by Several scenes involving Julia Louis-Dreyfus (Contessa Valentina Allegra de Fontaine) were omitted from the final version of Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, according to new commentary.
In Falcon and the Winter Soldier, when she first made an appearance as Val, Louis-Dreyfus then debuted as Black Widow.
Then, after more than a year with no further appearances from the character, she returned in 2022’s Black Panther sequel (though there was a hint that she will play a significant role in the Phase 5-ending Thunderbolts movie).
Even though she only appeared in a few sequences, which revealed that she had once been married to Everett Ross, her part in the movie did not go unnoticed by viewers.
It turns out that more with the character was filmed but was not used in the final cut, according to Wakanda Forever director Ryan Coogler and other members of the behind-the-scenes team. Fans now understand why.
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Why Does Val Appear Less in Black Panther 2?
There were “tons” of scenes with Julia Louis-Dreyfus (Contessa Valentina Allegra de Fontaine) that were filmed for the MCU sequel, but many of them were removed from the finished picture, according to the director commentary for Black Panther: Wakanda Forever.
According to director Ryan Coogler, co-writer Joe Robert Cole, and cinematographer Autumn Durald Arkapaw, who spoke about Louis-Dreyfus and a few of the scenes she featured in, this new knowledge has come to light.
Coogler claimed that “tons” of takes of the first scene in which Val appears were shot, many of which were “too funny for the movie:”
Cole: “How many different versions of the dialogue in this scene did we have?”
Coogler: “In this one? Oh, boy. (laughs) Man, tons. Tons, man. Big shout-out to Joe. And then I got to work with Julia Louis-Dreyfus, which is awesome. She’s a lovely woman. Crazy funny. Some of the stuff she would do was too funny for the movie. I can’t… (laughs) Man.”
Cole: “I feel like we had this in the garage at one point. (laughs) Bro, there was like, all sorts of, like… This conversation.”
Arkapaw: “It was in a garage.”
Coogler: “It was. Yeah, I wasn’t–”
Arkapaw: “It wan’t supposed to be.”
Coogler: “Yeah, it was in a garage, and we moved it outside. And Autumn got mad at me.”
Arkapaw: “I was waiting for you to bring that up.”
Coogler: “I think I moved it at the last second. She was like, ‘Dude, we rigged this whole thing. What are you doing?’ I’m like, ‘I think I’ll put it outside.’ She’s like, ‘I’m going to kill you.’
Arkapaw: “But it’s so much better outside.”
Coogler: “It came out good.”
Arkapaw: “And so much better outside. And I could not see it that day.”
Phase 5: A Comedic Villain?
Val continues to be a somewhat enigmatic character for the MCU despite making appearances in three MCU films as of right now. She is well-known to comic book readers, although it is unclear how much of her comic book history will be incorporated into the MCU in the future.
According to Coogler, Cole, and Arkapaw’s observations, Val might make further appearances as a comic character as well as a serious, mission-driven one. This is not really surprising given that Louis-Dreyfus plays her; after all, the actress is famed for her humorous roles in Seinfeld and Veep, to mention a few.
Yet nothing is known about how Val will integrate into the greater MCU, save from what fans have already discovered about the character personally and this new knowledge regarding Wakanda Forever.
In fact, fans are unsure of whether she will play a villain, an anti-hero, or perhaps a hero. Louis-Dreyfus herself mirrored this sentiment, adding to the enigma surrounding this persona.
Fans already know that Val will feature in the 2024 Thunderbolts movie, but who knows? Maybe she’ll show up earlier and keep the audience laughing. Her comic abilities will flourish in the MCU like never before, despite some of her material being “too funny” for the more sombre Wakanda Forever.
You can watch Black Panther: Wakanda Forever right now on Disney+.
