To say that Contessa Valentina Allegra De Fontaine is something of a shady figure would be quite the understatement, and while the character has yet to make her mark in the Marvel Cinematic Universe in a meaningful way, she's had her fingers in numerous pies in the comics for years.
Val (Julia Louis-Dreyfus) is expected to form the team in the upcoming Thunderbolts* movie, but it seems she may also be fronting another shadowy organization.
Possible spoilers follow.
According to The Cosmic Circus, Val's OXE Group (or O.X.E.) will factor into the movie. How big a role this organization will play remains to be seen, but it could have major implication for the winder MCU going forward.
In the comics, OXE is described as the largest holding company in the World, and has ties to the secret Kratos Club, "a group of industrial multimillionaires whose goal is to use their influence to ensure that the right things get done, no matter what." The more recent incarnation of the group is known as O.X.E., and is affiliated with the Outer Circle, another organization that has influenced the world by controlling global politics and government.
This version of O.X.E. was actually founded by Allegra de Fontaine’s Life-Model Decoy, but it seems unlikely that the movie would adapt such a recent comic book arc.
Again, we have no idea if OXE/O.X.E. will have a significant presence in the movie, but if they do feature, you can bet we'll be seeing a lot more of them in the future.
Photos from the set of Thunderbolts* have begun to find their way online, and we recently got a look at Bucky Barnes (Sebastian Stan) sporting a longer hairstyle and goatee.
Though other characters might well be added, the Thunderbolts roster currently consists of Red Guardian (David Harbour), Ghost (Hannah John-Kamen), Yelena Belova (Florence Pugh), Bucky Barnes/The Winter Soldier (Sebastian Stan), John Walker/U.S. Agent (Wyatt Russell), and Taskmaster (Kurylenko).
As for Sentry, Lewis Pullman (Salem's Lot, Top Gun Maverick) recently joined the cast as the powerful, unstable character, replacing The Walking Dead alum Steven Yeun in the role.
There were rumors that Harrison Ford's Thaddeus "Thunderbolt" Ross would be involved, but that's yet to be confirmed. Black Widow's Melina Vostokoff (Rachel Weisz) and Bill Foster (Laurence Fishburne) from Ant-Man and the Wasp are also rumored to appear.
Thunderbolts* is currently set to be released in theaters on May 2, 2025.