DidBlack Widowactor David Harbour just tease the Russian equivalent of the Avengers? It certainly seems that way, but it could just be a simple wink rather than actual confirmation.
In the upcomingBlack Widowmovie, Harbour plays Red Guardian, the Russian equivalent to Captain America. We don’t know too much about this character, but based on the trailers he seems to be a little washed up, likely a relic of the bygone Cold War era. We also know that just like Steve Rogers/Captain America, Red Guardian is a super soldier, meaning he has super strength and agility given to him by the famous super-soldier serum that everyone seems to want to get their hands on lately. He is also the adoptive father of the title characterNatasha “Nat” Romanoff/Black Widow(Scarlett Johansson).
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Recently, Harbour postedaBlack Widowimage of Red Guardianon his personal Instagram account, but what’s interesting is the caption, which reads, “Ursa, Yelena, Nat, CD, Sputnik, I and all the rest of the winter guard look forward to sharing a popcorn bag and a big ole screen in a dark theater with ya on July 9.” Ursa refers to Ursa Major, a mutant with the ability to transform into an anthropomorphic bear. CD likey refers to Crimson Dynamo, the Russian version of Iron Man who has been the alter ego of several Marvel characters over the years, including Anton Vanko, who was portrayed by Mickey Rourke inIron Man 2. The last name he mentions is Sputnik, which likely refers to a character who is sometimes known as Vostok, a soviet-era synthezoid similar toPaul Bettany’sWandaVisioncharacter.
In the comics, the Winter Guard is “Russia’s answer to The Avengers.” This may just be Harbour giving a shout-out to the comic book origins of Red Guardian, or it could be confirmation that we might see some of these characters inBlack Widow. It’s possible that these characters make up an old soviet-era superhero team that Harbour’s character once led, but with the Cold War effectively over, they are likely all dead or retired.
While some of these characters date back to the Cold War, this superhero team made its debut in the ’90s. Like many comic book superhero teams, the Winter Guard has a rotating cast of characters, but at least a few of the names that Harbour is referring to are former or current members.
Based on what we’ve seen from this movie, it seems like Marvel is giving Black Widow the family she always wanted, with Rachel Weiz playing a mother figure and Florence Pugh portraying Romanoff’s adopted sister Yelena Belova. Fans have speculated thatPugh’s character might take up the Black Widowmantle in the future of the MCU.
Black Widowpremieres exclusively on Disney Plus and in theatres, July 9th, 2021.
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