Red Guardian’s Super Soldier Serum Was Secretly Killing Him – Theory Explained

Fans may think it’s strange that Red Guardian didn’t break out of prison before Black Widow, but one theory claims his life depended on it. Natasha Romanoff’s (Scarlett Johansson) backstory in the Marvel Cinematic Universe comes to light in Black Widow. In the film, Natasha spent part of her childhood in an undercover Russian spy operation in the United States in the ’90s. During the mission, she posed as part of a family living in Ohio. A younger Yelena Belova (Florence Pugh) played her sister, the Red Guardian/Alexei Shostakov (David Harbour) played her dad, and Melina Vostokoff (Rachel Weisz) played her mom. Years later, Natasha reunited with her former fake family to take down the Red Room, a Soviet-Russian program designed to brainwash and train Black Widow agents.

In Black Widow, Yelena and Natasha plan to break Red Guardian out of prison. At some point after the Red Guardian’s mission in Ohio, Dreykov (Ray Winstone), the leader of the Red Room, had Alexei put in prison for the rest of his life. And unfortunately for Red Guardian, Dreykov sent him to Seventh Circle Prison, a highly-secure facility in a remote area of Russia. There, he wastes away, telling the same war stories of Chris Evans’ Captain America over and over again. But, of course, Red Guardian’s fake daughters helped him out of prison, and the three of them eventually reunited with Melina, who lives in an area outside of Saint Petersburg.

Following Black Widow, fans speculated why Red Guardian didn’t break out of prison sooner, and apparently, his life depended on it. According to one fan theory (via Reddit), Red Guardian’s Super Soldier Serum was slowly killing him, and he needed medical attention to stay alive. The Black Widow theory focuses on the helicopter Natasha and Yelena fly to Seventh Circle Prison. Since the aircraft was low on fuel and still made it close to Saint Petersburg, the theory speculates that the prison’s remoteness wasn’t what was keeping Red Guardian incarcerated. If he had broken out, he could’ve likely made it to a town. And since Red Guardian’s health deteriorated as he aged, despite having taken a Super Soldier Serum, the theory claims he likely stayed to get medical attention to keep him alive. If that is the case, it may also explain why he knew where Melina lived. Outside of the prison, she could also give Red Guardian the medical treatment he needed.

When it comes to the theory, the math adds up. Red Guardian’s superpowers are on full display during his prison escape. He busts through doors and jumps up walls. Though it takes both Natasha and Yelena to get him out of prison, it seems he could’ve managed the same task himself sometime during his years of incarceration if he had wanted to. Since he still possesses those powers, it makes sense that something else is keeping him in prison. With the character gaining weight and losing his hair, it’s evident that the Super Soldier Serum isn’t helping to keep him young and vibrant. And since Melina works on scientific projects, if anyone knew how to keep him healthy, it’d be her.

Still, the theory is far from canon. Even if Red Guardian could’ve escaped from prison in Black Widow, there could be other things keeping him there. For instance, the character carries guilt over his past in Black Widow, so he may have simply stayed in prison because he thought he deserved it. Additionally, Dreykov put him in prison for a reason. If he had escaped on his own, it could’ve potentially cost him his life. But, on the other hand, maybe he just really likes telling those Captain America stories.