Black Widow’s Red Guardian just fought his mutant replacement, Vanguard, in the first issue of Winter Guard, Marvel’s Russian superhero team.
WARNING: The following contains spoilers for Winter Guard #1, on sale now from Marvel.
Traditionally, the Red Guardian hasn’t always been the most prominent character. But thanks to David Harbour’s portrayal of Alexei Shostakov in Black Widow, he’s one of the newest standout characters in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. And now, the Red Guardian just went up against the mutant who replaced him in Winter Guard #1, by Ryan Cady, Jan Bazaldua, Djibril Morissette-Phan, Federico Blee, and Ariana Maher.
After the Winter Guard attacked the Avengers on their home turf and kidnapped She-Hulk, they started hunting down their former member Red Guardian and Yelena Belova. When they caught up with the duo, Red Guardian and Vanguard, his Captain America-esque replacement, faced off against each other in a battle that proved which one of them was the best so-called Soviet Super-Soldier.
The Red Guardian and Yelena were infiltrating a Russian base when they were attacked by the Winter Guard. While Yelena went to fight Ursa Major, Red Guardian battled Vanguard. Red Guardian taunted Vanguard, calling him his “latest replacement,” acknowledging their roles as shield-wielding patriot heroes of Russia.
Alexei Shostakov was created by Roy Thomas and John Buscema in 1967’s Avengers #43. He was a Soviet test pilot married to the Black Widow. Because of their incredible skill, the Shostakovs were chosen to become KGB secret agents. The organization trained Alexei to become the Red Guardian, a costumed superhero meant to be the Soviet counterpart to the United States’ Captain America. He uses a pair of steel boomerangs as his signature weapon. While Black Widow defected to the US, Red Guardian stayed faithful to the Soviets and continually fought the Avengers to protect Soviet interests. He eventually reunited with Black Widow, only to be killed moments later. After being resurrected, the Red Guardian floated around the Marvel Universe before landing in a prison.
Meanwhile, Nikolai Krylenko debuted as Vanguard in 1978’s Iron Man #109 by Bill Mantlo and Carmine Infantino. Vanguard and his sister Darkstar are the children of Sergei Krylov, who later became The Presence. The duo were handed over to the Soviet government after their mutant powers manifested to be trained as soldiers. Vanguard’s mutant powers allow him to create an energy field that repels all types of energy. He first joined the KGB-sponsored Soviet Super Soldiers alongside Alexei, before joining the People’s Protectorate and later the Winter Guard. After most of his teammates in the Winter Guard were murdered, he took the identity of Red Guardian, becoming the eighth person to use the name. He originally used a hammer and sickle as weapons to channel his powers before becoming the Red Guardian and using his vibranium shield. Eventually, Nikolai took back the mantle of Vanguard but kept the Red Guardian’s equipment.
When these two fought here, Vanguard attacked Red Guardian with his shield, only to be effortlessly turned away. When Vanguard went in for his second attempt, Red Guardian sidestepped the attack then threw Vanguard out the window. Afterward, Red Guardian was attacked by Crimson Dynamo, who launched him off the tower he was in. On the ground, Red Guardian was surrounded by the Winter Guard. As they were preparing to put him in custody, Red Guardian pulled an ace out of his sleeve, a traitor had secretly hacked Dynamo’s armor to go off at the press of a button. Red Dynamo rampaged through the team, taking most of them out of the game and allowing Red Guardian and Yelena to escape.
Red Guardian’s fight with Vanguard has been a long time coming, as both have a legitimate claim to being the superior Soviet Super-Soldier. While battle finally settles which one is the better fighter of the two, it also shows how resourceful Red Guardian can be when he knows what’s coming. He even had his escape plan ready before he even saw the Winter Guard, proving that the elder Red Guardian still has a lot of tricks up his sleeve.
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