Red Guardian

The Red Guardian (Russian: Красный страж, Krasnyy Strazh) is the name of several fictional characters appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The characters who have assumed the role of the Red Guardian are Aleksey Lebedev, Alexei Shostakov, Tania Belinsky, Josef Petkus, Krassno Granitsky, Anton Ivanov, and Nikolai Krylenko, as well as a villainous Life Model Decoy of Shostakov.

The Red Guardian is an identity that was created as the Soviet equivalent of Captain America. Alexei Shostakov was one of the Soviet Union's most acclaimed test pilots whose heroism caught the attention of the KGB. They arranged for Shostakov to wed Natasha Romanoff, a top agent of the secret Red Room Academy, later known as the Black Widow. In the continuity of Ultimate Marvel, the Red Guardian is adapted as two separate characters: Captain Russia and Colonel Abdul al-Rahma.

Characters based on the Red Guardians have made scattered appearances in animated media and video games, with Anton Ivanov and Alexei Shostakov appearing in media set in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), portrayed by Zach McGowan portraying Ivanov and David Harbour respectively.