The Red Guardian had a very short-lived career in Marvel Comics. He was the proletariat version of Captain America for the Soviet Union. Probably created more as a foil for Cap to spar against, than anything else. He nonetheless is appearing in a major motion picture and is played ably by David Harbour. Harbour appears to be the flavor of the month in Hollywood. Like some apparition of yesteryear, he will wear the red star on the big screen. Probably as a compatriot of the deadly Black Widow. My guess is he will be killed off in the first half of the movie, in a rather brutal way. Thus giving the Taskmaster a brilliant scene that pits Black Widow against the Taskmaster for vengeance sake.

These two combatants represent one sleek Silver Age creation, Black Widow vs. the Bronze Age brutality of Taskmaster. Let there be no doubt Black Widow during the timeframe was a deadly assassin and more than a match for Tasky. Her place in Marvel Comics is secure ever since the run with Daredevil in the early 70s.

 

Avengers #43

Even though the Red Guardian is probably just a target in the Black Widow movie, still he makes an appealing character and the numbers will prove a viable one. Everyone is focusing on Taskmaster in Avengers #196 see my previous blog here. Or even in the star of the show the Black Widow, but what if Red Guardian is the "sleeper" hit (double meaning: fans of The Americans get it). Yep, he could be a huge hit already and I am sure there are other speculators out there realizing the same thing. Avengers #43 was his first appearance in Marvel Comics. His background is as a Golden Age hero originally with this being his second incarnation. The team of Roy Thomas and John Buscema created this Commie Captain America. That being said, what do the numbers show?

Long-Term:

  • Grade 9.6 $4000 FMV returns positive +93.9%
  • Grade 9.2 $500 FMV returns positive +101.5%
  • Grade 9.0 $350 FMV returns positive +71.2%
  • Grade 8.0 $170 FMV returns positive +66.3%
  • Grade 6.0 $140 FMV returns positive +123.8%

 

Short-Term (1-year):

  • Grade 9.6 $4000 FMV returns positive +305.1%
  • Grade 9.2 $500 FMV returns negative -2.9%
  • Grade 9.0 $350 FMV returns negative -1.9%
  • Grade 8.0 $170 FMV returns negative -2.5%
  • Grade 6.0 $140 FMV returns positive +103.4%

The long-term returns are solid for Avengers #43 with some as high as +123.8%!!! However, the short-term has some weakness; which is confusing but not terrifying. Basically, the high end and low end of the grades have powerful proletariat returns. However the middle and near mint minus grades are slightly depressed. Where does this leave us? Ultimately, this issue Avengers #43 is a solid long-term purchase and probably not a very good short-term speculation. You could try to target a grade of 6.0, but with only two sales that seems incredibly skewed and not worth the risk.  Recommendation: Long-term buy and hold, short-term don't speculate.

During the Cold War, it was all the rage to spar against Soviet spies and saboteurs, James Bond always did. Why not do it in Marvel Comics? Red Guardian is a fun fling back to another time and will be interesting to watch on the big screen. But as short-term speculation, you should avoid, don't be a greedy capitalist, remember Stalin's maxim...

"Capitalists will sell you the rope to hang them with!"