Marvel’s latest series, Secret Invasion, is ending, but it can still change Marvel’s Cinematic Universe. With only one episode remaining, we’re all wondering how Nick Fury’s fight against the Skrull insurgence will conclude, and whether the series will affect future Marvel projects. There hasn’t been much crossover in the MCU lately, but Secret Invasion did bring some familiar faces together, and there’s still room for a few more.
In particular, fans are anticipating an appearance from Contessa Valentina Allegra de Fontaine (Julia Louis-Dreyfus). Given her comic book history with Fury, it wouldn’t be surprising if she showed up. Fury’s been out of the game for a few years now, to the point where many assume he’s got nothing left to offer. But he’s still got a few more cards left to play... if the Contessa doesn’t swoop in and take them.
In the series’ penultimate episode, “Harvest,” Fury unveiled his best-kept secret. After the climactic battle in Avengers: Endgame, our favorite Avenger collected and hoarded superhero DNA. Skrull General Gravik (Kingsley Ben-Adir) managed to get his hands on a few samples, and has been creating Super Skrulls with them. Now, Gravik wants The Harvest, a serum that contains the DNA of major Avengers like Captain Marvel.
If Gravik gets his hands on the Harvest, he could create an army of superpowered Skrulls. But is he the only one who knows the Harvest exists? Given how small a world he and Fury live in, there’s a chance that major intelligence agencies are already aware of it. That includes the CIA, which Contessa leads as Director.
Fury’s plate is full enough without the introduction of the Contessa, but it would make a lot of sense for her to cameo in Secret Invasion. The Harvest may seem like a last-minute plot point, but it could play a role in a future MCU project, Thunderbolts.
Per The Direct, the Harvest may be used to create the ultimate weapon for the anti-hero team. Thunderbolts will apparently pit its anti-hero team against a Superman-like villain; what if this “evil Superman” was a monster of their own making? If the Contessa manages to get the serum, she could use it to create a powerful new being like Sentry, a complicated hero who frequently struggles against his villainous alter ego.
Sentry isn’t an easy character to adapt on-screen, and he may even be too big for Thunderbolts, but the Contessa could still be involved in Secret Invasion. Even if she doesn’t appear in the series finale, her path is all but guaranteed to cross with Fury’s in the future. She’s being set up as the anti-Fury, and her Thunderbolts are basically the Avengers without a moral compass. That will only cause more problems for the fractured Avengers — and its progenitor — down the line.
