10 Most Exciting New Faces Coming To The MCU

Calls for a standalone Black Widow film date as far back as Natasha Romanov’s first appearance in Iron Man 2 (2010). So, a literal decade later, Marvel have finally given many MCU fans what they want. With such a long wait for Black Widow fans, it does feel like the pressure is on to make sure this film does the character justice.

We’ve had to infer Romanov’s tragic back story as one forced into a life of espionage from sporadic hints throughout the MCU phases - most insultingly of which by far goes to Whedon’s insensitive characterisation in Avengers: Age of Ultron, which centred solely on her forced sterilisation. (Like seriously, watering down a lifetime of trauma to, “I can’t have kids therefore I am a monster”? What a way to belittle the loss of bodily autonomy, Joss.)

This new film has to shoulder quite the burden to sufficiently depict the origins of Natasha Romanov. The introduction of some of Black Widow’s allies and adversaries from her past is a promising start, as there are numerous key characters being included. One of her better known accomplices is the original Red Guardian. Alexei Shostakov appears in the comics as Black Widow’s husband, and jet pilot hero of the USSR. The KGB spy duo were the Russian dream team, right up until Shostakov was forced to fake his own death to become the Soviet’s answer to Captain America.

All things considered, the choice of Stranger Things alumnus David Harbour looks like a bit of an odd choice. David Harbour has become intrinsically connected with anti-Soviet sentiment thanks to his role as Sheriff Jim Hopper, and picturing him as a Russian super-soldier becomes increasingly difficult. But lest we forget, Harbour has proven himself to be a worthy actor in the comic book movie genre already.

Let’s face it, his portrayal of Hellboy in last year’s revival was pretty much its only saving grace. Furthermore, the MCU depiction of Shostakov’s Red Guardian looks like it’s going to be veering away from the comic’s canon, making Shostakov more paternal to Romanov as well as potentially showing him past his superhero prime. If there’s one thing the MCU does particularly well, it’s showing that even superhumans can have their off days, and I wouldn’t at all be surprised if this Red Guardian is a little bit Mr Incredible, if you catch my drift.

Harbour has dug out an acting niche for himself of mature men who still aren’t afraid to bash the brains out of bad guys, so this incarnation of Red Guardian is looking to be perfectly suited to him.