WARNING: The following contains spoilers for Black Widow, now playing in theaters and streaming on Disney+ Premier Access.
Throughout her many appearances in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, much of Black Widow’s (Scarlett Johansson) past has remained shrouded in mystery. That all changes in Black Widow, Marvel Studios’ first theatrical release since 2019’s Spider-Man: Far From Home. The movie a triumphant return to the big screen for Marvel and one that opens the door to the rich world of espionage from which Natasha Romanoff, aka the Black Widow, hails. As well as exploring her training in the Red Room and the infamous Budapest mission mentioned in The Avengers, the film introduces Natasha’s childhood “family.”
Having been recruited to the Red Room when she was still a child, Natasha did not grow up with her birth family. However, the film reveals she spent three years posing as one of the daughters of Alexei Shostakov (David Harbour) and Melina Vostokoff (Rachel Weisz), both agents of the Red Room’s overseer, Dreykov (Ray Winstone). While Melina was a Widow like Natasha and her “sister,” Yelena Belova (Florence Pugh), Alexei had spent his youth as the Soviet Union’s answer to Captain America — the Red Guardian. And, just like Cap, he was a super-soldier.
Super-soldiers have had a long and storied history in the MCU. First appearing in 2011’s Captain America: The First Avenger when a scrawny Steve Rogers underwent the experimental procedure that transformed him, it initially appeared the super-soldier program had been snuffed out with its first success. Following Steve’s transformation, Dr. Abraham Erskine, creator of the serum, was assassinated. This supposedly resulted in Erskine’s formula being lost forever, leaving Steve and the Red Skull, who had used an unfinished version of the serum, as the only super-soldiers in existence.
Of course, more super-soldiers were soon revealed to be active in the MCU. Captain America: The Winter Soldier revealed Hydra had recreated the serum, transforming Steve’s former ally and friend Bucky Barnes into their own superhuman assassin. And in Captain America: Civil War, Bucky tells Steve he was one of many super-soldiers created by Hydra. A further twist came in the recent Disney+ series, The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, when Bucky introduced Sam Wilson to Isaiah Bradley. Isaiah was the one successful test subject when the U.S. Armed Forces began secretly trialing versions of the serum on Black soldiers. It was a dark twist in the history of the MCU’s super-soldiers, with Isaiah being imprisoned, experimented on and covered up by the government.
Beyond the Super Soldiers created by Hydra and United States military — and the black market serum sold by the Power Broker in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier — there had never been any indication that other nations had perfected a super-soldier serum. But that all changes in Black Widow. Alexei marks the MCU’s first instance of a government-sanctioned super-soldier from another world power. In fact, he refers to himself as the Soviet Union’s “first and only super-soldier,” and Natasha regularly refers to him as one, seemingly confirming he is indeed the result of the Soviets’ own program, presumably deriving his superhuman strength and stamina from a serum akin to the one that created Captain America.
Interestingly, the Red Guardian appears to be even stronger than Captain America, overturning a truck with his bare hands and scaling walls with ease. This would suggest that the Russians’ super-soldier program outstripped the potential of the Americans’ Project Rebirth, at least in Alexei’s case. He is, notably, the only Russian super-soldier, which may suggest that the Soviets were unable to replicate the success of his creation. The unfavorable ratio of failures to successes in the programs that gave Isaiah Bradley and Bucky Barnes their powers is evidence that the serum is notoriously difficult to perfect. Alternatively, it may be the case that the Soviets only ever sought to create a single Red Guardian, with him serving more as a propaganda response to the creation of Captain America. As Alexei was still active by the time the Soviet Union fell, the mantle of the Red Guardian would never have been passed on to a successor.
With Red Guardian’s introduction, Black Widow has added yet another twist to the MCU’s Super Soldier mythology. Given Alexei is still alive and active by the film’s end, it’s likely he will return in future MCU projects, possibly crossing paths with fellow super-soldier Bucky Barnes, or even with Sam Wilson, the new Captain America. It’s unclear where he will pop up next, but future appearances are sure to delve deeper into the history of his transformation and may reveal even more secrets about the world of the MCU’s super-soldiers.
Directed by Cate Shortland, Black Widow stars Scarlett Johansson as Natasha Romanoff/Black Widow, Florence Pugh as Yelena Belova, David Harbour as Alexei Shostakov/Red Guardian, O-T Fagbenle as Mason and Rachel Weisz as Melina Vostokoff, with William Hurt as Secretary of State Thaddeus Ross and Ray Winstone as General Dreykov. The film is playing in theaters and on Disney+ Premier Access.
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