David Harbour's Red Guardian is officially getting a new superhero suit in Avengers: Doomsday to match his New Avengers teammates. Thunderbolts* concluded with the ragtag group of troubled heroes evolving into the New Avengers ahead of their returns in Avengers: Doomsday. The Phase 5 blockbuster's mid-credits scene, which comes straight from Doomsday, had most of the New Avengers wearing brand-new superhero suits. The exceptions were Lewis Pullman's Bob Reynolds, who was keeping the Sentry and Void in check in everyday clothing, while Red Guardian wore a heavily sponsored racer-esque suit.
Marvel Studios released the star-studded "Silence Your Phones" promo online, which is currently playing before Avengers: Endgame Encore showings. Much of the Avengers: Doomsday cast is suited up in a movie theater with popcorn for the promo, including David Harbour in a new and improved Red Guardian suit.
Among the X-Men, Avengers, Fantastic Four, and New Avengers, all the other superhero suits featured in the theater etiquette PSA have been seen before, making Red Guardian's new costume stand out as an unexpected unveiling.
While some theorized that Alexei Shostakov wouldn't get a new suit for Doomsday, this costume has clear changes from Thunderbolts*. However, fans will be waiting a while longer to catch a full look at the lower half of the suit, as well as the improved helmet that will presumably accompany it.
This marks Red Guardian's third major superhero suit since Harbour boarded the MCU five years ago in Black Widow. Alexei's debut suit was his original costume, plucked straight from his days as a Soviet superhero decades ago.
Red Guardian has come a long way since his Cold War suit, although the Soviet-inspired red-and-white color scheme remains intact, albeit with new detailing.
When Thunderbolts* rolled around, taking place 11 years after the Infinity Saga-set Black Widow, Alexei had somehow acquired an updated superhero costume. The crossover epic never actually confirmed where Red Guardian conjured up the new costume from, but it seems likely that it was a homemade update.
Red Guardian's new Doomsday suit seems to be a tweaked version of the one he wore in Thunderbolts*, with white shoulder pads and an updated neck piece. But the biggest change is that the Soviet star, which represents his roots as a Russian super-soldier, has been replaced with a New Avengers logo to match the team.
Fans can finally rest easy knowing that Alexei's New AvengerZ racing jumpsuit won't linger around in Doomsday once the action finally begins. Up until now, the gag suit was Red Guardian's only confirmed suit for Avengers 5, and it even went on display recently on the show floor at Disney's D23 Expo.
The fact that Red Guardian hadn't received a battle-ready superhero suit yet sparked concerns that he may not survive long enough to join the action in Doomsday. Those fears largely stemmed from the absence of Red Guardian footage outside the New Avengers Tower gathering, which can now be put to rest as, yes, Harbour will be suiting up in a modified suit.
Avengers: Doomsday is coming to theaters on December 18, and all of the former Thunderbolts are coming along for the ride. Florence Pugh's Yelena Belova, Hannah John-Kamen's Ghost, Wyatt Russell's U.S. Agent, Sebastian Stan's Bucky Barnes, Lewis Pullman's Sentry, and David Harbour's Red Guardian are all expected to return for Doomsday and the following year in Avengers: Secret Wars.
What Is Red Guardian Actually Doing in Avengers: Doomsday?
Red Guardian wasn't spotted alongside his daughter, Yelena Belova, and the group that travels to Earth-10005 to fight the Fox X-Men. He also wasn't alongside U.S. Agent and Winter Soldier in the expanded ScreenX trailer, leaving many wondering who he will be fighting with in Doomsday.
However, there is a high chance that Red Guardian is with his fellow New Avengers, just off-screen, as Harbour recently hinted that he has been building a "brotherhood" with the John Walker and Bucky Barnes actors. That would certainly suggest that they will spend a good portion of Doomsday together.
The Cosmic Circus' Alex Perez previously hinted that Red Guardian will enjoy an unexpected team-up with Ebon Mass-Bachrach's Thing in Avengers 5. Exactly what unites the unlikely duo is unclear, but perhaps they will both be on a team that is executing Reed Richards' real plan to prevent the Incursions while the super-genius is busy on Earth-10005 coming to blows with the X-Men.
At the end of the day, the real question is whether Red Guardian is actually going to survive Doomsday and make it to Battleworld in Secret Wars. Ultimately, an Avengers blockbuster needs some shocking deaths to solidify Doctor Doom as someone to fear, and Red Guardian sacrificing himself to save Yelena seems like a perfect way to up the stakes without taking anyone too major off the table.
