How does Black Widow's Red Guardian compare to the original Marvel comic book character? The Marvel Cinematic Universe contains plenty of thrown-together families that are heartwarming in their dysfunction. Both the Avengers and the Guardians of the Galaxy fall into this category, as well as Scott Lang's eclectic band of thieves and Carol Danvers' rocky relationship with the Rambeaus. Take out the "heartwarming," and you could even include Thanos and his children adopted from across the galaxy. However, Black Widow contains arguably the best motley family unit seen so far in the MCU.
Set in the immediate aftermath of Captain America: Civil War, Scarlett Johansson's first MCU solo movie sees Natasha Romanoff on the run. Back in Europe and away from her Avengers family, Natasha is drawn into her old life once more, facing down the evil Red Room and its dastardly Soviet-by-way-of-East-London leader, Dreykov. The Black Widow is also reunited with some friendlier faces from her past - sister Yelena, mother Melina, and father Alexei. Though not biologically related, the quartet's love for each is obvious, and they tackle Dreykov arm-in-arm just like a real family would (if said real family was comprised entirely of assassins).
Played by David Harbour, Alexei is the papa of the bunch, and was once known as the famed Red Guardian of Russia. Black Widow offers a few details into Alexei's history (some of which he might've exaggerated), but how does Red Guardian's MCU backstory and personality match up to the Marvel comic creation?
Alexei Shostakov made his inky debut in 1967's The Avengers #43. Initially, the character was a KGB test pilot, and though this isn't explicitly referenced in Black Widow, the plane chase in the film's opening flashback scene might hint toward Alexei's time as a flying ace. Like many Marvel comic superheroes, Alexei earned his heroic stripes during World War II (as a pilot rather than a super soldier), but the dates and ages simply don't add up for this to be true in the MCU as well. One element Black Widow does borrow from Red Guardian's comic lore, however, is his public persona. Alexei's battlefield exploits were the stuff of legend in his home country, and it's apparent that Red Guardian is a big deal in the MCU too, with action figures manufactured and fans sending mail to Alexei in prison.
It wasn't until after proving himself on the front lines of WWII that comic Alexei was chosen to become Russia's answer to Captain America in the 1950s - the Red Guardian. Following the source material's lead, Harbour's character was selected to lead Russia's superhero effort during the Cold War (though you'd imagine at least a decade later in the MCU), as the race for super-soldier supremacy continued in the aftermath of Steve Rogers' presumed death. However, there's no Dreykov in the comic books, and Red Guardian isn't sent to jail either. The comic character is also highly unlikely to possess the same love for tattoos, not least because he's almost exclusively drawn in-costume, but he has been partial to growing some facial hair - a trait David Harbour takes to a whole new level.
Red Guardian's costume is a mostly-faithful live-action translation, despite the usual metallic modernization most suits get in the current era. The helmet fin is replaced by a silver stripe, but otherwise the outfit adds only a few straps and details to the Red Guardian comic template.
A key difference between the comic book and live-action Red Guardians is the source of their respective powers. While Captain America was powered by Super Soldier Serum in World War II, the original Alexei character was merely trained to peak human performance, relying on KGB influence and his own natural prowess. Although Black Widow leaves the truth somewhat ambiguous, this doesn't appear to be the case in the MCU, since Red Guardian is seen flipping massive metal structures and effortlessly leaping around his prison's catwalk surroundings. These moments strongly suggest David Harbour's Alexei was juiced-up with some inferior concoction of Super Soldier Serum during the Cold War. This hypothesis becomes even more likely after Isaiah Bradley's appearance in Falcon & The Winter Soldier, whose story proves that serum trials continued throughout the latter half of the 20th century. If it happened in America, it probably happened in Russia too.
Before he was thrown in jail, Red Guardian apparently wielded a shield, mirroring his counterpart in the United States, and this represents another deviation between page and screen. Although other incarnations of Red Guardian did come equipped with full-size shields in the mold of Captain America, Alexei used a disc-come-boomerang hybrid that attached to his belt. The moment Red Guardian picks up Taskmaster's shield in Black Widow may well be a nod to the comics.
Black Widow portrays the unique father-daughter dynamic between Natasha and Alexei so well on the big screen (or, for many, the small screen) that it's somewhat unnerving the pair were actually husband and wife in the comics. Natalia Romanova found a paternal foster parent in Ivan Petrovich, who provides some basis for David Harbour's character in Black Widow. After excelling as a ballerina, Natalia married Alexei Shostakov, who was then still in his early KGB piloting days. Once it was decided that Shostakov would become Red Guardian, he was forced to leave his wife, with Natalia told Alexei had died in a training exercise gone wrong, and the KGB used this grief to turn the "widow" into one of their own operatives - the Black Widow. Later comic stories would provide conflicting versions of events in which Romanov's training began much earlier, but this is broadly how Red Guardian and Black Widow exist together in comic form.
Though the MCU portrays the pair as father and daughter, there are still parallels to be drawn with their traditional depictions. For example, the Russian authorities are responsible for pulling Natalia and Alexei apart, just as they are in Black Widow, and despite dancing to the tune of the KGB, both characters shared a genuine bond, which is more or less true of Harbour and Johansson's father-daughter dynamic on-screen too.
It's hard to put a finger on Alexei Shostakov's personality in Black Widow. There's obviously a genuine affection for Natasha and Yelena (as well as a more... passionate interest in Melina), but unlike his two daughters, Alexei is able to mentally separate the mission from reality. Whereas the two youngsters believed their family unit in Ohio was the stuff of suburban American dreams, Alexei always knew and accepted the setup was a facade. Though his origin story in the Marvel comics is vastly different, Red Guardian's attitude isn't entirely different in the MCU. Though Alexei and Natalia were husband and wife in the true sense (not as part of an undercover operation), his Red Guardian training triggered a change in personality, with Alexei becoming colder and more ruthless as Russian's finest hero. This might've informed David Harbour's performance in Black Widow, where Alexei shows traits of both a doting father, and a spy whose family were "assigned" to him as part of a mission.
Throughout Black Widow, Alexei is constantly seeking opportunities to discuss his "famous" rivalry with Captain America, going so far as to ask Natasha if her patriotic Avengers pal ever mentioned an old Russian rival. Since Steve Rogers was frozen in ice from World War II to the MCU's present day, however, it's impossible that Captain America and Red Guardian could've gone head-to-head - unless, of course, Alexei actually fought a different super soldier that the U.S. was experimenting with after Rogers. Whether it's a case of mistaken identity or an outright fib, Red Guardian and Captain America do have some history in the Marvel comics.
Avengers #43 saw Steve Rogers lead Earth's mightiest heroes to a Chinese military base, where KGB agents (Red Guardian included) were seeking the psychotron machine. Here, Rogers did battle with an unmasked Red Guardian, who was only too pleased to meet his spiritual predecessor. Unfortunately, their dual was interrupted (while Steve was clearly winning) by interference from Red Guardian's comrade, leaving Alexei vexed at the tainted victory. This dynamic seems to have carried over into Black Widow, with David Harbour's character dreaming up his own clashes with Cap, and obviously holding a code of honor - despite being an enemy of the Avengers.
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