David Harbour has considered who would win in a Marvel Cinematic Universe fight between his Black Widow character Red Guardian and Captain America (Chris Evans). Harbour will make his MCU debut with Black Widow, which was initially set for May but has since been delayed indefinitely. Harbour's Red Guardian, who is also known as Alexei Shostakov, is Russia's equivalent of Captain America. While in the comics he's a formidable opponent, the trailers for Black Widow have indicated Alexei's now a bit past his prime. However, he will definitely be suiting up to help his pseudo-daughter Natasha (Scarlett Johansson) take on the Red Room.
While Alexei is just getting his start in the MCU, Steve Rogers has already made his exit. Following the events of Avengers: Endgame, Steve decided to return to the 1940s so he could live a peaceful life alongside Peggy Carter (Hayley Atwell). He ended his time as Cap by passing the shield along to his trusted friend Sam Wilson (Anthony Mackie), who is expected to take on the role of Captain America in the Disney+ series The Falcon and the Winter Soldier.
During a live video on Instagram, Harbour was asked about who would win in a fight, Red Guardian or Captain America. Taking the question a bit more literally than some might expect, Harbour answered like this:
I do hope you guys know that I am not the Red Guardian, he’s not Captain America, so if we actually had a shield fight I don’t know what that would look like. It wouldn’t look as good as in the movies because most of the shield fighting is done by our stunt doubles. Do I think I could beat him a shield fight? I don’t know, he’s pretty strong. I’m gonna say no, but I think I’m sneaky and I would give him a run for his shield money.
Harbour seemed to be considering what would happen if he and Evans legitimately went head-to-head, which would also be quite entertaining to see. As Evans sometimes does his own stunts, Harbour may have been right to place his bets on Evans winning, though Harbour still seems like a strong contender. It's almost a shame that Evans is no longer a part of the MCU, thus erasing any possibility of the two facing off. Red Guardian and Captain America did come face to face in the comics.
Of course, since Black Widow is actually a prequel, there could be the chance for Alexei to meet a different Cap. Some have wondered if other MCU characters could make cameos in the film, and one of the possible contenders is Sam. This would be possible because the events of Black Widow are supposed to lead up to Natasha rejoining Steve and Sam ahead of Avengers: Infinity War. However, the idea of Sam appearing in Black Widow is purely a fun, theoretical idea, and not one based in any real news. That just means fans will have to continue imagining what would happen if Harbour's Red Guardian ever met his American counterpart.
Source: David Harbour/Instagram
