In Black Widow, David Harbour is basically the Russian Captain America

Our first real look at Marvel’s Black Widow — at least, outside of Hall H at San Diego Comic-Con — arrived on Tuesday in the movie’s first trailer. Besides showcasing Scarlett Johansson as Natasha Romanoff, the two-minute teaser also gives MCU fans a good look at David Harbour (Stranger Things, Hellboy) in costume as the Russian superhero Red Guardian.

Harbour is looking characteristically paunchy but powerful in the red and grey suit, which makes the rare but memorable combination of a classic superhero cowl with a full beard. We got our first glimpse of this look during San Diego Comic-Con 2019, on the first Black Widow poster.

So who is David Harbour’s Red Guardian?

Harbour is playing Alexei Shostakov, a soviet agent who was chosen to become that country’s equivalent of Captain America. But since Dr. Erskine, creator of the super-soldier formula, died without revealing his secrets, Alexei had to make do with intense training and advanced weapons. In the comics, the Red Guardian and the Black Widow share more than a country of origin — they were also married for a while.

But it doesn’t seem like Harbour and Scarlett Johansson’s characters share that sort of connection in Black Widow — scenes in the teaser appear to show Natasha, Florence Pugh’s Yelena Belova, and Rachel Weisz’s Melina breaking Red Guardian out of prison. “Family,” he says to the three of them, after donning his costume, “back together again.”

We’ll find out when the movie rolls into theaters on May 1, 2020.