Since the beginning of Phase 4, the UCM It has seemingly changed the way super soldiers are portrayed in the universe, but two upcoming films look to bring back the idea of just how powerful these soldiers can be. Captain America: Brave New World and Rays* are the first two Marvel films for 2025 and each will feature a series of super soldiers in significant roles, including the addition of some that could change the MCU forever.
Throughout the MCU timeline, the importance of super soldiers seemed to diminish as time went on, especially after Avengers: Endgameand throughout most of Phase 4. Now that multiple supersoldiers will be incredibly important to some MCU projects in 2025, the idea is that the MCU could be turning the corner again on the idea of supersoldiers, bringing them back into the spotlight and showing how powerful they can be.
Marvel dismantled the super soldier mythology in phase 4
Throughout the first three phases of the MCU, the super soldiers were incredibly powerful and the threat of the rest of the Winter Soldiers was activated in Captain America: Civil War caused Bucky and Steve Rogers to try to stop them. In truth, the existence of Captain America and how strong and essentially invincible he was, showed how powerful super soldiers were in the universe. This changed a little laterAvengers: Endgame a little, making characters like Bucky and John Walker stand out from other super soldiers.
It seems like the idea of super soldiers has been toned down a bit more, especially in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier with the Flag Smashers. The Flag Smashers were a terrorist organization made up of super-soldiers, but they also showed that those who were affected by the serum are not as invincible as previously thought. Most of the Flag Smashers were killed by the end of the seriesmaking it seem like the MCU wanted to diminish the strength and invincibility of super soldiers.
2 Marvel Movies in 2025 Will Relive the Age of Super Soldiers
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Super Soldiers in Thunderbolts* and Captain America: Brave New World |
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Name |
First appearance |
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Bucky Barnes |
Captain America: The First Avenger |
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Alexei Shostakov/Red Guardian |
Black Widow |
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John Walker / US Agent |
The Falcon and the Winter Soldier |
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Bob / Sentinel |
Rays* |
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Isaiah Bradley |
The Falcon and the Winter Soldier |
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President Ross / Red Hulk |
The Incredible Hulk |
There are two upcoming MCU films that seem to want to change this super soldier trend for the better. The first is Captain America: Brave New Worldreintroducing a super soldier from The Falcon and the Winter Soldierwhile also showing President Ross' eventual transformation into the Red Hulk. The second is Rays*featuring several returning super soldiers and a new one joining the MCU.
Isaiah Bradley returns in the film, and the trailer makes it look like he's trying to assassinate Ross, being used as the weapon he was always intended to be. President Ross has been working on super serum since The Incredible Hulkbut is finally transforming into the Red Hulk, likely as a result of taking the serum himself. These two characters seem to be extremely important to Captain America's story, showing the power that super soldiers can still possess.
Rays* features a large cast of characters brought together under mysterious circumstances to carry out missions. There are several super soldiers on the team, including Bucky, US Agent and Red Guardians. Perhaps the most significant super soldier addition is Bob, better known as Sentry. Sentry is one of the most powerful heroes in the Marvel Universe, whose origins are linked to the super serum, which means that the MCU will gain an incredibly powerful super soldier in the future.
Why Super Soldiers Actually Improve Sam's Captain America Story
The idea of super soldiers has been so prevalent in the MCU for so long, that some may feel like they've run their course. It can be argued, however, that the continued existence of super soldiers really elevates Sam Wilson's story as Captain Americamaking him even more of a hero. Unlike Steve Rogers and John Walker, Sam isn't a super soldier, so taking on the role of Captain America is even more meaningful. Despite this, his willingness to accept being Captain America makes his will and dedication incredibly impressive.
Steve Rogers believed that he was the one who should continue Captain America's legacy.
It also highlights the character of Sam Wilson. Even though he wasn't super powerful, Steve Rogers believed he was the one who should continue Captain America's legacy post-Avengers: Endgame. It was a huge expectation placed on him and Sam had to struggle through the events of The Falcon and the Winter Soldier. By the end of the series, he was ready to take on the role of Captain America: Brave New World.
Super soldiers will always be significant in the history of the MCU. Steve Rogers showed that someone good injected with serum could be something incredible, while most of the others showed the dark side of trying to acquire too much power. The role of super soldiers in the MCU seemed to have diminished afterAvengers: Endgamebut Rays* and Captain America: Brave New World Get the chance to show the power that super soldiers possess once again.
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- Release date
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February 14, 2025
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- Release date
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July 25, 2025
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- Release date
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July 24, 2026