Thunderbolts’ Concept Artist Shares Alternative Suit For David Harbour’s Red Guardian, And I Really Dig It: ‘Less Santa Claus And More Spec Ops’

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Every time a new Marvel film is released, it’s the product of numerous teams working together over extended periods. It’s always fascinating to see how things evolve through time. In fact, an artist who contributed concepts for Thunderbolts* has recently unveiled an alternate costume for David Harbour’s Red Guardian, and although it varies significantly from the original, I find it quite appealing.

Red Guardian is known for occasionally pulling out his old suit from years past when it’s needed to save the day, a recurring gag seen in both “Black Widow” and “Thunderbolts”. However, according to Aleksi Briclot’s Instagram post, there may be a change in appearance for Harbour’s character in upcoming movies.

A post shared by Aleksi Briclot (@aleksibriclot)

A photo posted by on

Wow, the concept artist, known for his work on numerous Marvel productions such as “Black Widow,” “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3,” “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever,” “Avengers: Infinity War,” suggested that Alexei might benefit from a more somber aesthetic for the upcoming “Thunderbolts.” He explained that he initially envisioned a moodier look with less red and more black to align with the film’s overall tone. Essentially, he wanted to transform Alexei from a jolly figure like Santa Claus into a Spec Ops operative.

While I think there’s something really fun about Alexei using his good old suit over and over, it’s hard not to see how slick this version of Red Guardian’s suit looks. Check out what the fans had to say in the Instagram comment section:

  • “Probably the best superhero suit that i’ve seen in my life, amazing!!” @edward_willenberg
  • “I really like this! I appreciate the comic accuracy of the suit and wish they had gone this route! Though, I think the design they used makes sense for Red Guardian’s role/story in the film” – @isaacgrah13
  • “That looks like a good upgrade for Red Guardian in Doomsday and Secret Wars as the Avengerz #1 super soldier mascot! 🔥” – @vbgear
  • “Honestly, I would’ve preferred this suit to the one we got 🔥” – @udofian.ink
  • “What the heck!!?!?! This suit should’ve been in the film” – @twincastx

Absolutely, it’s highly praised. There seems to be some debate about whether his darker suit should have been included in the film, but many viewers are left regretting that they missed out (FOMO). However, one fan suggests that it would be both logical and beneficial for Red Guardian to receive an upgrade to his suit by the time of Avengers: Doomsday. This is because, as a fully-fledged Avenger, it seems reasonable that he’d have the resources for a new suit.

Through the widely-shared chair reveal, it’s been confirmed that David Harbour is set to star in “Avengers: Doomsday” alongside the Thunderbolts team, who were crowned as the New Avengers at the movie’s conclusion. He’ll also be teaming up with characters he hasn’t worked with previously, including the X-Men, Anthony Mackie’s Captain America, Thor, and Shang-Chi. Needless to say, Red Guardian is beyond excited about this collaboration!

As we countdown to Doomsday, which isn’t due until December 2026, let’s take a look at David Harbour’s encounter with Red Guardian at Disneyland and our analysis of the Thunderbolts finale. The next Marvel Cinematic Universe film is The Fantastic Four: First Steps, set to release on July 25.

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2025-05-31 23:42