A businesswoman from the Midwest, Grace Valentine arrives at New York Beat magazine to talk about her feature on “the power and potential of the individual.” However, she is shocked to find out her article is being bumped by a different piece all about Carol Danvers. She returns to her hotel room where she meets with her partner Richard. They discuss her cell phone app, and Richard reveals to her that he knows it also secretly collects personal data from its users. Richard threatens to report her to the authorities, but Valentine knocks him out with a lamp.
Later, Mayor J. Jonah Jameson is presiding over a ceremony to honor Carol Danvers with the Key to the City of New York in return for her work saving the city. Valentine attacks Carol with military drones that she has hacked into. She beams a live video feed of herself onto screens around Times Square, revealing Carol’s alien nature and her history of alcoholism and her recent brain damage. However, the ordinary people of New York respond by standing alongside Carol to confuse the drones, which Carol proceeds to destroy. Valentine escapes, planning to disappear for a time.