#Nikolai Krylenko ~ Vanguard

[justdealingwithsomeissues]

the Soviet Super Soldiers get their own big ol' special issue... no clue who thought these guys were popular enough for this...

[merrymarvelite]

Cover of the Day: Iron Man #109 (April, 1978) Art by John Byrne, Terry Austin, and Irv Watanabe

[nitpickrider]

Somebody in the Soviet government ROYALLY screwed something up.

[wanderingmind867]

The Union of Soviet Super Soldiers (USSS):

It's 1976 or 1977. At least 12 years since the avengers were founded in the US. The Soviet Union is desperate to create their own superhero team to rival the avengers. They've tried to create figures like the Red Guardian, or the Crimson Dynamo or Titanium Man before, but it always fails. But perhaps it's because they never assembled a proper team? That's the logic that leads to the creation of the Union of Soviet Super Soldiers (Or USSS for short) in 1976 or 1977.

Founded in July 1976, the original team consists of:

Red Guardian III (Vladimir Ivanov): I already have a whole note on him. But he's the team leader, and one of the members of the team most devoted to Communism.

Vanguard (Nikolai Krylenko): He's a real comics character. I'm pretty sure you can find info on him through a Marvel Wiki or through Google (that's how I learned of him).

The Winter Witch (Katerina Obolensky): Abandoned as a child in the snowy mountains of Siberia, Katerina Obolensky learned to be one with the ice and snow. Nobody is sure if she's a mutant or some kind of demigod, but she is definitely powerful. Capable of controlling the ice, snow and winds at a single thought. She can generate winds, blizzards, avalanches, etc. When in her natural element she is a god amongst men. But when she's far separated from any form of cold, she becomes weak and frail.

The Gift-Bringer (Adrian Abel): Adrian Abel is a mutant. Born with the uncanny ability to control poison and even generate it (they can turn their whole body into poison dust or into liquid poison, for instance), they were considered a threat to others and sent off to an elite mutant training facility in Russia. There, they learned how to control their powers and make themselves less dangerous to others. Worst comes to worst, they were at least given a containment suit to prevent them from accidentally killing anyone with their poison.

Considering how powerful they are, it's only natural Adrian was recruited to the USSS. They're both powerful and extremely volatile, however. So they possibly be the most dangerous person on the team. So they require extreme protective measures to ensure they don't accidentally poison the people they're trying to help.

PS: Adrian is the only character not originally from the USSR. They're East German. I realized the German word for poison is gift due to google translate, and so I couldn't resist this bit of humour.

Crimson Dynamo (Dmitri Bukharin): Same as Vanguard. The Crimson Dynamo (including this version of him) is a real comics character who can find out more about through Google or a Marvel Wiki or something.

If you're wondering where in the timeline of comics this is supposed to be, it's shortly after Darkstar defects to the US to join The Champions. And she will join this team eventually, if someone (either me or literally anyone else) takes this idea past the concept stage.

[marvelman901]

Vanguard (Nikolai Krylenko) . Part of The Soviet Super Soldiers. . What do you think about Vanguard? . 1st - 4th slide is from the Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe v3 11 (1991) Art by Keith Pollard and Josef Rubinstein. . See more relevant content here: #marvelman901vanguard #marvelman901sovietsupersoldiers . #vanguard #sovietsupersoldiers #90s #keithpollard #josefrubinstein #superhero https://www.instagram.com/p/CmU1AYWM_83/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[elgaberino-mcoc]

spreadsheet cleanup subseries: radiation THE PRESENCE

ComicVine: 66 issues Fandom: 39 appearances, 0 variants 1 video game

radiation powers Winter Guard adjacent

We probably wouldn't be talking about him if he weren't in LEGO Marvel Super Heroes 2

[medium to] low priority for @MCOCwishlist

- Other Gabe

Additional notes: Presence is the father of two mutants, Nikolai Krylenko (who has been both Vanguard and Red Guardian) and Laynia Petrovna (better known as Darkstar). He is famously an enemy of the Defenders and Avengers. He is responsible for the conversion of Defenders member, the second Red Guardian (Tania Belinskaya), later known as Starlight, into a radioactively-powered being while she was under his mental control. He later demonstrated the ability to transform people into enthralled radiation zombies, which was reversible.

[multiverseofmiracleshq]

For the whole history of NIKOLAI KRYLENKO, please click here.

← ONCE THERE WAS AN IDEA TO BRING TOGETHER →

Although he’s given up the Red Guardian title, Nikolai has kept the Red Guardian equipment while he once again resumes the Vanguard name. The Winter Guard are working well together once more, and it’s nice to have Laynia by his side again. It takes a lot to keep them in line, but Nikolai considers himself a leader who can rise to the challenge. He’ll do whatever it takes to be the most productive of Winter Guard that he can, even when disputes break out. He hasn’t given his entire life to the cause for no reason. Trained to be a good soldier, Nikolai will be just that.

←  A GROUP OF REMARKABLE PEOPLE TO SEE IF THEY →

✗ LAYNIA PETROVNA (616) is Nikolai’s twin. The two were taken and trained as super-soldiers from birth following the manifestation of their mutation, and things haven’t always been easy. When Laynia was killed, Nikolai’s drive to avenge or resurrect her caused a schism in the Winter Guard. She’s back now, much to Nikolai’s great relief. He works better knowing his sister is alive and well.

✗ WENDALL VAUGHN (616) got involved with Nikolai, Laynia and the Winter Guard before Nikolai was killed. He played a part in Vanguard’s death and was blamed by Laynia, but eventually helped to make it right. The two haven’t had much contact since then. There’s been no reason for them to.

← COULD BECOME SOMETHING MORE  →

✗ THE WINTER GUARD → Serving on the Winter Guard for the good of his country is an honor. Nikolai has devoted his life to his motherland, and the Winter Guard is just the next step in this patriotism. The team isn’t a family like the Avengers claim to be, even though they’re often called the Russian counterpart. Being on the Winter Guard is an honor, and Nikolai knows it. He doesn’t take it lightly.

✗ OTHER AFFILIATIONS – n/a.

← & IF WE CAN’T SAVE THE WORLD, WE’LL AVENGE IT →

✗ AGE → 20′s ✗ MULTIVERSE ORIGIN → earth-616 ✗ SPECIES→ mutant ✗ ETHNICITY→ white / same as laynia petrovna ✗ SECRET IDENTITY→ secret ✗ RELATIONSHIP STATUS → open ✗ FACECLAIM → zane phillips ✗ AVAILABILITY → open

← FUN FACTS →

russian name is Николай Крыленко

formerly served as the red guardian

has died and been resurrected

[comicwaren]

From Winter Guard #001

Art by Djibril Morissette-Phan, Jan Bazaldua and Federico Blee

Written by Ryan Cady

[why-i-love-comics]

Winter Guard #1 (2021)

written by Ryan Cady art by Jan Bazaldua, Djibri Morissette-Phan, & Federico Blee

[marvelheroperil]

Daredevil and Black Widow are in the prison cell before the latter gets taken away for interrogation. 

- Daredevil v1 #370, 1997

[thisiswhatwereupagainst]

Obscure Marvel fancast of the day: Harm Verwegen as Nikolai Krylenko aka Vanguard! Nikolai and his twin sister Laynia were born in Minsk just after the Soviet Union softened its stance on mutants. While the previous practice had been to kill them at birth, it was later decided that they could be put to better use serving the state. To this end, Laynia and Nikolai were taken away at birth by the government and given to a scientist who served the state, Professor Phobos, to raise at his Super Soldier School in Moscow. Laynia and Nikolai were given different last names (Petrovna and Krylenko) and not told they were related, so that their familial loyalty would not override their loyalty to the USSR. They were raised and trained in a trio alongside an older boy called Mikhail Uriokovitch Ursus, though Professor Phobos had other students besides them. Each of them manifested different powers and took on a codename to reflect those powers. Mikhail could transform into a massive bear, and called himself Ursa Major. Laynia could control the Darkforce, and thus was called Darkstar. Nikolai had a field around him that could repel kinetic, gravitronic, and electromagnetic energy, and so he was called Vanguard. Originally, Vanguard required a special cybernetic hammer and sickle he would cross over his chest to channel his repulsion power, but has since learned to use his abilities without them. The trio grew up to become special operatives in the Soviet government, and were often manipulated by it. During one mission, they discovered two shocking truths—Professor Phobos had been trying to drain his students of their energy, including themselves, and that the villain known as The Presence was the biological father of Laynia and Nikolai, making them siblings—twins at that! Vanguard also died in one adventure, though he was revived, as is often the case for comic book characters. Vanguard is a hot-headed, impetuous man who prefers to hit first and ask questions later, if at all. This makes him easy for the Russian government to manipulate, despite his rage every time he discovers he’s been misled, and his vows for it to never happen again. He’s also got a streak of anti-American sentiment, and as of the 90s he longed for the previous Communist order. That said, he’s still a heroic good guy, just with very different ideology than the typical United States reader would have. He is also extremely protective of his sister Darkstar, perhaps because she’s the only family he has.

[justdealingwithsomeissues]

and these guys call themselves the Exiles but that isn't gonna last... nor will a chunk of their members...

[businesscasualcyclops]

da, i mean yeah

[nitpickrider]

Being a superhero in the Soviet Union would, by nature, require also being a guerilla or at least an agitator. The Soviet government did not like do gooders and it certainly didn't like them outside of state control.

[outofcontextmarvel]

[Captain America #352, 1989]

[panels-of-interest]

Firebird vs. Thor.

[from Avengers (1998) #44]