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Super-Soldier Formula FAQ
Here are as comprehensive a list as possible of known facts, and then a few of my own speculations at the end...
- The Super-Soldier Formula was devised primarily by Dr. Emil Erskine, who was code-named "Reinstein". Dr. Erskine kept most of the formula to himself.
- There were several steps to the entire SSF:
- An inoculation by syringe that occurred in Dr. Erskine's private office just prior to the other steps.
- A liquid solution that Steve drank from a vial in front of the observers
- The radiation treatment with the "vita-rays", also done in front of the observers.
- The SSF formula elevates the subject to human maximum physical performance, and to a certain degree keeps him there. This includes being able to scrub fatigue toxins from the blood at an enhanced rate, giving the user greeatly enhanced stamina, and preventing most major diseases or illnesses. Likewise, poisons and other chemicals are scrubbed from his system at an advanced rate.
- The SSF allows the subject to processes air better than normal humans, giving him greater oxygenation of the blood.
- The SSF maintains the subject's heartbeat to an amazing degree, so much so that Daredevil had a difficult time reading and anticipating Cap's attacks based on his physiological changes.
- If the SSF elements are removed from the bloodstream, they will eventually regenerate themselves as new blood is produced by marrow.
- The SSF enhances the physical components of the brain, to a certain degree enhancing the way the subject's brain handles information; there is strong evidence that it enhances certain abilities like spacial relations and the ability to learn and retain information.
- The SSF can be transfused.
- The SSF becomes part of the DNA structure (since Arnim Zola successfully cloned Steve Rogers' body for the Red Skull's mind, and that body had SSF-imbued blood).
- The venom of the original Viper reacted with the SSF in Steve Roger's blood to boost his strength to superhuman levels - this strength enhancement proved to be unstable however, and faded over time.
- The SSF causes the body to go into a suspended-animation state when subjected to extreme low temperatures. It also seems to prevent the crystallization of liquid blood which makes standard cryonics impractical.
- The SSF reacted to a designer-drug version of crack cocaine, and stayed active in the bloodstream, making Steve Rogers a hyped-up cokehead until his blood was filtered for the harmful elements.
- Eventually, the SSF breaks down, losing its ability to regenerate damaged muscle tissue, eventually causing total muscular paralysis and then death. Both the Red Skull and Superia have developed antidotes to this degeneration.
- The Nazi scientist Brain Drain recreated a version of the SSF which imbued its subject with Namor-level strength and invunerability. This formula created both Master Man and Warrior Woman.
- A convict was injected with an earlier version of the SSF prior to Steve Roger's treatment by a renegade general, creating Protocide. Protocide was killed by guards, and the body put into a preservation capsule. A.I.M. scientists successfully revived Protocide, but it is unknown what characteristics of Protocide are from the SSF and what are either direct or indirect reactions with the SSF with which he was injected.
- A Nazi SS espionage officer claimed to have recorded Dr. Erskine's SSF, and was re-created by the man who would become Captain America IV for himself and Bucky III/Jack Monroe. This version of the formula imbued the user with superhuman strength (although not on the level of Namor or Master Man), and slowly cursed the user with paranoid schitzophrenia.
- A scientist held prisoner by the Nazis also developed a SSF similar to the one developed by Dr. Erskine, and rather than turn it over to the Nazis gave it to his cellmate Brian Falsworth, who would escape to become the Mighty Destroyer, and then then Union Jack II. Further, this SSF would react with Thor's mystical lightning, allowing him to throw bolts of electricity. Unlike Dr. Erskine's formula, however, both effects of the SSF would fade over time (whether or not the alteration of the SSF due to Thor's lightning was causational in this remains an open question).
- The US government sponsored several different modern attempts to recreate a Super-Soldier using various subjects with lack of success, including Nuke and G.I. Maxx.
The following are my speculations:
- Given that the Black Panther's powers are similar to Captain America's, perhaps the SSF is derived from the Wakandan "sacred herbs" used by T'Challa to gain his powers.
- Other SSF treatments seem to give super-strength except for Captain America's, but none of the others had a radiation component. Perhaps the radiation treatment reduces the strength levels, while at the same time adding stability to the treatment (other formulae either fade over time or drive the subject crazy). Further, the SSF formula taken by Brian Falsworth had only an oral component, while the Protocide and Captain America IV only had intraveneous components.
- Given the amount of secrecy surrounding Operation: Rebirth, assumptions may prove false; since Steve was given an inoculation before the rest of the procedures before observers, the oral and radiation treatments carried out in front of the observers might have been harmless "red herrings" - it would not be difficult to time the effect of the inoculation to effect on test animals prior to the demonstration.
- None of the above super-soldier formulas are necessarily the same ones, since all of them seem to have had a different reaction - except the one used by Protocide, and we don't know how much of his current abilities are due to his reessurection by A.I.M. and how much native to the SSF treatment.