Winter Guard
Laynia Sergeievna Petrovna (Krylova) / Ланья Сергеевна Петровна (Крылова) / Darkstar
Nationality: Belarussian, Russian, Soviet
Species: Human mutant
First Appearance: Champions #7 (May, 1976)
The first Darkstar, Laynia Petrovna is a mutant capable of manipulating an immeasurable amount of darkforce energy. She lived and died in service to her mother country Russia, but was later resurrected in the body of the previous Darkstar, Reena Stancioff, when Reena was transformed into a Dire Wraith.
- Brother–Sister Team: With her twin brother Nikolai Krylenko/Vanguard.
- Came Back Wrong: Was one of the many deceased mutants who was resurrected by Selene using the transmode virus during the Necrosha event and used to attack Utopia. Selene's defeat returned Darkstar and most of the other resurrected mutants to rest.
- Dark Is Not Evil: Despite the codename and using the Darkforce, she's usually one of the nicer members on her team.
- Heel–Face Turn: When initially introduced, she was part of a team sent to bring Black Widow back to the Soviet Union. Instead, she switched sides and joined the Champions instead.
- Legacy Character: She had at least two successors as Darkstar before she returned to life.
- Most Common Superpower: As her bodysuit shows.
Dimitri Bukharin / Crimson Dynamo V
Notable Aliases: Airstrike
Nationality: Russian, Soviet
Species: Human
First Appearance: Iron Man (Vol 1) #109
The most famous (and competent) Crimson Dynamo, and certainly the longest running, Dmitri Bukharin was a Soviet superhero, rather than a supervillain. He frequently clashed with Tony Stark, as a member of first the Supreme Soviets, then the People's Protectorate, and in the process built up a strong respect for his enemy. Following the collapse of the USSR, Dmitri joined a new Russian team of superheroes (the Winter Guard) as Airstrike, though he continues to use the Crimson Dynamo armour as well.
Nikolai Sergeievich Krylenko / Vanguard
Notable Aliases: Krylov, Red Guardian
Nationality: Belarussian, Russian, Soviet
Species: Human mutant
First Appearance: Iron Man #109 (April, 1978)
Brother of the first Darkstar and son of The Presence. He is a powerful mutant with the ability to repel any force directed at him, be it electromagnetic, kinetic, or gravitational.
- Brother–Sister Team: With his twin sister Laynia Petrovna/Darkstar.
- Captain Patriotic: Like the Red Guardian, Vanguard is the Russian equivalent of Captain America.
Mikhail Uriokovich Ursus / Ursa Major
Notable Aliases: Great Beast, Great Bear
Nationality: Russian, Soviet
Species: Human mutant
First Appearance: Incredible Hulk #250 (August, 1980)
Ursa Major is a Russian mutant that transforms into a giant bear. He becomes a valuable member of the Soviet Super Soldiers and later of the Winter Guard.
- The Alcoholic: Ursa Major has recently developed a problem with alcohol, which makes him more aggressive and have a tendency to get into fights.
- Animorphism: He's a mutant who can turn into a bear within 10 seconds, while keeping his human intellect.
- Bears Are Bad News: When you can turn into a huge Siberian bear, yes, they are bad news.
- Husky Russkie: Even in human form he's huge and burly.
- Mutant: He's a natural-born mutant like Vanguard and Darkstar.
- National Animal Stereotypes: A literal Russian Bear.
- Slashed Throat: Red Widow kills him this way after his purpose with the Agents of Wakanda is fulfilled.
Anatoly / Vostok
Notable Aliases: Sputnik
Nationality: Russian
Species: Synthezoid
First Appearance: Captain America #352 (April, 1989)
Vostok formerly known as Sputnik is an original member of the Supreme Soviets that has the ability to manipulate mechanical systems.
- Meaningful Rename: Changed his name from Sputnik (the first unmanned Soviet space mission) to Vostok (first manned Soviet mission) to reflect his growing humanity.
Chernobog
Notable Aliases: Chernobog the Black
Species: God
First Appearance: Incredible Hulks #621 (January, 2011)
Chernobog the Black was the Slavic god of chaos, night, and darkness, and one of the "evil soldiers" in the war between good and evil fought among the Russian gods.
- Casting a Shadow: As a god of darkness, merging with shadows is easy for him.
- God of Evil: It's literally one of his titles.
- Meaningful Name: "Chernobog" means Black God in English.
- Not Quite Dead: He and Perun were apparently killed by Gorr the God Butcher in 893 AD at the Neva River, but both came back through various circumstances.
- Slasher Smile: Constantly since with one.
- Teeth-Clenched Teamwork: With Perun.
- Unexplained Recovery: How he recovered from being overloaded by the Hulk's gamma energy hasn't been explained.
Perun
Notable Aliases: Storm Lord, "Lord of the Storm"; Pyarun, Piorun, Pērkons, Perkūnas, Perkele, Valeri Soyloyev
Species: God
First Appearance Captain America #352 (April, 1989)
- Not Quite Dead: He and Chernobog were apparently killed by Gorr the God Butcher in 893 AD at the Neva River, but both came back through various circumstances.
- Sharing a Body: Perun ended up sealed within an amulet and forced to share body with a Russian agent named Valeri Soyloyev.
- Shock and Awe: He's the Slavic god of thunder.
- Teeth-Clenched Teamwork: He and Chernobog don't like each other. Considering they're gods from opposing factions, it was hardly unexpected.
Red Widow
Nationality: Russian
Species: Human
First Appearance: Avengers (Vol. 8) #10 (November, 2018)
- Ambiguously Human: Yelena isn't sure if she really is human and considers her different from every other Red Room graduate she has seen.
- An Arm and a Leg: She-Hulk rips off her right arm in her initial rampage as Winter She-Hulk.
- Child Soldiers: She was a homeless girl taken by the Red Room to become a Widow when she was seven.
- Color Character: Red Widow. Her entire outfit is red.
- Enigmatic Minion: She's nominally the liaison between the Guard and the Red Room, but her true objectives are unknown.
- The Faceless: She hasn't been fully seen without the mask so far. Only after She-Hulk beats her up that part of her face is finally seen.
- Facial Markings: When her mask is broken, it shows she has a teardrop and a hammer-and-sickle tattoos around her left eye.
- Hidden Depths: Red Widow's usual post-mission routine includes a hot milk bath and caviar.
- In the Hood: Besides the mask she also wears a red hood.
Antagonists
Alexei Alanovich Shostakov / Алексей Шостаков / Red Guardian
Notable Aliases: Ronin
Nationality: Russian
Species: Human
First Appearance: The Avengers #43 (August 1967)
Alexei Shostakov is a Russian patriotic hero and the second man to assume the Red Guardian mantle. He was married to the Russian spy Black Widow and was assumed dead for years. Having faked his death, he returned and now uses the code-name Ronin.
- Captain Patriotic: As expected from the Russian equivalent of Captain America.
- Color Character: Red Guardian, a color that's heavily associated with the Soviet Union.
- Legacy Character: He's the second person to become the Red Guardian and the third to become Ronin.
