Spoiler Warning: Black Widow (2021)
The MCU continues to steamroll the rest of Hollywood as they’ve begun churning out projects left and right. For 2022, they have projects releasing in March, May, June, July, August, October, November, and December – that’s a lot of new material. Even with how crowded the MCU was pre-Endgame, the post-EndgameMCU is an entirely different animal, having incorporated the concept of the multiverse and bringing characters like the X-Men, Fantastic 4, and Deadpool into the fold.
Despite how cluttered things are starting to get with the literal hundreds of heroes that the MCU has introduced to the world, the franchise has proven that they’re more than capable of weaving the narrative of several different characters into the fabric of one film or TV series. While this concept might have seemed impossible prior to 2012 and the firstAvengersmovie, Marvel has written the book on how to take dozens of heroes and villains and give all of them time to shine on the screen.
One such exampleis theRed Guardian(David Harbour), a character that became an immediate fan favorite in 2021’sBlack Widowfilm yet was barely given enough time to show what a memorable hero he could be. With that in mind, regardless of how many more characters/heroes are being introduced in the MCU, wouldn’t it be fitting to bring the Crimson Dynamo in for another appearance?
Could Red Guardian Team Up With Yelena?
Even though Alexei Shostakov was playing the part of Natasha’s father, it was pretty evident during the course of theBlack Widowstand-alone film that he cared about Natasha and Yelena, at least a little bit. At the very least, he admired their ability to kill and was proud of the assassins that they had become. Joke all you want, not all parents are as supportive.
While Yelena was shown to have had a strong reaction to Natasha’s death (i.e., trying to kill Clint Barton when she thought he was responsible for her death), it would also make sense that Alexei would feel strongly about Nat dying.
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So, it would only be appropriate for Alexei to get proper screen time to grieve Nat as Yelena did. But more appropriate would be the Red Guardian trying toteam up with Yelena(or act as her bodyguard) to keep another one of his ‘daughters’ from being killed. Alexei might not have been the most compassionate or caring father figure, but we’re sure he would want to express gratitude to the people that broke him out of prison.
Red Guardian Could Go the ‘Thor Route’
If you’re confused by the heading, you clearly haven’t seenthe trailer forThor 4- a.k.a. Thor got ripped again. One of the Red Guardian’s pitfalls inBlack Widowwas that he had been locked up in prison for several years, and his body had lost its tip-top physical condition, much like how Thor’s body did after he became depressed from losing to Thanos.
But, in the newThor 4trailers, Thor is seen vigorously working out to get back into the condition that the God of Thunder is known for. So, why can’t the Red Guardian do the same? After all, he is still a super-soldier and proved that he was physically able to fight. It stands to reason he’d be able to work out too.
If Alexei decided to go the Thor route and get back into proper super-soldier shape, he could easily become a formidable foe for any of the heroes or villains in the MCU.
The Possibilities Are Endless Thanks to the Multiverse
As stated in the intro, the MCU has gone topsy-turvy with the inclusion of the multiverse and the concept thatinfinite versions of the Marvel heroesand villains exist. So, rather than have the 616 version of Red Guardian appear, why not bring in a different one? After all, with infinite versions of the Red Guardian out there, it leaves endless possibilities of which kind of Red Guardian the MCU could introduce.
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Maybe we couldsee a Red Guardianwho truly thought of Nat as his daughter, and he enters the 616 universe to try and reverse her death inEndgame? Or maybe we could see a Red Guardian who took Captain America’s place after he went in the ice, and he becomes the status of hope in the world that Cap was? Again, the possibilities are limitless.
Red Guardian Would Fit in What If…? Season 2
Tying into the prior reason, this could be an easy cop-out to bring the character back without having to do a live-action version of him. After all, we already stated that the MCU is getting really crowded, and there aren’t many openings for detours or pit stops just to re-touch an old character.
So, rather than bring the Red Guardian back for a live-action appearance where he wouldn’t really fit into place, Marvel could easily incorporate the character into an episode of theWhat If…?animated anthologyseries that airs on Disney+. With a confirmed second season (and a second Red Guardian live-action appearance nowhere in sight), it would be proper fan service to give the character an animated spotlight.
