From whence cometh the Super Soldier Serum?

[DrNewGod]

A long, only occasionally violated trope in Marvel's canon holds that the secret of the Super-soldier Serum that turned poor, frail Steve Rogers into Captain America died with it's creator, Abraham Erskine. The inability of others to fully recreate it begs the question of where it came from in the first place.

In my personal head canon, I settled on an explanation that duplicating the Serum was so difficult because the secret Erskine never divulged was that he'd somehow gotten his hands on a sample of the Inhumans' Terrigen. Erskine's creation, (in this interpretation) was actually derived from his study of this mysterious substance, which helps explain its instant transformation of Cap's physique.

Watching Avengers: Infinity War imposed another notion on me. There's a scene where Cap and Black Panther are running side-by-side, outdistancing everyone around them (pretty sure that's spoilage minimal), and it occurred to me that Cap and BP have generally been depicted as physical equals, both in comics and film. There are some differences, like BP's night-vision and tracking senses, or Cap's almost sixth-sense combat instincts, but in terms of strength, speed, agility and stamina, they've always been neck and neck. It puts me to wondering if an alternative explanation might be that Erskine got his hands on a sample of The Wakandan's Heart Shaped Herb?

Does anybody know of something written in canon that addresses this? If not, do you have a personal head-canon of your own about the serum's origins?

[DigiCom]

A long, only occasionally violated trope in Marvel's canon holds that the secret of the Super-soldier Serum that turned poor, frail Steve Rogers into Captain America died with it's creator, Abraham Erskine. The inability of others to fully recreate it begs the question of where it came from in the first place.

In my personal head canon, I settled on an explanation that duplicating the Serum was so difficult because the secret Erskine never divulged was that he'd somehow gotten his hands on a sample of the Inhumans' Terrigen. Erskine's creation, (in this interpretation) was actually derived from his study of this mysterious substance, which helps explain its instant transformation of Cap's physique.

Watching Avengers: Infinity War imposed another notion on me. There's a scene where Cap and Black Panther are running side-by-side, outdistancing everyone around them (pretty sure that's spoilage minimal), and it occurred to me that Cap and BP have generally been depicted as physical equals, both in comics and film. There are some differences, like BP's night-vision and tracking senses, or Cap's almost sixth-sense combat instincts, but in terms of strength, speed, agility and stamina, they've always been neck and neck. It puts me to wondering if an alternative explanation might be that Erskine got his hands on a sample of The Wakandan's Heart Shaped Herb?

Does anybody know of something written in canon that addresses this? If not, do you have a personal head-canon of your own about the serum's origins?

AFAIK, there's no canonical explanation, other than the requirement of "Vita-rays" to stabilize the process. That being said... Cap's shield is composed of an alloy of steel... and Vibranium. Which suggests somebody SOMEWHERE was in Wakanda to acquire a sample. Is it possible they managed to find some wild HSH in the process? I'd say so. Did they? No way of knowing, really.

I could, for example, theorize that a scientific expedition (perhaps led by a certain archaeology professor with a fondness for fedoras and bullwhips? ) found their way into the outskirts of Wakanda and took samples of the local flora and minerals, and these samples found their way into the hands of the "top men" at the Pentagon, leading the way to the Super Soldier project. I could even consider the idea that the "Vita-Rays" were an attempt to synthesize vibranium radiation, which is known to have mutagenic properties.

There's nothing to say that it couldn't be true. But there's also no evidence that it is.

[The Cool Thatguy]

In the comics, all the SSS does is make Cap peak human, and the same goes for the heart shaped herb. So T'Chala and Steve are in the same basic league, which carried over to the movies.

I'd just handwave it away as both as being as enhanced as a human can be without major intervention (like Gamma rays)

[Michael Watkins]

Derived from spinach

[Tony Stark]

Extremis was an updated version of the SSS.

[Jabare]

Derived from spinach

[Phoenixx9]

Lol! Popeye didn't have to get all those needle injections that Steve did to get his "muss-cules", lol!

[DrNewGod]

Derived from spinach

LOL, but since the SSS is permanent, that means poor Rogers has been walking around with spinach taste in his mouth for 70 something years! Poor guy.

[Michael Watkins]

Lol! Popeye didn't have to get all those needle injections that Steve did to get his "muss-cules", lol!

but you notice that he powers up in sections. that's because they aren't using the vita rays to streamline the process. it must be incredibly painful. that's why he has to bite down on that pipe and is always wincing.

LOL, but since the SSS is permanent, that means poor Rogers has been walking around with spinach taste in his mouth for 70 something years! Poor guy.

that's why he orders milk at bars. it's good at masking that taste.