Isaiah Bradley Explained - The MCU’s Forgotten Captain America

The Falcon & The Winter Soldier episode 2 introduced viewers to the MCU's Isaiah Bradley - and here's all you need to know about the forgotten super-soldier. When Marvel launched the MCU, they followed the comics in setting their films in "the world outside your window" - one just like our own, only with the addition of high-flying superheroes and errant Trickster Gods.

Little by little, though, Marvel has been revealing superheroes were always there; with what seems to be the sole exception of Captain America, they were operating in the shadows all along. Ant-Man & the Wasp confirmed Hank Pym participated in the Cold War as the first Ant-Man, with his wife Janet Van Dyne lost in the Quantum Realm after she stopped a Soviet ICBM from striking the mainland US. Meanwhile, Black Widow appears to hint at a super-soldier Cold War, with David Harbour's Red Guardian described as the Russian answer to Captain America, a super-soldier and spy who lived a life of triumph during the Cold War.

The Falcon & The Winter Soldier episode 2 added another twist to the history of the MCU, revealing the US successfully created a super-soldier who served on the front lines of the Korean War in 1951. Here's all you need to know about Isaiah Bradley, the MCU's forgotten super-soldier - and, in the comics, a Captain America to boot.

Who Is Isaiah Bradley?

Isaiah Bradley angrily speaks to Bucky and Sam

Sam Wilson already suspected the Flag-Smashers possessed superhuman powers of some kind, and in Falcon & Winter Soldier episode 2 he headed out to confront them at a safe-house he'd managed to identify. It didn't take long for Sam and Bucky to realize they weren't androids, aliens, or wizards; rather, they were super-soldiers. Naturally, the two superheroes were shaken at the idea someone had managed to replicate the super-soldier serum and create superhuman terrorists.

But Bucky revealed there was a precedent for this. In 1951, one of his Hydra missions led him into conflict with a United States super-soldier who actually managed to tear off his cyborg arm during their battle. Bucky subsequently identified this man as Isaiah Bradley, and he took Sam to meet Isaiah in the hope the super-soldier would tell him how he came by his powers, and give them a clue to where these new super-soldiers were coming from. Needless to say, the encounter wasn't pleasant, not least because Bucky didn't prepare Sam for the revelation there'd been a Black super-soldier who served on the front lines of the Korean War.

Isaiah Bradley's Comics Origin & Powers

The character of Isaiah Bradley was introduced in Robert Morales' ground-breaking miniseries Truth: Red, White, and Black back in 2003. He was inspired by the infamous Tuskegee Study, in which African Americans were secretly exposed to syphilis, and proposed a plot to Marvel in which they revealed secret super-soldier experiments on Black soldiers during World War II. Morales had never really expected Marvel to sign off on the story, which he thought was a little too dark for them, but to his surprise they liked the idea. The press and public initially dismissed this as just a publicity stunt, but Morales' skillful writing won over critics, and it soon became viewed as one of the best stories of the time. As then Editor in Chief Axel Alonso told CBR, "By the time the story was done, the dialog around the series had substantially changed. One high-profile reviewer even wrote a column admitting he'd unfairly pre-judged the series, that he now saw it was about building bridges between people, not burning them -- which I deeply respected. It's especially meaningful when you edit a story that functions as a little more than pure entertainment."

In the comics, Isaiah Bradley was a conscientious objector who was forced to participate in the Second World War. Assigned to a Black regiment, he and his fellow soldiers were spirited away by Military Intelligence and subjected to super-soldier experiments. Bradley was one of a handful who survived, and he and his unit served their country well, although they never received the honor and acclaim of Steve Rogers - because of the color of their skin. In the end, Isaiah's frustration boiled over and he stole Captain America's costume for a single mission. This act led to his court-martial and imprisonment at Leavenworth, where he served 17 years in solitary confinement. Although he was ultimately freed by President Eisenhower, his mind had deteriorated, in part due to the serum and in part due to his imprisonment. He never recovered.

The Other Captain America & Project Rebirth's Secrets

Falcon and Winter Soldier Credits Isaiah Bradley Easter Egg

The secrets of the original super-soldier serum died with Abraham Erskine in Captain America: The First Avenger, but The Incredible Hulk confirmed the US Government continued to attempt to create more super-soldiers. Isaiah Bradley was teased in Falcon & Winter Soldier's credits, which show his face alongside what must be presumably notes from this shadowy version of Project: Rebirth; he's apparently Subject #02656, suggesting the sheer scale of these experiments in the years after the Second World War. It's currently unknown where Isaiah Bradley was the only successful super-soldier, or whether there are others; it's likely there weren't many, because dialogue in The Incredible Hulk's novelization suggest all previous super-soldier programs were ultimately written off as failures after they "went haywire."

In 1951, the US Government apparently received reports that the mysterious Winter Soldier was conducting missions on Korea, no doubt continuing Hydra's mission of destabilizing the global community. They sent Isaiah Bradley to confront the Winter Soldier, and the fight doesn't sound to have gone well for Bucky, although he successfully escaped. There's a certain degree of irony to the fact this forgotten super-soldier served in the Korean War; this was called the "Forgotten War" at the time, due to the lack of media attention.

Unfortunately Isaiah Bradley wound up imprisoned, just as in the comics - but in the MCU, he was jailed for 30 years before finally being freed. He was as much a guinea pig as a prisoner, with a stream of scientists visiting him to try to figure out the secrets of the super-soldier serum, including the Winter Soldier's Hydra masters. Isaiah was presumably freed sometime in the mid-to-late '80s, which is intriguing in that this was only a few years before Howard Stark successfully duplicated the serum in 1991. Whether Howard had anything to do with Isaiah's liberation or not, though, the super-soldier slunk into the shadows, any lingering patriotism broken over the last 30 years.

Why Isaiah Bradley Is Important To The MCU

Isaiah Bradley rewrites the history of the MCU, introducing a way that further super-soldier serums could be created; it's reasonable to assume the Power Broker has figured the serum out from his blood samples. More importantly, though, he also complicates the legacy of Captain America, because there's a new layer to it; a Black super-soldier who was secretly created, and who was treated horrifically rather than celebrated as was his due, even though he risked his life for his country. While there's currently no evidence Isaiah ever suited up in the MCU, the truth is that he deserved to be Steve Rogers' successor, all the way back in the '50s. This knowledge will no doubt shake Sam Wilson to the core, forcing him to reappraise the legacy of Captain America. When he finally chooses to take up the shield again, he'll be very much aware of this complicated legacy.

The Falcon & The Winter Soldier also features a blink-and-you'll-miss-it appearance by Elijah Richardson, playing Isaiah's grandson Elijah. In the comics, Elijah became the vigilante Patriot, a key member of the Young Avengers. Marvel is clearly setting up the Young Avengers in the MCU - a number of key members are due to appear in Phase 4, with Wiccan and Speed already introduced in WandaVision. So Isaiah Bradley isn't just about complexifying the legacy of Captain America; he's also about adding something new.

Who Plays Isaiah Bradley In Falcon & The Winter Soldier?

Supergirl Far From the Tree Myr'nn Carl Lumbly

Isaiah Bradley is played by veteran actor Carl Lumbly, who's no stranger to superheroes; he's voiced a number of roles in various DC animated projects over the years, and even played M'yrnn J'onzz - the father of Martian Manhunter - in Supergirl. Viewers may also recognize him from the cult TV series MANTIS back in the '90s, or more recently from Doctor Sleep, This Is Us, Cagney & Lacey, and Altered Carbon.

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