared to break her out in SECRET WARRIORS (2009) #28. 

VAL AND THE THUNDERBOLTS

Valentina de Fontaine created an espionage agency called O.X.E. before seemingly dying in a gulag. However, the Outer Circle, an Illuminati-like group, made an L.M.D. of Val to carry on O.X.E.'s mission. After bringing down the Outer Circle, Bucky Barnes approached the Val L.M.D. about using her resources to form a new team in THUNDERBOLTS (2023) #1 by Collin Kelly, Jackson Lanzing, and Geraldo Borges.

On the Thunderbolts' first mission, Val joined Bucky, Sharon Carter, and Red Guardian in an attack on the Red Skull. As their efforts continued, these Thunderbolts grew to include Black Widow (Natasha Romanova), White Widow (Yelena Belova), U.S. Agent, and Shang-Chi. Although their mission ultimately succeeded, Val's L.M.D. body was destroyed and she took a new robotic form. 

VAL AND DOCTOR DOOM

While the real Valentina was presumed dead, she resurfaced with a new identity and a new commander: Doctor Doom. After Doom became Sorcerer Supreme and took over the world, he offered Bucky to join his ranks. Bucky refused, incurring Doom's wrath as the Latverian ruler destroyed the Thunderbolts' base in THUNDERBOLTS: DOOMSTRIKE (2025) #1.

When Doom made a similar offer to Val, she eagerly accepted and became the leader of Doom's secret police and his new Thunderbolts. Incensed by the existence of her robotic duplicate, Val began wearing the armor of Citizen V, a patriotic identity once used by Baron Zemo. Val lured Bucky's team into attacking a vibranium shipment, where she single-handedly defeated his squad. With a decisive blow, Valentina Allegra de Fontaine reminded the Thunderbolts she is one of the most formidable spies in the Marvel Universe. 

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