Alexei Shostakov, also known as the Red Guardian, first appeared in 1967. Avengers #43 (by Roy Thomas and John Buscema) and has since become a soldier, a hero, a villain and everything in between. Although he only appears in a handful of comics, the Red Guardian’s inclusion in 2021’s Black widowPortrayed by Stranger Things star David Harbour, put Alexei back in the spotlight.
The MCU version of Alexei shares some personality traits with his comic book counterpart, but the two characters are very different. Usually linked to Black Widow, the popularity of Harbour’s portrayal and its inclusion in the 2023 film Love at first sight series (by Jackson Lanzing, Collin Kelly, Geraldo Borges and Joe Sabino), as well as the upcoming Love at first sight* film, could be a sign that readers are seeing a lot more of Alexei Shostakov in Marvel Comics.
Related
The Red Guardian is a decorated hero of the Soviet Union
Alexei was the ultimate soldier of the USSR
Alexei Shostakov began his career as a test pilot and quickly proved himself to be the best the Soviets had to offer. He was chosen to undertake their most dangerous and secret missions. Hailed as a hero, Alexei rose to semi-celebrity status and married a famous ballerina named Natalia Romanova.
Given Alexei’s impressive secret achievements, the KGB recruited the soldier as the new Red Guard. This forced him to cut off contact with everyone he knew, including his wife, Natalia. Believing Alexei to be dead, Natalia was recruited into the Black Widow program and later became the infamous Black Widow of the Avengers. During this time, Alexei underwent intense physical and mental training, making him a cold and ruthless weapon for the Soviet Union.
2h35
Related
What no one realized about The Red Guardian
With Alexei Shostakov appearing as the Red Guardian in Thunderbolts*, here’s some information about his comics past that some fans may not know.
The Red Guardian meets Captain America
Alexei’s first mission as Red Guardian didn’t go as planned
Years later, the Red Guardian was sent on a mission to help the Chinese military with a new weapon capable of causing mass hallucinations in an effort to defeat the United States. During the mission, Alexei met his ex-wife, Natalia.
SHIELD sent him with Hercules and Hawkeye to destroy the Chinese weapon. After revealing himself to Black Widow, the Avengers came to Natalia’s rescue and Red Guardian fought Captain America, determined to prove that he is the best soldier. Black Widow destroyed the weapon and Alexei put himself between her and a bullet, realizing he still loved Natalia.
Alexei sacrificed himself to let Black Widow and the other Avengers escape.
The Russians would later use Alexei as a model for their Life-Model decoys. Yet the Soviet soldier would eventually return as the secret mastermind of a plot to hand the Black Widow over to the Bulgarian government. Alexei would escape SHIELD custody and return as an assassin, Ronin, to the Dark Ocean Society, before being captured again.
While in SHIELD custody, Alexei was later escaped by Black Widow Yelena Belova, whom he then joined on a mission to destroy hard drives containing USSR secrets. After an altercation with the Winter Guard and Dracula, Alexei betrays Yelena but ultimately loses the hard drive and heads to Madripoor. Alexei kept a low profile until he recently resurfaced to join Bucky Barnes’ Thunderbolts in an assault on Red Skull’s castle and is currently still with the team.
4:18 p.m.
Related
15 Strongest Marvel Super Soldiers, Ranked
The Marvel Universe features super soldiers just as powerful as Captain America – sometimes even more so!
Powers and Abilities of the Red Guardian
Alexei may not be a super soldier in the comics, but he’s more than capable
Unlike his MCU counterpart, Alexei is not a super soldier in the comics. Although still created to be Captain America’s Russian counter-power, The Red Guardian possesses no superhuman abilities outside of his own athleticism and training.
Before becoming the Red Guardian, Alexei was considered the best pilot in the Soviet Union. He was trained in multiple forms of hand-to-hand combat and espionage after being recruited by the KGB. Alexei also donned the Red Guardian’s shield, originally worn by the fourth Red Guardian Josef Petkus, which was later cast in Vibranium.
Although Alexei is the best known, he was not the first Red Guardian
Eight people have taken on the role throughout the characters’ history
While Alexei Shostakov has become the most well-known Red Guardian among MCU fans, the Red Guardian is a mantle passed down to many different people over the years. Alexei wasn’t even the first to hold this title, as Russian soldier Aleksey Lebedev was the first to bear the name during World War II. After failing to secure a stronghold for Hitler, Lebedev fought alongside Wiliam Nasland/Captain America and Namor at the Potsdam Conference in 1945.
Aleksey was later killed during the Soviet purge of the 1950s for objecting to being subjected to the experiments that would become the basis of Alexei’s training as the new Red Guardian.
After Alexei’s apparent death, Dr. Andrei Belinsky’s daughter, Tania Belinskaya, became the leader of the Soviet dissident movement. When Dr. Belinsky was sent to Siberia for publicly criticizing the Soviet Union, Tania took on the role of the Red Guardian to free him and fight for others affected by the oppressive regime.. Tania would function as Red Guardian for a time, even joining the Defenders in 1976. The defenders #36 (by Steve Gerber, Mary Skrenes, Sal Buscema, Klaus Johnson and Joe Rosen). Belinsky later returned to Russia and after an encounter with the villainous Presence, she became composed of pure nuclear energy and took the name Starlight.
The fourth person to take on the role of the Red Guardian was Josef Petkus, a special agent of the Soviet Union and member of the Supreme Soviets who acted as the Soviet version of the Avengers. After the fall of the Soviet Union, Petkus led a new group called the People’s Protectorate and joined forces with the Avengers and Alpha Flight. The People’s Protectorate eventually became the Winter Guard, and Josef took on the new title of Steel Guardian. After Petkus became the Steel Guardian, Krassno Granitsky would briefly assume the role in 1998. Nonconformist #10 (by Jorge Gonzales, Leo Fernandez, Andrew Pepoy, Kevin Somers and Chris Eliopoulos). His career was short-lived and he was killed off in the first issue of Ed Brubaker’s novel in 2004. Captain America series.
Related
13 Marvel Characters Black Widow Has Had a Relationship With
Known as one of Marvel Comics’ greatest spies, Black Widow has had many relationships throughout her comic book history.
After Alexei’s image was used for the Life Model Decoy robot that became the fifth Red Guardian, the role was passed to an engineer and member of the Winter Guard named Anton. Anton used his engineering skills to transfer his mind into Alexei’s life model decoy and become the seventh Red Guardian. Anton would fight with the Winter Guard for a time and defended Russia against the Skrull invasion in 2008. Iron Man: Director of SHIELD. #34 (by Chris N. Gage, Sean Chen, Sandu Florea, Jay David Ramos and Joe Caramagna).
After Anton’s death in the 2010s Darkstar and the Winter Guard #3 (by David Gallaher, Steve Ellis, Scott Hanna, Vale Staples and Scott O. Brown), Winter Guard teammate and Russian super-soldier Nikolai Krylenko, a mutant known as Vanguard, became the eighth Red Guardian for a time. Shortly after, Krylenko reclaimed the Vanguard name but retained the Red Guardian suit and shield when Alexei Shostakov reclaimed the title.
Alexei Shostakov in the MCU
The MCU Red Guardian is very different from the comics
While sharing some similarities, Alexei’s story in the MCU is very different from the comics. In the MCU, Alexi was not a pilot but an agent of the Soviet armed forces during the Cold War. Shostakov was given the only super soldier serum recreated in Russia, which gave him incredible strength and endurance, similar to that of Captain America.and he became the Red Guardian. As the Red Guardian, Alexei became a famous national celebrity and beloved by the public.
|
Powers and Abilities of the Red Guardian in the MCU |
|
|---|---|
|
Improved strength: |
Through his exposure to the Super Soldier serum, Alexei has demonstrated incredible feats of strength, such as lifting a multi-ton object and being able to break through reinforced steel doors. |
|
Improved durability: |
Alexei is much tougher than an average human, being able to survive falling from incredible heights and taking beatings from some of the best. |
|
Improved Speed and Agility: |
Alexei can run at speeds similar to Captain America, take a plane on foot, and travel great distances to escape from prison. |
|
Healing factor: |
The Super Soldier Serum also enhanced Alexei’s healing abilities, allowing him to quickly recover from his injuries and significantly slowing his metabolic rate. |
|
Hand-to-hand combat expert: |
Trained by the KGB, Alexei is very proficient in many forms of combat and, according to him, even beat Captain America in a fight. |
|
Weapons Expert and Sniper: |
Being a highly trained soldier before receiving the serum, Alexei is proficient in many forms of weaponry, including shield combat. |
|
Secret espionage: |
After serving as the Red Guardian, Alexei became a Soviet spy who infiltrated the United States for years and accomplished his mission without being discovered. |
Once the Soviet Union collapsed, the Red Guardian was no longer needed. Alexei was assigned as a secret agent in Ohio along with Black Widow agent Melina Voastokoff by General Dreykov. The couple dressed up as an all-American family with two children, Natasha Romanoff and Yelena Belova. After completing their mission, Alexei was betrayed by Dreykov and sent to prison, while Natasha and Yelena were sent to the Red Room for widow training.
Years later, Natasha and Yelena break Alexei out of prison, and he takes up the title of Red Guardian to help them take down Dreykov and the Red Chamber. After their victory, Alexei is last seen flying off with Melina and Yelena as Natasha is taken into government custody.
Related
Why Black Widow deserves more love from MCU fans
Black Widow finally gave Natasha Romanoff her own movie in the MCU. However, despite excellent quality, fans weren’t so happy with it.
The role of the Red Guardian in Thunderbolts*
The Red Guardian returns with a whole new team of misfits
Marvel’s Thunderbolts* will see the return of the Red Guardian, teaming up with some of Marvel’s most morally gray characters, including Yelena Belova and Bucky Barnes, the Winter Soldier. Although the extent of her role in the film is unknown, the Thunderbolts* trailer shows fans that Yelena recruits Alexei in her dirty apartment to join the Thunderbolts.
Red Guardian is more than happy to be invited on another adventure.
This first look at the character appears to be inspired by his comic appearance in 2021. Winter Guard miniseries (by Ryan Cady, Djibril Morissette-Phan, Jan Bazaldua, Federico Blee and Ariana Maher). In the series, Yelena similarly recruits Alexei for a mission to steal USSR military files involving Alexei as well as his recruitment to the Thunderbolts in 2023. Thunderclap series (by Jackson Lanzing, Collin Kelly, Geraldo Borges and Joe Sabino).
With Alexei being a super soldier in the MCU, it will be interesting for fans to dig deeper into his unknown history as the Red Guardian and what he has been up to over the past ten years since the events of Black widow.
Love at first sight*
- Director
-
Jake Schreier
- Release date
-
May 2, 2025