Summary

• Erskine's Super Soldier Serum created 23 prominent MCU characters, leading to many copycat attempts.
• Though Bruce Banner came close with gamma radiation, nobody has perfectly replicated Steve Rogers' transformation.
• The Winter Soldier Program, created by Hydra, produced multiple assassins enhanced with their own version of the Super Soldier Serum.

Steve Rogers is the most famous super soldier in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, but there are many other characters who were injected with the infamous Super Soldier Serum. Developed by Abraham Erskine, the serum completely changed history and became a target for several individuals and governments. Several known superheros and villains across the movies of the MCU owe their power to Erskine's serum, though his imitators never quite got the formula quite as right.

The success of Abraham Erskine's Super Soldier Serum did bring about copycats and other attempts at creating super soldiers. Extremis and Calvin Zabo's formula are just a few power-granting serums that tried to replicate Erskine's but did not directly borrow from his science. Bruce Banner did come close to replicating it but added gamma radiation to the mix, leading him to become the Hulk. However, Erskine's Super Soldier Serum is responsible for the creation of some of the MCU's earliest and most prominent characters, of which there are currently 26 in the MCU.

Captain America Set The Bar For Marvel Universe Super Soldiers

Some Imitators Have Come Close, But Nobody Has Recreated Steve's Transformation

Steve Rogers was the first success story of Erskine's Super Soldier Serum and remains the most prominent MCU super soldier. After a rigorous evaluation process, Steve was chosen to undergo the experimental operation to gain superhuman abilities. Erskine's formula and Howard Stark's chamber worked to perfection. Steve emerged from the chamber several inches taller and more muscular, with the serum giving him super strength and more physical gifts without any drawbacks.

Although Steve initially only suited up in the red, white, and blue uniform for performances, he later ventured into combat on his own to try and save his best friend, Bucky Barnes. Captain America would then be frozen in ice for nearly 70 years after defeating Red Skull, only to awaken in the 2010s and become a member of the Avengers. After spending the next several years of his life saving the world on multiple occasions, Steve Rogers and Peggy Carter resumed their relationship beyond time to grow old together at the end of Avengers: Endgame.

Red Skull's Serum Gave Him His Signature Look

A Dark Mirror Of Captain America

Johann Schmidt was the original test subject for Erskine's Super Soldier Serum. Schmidt was the one responsible for overseeing Erskine's research when he was forced to work at Hydra and saw the Super Soldier Serum as the answer to his problems. Schmidt wanted to become more powerful and thought that the serum would make this possible.

However, Erskine was not given the proper time or resources to complete his formula and refused to cooperate with Schmidt's selfish desires. Instead of waiting, Schmidt forced Erskine to hand over an early version of the serum and injected it into himself, which, though fraught with side effects, ultimately helped Red Skull's quest to obtain the Infinity Stone known as the Tesseract.

The early version of Erskine's serum did give Schmidt superhuman strength, but it also changed his physical appearance in other ways as a result of the side effects. He lost his hair, his skin turned red, and his face became deformed to resemble a skull - hence his new name of Red Skull. Despite his super strength, Red Skull didn't utilize his physical abilities that often, although he did hold his own in a fight with Captain America.

Though he appears to die at the end of Captain America: The First Avenger, he's actually teleported to Vormir by the Space Stone, where he's cursed to forever watch over the Soul Stone.

Bucky Barnes Is An Unwilling Super Soldier

Bucky Is Given The Serum As Part Of His Transformation Into The Winter Soldier

Bucky Barnes became a prisoner of war during WWII and was the subject of Arnim Zola's experiments for Hydra. He underwent some early tests during his capture but was found again by Zola after Bucky was believed to have fallen off a train to his death. This was the real beginning of Bucky Barnes' transformation into Hydra assassin Winter Soldier, as the fall not only resulted in Bucky losing his arm and getting the vibranium replacement on his left side, but Zola also gave him Hydra's version of the Super Soldier Serum.

While Hydra brainwashed Bucky, the Winter Soldier completed several significant Hydra missions throughout the MCU's history. It was only when Bucky saw Steve again during the events of Captain America: The Winter Soldier that his memory started to come back to him. He struggled to ditch the Hydra programming but managed to do so with the help of Shuri and Wakanda's technology. Bucky is now fully reformed and working to be his own man and a hero.

5 Unnamed Winter Soldier Program Subjects

Bucky Was Ony One Of Many

Bucky wasn't the only victim of Hydra's Winter Soldier Program. Flashbacks in Captain America: Civil War showed multiple assassins were trained during the 1990s and 2000s to obey Hydra's commands. All of them were enhanced with a version of the Super Soldier Serum derived from samples possessed by Howard Stark before the Winter Soldier killed him. It was only in 2016 that Baron Zemo tracked down the location of where they were held and killed the five Winter Soldiers who remained in suspended animation.

Zemo destroyed the Winter Soldier program subjects out of a broader campaign against superpowered individuals, which fueled his plan to dismantle the Avengers in Captain America: Civil War.

Bruce Banner / Hulk Gets Incredible Strength With A Major Downside

Gamma Changes Everything

Bruce Banner is not a typical super soldier. He was a leading mind in biochemistry and Gamma radiation that happened to be manipulated by the MCU's General "Thunderbolt" Thaddeus Ross into tinkering with a replica of the original Super Soldier Serum. Instead of Abraham Erskine's Vita Rays, Banner employed Gamma energy to power the experiment, resulting in the creation of his monstrous alter ego, the Hulk. Banner received unmatched strength and stamina with the drawbacks of his new alter-ego inhabiting the same body.

Eventually, however, Bruce Banner finds a way to merge his two identities into Smart Hulk. In She-Hulk: Attorney at Law, the MCU hinted that the internal battle between Bruce and Hulk is ongoing and that Bruce's Smart Hulk could be seeing his last days soon. Moreover, though the She-Hulk ending sees Hulk bringing his son Skaar to Earth, it should be noted that even though he's related to Hulk and She-Hulk, Skaar is an alien who can't technically be classified as a super soldier — at least, not yet.

She-Hulk Gets Super Soldier Serum Via Accidental Blood Transfusion

A More Stable Gamma Monster

As attorney Jennifer Walters gained her Hulk powers when she came in contact with her cousin Bruce's blood in a car accident, She-Hulk can be considered a super soldier in the MCU. Though the circumstances of Jen's origin have nothing to do with deliberate Super Soldier Serum experimentation, the fact she didn't die and was instead enhanced by Bruce's blood is relevant data for anyone engaged in such a program. The same can be said of the way Jen retains her original personality while willingly being able to transform into She-Hulk.

Intelligencia succeeds in stealing Jenn's blood to create an army of Hulks, but they are ultimately retconned by She-Hulk's ability to break the fourth wall.

Emil Blonsky Loses Control As The Abomination

Like Bruce, He Eventually Finds A Way To Balance Both Personalities And Become A Force For Good

Emil Blonsky is another super soldier created from an inferior replication of Erskine's serum. As an older special-ops commander, Blonsky was eager to enhance his body, so it was paired with the mind of someone with years of experience. General "Thunderbolt" Ross helped Blonsky receive an injection of the serum, granting him the usual array of superhuman abilities. However, his desire for more power led him also to be exposed to gamma radiation, which transformed Emil Blonsky into the Abomination, an even more brutal and aggressive version of the Hulk.

However, She-Hulk: Attorney At Law reveals that, like Bruce, Blonsky eventually found balance and is no longer out of control when "Hulked-out." In fact, he runs a retreat at which future villains can work to turn their lives around. It's a surprisingly happy ending for a character who started out so one-dimensional.

Isaiah Bradley Has A Tragic Story

The Forgotten Super Soldier

The Falcon and The Winter Soldier brought Isaiah Bradley to the MCU and confirmed his place as another super soldier. Bradley’s story goes back to the 1950s and the U.S. government experimenting on Black soldiers to try and replicate Erskine’s Super Soldier Serum The lone “success story,” Isaiah Bradley became the original Black Captain America.

Bradley was ultimately wrongfully incarcerated for treason.

However, rather than enjoying a long career as a superhero, Bradley was ultimately wrongfully incarcerated for treason. He faked his death and was left out of the history books until Bucky introduced him to Sam, who used his power as Captain America to put Isaiah’s story in the Captain America exhibit. His grandson becomes Patriot in Marvel Comics, and with the MCU's Young Avengers seemingly on the way, he can hopefully have a more appreciated superhero career than the tragic tale of his grandfather.

John Walker Didn't Originally Have Powers

The Super Soldier Serum Came After His Appointment As The New Captain America

The Falcon and The Winter Soldier introduced a new super soldier to the MCU with the modern-day war hero John Walker. The exceptional soldier was selected to be the new Captain America after Sam Wilson handed over the shield. While he had no super soldier powers at first, John Walker's hunger for power and respect pushed him over the edge. He eventually found a single vial of Super Soldier Serum that Baron Zemo failed to destroy. Walker elected to take the serum to increase his physical abilities, which also emphasized more of the darkness inside him.

Once Walker took the Super Soldier Serum, it didn't take long for him to put his newfound abilities to use. His superhuman strength allowed him to take on the Flag-Smashers and brutally kill one of them after the death of his sidekick, Lemar Hoskins, AKA Battlestar. He then took on Bucky and Sam and nearly defeated them both before Falcon and the Winter Soldier broke John's arm. Walker will appear next in Marvel's Thunderbolts cast.

Karli Morgenthau Went Too Far

Her Reasonable Goals Didn't Necessitate Murdering Innocents

The Falcon and The Winter Soldier introduced a new type of super soldier: Karli Morgenthau. She received her powers from the serum developed by the Power Broker. While it gave her super-strength and other increased physical abilities, the version of the serum Karli took doesn't change her physical appearance. With no growth spurt or massive muscles, she could blend in and strike when people least expect it.

Karli wanted to use her powers to help those displaced by governments after The Blip was reversed. Although she started off with good intentions, Karli's determination to achieve this goal eventually led her to compromise on some beliefs and accept the loss of life if it meant getting her way. Karli's Morgenthau's death came at Sharon Carter's hand in The Falcon & The Winter Soldier's finale.

7 Super Powered Flag-Smashers Followed Karli

Karli's Flag-Smashers group was revealed to hold multiple super soldiers among its ranks. The anti-nationalist group's cause resonated with people all over the world, but the core members of the team were also enhanced through the Power Broker's Super Soldier Serum. These super soldiers include Matias, Nico, Dovich, Gigi, DeeDee, Lennox, and Diego. Matias died sacrificing himself so the rest of the team could escape early on The Falcon and The Winter Soldier. Nico was killed by John Walker, and the rest of the team was killed as part of Baron Zemo's plan.

Red Guardian Is Russia's Captain America

Every Nation Wants Their Own

The interest in creating super soldiers is something that spread far and wide throughout the MCU, with other countries repeatedly trying to replicate America's success with Steve Rogers. This pursuit led Russia to do some experiments of its own, and Alexei Shostakov (David Harbour) is the only confirmed super soldier to emerge with powers from these efforts. It is not yet confirmed what exactly Russia did to change Alexei's life and make him the USSR's most popular superhero, nor is it known when Red Guardian received these powers.

While Alexei's origin story behind how he became the Red Guardian is still a mystery, the success of the experiments that led to his transformation is unquestionable, given all the powers he displays in Black Widow. Apart from providing comic relief to such a dark MCU movie, Red Guardian had plenty of opportunities in Black Widow to flex his superhuman strength. The very beginning of the movie shows him flipping a tank using his bare hands to make a pathway for the plane he and his fake Russian spy family use when attempting to escape.

Unfortunately for Alexei, this is the only action he's received in recent years due to his Red Guardian's undercover missions with Melina in America, and he's eager to return to fighting when his cover is destroyed in 1995. The bad news continues, though, as Alexei isn't permitted to be Russia's version of Captain America and is thrown in jail for years. However, he'll also join Marvel's upcoming Thunderbolts team.

Animated Peggy Carter/Captain Carter (What If...?)

What If Peggy Got The Serum Instead Of Steve?

Marvel's What If...? debuted with the introduction of Captain Carter, an alternate-universe version of Peggy Carter who replaces Steve Rogers as the first successful recipient of Abraham Erskine's original Super Soldier Serum. Her decision to stay in the room while the experiment started ultimately led to her jumping in and receiving the serum, changing the course of history. The MCU's Captain Carter sports a Union Jack-themed uniform and shield to fight the Nazis and Hydra, and it seems that her super soldier physiology became more powerful than the main-universe Captain America.

It seems that her super soldier physiology became more powerful than the main-universe Captain America.

Live-Action Captain Carter (What If?/Doctor Strange In The Multiverse of Madness)

An Ill-Fated Variant

In addition to What If...?'s iteration, a live-action Captain Carter super soldier joined the MCU in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness as a member of the Illuminati of Earth-838. This non-animated version doesn't fare quite as well outside What If's animated worlds, with an enraged Wanda completely destroying her alongside several members of the Illuminati. While it's a shocking development, Peggy's inclusion in What If...? season 2 clarifies that the live-action and animated versions are not the same person.

Scarlet Witch And Quicksilver Have Complicated Backstories

Are They Super Soldiers Or Not?

Even though they're not products of any version of the Super Soldier Serum, Wanda and Pietro Maximoff's origins can be traced back to attempts to create a rival program in their home country of Sokovia. Specifically, Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver's powers are the results of Hydra's experiments with Loki's Scepter, which at the time was the containment vessel for the Mind Stone, later gifted to Loki by Thanos. Notably, Quicksilver died while trying to save Hawkeye in Age of Ultron, while Wanda presumably destroyed herself along with Mount Wundagore in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness.

While they didn't get their powers from the same serum or process as Captain America, Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver at least deserve a joined place on this list, as they share the Winter Soldier's fate of being veterans of Hydra's super soldier program. However, the true origin of their power is still unclear in the MCU. At first, it seemed they were the result of experimentation with Infinity Stones. However, Scarlet Witch seems to have only had previously possessed powers unlocked by her time with the stones.

Key Release Dates

• 

  Deadpool & Wolverine

  Release Date:

  2024-07-26

• 

  Captain America: Brave New World

  Release Date:

  2025-02-14

• 

  Marvel's Thunderbolts

  Release Date:

  2025-05-02

• 

  Marvel's Fantastic Four

  Release Date:

  2025-07-25

• 

  Blade (2025)

  Release Date:

  2025-11-07

• 

  Avengers: The Kang Dynasty

  Release Date:

  2026-05-01

• 

  Avengers: Secret Wars

  Release Date:

  2027-05-07