What If…?: The Secret Behind The Powers Of Captain America Revealed?
Marvel’s What If…? is the use of a very old comic trope brought to life by the use of 3D animation. In the first episode, we witness a very small divergence that changes the fate of the Avengers. Just because Peggy Carter chooses not to watch from the booth, she ends up having to replace an injured Steve as the subject for the super-soldier experiment. This incident results in the birth of Captain Carter, a hulking powerful soldier who brings about vengeance on Nazi sympathizers and those who perpetrate evil. Between this Captain Carter and the Super-Patriot from Falcon and the Winter Soldier, it seems that Marvel has revealed the secret behind the powers of Captain America.
The Marvel Cinematic Universe is a living breathing collection of interrelated stories that get more and more complex as the franchise continues to grow. The more content we get, the more lore implications we have. As our understanding grows, we can decipher more of the writer’s intention as things move forward. In this particular context, I specifically refer to the fact that we see how the Super Soldier serum does not affect everyone the same way. It is a peculiar thought but one that has some lore implications in the MCU. Read on and scrutinize our analysis of the situation as I present the evidence and put forth my conjecture. Then let us know your thoughts in the comments below.
Not Created Equally
For this analysis we have three data points available to us, we would have preferred more. Alas! the MCU only has three incidents where the Super Soldier Serum has been successfully used, yet. The first incident that we must talk about is the creation of Captain America. Steve Rogers was a skinny sickly kid from Brooklyn who could not even fight off bullies. Bucky Barnes was the one who defended Steve time and again, but soon the character got a chance of a lifetime. Owing to his strong moral compass and mental fortitude, Steve was chosen to be the first person to receive the Super Soldier Serum. The Serum transformed his body from a diseased mess to the physical peak of humanity.
It was not known whether the effects of the serum were the same across the board because as soon as Steve was transformed an attack on the lab killed the inventor and destroyed his research. We also got a new version of Captain America in Falcon and The Winter Soldier with The SuperPatriot. He was the result of decades of research and experimentation to recreate the Super Soldier Serum. We speculated that because the serum enhances the strength of the user, the effects on a soldier in his prime should be greater than that on Steve Rogers. The only issue was that Falcon and the Winter Soldier focused more on the Super-Patriot’s philosophy than his strength. But we still think that he is stronger than Rogers, for reasons that will become clear shortly.
The Consequences
We finally come to the third and most recent incident of the use of the Super Soldier Serum in the MCU. In What If…? Episode 1 we got to see Peggy Carter take Steve Rogers’ place and become Captain Carter. What is important here is to notice the differences between Rogers’ Captain America and Captain Carter. Although they were given the same serum it seems clear that Peggy has much more strength. She does things that Steve could never pull off. Namely, crashing into planes and taking down entire fleets of bombers. Captain Carter also fights tanks head-on, something else that we have never seen Captain America do.
This evidence brings up an interesting point. It seems that the Super Soldier Serum doesn’t give everyone the same power. Instead, it takes what is already there and enhances that to its utmost potential. With Steve, there was only the bare minimum to work with. Dr. Erskine said that Good becomes Great. Steve was good, so he turned into a great specimen after having the Serum injected into him.
But when it comes to Carter, she was better than Steve. So, better became the Best! The Serum was able to enhance her inherent strength as a secret agent. This made sure that Captain Carter surpassed Steve Rogers in every imaginable way. Her strength skill and response times are all better than the old hero. But to Steve’s credit, he will always be a hero, whether he’s using a shield or the Hydra Stomper. A fact that became clear with the recent episode.
So do you think the Secret Behind The Powers Of Captain America has been revealed? Let us know your thoughts upon this analysis in the comments below.
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