RED GUARDIAN IV (Josef Petkus, aka Steel Guardian)
Created By: Mark Gruenwald & Kieron Dwyer
First Appearance: Captain America #352 (April 1989)
Role: Mirror Image Villain/Hero (to Cap), Patriotic Hero, Replaceable Guy
Country of Origin: The Soviet Union/Russia
Group Affiliations: The Supreme Soviets, Soviet Super-Soldiers, The People's Protectorate, The Winter Guard
PL 10 (134)
STRENGTH 4 STAMINA 4 AGILITY 4
FIGHTING 10 DEXTERITY 4
INTELLIGENCE 2 AWARENESS 3 PRESENCE 3
Skills:
Acrobatics 6 (+10)
Athletics 6 (+10)
Close Combat (Unarmed) 2 (+12)
Close Combat (Shield) 2 (+12)
Deception 1 (+4)
Expertise (Russian Agent) 8 (+10)
Insight 3 (+6)
Intimidation 3 (+6)
Investigation 2 (+5)
Perception 4 (+7)
Ranged Combat (Shield) 4 (+12)
Stealth 2 (+6)
Technology 2 (+4)
Vehicles 1 (+5)
Advantages:
Accurate Attack, Defensive Attack, Defensive Roll 2, Improved Critical (Shield), Improved Disarm, Improved Initiative, Improved Smash, Leadership, Power Attack, Ranged Attack 4, Teamwork
Powers:
"Red Guardian's Mighty Shield" (Feats: Restricted to Those Trained) (Flaws: Easily Removable) [13]
Enhanced Advantages 2: Evasion, Withstand Damage (2)
"Shield Toss" Strength-Damage +2 (Feats: Dynamic, Ricochet 3, Split 2) (Extras: Ranged 8) (Diminished Range -1) (15) -- (18)
- Dynamic AE: "Shield Bash" Strength-Damage +3 (3)
- Dynamic AE: "Bouncing Shield" Strength-Damage +2 (Extras: Area- 30ft. Shapeable 6, Selective 6) (15)
- Dynamic AE: Enhanced Dodge 3 & Parry 2 (Extras: Sustained +0) Linked to Enhanced Strength 5 (Flaws: Limited to Resisting Movement) (10)
Offense:
Unarmed +12 (+4 Damage, DC 19)
Shield Bash +12 (+7 Damage, DC 22)
Shield Toss +12 (+6 Ranged Damage, DC 21)
Bouncing Shield +7 Area (+7 Damage, DC 22)
Initiative +8
Defenses:
Dodge +11 (DC 21), Parry +11 (DC 21), Toughness +4 (+6 D.Roll), Fortitude +8, Will +6
"With Shield" Dodge +14 (DC 24), Parry +13 (DC 23), Toughness +4 (+6 D.Roll), Fortitude +8, Will +6
Complications:
Responsibility (Russian Agent)
Total: Abilities: 68 / Skills: 46--23 / Advantages: 15 / Powers: 13 / Defenses: 15 (134)
-Josef here is the third Red Guardian of interest, and was around for most of the '90s, and is thus the one I'm most familiar with- he led the People's Protectorate, and was the first Red Guardian to REALLY copy Captain America, now sporting a big, circular shield like Cap's. He debuted in Mark Gruenwald's Captain America run as part of a "Dark Avengers"-type unit that attempted to murder Vanguard, Darkstar, and Ursa Major, who attempted to defect to the United States. Here, a very bloodthirsty Guardian disguised his team as the Avengers in order to frame the heroes for the deaths, but all the heroes survived, and Cap went to Russia and uncovered the trickery.
-Josef then led the Protectorate in that Avengers storyline The Crossing Line, which featured a mass team-up between them, Alpha Flight, The Avengers and some random Atlanteans. He was typically-antagonistic and quick to attack Americans, but a bit calmer than most Soviet heroes tended to be at this point- he was fairly stoic, actually. Though he features little in the story (the only bit I remember was that he remarked that even VOSTOK was getting ornery after weeks of being trapped in the void!), the image of an "Off-Color" Cap kind of stuck with me- like a lot of kids, I thought alternate color schemes were totally awesome, so he stood out. Josef later changed his name to Steel Guardian in a late '90s Iron Man comic, and joined the "Protectorate" as it split off from the Winter Guard, but was killed by Fantasma and her army of Dire Wraiths during the backstory of Darkstar & The Winter Guard. I mean, it was a literal flashback scene in which he didn't even SAY anything or get named- he's just stabbed through the chest by a Dire Wraith!
-This Red Guardian is even more of a mini-Cap than the first one is, with his very own Mighty Shield, making him a PL 10 in a few ways (9.5 with his Shield Bash & Parry, PL 10 with Dodge). He wouldn't BEAT Cap in a fight, but he'd do okay.