Red Guardian Non-Villain Antagonist
Real Name: (original) Volodymyr Fomin; (current) Alexi Shostakov. There have been others who held the role, but their names and number are unknown.
Occupation: Special government agent, former test pilot and soldier.
Identity: Classified, known only to select Russian authorities.
Legal Status: Citizen of Russia with no criminal record.
Other Aliases: Krasnyj Straz ("Red Guardian" in Russian).
Place of Birth: Moscow, Russia.
Marital Status: Divorced.
Known Relatives: Natalia Romanova (alias Black Widow, ex-wife).
Group Affiliation: (original) Invaders, formerly the Soviet Army, later an unnamed Russian circus; (current) Russian Federal Security Bureau, formerly the Russian Air Force.
Base of Operations: The Kremlin, Moscow, Russia.
First Post-Reboot Appearance: SECRET AGENT NICK FURY #2.
History: During World War II, the Soviet Union invented the identity of Red Guardian to be a Communist counterpart to Captain America. They chose their most decorated soldier, Volodymyr Fomin, and gave him additional special forces training, a shield patterned after the Captain's, and a uniform which would identify him as the Soviets' hero.
Red Guardian served as a member of the Invaders at the behest of Stalin. At first, Red Guardian insisted on attempting to usurp Captain America's leadership of the team, but after realizing that Cap was a better leader of men he moderated his stance. The two icons of their respective ideologies soon formed grudging respect for each other, which over time turned into friendship. Fomin admitted to Cap he didn't always see eye to eye with Stalin's policies, and that he fought to protect his homeland, not the leadership.
After World War II, Fomin retired from active duty to become an acrobat for a Russian circus. He maintained contact with Captain America after the War, which in turn led to Rogers's dismissal from the role during the McCarthy era.
After Fomin retired from the role of Red Guardian, others were chosen to take up the mantle. It is speculated that the average Red Guardian served for about a decade before retirement. The role was retired altogether with the collapse of the Soviet Union.
Recently, however, the rise of a new generation of superhumans and the resumption of the role of Captain America had many in Russia thinking they needed a counterpart of their own. To this end, Colonel Alexi Shostakov of the Russian Air Force, one of their top pilots, was chosen by the Russian government to be the new Red Guardian. His identity was kept a secret from all but the top members of the Russian military and government; to nearly everyone else, including his wife, Alexi Shostakov was killed testing a new fighter jet. (His wife, Natalia Romanova, was later recruited by the FSB and retrained to be one of their top espionage agents.) While the color red has been closely tied to the Communist Party of the Soviet Union, Russia's politicians have placated fears of a return of Soviet-era policy by pointing out the addition of blue on the uniform, one of the other major colors on the Russian flag.
Since taking on the role, Shostakov has worked tirelessly to protect Russia's interests and people. In his first recorded activity, he encountered his ex-wife Natasha in her new role as an espionage agent, assisting in making her seeming defection to the American CIA look legitimate.
He later met with his counterparts from other nations – including Captain America and Union Jack – in Bern, Switzerland, as part of a world meeting of national superheroes. It was there that he and Captain America had a long talk about the original Red Guardian, with the Captain relating much of Volodymyr Fomin's history, impressing upon Shostakov the heroic responsibility of the role. The two parted amicably, though Shostakov has admitted he was tempted to start a fight just to see how he'd fare against his counterpart.
Later, when the FSB discovered Natalia's defection had become genuine, they sent Shostakov to kill her. The two fought, but Shostakov failed to kill her, though only he knows whether he was pulling his punches. During the fight, Shostakov dropped hints that Natalia's memories of being married to him may have been implanted by the FSB. Whether he was punished for not killing her is unknown, as are his later exploits.
Age: 36.
Height: 6' 2".
Weight: 220 lbs.
Eyes: Brown.
Hair: Brown.
Uniform: (original) Red bodysuit with a white star on the chest, white gloves, white boots, white belt, red cowl. (current): Red bodysuit with a blue star on the chest, white gloves, white boots, blue belt, red cowl.
Strength Level: Red Guardian possesses the normal human strength of a man his age, height, and build who engages in intensive regular exercise.
Known Superhuman Powers: None.
Other Abilities: Both Red Guardians were highly trained in the combat arts of their time.
Weapons: Red Guardian uses a shield made of unrevealed materials that is designed to replicate many of the properties of Captain America's adamantium-vibranium alloy throwing shield. It is known that Red Guardian's shield contains vibranium, enabling him to ricochet the shield off walls when thrown; it is likely not as indestructible as the Captain's. Visually, the shield is red with a blue star in the center.
630 points
| ST: 18 [80] | HP: 18 [0] | Speed: 8.00 [10] |
| DX: 15 [100] | Will: 13 [0] | Move: 8 [0] |
| IQ: 13 [60] | Per: 15 [10] | |
| HT: 15 [50] | FP: 15 [0] | SM: 0 |
| Dmg: 2d-1/3d+1 | BL: 65 lbs. | |
| Dodge: 12 | Parry: 15 | DR: 18/6* (uniform) |
| Block: 15 | ||
Languages: Arabic (Accented) [2*]; English (Accented) [2*]; Mandarin Chinese (Accented) [2*]; Russian (Native) (Native Language) [0]; Spanish (Accented) [2*].
Cultural Familiarities: Eastern European (Native) [0]; Western [1].
Advantages: Born Soldier 2 [10]; Combat Reflexes [15]; FSB Rank 6 [30]; Hot Pilot 2 [10]; Language Talent [10]; Luck [15]; Martial Artist (Military) 4 [40]; Status 1 [0†]; Striking ST +1 [5]; Trained By A Master [30]; Very Fit [15]; Wealth (Very Wealthy) [30]; Weapon Master (Shield) [20].
Perks: Courtesy Military Rank 6 [6]; Dabbler (Boating, Driving, Submarine, Shiphandling, all at def+2) [1]; One-Way Fluency (Understands German) [1]; Special Exercises (Striking ST +1) [1]; Style Familiarity (Boxing) [1]; Style Familiarity (Fairbairn Close Combat System) [1]; Style Familiarity (Judo) [1]; Style Familiarity (Krav Maga) [1]; Style Familiarity (MCMAP) [1]; Style Familiarity (Sambo) [1].
Disadvantages: Code of Honor (Soldier's) [-10]; Duty (to FSB; Extremely Hazardous) (15) [-20]; Fanaticism (Russia) [-15]; Secret Identity (Utter Rejection) [-10]; Sense of Duty (Russian People) [-10].
Quirks: Closet Fan (Yakov Smirnoff) [-1]; Jokingly Claims Russia's Superiority in All Human Endeavors [-1]; Respects Honorable Opponents [-1]; Thinks Karate and Kung Fu Are For Show-Offs [-1]; Tries To Explain Away Russia's Flaws [-1].
Skills: Acrobatics (H) DX+0 [4] – 15; Acting (A) IQ-1 [1] – 12; Artillery/TL8 (Guided Missile) (A) IQ-1 [1] – 12; Climbing (A) DX-1 [1] – 14; Computer Operation/TL8 (E) IQ+0 [1] – 13; Electronics Operation/TL8 (Security) (A) IQ-1 [1] – 12; Electronics Operation/TL8 (Sensors) (A) IQ+1 [4] – 14; Engineer/TL8 (Combat) (H) IQ-1 [2] – 12; Explosives/TL8 (Demolition) (A) IQ+0 [2] – 13; Explosives/TL8 (Explosive Ordnance Disposal) (A) IQ+0 [2] – 13; Fast-Draw (Knife) (E) DX+1 [1] – 16‡; Fast-Draw (Pistol) (E) DX+1 [1] – 16‡; Fast-Talk (A) IQ-1 [1] – 12; First Aid/TL8 (Human) (E) IQ+0 [1] – 13; Forced Entry (E) DX+0 [1] – 15; Forward Observer (A) IQ-1 [1] – 12; Free Fall (A) DX-1 [1] – 14; Gunner/TL8 (Cannon) (E) DX+3 [2] – 18§; Guns/TL8 (Pistol) (E) DX+2 [4] – 17; Guns/TL8 (Rifle) (E) DX+1 [1] – 16#; Hiking (A) HT-1 [1] – 14; Judo (H) DX+3 [2] – 18¥; Jumping (E) DX+0 [1] – 15; Karate (H) DX+7 [16] – 22¥; Knife (E) DX+4 [1] – 19¥; Leadership (A) IQ+3 [4] – 16¶; Lockpicking/TL8 (A) IQ-1 [1] – 12; Mathematics/TL8 (Applied) (H) IQ-2 [1] – 11; Navigation/TL8 (Air) (A) IQ+1 [1] – 14‡; NBC Suit/TL8 (A) DX-1 [1] – 14; Parachuting/TL8 (E) DX+0 [1] – 15; Piloting/TL8 (High-Performance Airplane) (A) DX+3 [4] – 18§; Savoir-Faire (Military) (E) IQ+2 [1] – 15¶; Scuba/TL8 (A) IQ-1 [1] – 12; Shield (E) DX+7 [8] – 22¥; Skiing (H) HT-2 [1] – 13; Soldier/TL8 (A) IQ+2 – 15¶; Spear (A) DX+3 [1] – 18¥; Staff (A) DX+3 [1] – 18¥; Stealth (A) DX+3 [1] – 18¥; Survival (Arctic) (A) Per-1 [1] – 14; Survival (Desert) (A) Per-1 [1] – 14; Survival (Jungle) (A) Per-1 [1] – 14; Survival (Mountain) (A) Per-1 [1] – 14; Swimming (E) HT+0 [1] – 15; Tactics (H) IQ+1 [2] – 14¶; Thrown Weapon (Disc) (E) DX+5 [16] – 20; Traps/TL8 (A) IQ-1 [1] – 12; Wrestling (A) DX+7 [12] – 22¥.
Techniques: Acrobatic Stand (Acrobatics) (H) def+5 [6] – 15; Choke Hold (Wrestling) (H) def+2 [3] – 21; Ground Fighting (Karate) (H) def+2 [3] – 20; Ground Fighting (Wrestling) (H) def+4 [5] – 22.
Starting Spending Money: $80,000 (20% of Starting Wealth).
* Includes one level from Language Talent.
† Includes +1 from Wealth.
‡ Includes +1 from Combat Reflexes.
§ Includes +2 from Hot Pilot.
# Defaulted from Guns (Pistol).
¥ Includes +4 from Martial Arts (Military).
¶ Includes +2 from Born Soldier.
Role-Playing Notes:
Red Guardian is an honorable man and a staunch Russian patriot. He does not blindly follow his superiors, and will adjust the mission parameters he is given if they would put his country or her people in danger. In private, he has voiced concerns over Putin's policies leading to a resurgence of a Soviet-era Cold War.
Design Notes:
1. FSB Rank is derived from Social Engineering: Pulling Rank, based off using the FSB as a 20-point Patron (equal to the CIA) with an assistance roll of 11 or less. It does not affect his Status.