The Winter Soldier and the Red Guardian are reluctant partners in What Ifâ¦?, ahead of their team-up in 2025’s The Thunderbolts*. The third episode of the show’s final season is set in the 1990s, where Alexi Shostakov stops Bucky Barnes from murdering Tony Stark’s parents. While the Winter Soldier was brainwashed into being a villain, the Red Guardian proves he’s a hero because of his belief in his cause. As per usual for the character, Bucky Barnes has some tension with the Thunderbolts. “What Ifâ¦the Red Guardian Stopped the Winter Soldier” suggests if anyone changes his feelings about the team, it will probably be Russia’s super-soldier.Of all the final season episodes thus far, Episode 3 is the most overly comedic. Despite the killing and the tragedy, Bucky remains an excellent “straight man” for comedic team-ups. Whereas Sam Wilson and Bucky are united by their mutual connection to Steve Rogers, Red Guardian has no such history. Instead, while trying to prove himself to his Communist masters, he simply connects to Bucky because he believes in his ability to be a good person. Technically, these are different characters than their Marvel Cinematic Universe counterparts. Still, Alexi’s nature is revealed more completely here in what may be the best episode of What Ifâ¦? yet.The Winter Soldier is, primarily, an assassin. Red Guardian, like any good costumed hero, stops him from committing murder. Not only that, but he tells Bucky that he can be more than just a killer, despite referring to him earlier as “HYDRA trash.” Unlike traditional enemies in post-Cold War fiction, Alexi Shostakov doesn’t want to destroy America. He simply wants to “save” Americans from what he sees as the oppressive yoke of a greedy, corrupt system. It’s a message that could play even better now than it did in 2021.
The Winter Soldier and the Red Guardian are reluctant partners in What Ifâ¦?, ahead of their team-up in 2025’s The Thunderbolts*. The third episode of the show’s final season is set in the 1990s, where Alexi Shostakov stops Bucky Barnes from murdering Tony Stark’s parents. While the Winter Soldier was brainwashed into being a villain, the Red Guardian proves he’s a hero because of his belief in his cause. As per usual for the character, Bucky Barnes has some tension with the Thunderbolts. “What Ifâ¦the Red Guardian Stopped the Winter Soldier” suggests if anyone changes his feelings about the team, it will probably be Russia’s super-soldier.
Of all the final season episodes thus far, Episode 3 is the most overly comedic. Despite the killing and the tragedy, Bucky remains an excellent “straight man” for comedic team-ups. Whereas Sam Wilson and Bucky are united by their mutual connection to Steve Rogers, Red Guardian has no such history. Instead, while trying to prove himself to his Communist masters, he simply connects to Bucky because he believes in his ability to be a good person. Technically, these are different characters than their Marvel Cinematic Universe counterparts. Still, Alexi’s nature is revealed more completely here in what may be the best episode of What Ifâ¦? yet.
The Winter Soldier is, primarily, an assassin. Red Guardian, like any good costumed hero, stops him from committing murder. Not only that, but he tells Bucky that he can be more than just a killer, despite referring to him earlier as “HYDRA trash.” Unlike traditional enemies in post-Cold War fiction, Alexi Shostakov doesn’t want to destroy America. He simply wants to “save” Americans from what he sees as the oppressive yoke of a greedy, corrupt system. It’s a message that could play even better now than it did in 2021.
#Ifâ #Season #Episode #Review #Red #Guardianâs #Winter #Soldierâs #TeamUp #Recaptures #MCUs #Glory
Note:- (Not all news on the site expresses the point of view of the site, but we transmit this news automatically and translate it through programmatic technology on the site and not from a human editor. The content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.))
