Everyone wants to be a super soldier these days. But only a chosen few get to rise into that mantle. Here are the ones that actually made it.
Johann Schmidt
Better known by the name of the Red Skull, Schmidt was a Nazi Officer from World War Two. he got hold of Abraham Erskine, the German scientist who would one day defect to the United States and help them create Captain America. Prior to his defection, Erskine had created a prototype version. The version was imperfect but could theoretically grant a normal man the abilities of a super soldier once injected. After Schmidt injected himself with the serum, the absence of stabilizing vita rays led to the skin of his face being peeled off. It also gave him an unstable personality. This is the reason the Red Skull is at the bottom of this list.
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Centipede Soldiers
The Centipede Soldiers were the creation of Project Centipede. John Garrett, ordered the recreation of the super soldier serum by any means necessary. The scientists under him combined everything they had on super soldiers. The centipede serum composed of an imperfect version of Erskine’s Super Soldier Serum combined with Extremis and Chitauri technology. The result was something that was eerily close to what Steve Rogers was. The only major side effect was that the serum took a heavy toll on the body. Every Centipede Soldier needed an extreme amount of rest to recuperate.
Flag Smashers
The Flag Smashers are a group of revolutionaries who intend to bring back the world to how it was before the Blip. Their leader Karli Morgenthau along with the rest of the group have been injected with a perfect version of the super soldier serum created by the brilliant but mad scientist Doctor Wilfred Nagel. The Flag Smashers are inexperienced but still deadly as a force when together. They still lack proper military training which is why they are ranked so low on this list.
John Walker
John Walker was injected with the same serum as the Flag Smashers. the reason he ranks higher than them on this list is simple. Walker is a seasoned and battle hardened veteran. He has had years of military experience, having had been felicitated with awards and medals for his valor and leadership in battle. His skills as a soldier are unmatched, and when combined with the super soldier serum, he becomes a force to be reckoned with.
Winter Soldiers
The man responsible for the creation of Winter Soldiers was none other than Howard Stark, Tony Stark’s father. Howard Stark recreated the super soldier serum. His version of the serum could be injected intravenously. There was no need for Vita-Ray radiation. This led to HYDRA sending Bucky Barnes to kill Howard Stark and retrieve the serum. The serum was used to create a platoon of super soldiers with near superhuman physical attributes called the Winter Soldiers. They were strong enough to even overpower Bucky in a sparring match. The downside to them was that they were too aggressive. That’s the reason they were put on ice by HYDRA until they could figure out a solution to ease their aggression.
Bruce Banner
Bruce Banner figured out that he could create a matured version of the super soldier serum using Gamma radiation instead of Vita-Rays. His experiment led to him injecting himself with the serum. And the rest is history. Banner did turn into a superhuman but of a different kind entirely. Whenever his heart beat jumps up, Banner transforms into an “enormous green rage monster.” In his Hulk form, Bruce Banner is unstoppable and uncontrollable, hurting friend and foe alike.
Emil Blonsky (The Abomination)
Hold up. We can explain why Blonsky is ranked higher than Bruce Banner on this list. The purpose of a super soldier is to create someone who is capable of doing things we never could. And while the Hulk can do all the things the Abomination could do and more, Banner lacks self control. That is the Abomination does not. Blonsky was injected with a version of the serum in his spine marrow and via deep muscle injections. He instantly became a superhuman, gaining enhanced physical attributes and a regenerative healing factor that could repair his body in a matter of hours from scratch. It was only after Blonsky injected himself with Banner’s irradiated blood that he became truly unstoppable. With full control over his monstrous self, Blonsky is a bigger asset as a super soldier. If only he was not a selfish SOB!!
Extremis
Extremis was not originally planned to be a method to create super soldiers. But considering how A.I.M ended up using the Extremis soldiers against Iron Man and its involvement in Project Centipede, another HYDRA super soldier project, it can be considered as a way to create super soldiers. Extremis is based on nano-technology. It gives the user enhanced physical attributes, a superior regenerative healing factor, and an exothermal ability. The disadvantages are few but prominent. An extremis user can overload his or her body if he uses the ability too much within a short span of time. There’ also the case of extremis being rejected by a person’s body, resulting in a violent explosion with temperatures up to 3000 degrees.
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Bucky Barnes
Bucky Barnes was injected with a version of the Super Soldier Serum by Arnim Zola when he was imprisoned in one of HYDRA’s top secret weapons research facility. Luckily Bucky survived. But he lost his arm in a subsequent accident and was later taken in by HYDRA. They trained him and turned him into their first Winter Soldier. He turned out to be their greatest asset ever.
Isaiah Bradley
Isaiah Bradley was the only other truly successful super soldier to come after Steve Rogers. Bradley gained near superhuman abilities from the serum. He was deployed in the Korean War where he met the Winter Soldier in battle. After handing Bucky his most decisive and humiliating defeat, Bradley was then sent to various missions all over the world. But the Government willfully kept the secret of Isaiah Bradley from the public because of his skin color. His blood was later used to create Wilfred Nagel’s Super Soldier Serum.
Steve Rogers
The Man. The Myth. The Legend. Steve Rogers was the first ever super soldier. And he will probably be the greatest there is. from being a scrawny young man just trying to do the right thing, he came to embody the very ideals of humanity. Steve Rogers was granted superhuman abilities from the serum. It cured him of all diseases and medical conditions. It even gave him a metabolism so efficient he could never be drugged. He went on to lead the avengers in battle and helped save not only Earth but the entire Universe.
