Alexei Shostakov, better known as Red Guardian, proudly claims that he fought Captain America during the 1980s. There’s just one problem: Steve Rogers was frozen in ice until 2011.
When someone pointed out this contradiction, Alexei reacted aggressively instead of offering convincing evidence. Later, he desperately asks Natasha Romanoff whether Captain America has ever mentioned him. So, is Alexei lying or hiding something Marvel hasn’t explained yet?
MCU Proved That Steve Rogers Wasn’t The Only Super Soldier
The first possibility is that Alexei encountered another enhanced soldier who was mistaken for, or deliberately presented as, Captain America. ‘The Falcon and the Winter Soldier’ revealed that the US government continued experimenting with the Super Soldier Serum long after Steve Rogers disappeared.
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Isaiah Bradley was sent on dangerous missions during the Korean War in the 1950s. So, Steve’s absence didn’t bring the program to an end. The US government also experimented on other candidates, including the soldiers who received the serum alongside Bradley.
Meanwhile, the MCU has established that different organizations continued pursuing enhanced humans for decades. So an American intelligence agency could have deployed a secret operative wearing a Captain America-inspired uniform during the Cold War. It’s possible. However, there’s no confirmed evidence that such a replacement existed in the 1980s or that Alexei ever fought one.
Did Alexei Invent The Story?
There’s another explanation that’s arguably more tragic. In ‘Black Widow’, Alexei constantly boasts about his legendary status, but his reality is far less glamorous. He spends years imprisoned, while the people he once considered family move on without him.
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His stories about fighting Captain America might be an attempt to convince himself that his life actually mattered. In the film, he desperately asks Natasha whether Steve has ever mentioned him. For someone supposedly proud of his achievements, that question reveals a deeply insecure man who wants recognition.
There’s also the possibility that the Soviet authorities used Captain America propaganda to manufacture a heroic narrative around the Red Guardian. Alexei’s claim might be a genuine memory, an exaggerated story, or a lie he’s repeated so often that he believes it himself.
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