The MCU Just Delivered a Fight 60 Years in the Making (& Declared a Winner)

The Marvel Cinematic Universe excels at delivering highly anticipated fights. At the start of Avengers: Infinity War, Thanos and his allies lay waste to the Asgardian ship. Thor can only watch as his friends die, and for a moment, it looks like Loki is about to turn his back on him. However, it’s all a ploy by the God of Mischief to buy time for his former rival, Hulk. Bruce Banner’s alter ego gets to go toe-to-toe with the Mad Titan, which is as good as it gets in superhero media. Unfortunately, even a franchise as big as the MCU can’t make every dream come true in live-action.

To make up for all the missed opportunities, Marvel Studios is embracing animation, using the medium to explore new angles. What If…? does a great job by telling unique stories, such as one that involves T’Challa becoming Star-Lord. But What If…? is losing steam because of the release of its spinoff, Marvel Zombies, which delivers a fight that’s been in the works for the better part of 60 years.

Red Guardian Finally Meets His American Counterpart in Marvel Zombies

Time is of the essence in Marvel Zombies, which is why, when Kamala Khan, Riri Williams, and Kate Bishop come across a battle between Captain Marvel and Ikaris, they can’t stop. The group pushes forward, but the undead horde nearby overwhelms them, forcing Riri to save Kamala by any means necessary. Fortunately, Blade arrives in the nick of time and takes Kamala to her destination: a S.H.I.E.L.D. base. Rather than finding Nick Fury or one of the Avengers, though, the duo comes face-to-face with three former Red Room operatives, Yelena Belova, Alexei Shostakov, and Melina Vostokoff. They exchange pleasantries as Kamala explains her plan to use a beacon she found to call for help. However, their discussion is cut short when Scarlet Witch’s zombie army arrives.

Melina readies the base’s defenses while the rest of the group prepares to fight. Red Guardian is a bit distracted, though, because he spots Captain America in the crowd. Of course, he was Russia’s answer to the Star-Spangled Man, and he wants to test his strength against the original super soldier. When Cap, who only has half of his body, breaks in, Red Guardian is ready for him, throwing punch after punch. The battle concludes when Red Guardian crushes Cap’s body, killing him instantly. Beating Captain America is a big deal for the Russian hero, and he might get the chance to do it all over again in the near future.

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Since Steve Rogers is no longer running around Earth-616, there’s little chance that Alexei crosses paths with him. It just so happens, though, that someone else holds the title of Captain America right now, and he’s not a fan of the team Red Guardian is part of. After learning about Valentina Allegra de Fontaine forming the New Avengers, Sam Wilson starts to fight to get the name “Avengers” back, trademarking it. The move doesn’t sit right with Red Guardian, who immediately embraces the name “New Avengerz” and starts trash-talking Sam.

Red Guardian will have to put his money where his mouth is in Avengers: Doomsday when he runs into Sam, who will surely be looking to take the lead in the fight against Doctor Doom. The New Avenger will likely enter the fight cocky, given his opponent isn’t a super soldier, but he shouldn’t underestimate Captain America, who has held his own against a Hulk. Red Guardian can’t even claim to have done anything half as impressive.

Marvel Zombies is streaming on Disney+.

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