Who Is Red Guardian (Shostakov)? Origin, Powers and Key Facts

Red Guardian (Shostakov) is a Marvel comic book character, the alter ego of Alexei Alanovich Shostakov, with over 144 comic issue appearances. Alexei Shostakov is a Russian patriotic hero and the second man to assume the Red Guardian mantle. He was married to the Russian spy Black Widow and was assumed dead for years.

Who is Red Guardian (Shostakov)?

Origin Alexei Shostakov took dangerous test pilot missions for the Russian government. These missions were twisted to how the Russian government wanted to portray them, and Alexei became known as a great hero following the, very likely, assassination of the first Red Guardian by the Russian government. Creation The Red Guardian is a Marvel character created by Roy Thomas and John Buscema , first appearing in The Avengers #43. Character Evolution Around the time Alexei was hailed as a great national hero, he married fellow Russian operative, Natasha Romanoff . The KGB decided that the both of them would make excellent spies for them. and while Alexei was informed of this told not to make contact with anyone he knew, including his wife, Natasha was told that her husband died during an experiment. It was during his time spent with the KGB that Alexei changed, becoming ruthless and cruel as opposed to who he was when with his wife, Natasha. He then became known as the Red Guardian.

Key facts

Red Guardian (Shostakov) is of human origin and first appeared in "Color Him -- The Red Guardian". The character is published by Marvel. With 144 recorded issue appearances, Red Guardian (Shostakov) ranks among the most featured characters in comics.