Red Guardian's History
Alexei Alanovich Shostakov (Russian: Алексей Аланови�? Шос�?аков), also known as the Red Guardian, is a Soviet super-soldier, the ex-husband of Melina Vostokoff, and the adoptive father of Natasha Romanoff and Yelena Belova.
Early Life
Alexei Shostakov was born in the late 20th century in the Soviet Union where he was raised by his father. At one point in his childhood, his father took him ice fishing. During their trip, Alexei lost his balance and fell into the river. Given the extreme cold that day, even for Russian standards, Alexei nearly lost his hands to frostbite, which was only staved off by Alexei's father urinating on them.
Becoming a Super-Soldier
At some point in his adulthood, Alexei joined the Soviet Armed Forces and was subjected to their super-soldier program, becoming the "Red Guardian", a super-soldier comparable to Steve Rogers, and acted as a Soviet geopolitical counterpart to Captain America during the Cold War. Alexei was deployed on numerous missions and won acclaim from the Soviet public, gaining legions of fans who remained loyal for decades and having action figures made in his likeness. During his military career, he encountered General Dreykov, becoming his friend and right-hand man in the process.
Undercover in America
Eventually, in 1992, Dreykov assigned Alexei to go undercover in America in order to infiltrate the North Institute in Ohio, which was a front for S.H.I.E.L.D.. Alexei begrudgingly accepted the mission, as is was not going to be as action packed as he was used to, and was assigned to live with three people who would act as his "family"; veteran black widow Melina Vostakoff, and Black Widows in training Natasha Romanoff and Yelena Belova. The three would live in Ohio for three years up until 1995, with the four becoming close with one another; Alexei and Melina developing genuine feelings for one another and Natasha and Yelena forming a sisterly bond and viewing Alexei and Melina as the parents they never had.
Family Separation
In 1995, Alexei obtained the file that he was assigned to and destroyed the North Insitute. However, this put them on the radar of SHIELD, who were investigating sleeper agents in America. After Alexei destroyed the facility and arrived to their home, where he Melina whisked Natasha and Yelena away at night. Arriving at a hangar, Melina, Natasha and Yelena boarded a small plane as Alexei cleared the way for them to take off. As SHIELD caught up with them, Alexei was forced to run to catch up with the taking off plane, hanging on to a wing and shooting out the tires of the SHIELD vans, disabling them so the four could make an escape. The family eventually made it to Cuba, Alexei was greeted by Dreykov and was briefly debriefed as Yelena and Natasha tended to Melina, who had been shot in their escape. As Melina was taken away, a soldier tried to separate Yelena from Natasha, with the latter disarming him and threatening to shoot anyone who approached the two. Alexei talked Natasha down and gently took the gun away from her, reassuring her that she and Yelena would be okay because the two were strong.
Imprisonment
Alexei and Dreykov eventually had a falling out, resulting in Dreykov having Alexei incarcerated in a Russian gulag. Their Alexei languished for decades into anger, self-pity and reminiscing over his glory days, with his only solace coming from receiving fan mail and baked goods (that the guards would often steal) from his enduring admirers and regaling his fellow prisoners with war stories, some of which with questionable authenticity.
Escape from Prison
One day in 2016, Alexei was arm wrestling a number of his fellow prisoners, telling a fabricated story of how he faced off with and defeated Captain America in the 1980's. When a prisoner named Ursa questioned the validity of his story, pointing out that Alexei couldn't have fought Captain America since he was still frozen in the 80's, Alexei broke Ursa's wrist with his enhanced strength. Alexei was then called to the mail room to receive mail, where he was taunted by the guards who mockingly referred to him by his old alias and ate the pastries that were mailed to Alexei. Alexei then collected the remaining mail which included an action figure of himself in uniform, which caused Alexei to reminisce. However the head of the figure popped off and revealed an ear-com which Alexei put in and was instructed by his "daughter" Natasha Romanoff to head to the south door and not make a scene. Alexei however, wanting to use this opportunity as a last chance to get revenge on the guards, smashed through the glass of their pod and brutally assaulted them, stealing back one of his cookies in the process. The ensuing commotion caused a prison riot with guards mobilizing to capture Alexei and prisoners following suit. Alexei broke down a steal door and made his way to the prison courtyard and leapt to the upper levels of the courtyard, only to be tasered by a guard and fall back down to the lower levels. Alexei then fought and with the aid of Natasha and Yelena, made it back up to the upper level and barely escaped an avalanche that overwhelmed the prison complex.
Alexei, although overjoyed to see his daughters after 2 decades, he was met with a cold reception from the both of them. When asked about by Natasha whether or not he knew the location of the Red Room, Alexei admitted to knowing nothing and when confronted about his supposedly close relationship with Dreykov, Alexei revealed Dreykov was the one responsible for his imprisonment. Alexei then went on a tirade about how he was the Soviet Union's first and only super-soldier and how he could have achieved more than even Captain America himself had it not been for Dreykov assigning him to the mission in Ohio and incarcerating him. Instead, Alexei offered the location of Melina, who was in St. Petersburg. Despite Yelena's protests that they wouldn't make it that far due to a low fuel level, Alexei insisted they would, only for them to crash shortly after.
Family Reunion
After the crash, Alexei, Natasha and Yelena proceeded to walk to St. Petersburg on foot, with Alexei again proclaiming how proud he was of them; with Natasha becoming and Avenger and Yelena one of the most prolific child assassins of her generation and inquiring to Natasha in Captain America ever mentioned him. As they approached Melina's home they were greeted by her and welcomed inside, where Alexei tried on his old Red Guardian uniform. With a struggle, he managed to put in on and presented himself to Melina, Natasha and Yelena, with only Melina giving her approval. At the table, the four shared a meal, where Melina and Alexei flirted, much to Natasha's disgust. When asked about the Red Room, Melina explained to the three that the North Institute was a front for S.H.I.E.L.D. and was controlled by HYDRA scientists working on the Winter Soldier program who had constructed the first and only cellular blueprint of the basal ganglia, which controls human cognition; Ergo they stole HYDRA's research on mind-control. Melina then demonstrates her work by presenting her pet pig, named "Alexei" by commanding him to do a number of tasks, which he obeys, including stopping breathing. When asked by Yelena whether or not she knew who Dreykov controlled, Melina denied any knowledge, but Alexei did not believe her. An argument ensued in which Alexei claimed to be Dreykov's patsy and was sold a false ideology. Natasha then scolded Alexei, calling him an idiot and Melina a coward. After Natasha claims that their "family" wasn't real, Yelena tearfully recalls that the only good part of her life was a lie and expresses her anger towards Melina for creating the very thing that robbed her of her free will. When Yelena angrily leaves the table, Alexei comforts Melina and goes to console Yelena.
When Alexei goes to console Yelena, she tells him she does not want to talk, Alexei agrees, going on to tell her stories from his past, much to her annoyance. When Alexei tries to explain what fathers will do for their children by telling her the ice fishing story from his childhood, Yelena expresses her hurt that all Alexei ever did was complain about his lost opportunity to be a world-renowned hero and her feeling that Alexei only ever saw her as an unwanted assignment when conversely, Yelena idolized and loved Alexei. After Yelena accidently refers to Alexei as the "Crimson Dynamo", Alexei absentmindedly corrects her, to which Yelena angrily tells him to leave. Alexei appears to oblige, but then he begins to sing "American Pie", Yelena's favorite song from her childhood and the two reconcile. Their peace is short-lived however as they are ambushed by Dreykov's men and Alexei is knocked out with a barrage of tranquilizer darts.
Dreykov's Lair
Alexei wakes up on board a plane that is heading upwards, piloted by Melina. When he overhears that they are about to land, Alexei asks Melina why they are continuing to ascend, then he notices that Dreykov's lair is a veritable floating fortress. Alexei is then sedated by one of Dreykov's henchmen and loses consciousness again.
Alexei awakens in a cell next to Natasha and after collecting himself, proceeds to apologize for his misdeeds as a father and ask for her forgiveness. Unexpectedly, the cell door opens and when he asks why, Natasha reveals that she designed it, much to Alexei's confusion. It turns out "Natasha" is actually Melina in disguise. After seeing Melina use an earpiece to communicate with Yelena, Alexei attempts to use his earpiece to communicate is apology to Natasha, only for Melina to tell Alexei he was not given an earpiece due to only having two at her disposal. Melina then explains her and Natasha's plan to Alexei. Alexei, wanting to be more involved, asks for a bigger role, only for Taskmaster to appear behind the two of them. Alexei elects to fight Taskmaster and does, resulting in him putting up a good fight, but getting thoroughly beaten in the end, with Melina having to intervene and save Alexei from being stabbed. Melina and Alexei commandeer a plane and after waiting for Natasha and Yelena, they are forced to leave when the hangar is destroyed and the plane falls into the sky. One of Dreykov's henchmen attempts to board the plane by smashing the windshield, but Alexei, having stolen Taskmaster's shield, throws it at the windshield, killing the henchman.
Farewell to Natasha
Alexei and Melina manage to land the plane safely, with Melina being slightly injured and Alexei having to support her. After reuniting with Natasha and Yelena, Natasha asks Alexei if he planned on saying anything but he says that he'd just mess it up. After the four share a brief moment, Natasha notices Thaddeus Ross and his men approaching the scene of the wreckage. Alexei, Yelena and Melina insist on fighting them with Natasha, but after having her reassurance of survival, they leave with the newly liberated Black Widows who have been freed of their mind control.
