Red Guardian is one of many Russian operatives introduced in Black Widow. The latest trailer for the movie showcases Red Guardian sporting a very Captain America-like shield during an fight, and even throwing it in the same way that Cap does. While some details about David Harbour's Russian super-soldier remain unknown, this seems to confirm that the character is Russia's direct response to the First Avenger.

Black Widow is the Marvel Cinematic Universe's first prequel film. The new movie follows Natasha Romanov after the events of Captain America: Civil War, when Natasha is still on the run. She teams up with her former comrades to take down the new villain Taskmaster, who has taken control of the Red Room. Along with fellow widow agents Yelena (Florence Pugh) and Melanie (Rachel Weisz), Natasha teams up with Alexei Shostakov, aka Red Guardian.

Related: How Black Widow's Red Guardian Compares To The Comics

Harbour has spoken at length about how Black Widow's Red Guardian is Russia's response to Captain America. One of the most iconic elements of Captain America is his iconic circular shield, and this latest trailer really showcases Red Guardian as Cap's parallel. Red Guardian's costume already looks a lot like a red Captain America suit, so it makes sense that the similarities to Steve Rogers wouldn't end there. The way Red Guardian picks up and tosses the shield is very reminiscent of the way Captain America uses the shield as well.

Black Widow Red Guardian

The Alexei Shostakov of the comics was also a direct response to Captain America. In the comics, Alexei is a fighter pilot that is recruited by the KGB to become Red Guardian. While he doesn't have any superpowers, he does wield a steel shield. Black Widow's Red Guardian doesn't seem like a direct copy of his comic book persona, instead coming across as more goofy (not to mention a little out of shape). However, his look and fighting style do appear to be pulled from the comics, down to the circular shield.

There is a strong possibility that the shield Red Guardian uses in the Black Widow trailer belongs to Taskmaster. It has the same red insignia as Taskmaster's, and this is the only trailer scene where Red Guardian uses it. However, it's possible that Taskmaster based his shield design off of Red Guardian's shield. The trailer specifies that Taskmaster took over the Red Room, which means he has access to secret Russian resources. Taskmaster's power set is based on various Avengers, including Captain America, as he has the uncanny ability to mimic anyone's combat style. However, if Red Guardian is indeed the Russian Captain America, Taskmaster's shield could be mostly based on Red Guardian's.

The more details Black Widow reveals about Red Guardian, the clearer his connection to Captain America is. Much like The Falcon & Winter Soldier features US Agent, America's second attempt a shield-wielding super-soldier, Black Widow reveals that Russia wanted a shield-wielding patriotic hero of their own.

Next: Who Is Taskmaster In Black Widow? Every Candidate Explained