Why does Red Guardian believe he fought Captain America in the 80s when Cap was still frozen in ice?
Red Guardian genuinely believes he fought Captain America in the 1980s because he is trapped in his own self-invented reality and state-sponsored delusions. While the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) timeline clearly shows that Steve Rogers was frozen in ice from 1945 until 2011—making the fight chronologically impossible—Alexei Shostakov is not intentionally making up a lie to trick people.
For those who don't know, Red Guardian talks about fighting Captain America in the 1980s during a prison arm-wrestling scene in the movie Black Widow (2021), and later brings it up again while flying in a helicopter with Natasha and Yelena.
One theory is that while Alexei was a Soviet soldier, the US government may have deployed its own secret super-soldier wearing a 'Captain America' mask. Alexei simply saw the US costume and the soldier's powers, assuming he was fighting the real Captain America (Steve Rogers).
Another theory revolves around William Burnside (the 1950s Cap): In the comics, after Steve Rogers disappeared, the government gave a man named William Burnside plastic surgery to become the new 'Captain America.' It's possible that Alexei fought a similar US impostor in the MCU. This would prove Alexei's claim about the 1980s to be true without any timeline manipulation.
For those who don't know, Red Guardian talks about fighting Captain America in the 1980s during a prison arm-wrestling scene in the movie Black Widow (2021), and later brings it up again while flying in a helicopter with Natasha and Yelena.
Who did Red Guardian really fight in the 80s?
David Harbour, the actor who plays Red Guardian, explained that Alexei "doesn't even know that he's lying" and that the encounter is 100% true from his character's perspective. Stripped of his glory days and locked in a Siberian prison, Alexei deeply relies on this fabricated sense of grandeur to maintain his identity as the Soviet Union's supreme super-soldier.
Izaiah Bradley was primarily active in the 1950s (Korean War). After the war, the US government tricked him into jail for 30 years and subjected him to experiments.
One theory is that while Alexei was a Soviet soldier, the US government may have deployed its own secret super-soldier wearing a 'Captain America' mask. Alexei simply saw the US costume and the soldier's powers, assuming he was fighting the real Captain America (Steve Rogers).
Another theory revolves around William Burnside (the 1950s Cap): In the comics, after Steve Rogers disappeared, the government gave a man named William Burnside plastic surgery to become the new 'Captain America.' It's possible that Alexei fought a similar US impostor in the MCU. This would prove Alexei's claim about the 1980s to be true without any timeline manipulation.
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