The Soviet Super-Soldiers were a superteam that was brought together by the Soviet government of Russia to be the counterpart of American teams such as the
Avengers and the
Fantastic Four. The school's first student was
Mikhail Ursus, who became known as Ursa Major. He was soon followed by siblings
Laynia Petrovna and
Nikolai Krylenko, who became known as Darkstar and Vanguard, respectively. These three
mutants joined with
Dmitri Bukharin, the fifth
Crimson Dynamo, to form the initial lineup of the Soviet Super-Soldiers. The Super-Soldiers played an active role as a pawn in a competition between
Grandmaster and
Death. The Soviet government sent the Super-Soldiers to Khystym to battle the
Gremlin, and then fought
Rom and
Starshine. Allied with Rom and Starshine, the Soviet Super-Soldiers fought the
Dire Wraiths. The team became allies of the Gremlin, and took over the Dire Wraith base in Khystym as the new Soviet Super-Soldiers headquarters. The Soviet Super-Soldiers later agreed to bring
Magneto to justice. They fought the
Avengers, and expelled the Crimson Dynamo as he was still loyal to the KGB. The Gremlin joined the team for a time while wearing the
Titanium Man armor, but he was killed in action by (Tony Stark)
Iron Man. The three mutants Vanguard, Darkstar, and Ursa Major later decided to sever their ties with the Soviet government, and arrived at
Avengers Island, and asked
Captain America to help them seek political asylum in America. However, the three were beaten nearly to death, captured and returned to the Soviet states by the government-sponsored Supreme Soviets, who had been joined by the Crimson Dynamo. The comatose subconscious minds of the injured Vanguard, Darkstar, and Ursa Major formed a "Great Beast" that attempted to drain the life energies of the Supreme Soviets. Captain America stopped the Beast, and Vanguard, Darkstar, and Ursa Major regained consciousness and began recovering from their injuries. Eventually, the team took on new members Blind Faith,
Stencil,
Sibercat and added former members of the Supreme Soviets: the third
Red Guardian,
Fantasia,
Perun,
Sputnik and the returning Crimson Dynamo. This team became known as the
Winter Guard not long afterwards. == See also ==