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Alexei Andreovitch Shostakov (Russian: Алексей Андреевич Шостаков) is the Soviet Union's first official super soldier known as Red Guardian (Russian: Красный страж) and a founding member of the New Avengers. During his career in the Soviet Armed Forces, Shostakov became an ally of General Dreykov, the head of the Red Room. In 1992, following the dissolution of the Soviet Union, he was sent deep undercover in Ohio to infiltrate and destroy the HYDRA-occupied North Institute within S.H.I.E.L.D., assigned with Melina Vostokoff to pose as an American family with two surrogate daughters, Natasha Romanoff and Yelena Belova. Upon destroying the institute in 1995, Shostakov returned to Russia, but was eventually incarcerated by Dreykov in Seventh Circle Prison for criticizing the Russian government.
In 2016, when the Red Room's activities made a resurgence, Shostakov was freed from incarceration by Romanoff and Belova to locate Dreykov. Reunited with Vostokoff, Shostakov worked with his former surrogate family to bring down the Red Room once and for all, putting an end to Dreykov, and worked with Belova to dissolve the remaining Red Room cells across the world.
Over a decade later, Shostakov learned of a plot by Valentina Allegra de Fontaine to dispose of Belova. Learning her and de Fontaine's otheroperatives have survived, Shostakov teamed up with them and later on Bucky Barnes to bring down de Fontaine. They would however go on to save New York City from the Void and, before being able to apprehend de Fontaine, be declared as the New Avengers by her.
"I am ice fishing with my father. It's very cold day in this little ice shed. Cold even for Russia, you know? 'Keep the vodka by the fire,' my father would say to me."
Alexei Shostakov was born in the Soviet Union where he was raised by his father. At one point in his childhood, his father took him ice fishing. During their trip, Shostakov lost his balance and fell into the river. Given the extreme cold that day, even for Russian standards, Shostakov nearly lost his hands to frostbite, which was only staved off by Shostakov's father urinating on them.[1]
Russian Agent[]
Becoming a Super Soldier[]
"Captain America. My great adversary in this theater of geopolitical conflict. Not so much a nemesis. More like a contemporary, you know? Co-equal."
During the Cold War, Shostakov joined the Soviet Armed Forces and was the sole recipient of their recreated Super Soldier Serum. Acting as Red Guardian, the Soviet counterpart to Captain America of the United States of America, Shostakov was deployed on numerous missions and soon won the acclaim of the Soviet public, gaining legions of fans and having action figures made in his likeness. During his military career, he encountered General Dreykov, becoming his friend and right-hand man in the process.[1]
Undercover in America[]
"He buries me in Ohio on that stupid mission. Three years! So tedious, boring me to tears."
Following the dissolution of the Soviet Union in December 1991, Shostakov found himself no longer operating in combat missions as Red Guardian, and had his uniform taken from him. In 1992, Shostakov was assigned by Dreykov to go undercover in the United States of America in order to infiltrate the North Institute in Ohio, which was a front for S.H.I.E.L.D., which was itself deeply infiltrated by the fascist organization HYDRA. Shostakov begrudgingly accepted the mission, as it was not going to be as action packed as he was used to, and was assigned to live with three people who would act as his "family;" veteran Black Widow Melina Vostokoff, and Black Widows in training Natasha Romanoff and Yelena Belova. Over the years, the four became close with one another; Shostakov and Vostokoff developed genuine feelings for each other, while Romanoff and Belova formed a sisterly bond and viewed Shostakov and Vostokoff as their parents.[1]
In 1995, Shostakov obtained the file that he was assigned and set the North Institute on fire. However, this put them on the radar of S.H.I.E.L.D., who were investigating Russian sleeper agents in the United States of America. Once Shostakov arrived home, he informed Melina Vostokoff that they had to leave immediately. Vostokoff did not want to go, but Shostakov was ready to leave.
Shostakov and Vostokoff told Natasha Romanoff and Yelena Belova that they were going on a big adventure, and they all grabbed what they needed, with Shostakov collecting his rifle. Shostakov drove the family to a hangar, where Vostokoff boarded a small plane with the children, while Shostakov flipped over a large trailer that was blocking its path. S.H.I.E.L.D. arrived, so Shostakov shot at them to allow the plane to take off. Shostakov jumped on the plane's wing and continued to shoot at S.H.I.E.L.D. until they successfully escaped.
The four landed in Cuba, where Shostakov carried a wounded Vostokoff to a stretcher before being reunited with Dreykov. Shostakov asked to not be given any more undercover missions, expressing his desire to wear his suit and get back into the action. Shostakov gave Dreykov the file and debriefed him on the mission, but they were interrupted when Belova called out for Shostakov. Romanoff stole a gun and threatened the soldiers, so Shostakov talked her down, reassuring her that she and Belova would be fine. Shostakov then watched as the two were taken back to the Red Room.[1]
Betrayed and Imprisoned[]
"Maybe I want to talk about the withering of the state. Or maybe I don't like his hair or something and I say something casually about that. Maybe, you know, I want the Party to feel actually like a party instead of this sourpuss organization. But instead, no. He puts me in prison for the rest of my life."
Sometime later, Shostakov and Dreykov had a falling out, resulting in Dreykov having Shostakov incarcerated in the Seventh Circle Prison in Russia. There Shostakov languished for decades into anger, self-pity, and reminiscing over his glory days, with his only solace coming from receiving fan mail from his enduring admirers and regaling his fellow prisoners with war stories, some of which with questionable authenticity.[1]
In 2016, Shostakov was arm wrestling several of his fellow prisoners while telling a fabricated story of how he faced off with and defeated Captain America in the 1980s. However, Ursa Major questioned the validity of his story and pointed out that Shostakov couldn't have fought Captain America since he was still frozen in ice at that time. In response, Shostakov broke Major's wrist.
Shostakov gets his revenge on the guards
Shostakov was called to the mail room, where the guards mockingly referred to him by his old alias while eating pastries sent for him before handing him his mail. Included with the mail was an action figure of himself as Red Guardian, which caused him to reminisce. The figure's head popped off, revealing an ear-com, so Shostakov put it in and heard the voice of Natasha Romanoff instructing him how to escape. However, Shostakov could not resist and got his revenge by attacking the guards.
Shostakov makes his way out of the prison
As Shostakov made his way out of the prison, the alarms were set off due to Shostakov's actions, forcing him to fight his way through some more guards before knocked down the door and got outside. A prison riot broke out, and swarms of prisoners emerged around Shostakov, so Romanoff directed him to safety.[1] Shostakov was electrocuted while trying to escape over the wall, causing him to fall down. Major and three other prisoners surrounded Shostakov and attacked him.[4]
Shostakov witnesses the avalanche
Shostakov managed to get away from them, and witnessed Romanoff land in the prison yard to assist him by taking out some of the guards. Romanoff told Shostakov to make his way through the riot. When an avalanche was caused, Shostakov rushed to higher ground to be picked up from, but saw the helicopter flying away and thought he was being left behind. Romanoff, hanging off of the helicopter, swung by Shostakov and he grabbed onto her hand, and they successfully escaped from the prison just as the avalanche buried it.
Shostakov is reunited with his daughters
The two climbed up inside the helicopter, which was being piloted by Yelena Belova, who immediately struck Shostakov in the nose. Shostakov was confused by the aggression and asked if Belova was on her period, so she responded by explaining how that was impossible due to the Red Room giving them involuntary hysterectomy, which Shostakov found gross to hear. Shostakov expressed his appreciation for Romanoff and Belova breaking him out, but Romanoff made it clear they needed him for information.
Shostakov revealed that he had no idea where the Red Room was located, which annoyed Romanoff, who knew Shostakov was close with Dreykov. Shostakov lamented over how he loathed the undercover mission in Ohio, and then not understanding why Dreykov put him in prison for the rest of his life. Shostakov suggested that they visit Melina Vostokoff in Saint Petersburg for information. Belova stated they were low on fuel, but Shostakov insisted they would make it, only for them to crash on the way.[1]
Visiting Melina Vostokoff[]
Shostakov hugs his daughters
"You don't care. The only thing you care about are your stupid glory days as the Crimson Dynamo, and no one wants to hear about it." "It's the Red Guardian."
The three survived the crash and continued on foot. Shostakov asked Natasha Romanoff if Captain America ever mentioned him, which annoyed Romanoff. Shostakov sensed the tension and asked what he did wrong, claiming that he only ever loved Romanoff and Yelena Belova, and wanted them to succeed. Shostakov praised Romanoff and Belova for their accomplishments as assassins before hugging them both, but they pushed him off.
They eventually arrived at their destination, where they were reunited with Melina Vostokoff, who Shostakov familiarly greeted. Vostokoff invited them inside her home, and Shostakov found his costume, so he put it on in the bathroom, although he struggled to do so, having gained considerable weight during his time in prison. Shostakov presented himself to his family, with only Vostokoff giving him approval.
Shostakov discusses their time as a family
Shostakov joined the rest of the family at the table and commented on how their family was back together again. Vostokoff did not feel that was accurate, so Shostakov referred to it as a reunion. Shostakov then began flirting with Vostokoff, who commented on him getting fat, but stating that he still looked good. Romanoff attempted to discuss her mission of stopping Dreykov, but they ended up arguing about their family, which Romanoff stated was not real, although Shostakov and Vostokoff felt they did good as parents.
Belova was upset over her family not being real, and stormed away from the table. Shostakov decided to check on Belova, so he followed her into the other room and sat beside her, as she did not want to talk. Shostakov decided to tell a story about his father, but Belova stopped him, explaining that he had only ever complained about their undercover mission and just wanted to recount his glory days, calling him Crimson Dynamo. Shostakov absentmindedly corrected Belova, and she told him to leave.
Shostakov is hit with multiple tranquilizers
Shostakov got up to exit the room, but stopped himself and began singing America Pie, remembering that it was Belova's favorite song from her childhood. This gesture touched Belova, and the two of them reconciled as they sang the song together. The Red Room arrived outside, so Shostakov put on his helmet and prepared to fight. Shostakov was hit with a tranquilizer dart, which he confidently pulled out, but was then hit was several more and was quickly knocked out.[1]
Showdown at the Red Room[]
Shostakov wakes up inside of the aircraft
"There's nothing for me to do. I want to... I want to break something." "Oh, you do? Oh, there is something you can break."
Shostakov woke up on board an aircraft headed upwards, piloted by Melina Vostokoff. When he overheard that they were about to land, he asked Vostokoff why they were continuing to ascend, but then noticed that the Red Room was a floating fortress. Shostakov was then sedated by one of Dreykov's henchmen and lost consciousness again.
Shostakov woke up in a cell next to Natasha Romanoff and after collecting himself, proceeded to apologize for his mistakes as a father to her. Shostakov reflected on how he should have not let his family go in Cuba, but his cell door opened and he discovered that Romanoff was actually Vostokoff in disguise. Vostokoff spoke to Yelena Belova through her earpiece, but when Shostakov tried again to apologize to Romanoff, Vostokoff revealed that he did not have an earpiece.
Vostokoff finished explaining the plan to Belova, she relayed it for Shostakov, who instead continued to flirt with Vostokoff, which she reciprocated. Not involved in the plan, Shostakov expressed his desire to use his physical ability, so Vostokoff directed him towards Taskmaster, who entered the room. Shostakov donned his helmet and prepared to fight Taskmaster, but noticed that Vostokoff had left before he could say his goodbye to her.
Red Guardian and Taskmaster charged at each other, with Red Guardian knocking Taskmaster's shield away, and they proceeded to brawl. Taskmaster was much faster than Red Guardian, making her able to overpower him quickly in their fight. Taskmaster kicked Red Guardian down and reclaimed her shield, which she used to repeatedly beat Red Guardian. Taskmaster went to finish Red Guardian, but he was saved by Vostokoff, who threw Taskmaster into a cell, which Red Guardian locked.
Vostokoff informed Red Guardian that they had to evacuate the facility, as it was crashing down, so they made their escape, with Red Guardian claiming Taskmaster's shield. They reached an aircraft, but were unable to find Romanoff or Belova. They were forced to take off, but as they flew back to the base, a henchman landed on their windshield, so Red Guardian threw the shield, knocking them off. However, the henchman crashed into the tail, causing the aircraft to plummet towards the ground.[1]
Upon crashing, Shostakov checked on Melina Vostokoff, who revealed that her left leg was broken. The two then shared a kiss before exiting the aircraft.[4] Shostakov supported Vostokoff as they regrouped with Natasha Romanoff and Yelena Belova. Romanoff asked if Shostakov wanted to say something, but he decided not to, knowing he would mess it up, and the two held hands to reconcile. They spotted Thaddeus Ross arriving, so Romanoff told them all to leave, although they declared that they wanted to stay and fight. Romanoff persuaded them to go, and they left with the liberated Black Widows in their aircraft.[1]
At his core, Alexei Shostakov is a kind, jovial and overall good man and loving father, albeit with several flaws that hinder his relationships. He truly loves Natasha Romanoff and Yelena Belova as his daughters and was genuinely happy to see them again after twenty-one years, even having their names tattooed on his right arm in Cyrillic. He is also very fond of his undercover wife Melina Vostokoff, with the two giving each other flirting banters after being apart for two decades. However, his longing for fame and glory resulted in Yelena believing he never cared about them and saw them as just a simple burden of a task. Shostakov can hold a grudge as he was bitter towards Dreykov for imprisoning him as he believed that Dreykov did so unjustly because of a snide remark Shostakov may have made.
Shostakov possesses a strong sense of patriotism and national pride toward the Soviet Union, as he proudly declares that he was the Soviet's first and only super-soldier. This patriotism resulted in him choosing to have a one-sided rivalry with his American counterpart, Steve Rogers, even though Rogers never knew of Shostakov's existence. Shostakov demonstrates traits of attention seeking behavior as he revels in his fame as the Red Guardian. This was only exacerbated by his time in prison as his depression intensified, which caused him to go as far as to make up improbable war stories about fighting Captain America.
Artificially Enhanced Physiology: Alexei Shostakov was subjected to the Soviet Union's recreated Super Soldier Serum, gaining abilities that enhanced his physical parameters to superhuman levels comparable to the likes of Captain America.[7] Despite his skills being worn down by his age and years in prison and further weakened by significant weight gain, Shostakov is still capable of superhuman feats.
Enhanced Strength: Even after years of confinement, Alexei Shostakov's formidable strength remains a defining characteristic. In his prime, he could effortlessly hurl heavy metal waste vats several meters with a two-handed toss. This raw power persists, evident in his routine victories against tough prison inmates in arm wrestling matches, even to the point of fracturing the wrist of the powerfully built Ursa. Shostakov has demonstrated the ability to forcefully drag a guard through a glass window with a single arm, and he can easily knock down thick metal doors and toss aside correctional officers. His strength allowed him to confront Taskmaster without serious harm, casually swatting Taskmaster's shield with such force that it embedded itself in the floor. Despite these displays of immense power, the specialized containment cells within the Red Room Academy proved impervious to his attempts to break free.
Enhanced Durability:
Shostakov withstands multiple tranquilizers
Shostakov exhibits remarkable durability, surviving a significant fall from the upper tiers of a gulag prison unscathed. He also demonstrates a high resistance to tranquilizers, requiring over a dozen doses to subdue him after a single shot had no effect. Remarkably, he showed no pain or reaction while being tattooed during an arm wrestling match. Despite this impressive resilience, he remains vulnerable to taser shocks and can be overcome by skilled fighters like Taskmaster. Furthermore, he endured the impact of a large, potentially fatal piece of cinder falling onto his back from a great height, with no signs of strain or injury; enabling Shostakov to protect the child, and continue moving afterward.
Enhanced Speed: Due to his super-soldier treatment, Shostakov can move at much faster than the average human. When he and his family were escaping Ohio, where Shostakov was able to run on foot and catch up with a rapidly accelerating plane about to take off. Shostakov also reached a child before they could be hit by falling debris.
Enhanced Agility: Shostakov is supremely agile. Even with the weight he has put on in the past two decades, he was still nimble enough to leap onto the upper levels of the gulag prison courtyard with ease, as well as jump off a guard's riot shield to gain altitude.
Enhanced Stamina: Shostakov's musculature produces far less fatigue toxins during physical activity than the musculature of an ordinary human. Despite weakened by significant weight gain, during his fight with Taskmaster, Shostakov was able to stand back up even though Taskmaster keep knocking him down, and suffered numerous hits without being knocked out.
Shostakov possesses increased reflexes; he was able to react and dodge gunfire from police officers back in Ohio without getting hit, knocked Taskmaster's shield out of the way before it could hit him and was able to react to some of the latter's blows without worry. When he obtained a toy model of himself, the head popped off, but Shostakov caught it with perfect reaction time.
Regenerative Healing Factor: As a super-soldier, Shostakov has enhanced regenerative abilities, being able to heal bruises at astounding rates and withstand a military grade tranquilizer dart without feeling any effect or passing out before being shot with many. Unfortunately, due to his laziness and imprisonment, his metabolism has stunted, resulting in his dramatic weight gain.
As a soldier, Shostakov is a highly skilled and formidable hand-to-hand combatant, with his role being "the muscle" in his and Melina's partnership. His skill was only further enhanced after he became a super soldier. He was easily able to defend himself from the Seventh Circle Prison guards, and outmatch multiple O.X.E. soldiers. Despite his skills, however, Shostakov was overpowered by Ursa Major, though he was still recovering from a fall during his escape from prison at that time, and outclassed by Taskmaster.
Shield Mastery: Given that Shostakov's action figure came with a shield, it is likely that he once used one during his exploits as Red Guardian. Regardless of whether or not he actually owned one, Shostakov was still able to use Taskmaster's shield with lethal efficiency when he killed one of Dreykov's men with it.
As a highly trained Soviet soldier, Shostakov is able to wield different types of weapons with great accuracy. During his family's escape from Ohio, he managed to shoot out the tires of multiple moving SUVs while laying on an unstable wing of a plane which was about to take off, and he is able to throw his shield with great accuracy much like Steve Rogers.
Expert Spy: Shostakov is an expert spy, being able to go undercover in the United States of America, and pretend to be Melina Vostokoff's husband and the father of Natasha Romanoff and Yelena Belova perfectly for three years without arousing suspicion. In addition, Shostakov was able to infiltrate the North Institute in Ohio and successfully obtained a file that he was assigned and then destroy the North Institute.
Bilingualism: Shostakov is fluent in his native Russian, as well as English. In fact, Shostakov has such mastery of the English language that he was able to perfectly mimic an American accent while undercover for three years, in public and in private.
Equipment[]
Weapons[]
Red Guardian's Shield: In his glory days, Shostakov possessed a shield to imitate Captain America, however after his imprisonment Shostakov no longer had it.
Ruger Mini-14: Having had their undercover mission compromised, Shostakov decided to get his family out of the United States of America before they could be captured by S.H.I.E.L.D. agents. While his family got into their plane and prepared to escape, Shostakov had armed himself with a rifle, which he used to shoot at the incoming S.H.I.E.L.D. SUVs, until he was able to get onto the plane's wing and escape.
Having defeated and locked up Taskmaster, Red Guardian took her shield, while he and Melina Vostokoff fled the collapsing Red Room Academy. He would later throw it out the windshield at a guard that was attacking the aircraft he and Vostokoff were in, losing the shield.
Red Guardian's Uniform: During his exploits as Red Guardian, Shostakov wore a red combat suit reminiscent of Captain America's Uniform, albeit with a Soviet Russian motif. After twenty four years of disuse, Shostakov wore it again to help his family defeat Dreykov and destroy the Red Room.
Vehicles[]
Helicopter: While escaping from the Seventh Circle Prison, Shostakov had rejoined Natasha Romanoff and Yelena Belova on their helicopter. He would later make them use up their fuel on their way to Vostokoff, rendering the helicopter useless.
In the comics, Alexi Shostakov was a Soviet Union pilot who was rescued by Vasily Karpov during World War II and trained by the KGB to become the second Red Guardian. Shostakov was also the former husband of Natasha Romanoff.
His super-soldier background seems to have taken inspirations from the Ultimate Universe counterpart, while the difference is that he isn't a psychopath like the Ultimate version of himself, who went to the lengths of wielding a shield made out of human remains.
Shostakov enjoys ranch dressing.
Shostakov has several tattoos, such as "KARL" and "MARX" on his knuckles, the Russian coat of arms on his chest, a falcon on one arm, and towers within a two-headed eagle crest on his chest.
David Harbour reflected that the Red Guardian is "the counterpart to Captain America on the RussianSoviet side, but that way we have a lot of play with who he is and we are playing with him," which is one of the things he really likes of the character.[9]
Due to the Red Guardian's nationality, David Harbour suggested to producers that he should speak in fluent Russian to play the character, with English subtitles acting as interpretation, but the producers didn't like his idea.[10]
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