All 22 Super Soldiers Created In The MCU (Not Just Captain America)

Captain America is the most famous super soldier in the MCU, but Abraham Erskine's serum is responsible for giving a lot of other people powers too.

Warning! Spoilers for Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness ahead.

Steve Rogers is the most famous super soldier in the MCU, but there are many other characters with the same origin and the same powers as Captain America. The Marvel Cinematic Universe is filled with heroes and villains with assorted superpowers and special abilities. Most of them either gained these powers from different sources or were simply born with them. Characters like Spider-Man, Iron Man, and Doctor Strange were at the right place and at the right time to start a journey into superheroism (even though they didn't seem so lucky at first), and gods like Thor and Loki needed to go through grueling challenges to fully realize how powerful they really are.

One of the most common origins, though, is the use of the super-soldier serum. Developed by Abraham Erskine, the prospects of a serum that could give someone superhuman abilities made him a target of Adolf Hitler. Although he was forced to complete the formula for the Nazis, the experiments did not go as planned. Erskine was imprisoned for his failure but later rescued by the MCU's Peggy Carter, who helped make him an ally of the United States. It was in 1943 that the super-soldier serum was finally perfected and ready to use, and versions of the serum have since been used to create super soldiers in the MCU.

The success of Erskine's 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. With Phase 4 underway, the super soldier serum is still playing a major role in the MCU. Here are all the super soldiers created in the Marvel Cinematic Universe so far, and how their origin stories have played out.

Click here to watch Every Super Soldier Created in the MCU on YouTube.

Captain America

Steve Rogers was the first success story for Erskine's super-soldier serum. 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. He could now run faster than the average human (but not as fast as someone like Quicksilver), had better reflexes, and even quicker healing.

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. He spent the next several years of his life saving the world on multiple occasions before deciding to grow old with Peggy Carter at the end of Avengers: Endgame.

Red Skull

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. As part of Red Skull's quest to obtain the Infinity Stone known as the Tesseract, he wanted to become more powerful and thought the serum would make this possible. However, Erskine was not given 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.

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, prior to the Tesseract transporting Red Skull to the Soul Stone's home on Vormir.

Bucky Barnes

Bucky Barnes became a super soldier thanks to experiments done on him by Hydra during World War II. He became a prisoner of war during WWII and was the subject of Arnim Zola's experiments. 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. The fall resulted in Bucky losing his arm and getting the vibranium replacement on his left side, but this also is where Zola gave him a version of the super soldier serum to make him Hydra's lethal assassin known as the Winter Soldier.

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. His story in The Falcon and The Winter Soldier showed him overcoming Hydra’s programming and highlighted the burden he carried as a result of his Winter Soldier days.

Other Winter Soldiers

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. However, the impact of the other Winter Soldiers is limited in the MCU as they rioted against Hydra and were put on ice. It was only in 2016 that Baron Zemo tracked down the location of where they were held and killed the other five Winter Soldiers so they could not be used again.

Bruce Banner / Hulk

Bruce Banner is not a typical super soldier. He was a leading mind in biochemistry and Gamma radiation that happened to be manipulated by General 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 MCU's Hulk. The Hulk ended up being much faster, stronger, and more durable than any super soldier that came before him. His healing factor is off the charts and, in short, he became basically unstoppable. The only caveat is that the Hulk can't be easily controlled, as he possesses his own aggressive and unpredictable identity. Eventually, however, Bruce Banner finds a way to merge his two identities into Smart Hulk.

Emil Blonsky

Emil Blonsky is another super soldier created from a replicant 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 his years of experience. General Thunderbolt Ross helped Blonsky receive an injection of the serum, granting him the usual array of superhuman abilities. However, Blonsky's desire for more power led him also to be exposed to gamma radiation, which transformed him into the Abomination, an even more brutal and aggressive version of the Hulk. He only got to use these powers a few times as his first encounter with the Hulk nearly killed him. He has been in S.H.I.E.L.D. custody for more than a decade but his MCU story is not yet over, as he's since been sighted as a participant in the Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings fighting tournament

Isaiah Bradley

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. 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.

John Walker

The Falcon and The Winter Soldier introduced a new super soldier to the MCU with John Walker. The exceptional soldier was selected to be the new Captain America after Sam Wilson handed over the shield. While to start out he actually had no super soldier powers to speak of, 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, a.k.a. Battlestar. He then took on Bucky and Sam at nearly defeated them both before Falcon and the Winter Soldier broke John's arm. Walker did get a slight chance at redemption in the Falcon & Winter Soldier finale, putting his powers to better use. Now he's positioned to do the same under the U.S. Agent alias.

Karli Morgenthau

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 death came at Sharon Carter's hand in Falcon & Winter Soldier's finale since she knew Sharon was the Power Broker.

Flag-Smashers

With Karli Morgenthau in the lead, the 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 following the failed attack on the GRC. The Flag-Smashers may not have survived beyond the action of Falcon and the Winter Soldier, but the MCU still has many super soldiers with their own agendas to pursue.

Red Guardian

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 of the powers he displays in Black Widow.

Black Widow gives Red Guardian plenty of opportunities to flex his superhuman strength. The very beginning of the movie shows him flip 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 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. He makes good use of his powers during this time to win arm-wrestling matches and then leaps around the prison walls during the escape. Now that Red Guardian is free again, his super-soldier powers and origin could be explored in future MCU properties.

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

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 since Peggy was naturally stronger and healthier than Steve before the experiment, it seems that her super soldier physiology became more powerful than the main-universe Captain America. While Peggy Carter adapted to her super soldier abilities, Howard Stark manufactured a near-indestructible suit of armor for Steve Rogers, which he used to fight Shuma-Gorath alongside Peggy, Bucky Barnes, and the Howling Commandos. As every corner of the MCU multiverse seems to be ruled by fate, Peggy ended up in the present day after entering the portal that the Tesseract opened, allowing her to meet Nick Fury and Hawkeye.

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

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. First shown fighting Scarlet Witch in trailer footage, this non-animated version of the character follows on from Peggy Carter's What If...? storyline. However, she doesn't fare quite as well outside of What If's animated worlds, with an enraged Wanda completely destroying her alongside several members of the Illuminati. While it's a shocking development, as a Variant who only appeared in a couple of What If's episodes, it's easier for audiences to lose Captain Carter than more established MCU heroes. Plus, Endgame already showed Carter's happy ending, growing old with Steve Rogers. It's the duty of the Multiverse movies in the MCU to show audiences the flipside of that coin.

MORE: Red Guardian vs. Captain America: Which Super Soldier Is Stronger