Contessa Valentina Allegra de Fontaine in the MC2

 

With Marvel Studios latest entry in the Marvel Cinematic Universe franchise looming on the horizon, now is finally the time to look at an oft underestimated character from the annals of the MC2. Yes, Thunderbolts* will feature Julia Louis-Dreyfus once again portraying none other than ‘Val’, or as she is known in the pages of Marvel Comics the Contessa Valentina Allegra de Fontaine. This is Contessa Valentina Allegra de Fontaine in the MC2.

 

The Contessa Valentina Allegra de Fontaine first appeared in 1967’s Strange Tales #159 in a Nick Fury, Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D.  story by writer and artist Jim Steranko. She would eventually reach a high ranking status with the spy organisation, even being appointed as Director of S.H.I.E.L.D. upon the apparent death of her on-again, off-again lover Nicholas Fury (Captain America #449).

 

As for her counterpart in the MC2, the Contessa Valentina Allegra de Fontaine of Universe-982 debuted in Amazing Spider-Girl #9. Valentina led a team of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. during the Carnage story arc. Agent Maria Hill tasks Special Agent Arthur Weadon and his team of former villains led by Kaine with safeguarding the transport of an item referred to only as 'Specimen 297' (actually a piece of the Carnage symbiote) through New York City. When the transport convoy is attacked by the faction of S.H.I.E.L.D. agents led by Contessa Valentina Allegra de Fontaine and the Specimen accidentally let loose in the city by Spider-Girl, Carnage is reborn.

 

Nick Fury makes his first on-panel appearance in the MC2 - albeit shrouded in shadow-when he assures President G.W. Bridge the situation would be resolved despite the complications as he has his best Agent on the case. After an attack by Carnage at Café Indigo, Hill dispatches S.H.I.E.L.D. agents and Weadon’s team to track down Spider-Girl for questioning about her involvement (Amazing Spider-Girl #10-#11).

 

After evading both groups, Spider-Girl is reacquired during a battle with Carnage, with Maria Hill sending Weadon’s team and S.H.I.E.L.D. after her once more which results in Carnage attacking all of them. Fortunately, Spider-Girl manages to save everyone involved, but her baby brother Benjy, now merged with a part of the Carnage symbiote, is taken by the villain. Hill calls for emergency aid before following them to Midtown Medical Center (Amazing Spider-Girl #12).

 

 We learn through the investigative work of Kaine and Darkdevil the true plot: the United States was unwilling to destroy the Carnage symbiote despite the United Nations stance on the use of bio-weapons, G.W. Bridge and Nick Fury organised for Valentina’s team of disguised S.H.I.E.L.D. Agents to 'steal' the Specimen, setting up Weadon's team to fail.  This was all to demonstrate the dangers to the congressional committee wishing to keep the symbiote for bio-weapon research under the guise of finding a cure for cancer (Amazing Spider-Girl #12).

 

Maria Hill reports back to Nick Fury that Specimen 297 has been fully neutralized. Despite the operation not going as planned, the situation was salvaged thanks to Spider-Girl's intervention, providing the President with a sound rationale to convince the congressional committee to destroy the remaining Specimen (Amazing Spider-Girl #12).

 

That’s it for Contessa Valentina Allegra de Fontaine in the MC2. She’s still doing shady operations for S.H.I.E.L.D. even if she can neither confirm nor deny them.

 

Until I stop enjoying writing ‘Contessa Valentina Allegra de Fontaine’ in full, I remain

 

frogoat

Symbiote-Symmetry

 

Yes, it’s that time once again! For today’s post we have a brief entry in the occasional series where I endeavour to highlight the visual or narrative symmetry between the Spider-Man and Spider-Girl comics. For this entry, a look at another example of Symbiote-Symmetry, once again delivered by MC2 co-creator, artist extraordinaire and friendly fella, Ron Frenz. And yes, it’s another Venom Symbiote post too so consider this a sort of  Venom: The Last Dance tie-in!

 

First up, we have the trippy one-shot Carnage tale, Carnage: Mind Bomb. Specifically, this gnarly cover by artist Kyle Hotz, who’s unique rendition of the psychotic red symbiote inspired the look of Carnage in the Spider-Man Unlimited animated series:

 

And here’s an interior page from Spider-Girl #83 depicting the Venom symbiote bonded with Normie Osborn (after receiving a hellfire burn from the vigilante Darkdevil) as drawn by Ron Frenz:

 

 

Until I stop seeing the systematic similarities of symbiotic and spidery symbolism, I remain

 

frogoat

 

 

Spider-Symmetry: Spider-Man '67 and Spider-Girl

For today’s super-quick post we have another entry in the shamelessly swiped Spider-Symmetry series. Ron Frenz presents Spider-Symmetry: Spider-Man ’67 and Spider-Girl.

 

Spider-Girl and MC2 co-creator and artist extraordinaire Ron Frenz is an admitted lifelong fan of the original 1967 Spider-Man cartoon and he once again took the opportunity to slip several direct references into Amazing Spider-Girl. I’ll let Ron’s own Facebook post provide the explanation:

99% Inspiration!

Remember the 1967 Spider-man cartoon? Every frame is pretty much burned into my frontal lobe!

As the show changed production teams they would spend(waste?) several minutes of any given episode with a traveling montage of the web-spinner web-swinging through the concrete canyons of New York City accompanied by some of the coolest soundtrack music known to man IMHO!

We've spoken before of my cartoon-addled brain and my tendency to indulge it in my comics work, well here's another example from the pages of The Amazing Spider-Girl!

Mayday Parker is desperately searching the city for her missing Father and infant Brother who have been taken by Carnage! (I know!)

Inks by Mr.Sal Buscema, colors by Gotham, letters by Mr.Dave Sharpe and words by The Legendary Tom DeFalco!

This calls for a traveling montage! Cue the music!!

 

For anyone wondering, the issue referenced is Amazing Spider-Girl #11 and an example of previous ’67 homage would be La Fantome aka Staci Smythe. Mr Frenz has even talked about some unused concepts such as a Halloween story idea ‘Night of Evil’.

 

Here’s the page and referenced shots for comparison:

 

Until I stop appreciating the deep love the Spider-Girl creative team has for all things Spidey and more, I remain

 

frogoat

 

Maria Hill in the MC2

 

With the release of Marvel’s Secret Invasion series on Disney+ prominently featuring former Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. Maria Hill as portrayed by Cobie Smoulders’ who has played the character in the Marvel Cinematic Universe since 2012’s The Avengers, I thought now would be an opportune time to finally cover Maria Hill in the MC2.

 

Maria Hill made her debut in the pages of New Avengers #4 in 2005 though was apparently originally meant to first appear in the Secret War mini-series before lengthy delays saw it released far later. In either event, she replaced Nick Fury as Director of S.H.I.E.L.D. during that period.

 

Meanwhile in the MC2, we see some familiar faces amongst the Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. during the Carnage story arc, with Maria Hill making the scene in Amazing Spider-Girl #9. On behalf of her ‘superiors’ Agent Maria Hill tasks Special Agent Arthur Weadon and his team of former villains led by Kaine with safeguarding the transport of an item referred to only as 'Specimen 297' (actually a piece of the Carnage symbiote) through New York City. When the transport convoy is attacked by a faction of S.H.I.E.L.D. Agents led by Contessa Valentina Allegra de Fontaine (who will no doubt warrant her own post someday) and the Specimen accidentally let loose in the city by Spider-Girl, Carnage is reborn.

 

With the New York City Police Department on the scene (including Police Scientist Peter Parker), Special Agent Maria Hill obstructs Captain Ruiz’s investigation of the situation before chastising Special Agent Arthur Weadon and his team’s failure to protect the Specimen. Nick Fury makes his first on-panel appearance in the MC2 - albeit shrouded in shadow-when he assures President G.W. Bridge the situation would be resolved despite the complications as he has his best Agent on the case. After an attack by Carnage at Café Indigo, Hill dispatches S.H.I.E.L.D. agents and Weadon’s team to track down Spider-Girl for questioning about her involvement (Amazing Spider-Girl #10-#11).

 

After evading both groups, Spider-Girl is reacquired during a battle with Carnage, with Maria Hill sending Weadon’s team and S.H.I.E.L.D. after her once more which results in Carnage attacking all of them. Fortunately, Spider-Girl manages to save everyone involved, but her baby brother Benjy, now merged with a part of the Carnage symbiote, is taken by the villain. Hill calls for emergency aid before following them to Midtown Medical Center (Amazing Spider-Girl #12).

 

 We learn through the investigative work of Kaine and Darkdevil the true plot: the United States was unwilling to destroy the Carnage symbiote despite the United Nations stance on the use of bio-weapons, G.W. Bridge and Nick Fury organised for the team of disguised S.H.I.E.L.D. Agents to 'steal' the Specimen, setting up Weadon's team to fail.  This was all to demonstrate the dangers to the congressional committee wishing to keep the symbiote for bio-weapon research under the guise of finding a cure for cancer (Amazing Spider-Girl #12).

Maria Hill reports back to Nick Fury that Specimen 297 has been fully neutralized. Despite the operation not going as planned, the situation was salvaged thanks to Spider-Girl's intervention, providing the President with a sound rationale to convince the congressional committee to destroy the remaining Specimen (Amazing Spider-Girl #12).

 

As for where Special Agent Maria Hill next appears in the MC2, we turn to the American Dream mini-series. These appearances are tricky. Maria Hill shows up so you would think she was working for S.H.I.E.L.D. but dialogue and recap pages both state she is working for the National Security Force. I would be inclined to accept that Hill simply changed employers since her last appearance, except every issue after she shows up in American Dream #2 clearly depicts her in full S.H.I.E.L.D. uniform and leading other agents also clad in S.H.I.E.L.D. uniform.

 

Maria Hill calls into Avengers Compound to order Shannon Carter aka  American Dream to cease her inquiries into the crystalline creatures she had encountered. After some consideration and discussion with the rest of the Avengers, American Dream decides to continue her investigation while seeking a missing person (American Dream #2).  

 

Returning to Avengers Compound with a federal warrant to assume custody of a crystal creature, Hill proceeds to chastise American Dream, and tells her again to back off before she and the rest of the Avengers are charged with treason. This prompts American Dream to resign from the Avengers to protect them while she pursued the matter solo (American Dream #3).

 

For good measure, Hill angrily makes a third trip to Avengers Compound to arrest American Dream after she is spotted at a classified crime scene, only to be told by Edwin Jarvis that he does not know where the former Avenger has gone. After threatening to take Jarvis in as an accessory, Thunderstrike steps in to defend him, questioning why Hill is trying to stop the investigation. We soon learn that S.H.I.E.L.D. is attempting to discover how to destroy the crystalline creatures to prevent them falling into enemy hands, unaware they are actually illegal immigrants who’ve been unwillingly transformed by the villain Silikong. When the one in their custody reawakens, Hill finds herself shorthanded (American Dream #4).

While across town the Avengers locate and aid American Dream in her fight against the combined forces of Hope Pym aka The Red Queen, Ion Man, Silikong and his crystalline creatures, Maria Hill and her agents struggle against their single foe until the control over the creatures is stopped by Dream. This leads Special Agent Maria Hill to admit she has some grovelling to do and we later learn that Hill has arrested Silikong and will try to reverse the process used on the victims of his experiments (American Dream #5).

 

Maria Hill in the MC2 is a good example of a Main Marvel Universe character who debuted after the point at which the MC2 diverges, with very different events unfolding. Her appearance in the MC2 acts as a nice nod to the New Avengers era of the Main Marvel Universe in much the same way as references to Luke Cage established his membership on that team in the MC2’s own history.

 

Until I perform dual duties as an National Security Agent and an Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D., I remain

 

frogoat