David Harbour Confirms Heroes Are Suiting Up in Style for ‘Avengers: Doomsday’
Marvel has spent the better part of two years building anticipation for one of the most ambitious crossover events in superhero cinema history. With dozens of beloved characters returning under the same banner, the sheer spectacle of ‘Avengers: Doomsday’ has been the dominant conversation in entertainment circles since it was first announced. The film is produced by Marvel Studios and AGBO, distributed by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures, and directed by Anthony and Joe Russo, with a script from Michael Waldron and Stephen McFeely. It is the kind of project that generates excitement not just for audiences, but for the actors lucky enough to be part of it.
David Harbour is returning to his MCU role as Alexei Shostakov, also known as Red Guardian, a character first introduced in ‘Black Widow’, where he played the former Soviet super-soldier and adoptive father figure to Natasha Romanoff and Yelena Belova. The role marks the character’s third appearance in the MCU, following ‘Black Widow’ and ‘Thunderbolts’. Harbour has been one of the more candid voices in the cast when it comes to sharing his excitement about the production.
That enthusiasm boiled over in a recent interview with Variety, where Harbour revealed that the heroes arriving in ‘Avengers: Doomsday’ will be coming with fresh gear. According to Avengers Updates on X, Harbour confirmed that characters are receiving new suits and upgrades, and he made no attempt to hide his delight about the whole experience. “It’s fun for us to be in it and do our bit, but also have a front-row seat to all these characters we’ve loved for years and watch them do this stuff. It’s just a blast,” Harbour said.
In the same interview, Harbour also mentioned working on a scene alongside Florence Pugh, whose character Yelena Belova is expected to appear alongside Red Guardian, and described the experience as one of the standout moments of filming. He described the feeling of being on set as something special, explaining that even the cast was left “pinching ourselves that we get a front-row seat to this process.”
The film brings together characters from across the MCU, including the Avengers, the Wakandans, the New Avengers, the Fantastic Four, and even the X-Men from earlier film universes. Harbour himself has previously compared the film’s scale to his work on ‘Stranger Things’, calling ‘Doomsday’ the biggest thing he has ever done. Joe Russo has described the film as a “complete reinvention” for Marvel, saying audiences will not be expecting what happens, and that this surprise factor is crucial for winning back viewers after a period of mixed results at the box office.
A report citing sources close to Disney’s film division suggested that executives are impressed with the project, and rival studio heads have privately predicted it could become the highest-grossing film of the year. ‘Avengers: Doomsday’ is set to hit theaters on December 18, 2026.
With new suits, a stacked roster, and actors visibly giddy about what they witnessed on set, ‘Doomsday’ is shaping up to feel like a genuine event rather than just another installment. Whether Red Guardian gets a long-overdue makeover of his own is something fans will want to weigh in on, so let us know in the comments whether you think Alexei Shostakov deserves the most dramatic suit upgrade of them all when December finally rolls around.
