The Guardians 2018

During the Cold War, a covert organization known as Patriot assembles a unique group of Soviet superheroes, enhancing and modifying the DNA of several select individuals to shield their homeland from superhuman threats. This diverse team showcases representatives from various nationalities within the Soviet Union. The powerful Arseniy, codenamed Arsus, can transform into a gigantic, exceptionally strong bear-man. Temirkhan, who goes by Khan, possesses super speed and is skilled with a pair of curved swords. The earth-controlling Lernik, known as Ler, adds to their strength, while Xenia has the remarkable ability to become invisible underwater.

The Patriot program succeeds where another initiative, dubbed Module-1, falls short. This failure pushes Professor Avgust Kuratov, the creator of Module-1, to escape into the desolate wilderness, avoiding the Soviet authorities while continuing his dubious experiments. When the military is dispatched to apprehend him, he inflicts destruction upon the Patriot laboratory, escaping with his life due to a protective layer of chemicals. He subsequently reinvents himself as a cybernetic entity, gaining the ability to generate electricity and manipulate machines. To further his ambition of proving his intellect, he breeds a legion of clones. Following the explosion, Arsus, Ler, Khan, and Xenia retreat into hiding for an extended period.

Fast forward to present day, when a malfunction with training robots leads them to turn against their human supervisors, resulting in fatalities. This alarming incident compels the Ministry of Defence to revive the Patriot organization under the command of Major Elena Larina and launch a search for their lost super agents. Throughout her search, she discovers Ler resorting to meditation in Armenia, finds Khan dwellings on the steppes of Kazakhstan, locates Arsus in a secluded cabin in northern Siberia, and spots Xenia performing challenging stunts at a circus in Moscow. Their initial mission is to infiltrate Kuratov’s laboratory hidden in an old factory, but they quickly find themselves captured.

Kuratov presents the Guardians with an offer to align with him, but they refuse, inciting his wrath. He imprisons three of them within a magnetic force field and seriously injures Ler. The situation escalates as he heads to a military facility at Noginsk to take control of the equipment stationed there. With his newly acquired arsenal, he embarks on an offensive against Moscow, scheming to use the Ostankino Tower and the Federation Tower for his Module-2 Project. His goal is to transmit a signal via an old Soviet satellite that would enable him to seize control of every technology on Earth. Utilizing a force field, he fortifies his beacon tower while destroying multiple fighter jets sent to thwart his plans. In a fit of rage, he kills Major-General Nikolai Dolgov, a military collaborator who seeks a reward for his allegiance.

Fortunately, Major Elena manages to liberate the other members of the team from Kuratov’s laboratory. She assigns Kuratov’s former rival to investigate one of his clones, but ultimately, Kuratov unleashes poison gas, eliminating the investigator. Undergoing training at the Patriot facility, Arsus and his allies are equipped with suits and weapons for their formidable quest.

As the Guardians make their way back to Moscow, a thrilling chain of events unfolds: Xenia and Arsus navigate through the city streets, Ler takes on soldiers in an underground parking lot, and Khan takes to the skies in a plane to bypass Kuratov’s force field. The trio coordinates their effort to cross an iron bar link to the tower-beacon, only to face gunfire from Kuratov’s remaining troops. In a bold move, Khan leaps from the plane and swings onto the pipe, slicing it and toppling Kuratov’s armed soldiers.

While strategizing how to dismantle the energy source powering Kuratov’s beacon, Xenia courageously seizes the device to short-circuit it, sustaining injuries but successfully disabling the beacon’s transmissions and collapsing the force field. The Guardians then confront Kuratov on top of the tower but find themselves bested. In a final act of desperation, Khan uses his incredible speed to tether the team to a grappling rope and attach it to an airplane for a daring escape. Kuratov hacks the plane’s controls, but Khan bravely severs the rope, leading them to plunge into a river just before the plane crashes.

Upon surfacing, the team deliberates returning to dismantle Kuratov’s beacon and eliminate him once and for all. However, Major Elena intervenes, instructing them to hold back. She reveals that as superhumans, they possess the extraordinary capability to merge their energies into a powerful blast, albeit at the risk of their own lives. With determination, the Guardians link hands, unleashing a surge of energy that obliterates Kuratov’s tower and the supporting skyscrapers, sealing his fate as he plunges to his demise. Major Elena highlights that while Kuratov claimed to be their creator, ultimately, they have forged their own identities and destinies.

The Guardians regroup, meeting Major Elena in a revitalized Moscow. They ponder returning to their everyday lives, even as the door remains open for continued service to the Patriot organization. As they walk away, Elena cryptically mentions, “we found other Guardians.” In a tantalizing post-credits scene, she is seen overpowering a soldier who has stopped his truck, revealing that a new mission from Ferrum awaits.