While the Red Guardian is making his MCU debut in Black Widow, the character has been around in Marvel Comics for quite some time. In fact, it appears that the cinematic version of Black Widow's Red Guardian is a bit different from what the comic book readers are used to seeing. However, there are some very obvious similarities. The David Harbour version first and foremost appears to be a bit older, and maybe even coming out of retirement when the movie kicks off. While there are times in the comics where the hero had hung up his mask and stopped being that hero, but this particular iteration of Red Guardian appears to have long ago given up the superhero life.
In some instances, the Black Widow version of the Red Guardian is given his own origin story. The film in general is a much deeper look at the back story of a character MCU fans have only gotten hints of in previous films. There have been more than a few who have pointed out the timing of such a move is odd, considering the Natasha Romanoff was killed off in Avengers: Endgame. That might be a hint that while it seems unlikely there will be more appearances from the Black Widow, Red Guardian could show up in future MCU projects. That would make some sense considering the run-ins he had in the comic book world.
Black Widow's Russian Captain America
First and foremost, the Red Guardian in Black Widow is supposed to be the soviet version of Captain America. That's the case in the comics as well, but it's very pronounced in the film version. A side-by-side comparison shows that the torso of the Red Guardian's uniform even has a star in the middle of the chest. There are also stripes along the shoulders that are quite similar to the way that Captain America's uniform looked in the MCU.
Even the headpiece is quite similar to the one that Steve Rogers wore in the movies, with the one obvious difference being that there is no chin strap on the Red Guardian's helmet, likely to make way for his full beard. The other big difference between the two heroes is that Red Guardian does not appear to carry a shield in the movie. That is also a bit of a difference from the comic book version. In several of those books, the character did carry a similar shield to his American counterpart's.
Make no mistake, Red Guardian in the comics is absolutely a direct reaction to Captain America. The former Soviet Union and then Russia later wanted to have its own "shining beacon" of the country that the people could look up to. Both heroes were first envisioned as more propaganda than anything else but they were both eventually sent into action when they got their super strength. The two characters came into contact with one another several times in the comics, and while there was usually an adversarial feeling to those meetings, the two were often uncomfortable allies, rather than enemies. That wasn't always the case, as there were several iterations of the Red Guardian, but he was not a straight-up villain in the comics, and isn't in Black Widow.
Red Guardian's Various Ties To Black Widow
While Black Widow and Red Guardian have long-standing ties in both the new film and the comics, this appears to be where the MCU has departed from the books. In both stories, the man behind the mask is named Alexei Shostakov. However, in regards to who he is and how he knows Natasha Romanoff, the similarities apparently end there. While there are quite a few iterations of Red Guardian, the most well-known version of Alexei Shostakov is that of her husband. In the Black Widow comics, the pair actually become a couple before either one of them embraces the superhero lifestyle.
Before becoming Black Widow, Natasha was a famous Russian ballet dancer. Shostakov was a test pilot for the Russian airforce. That meant that while neither were living regular, humdrum lives, neither were they putting on costumes and going out on dangerous missions on a daily basis. For a long time, there wasn't anything known about Black Widow's past in the comics either, but much like this movie, Marvel did finally paint a picture of what life was like before she became a member of The Avengers.
The marriage between Romanoff and Shostakov eventually ended, though there are some storylines that showed them becoming friends if not romantic partners later in life. At least one reason why the couple's relationship became strained was that Romanoff became Black Widow and Shostakov became Red Guardian. Both went to work for the Soviet Union/Russian government, though like the movie, Black Widow's entry into that world was quite a bit darker than just the human face and superhero of the country.
It does appear there is one big difference between Black Widow and Red Guardian's relationship in the movie compared to the books. David Harbour seems to play a much older Shostakov. He seems old enough that it's unlikely a marriage to Romanoff was ever in the cards. Most of the materials surrounding the movie give the main cast more of a family atmosphere where Red Guardian is more of a father figure to Black Widow. In fact, it seems as if another character Rachel Weisz's Melina Vostokoff will be the love interest of Red Guardian in the film.
Granted, nothing can be ruled out as it's clear that at least part of the MCU adaptation of this story is going to focus on a rather harsh upbringing for Natasha. It's possible she was forced into some kind of relationship with Red Guardian, but that would certainly tamp down the "team" feeling and parental vibes that have been given off between the two leading up to the film's release. In truth, it is the change in the pair's relationship that appears to be the biggest departure from the comics in the upcoming Black Widow film.