- "The year was 1943, and World War II continued across Europe. In the USA, the top-secret op known as OPERATION: REBIRTH produced an experimental SUPER SOLDIER SERUM. The test subject's name: STEVE ROGERS."
- ―Watchers Report[src]
Project Rebirth,[2] also known as Operation: Rebirth,[3] was a United States government project initiated in the 1940s during World War II, the goal of which was to use the Super Soldier Serum to transform Allied soldiers into super soldiers in order to fight against the Axis powers.
Administered by the Strategic Scientific Reserve and the U.S. Army's Infantry Weapons Development Program, their first and only success was Steve Rogers, who became the superhero known as Captain America. The project was terminated after Erskine was assassinated by HYDRA and classified under the designation Weapons Plus.
History[]
Creating Captain America[]
- "Peg, all I've done my whole life is create destruction. Project Rebirth was... He was the one thing I've done... that brought good into this world."
- ―Howard Stark to Peggy Carter[src]
In the 1940s, the United States Armed Forces created a sub-program for Bio-Tech Force Enhancement[4] known as Project Rebirth[5] where they would inject an Allied soldier with a Super Soldier Serum.[6] In 1943, Steve Rogers was chosen by Abraham Erskine to become the first American super soldier. The test was successful, but Heinz Kruger shot Erskine and took the serum. Upon Erskine's death, Kruger ultimately committed suicide with a cyanide pill.
File box entitled Project Rebirth
The serum was lost—the vial Kruger had was destroyed in his flight from Rogers—and the project was disbanded. Blood samples were taken from Rogers by scientists and Peggy Carter in hopes of recovering the serum;[6] of the twelve samples taken, one was given to Howard Stark.[7]
The Strategic Scientific Reserve created a file box entitled Project Rebirth; inside that box included a picture of Steve Rogers before his transformation as well as a Vita-Ray Detector.[2]
Legacy of Project Rebirth[]
- "Since World War II and the success of Steve Rogers, there have been many failed attempts to create a super soldier."
- ―Daniel Whitehall[src]
Following the death of Abraham Erskine, many attempts were made to recreate his success of Steve Rogers. During the Cold War, the United States Army conducted a series of experiments, testing different versions of the Super Soldier Serum on African American soldiers, however, Isaiah Bradley was the only survivor. In the aftermath of the Korean War, Bradley was imprisoned and used as a test subject to find a key to the success of the serum he was injected with.[8]
By 1991, Howard Stark managed to recreate the Super Soldier Serum, however, HYDRA deployed Winter Soldier to retrieve the serum, as well as assassinate him and Maria Stark. Stark's variant of the serum was used in the Winter Soldier Program to create a squad of perfect assassins for HYDRA, however, the project was terminated because of the subjects' instability.[9] Later, HYDRA would make many more attempts to recreate the super soldier, such as the Project Destroyer of Worlds.[10]
In 2016, after Rogers went rogue, the United States Government launched Project Patriot to create a replacement for Captain America, who would serve as the public face of the United States of America in the race of the enhanced assets. Glenn Talbot enlisted Jeffrey Mace to become the primary subject of the project, as Mace was given an enhancement serum, based on a confiscated solution, created by Calvin Zabo. Acquiring a superhuman strength, Mace was appointed as the new Director of S.H.I.E.L.D., while also posing as an Inhuman, however, Mace's true nature was eventually exposed.[11]
In 2018, following the dissolution of HYDRA, Wilfred Nagel was recruited by the CIA to resume his work on the Winter Soldier Program and recreate a Super Soldier Serum, using Bradley's blood samples. Nagel's work was put to stop when he vanished because of the Snap, and after he re-emerged from the Blip, he was recruited by the Power Broker who provided Nagel with resources to finish his work. Nagel successfully recreated the serum, however, it was later stolen by Karli Morgenthau and used by the Flag Smashers.[12]
Alternate Universes[]
Project Rebirth's Success[]
- "Today, we take the first step on the path to peace."
- ―Abraham Erskine[src]
In an alternate universe, Steve Rogers was selected for Project Rebirth due to his strong character. Senator Brandt and several other people attended the demonstration. Rogers was strapped into the Rebirth cradle as Abraham Erskine checked with Howard Stark that it was ready. Erskine told the observers that they would be beginning a path to peace and explained that the experiment would include Vita Radiation to prevent uncontrolled growth. He had Stark start the experiment, which proved to be successful as it increased Rogers' physical abilities. However, as the Special Scientific Reserve celebrated, Heinz Kruger set off an explosion and left with the serum.[13]
Super Soldier Peggy Carter Universe[]
Peggy Carter is transformed into a super soldier
- "We were about to lose the entire project. If I hadn't stepped in–"
"Well, we did. Every last drop of that Dr. Erskine serum went into you." - ―Peggy Carter and John Flynn[src]
In an alternate universe, Steve Rogers was shot and injured by Heinz Kruger, leaving him unable to undergo the procedure. The explosive Kruger had placed damaged the equipment, causing power levels to drop, causing the project to be lost if the procedure wasn't completed immediately. Peggy Carter took Rogers' place and emerged from the chamber visibly taller and stronger, much to Colonel John Flynn's disappointment. Despite Carter's protests that what she did prevented the project from being lost, Flynn stated that it already was, as he believed women were not meant to be soldiers.[3]
Earth-838[]
Peggy Carter as Captain Carter
- "Captain Carter: The first Avenger."
- ―Baron Mordo to Doctor Strange[src]
On Earth-838, Agent Peggy Carter was given the Super Soldier Serum as a result of Project Rebirth. The serum granted her superhuman strength and peak physical condition.[1][14]
Project Rebirth Destroyed Universe[]
The aftermath of HYDRA's reign
- "The bomb at Project Rebirth packed a bigger bang in this universe. Neither you nor Steve Rogers survived."
- ―Watcher to Captain Carter[src]
In an alternate universe, the bomb that was detonated at Project Rebirth was much more powerful, killing Steve Rogers and Peggy Carter. With no opposition, HYDRA used the Tesseract to win World War II, destroying the world in the process.[15]
Appearances[]
| Appearances for Project Rebirth |
|---|
|
In chronological order:
|
Trivia[]
- In The Incredible Hulk, the Super Soldier Program was labeled "Weapons Plus." In comics, New X-Men #128 (Aug. 2002) by Grant Morrison and Igor Kordey established that Project Rebirth was considered the first iteration of a larger program codenamed Weapon Plus, involving the creation of super-soldiers intended to fight on the behalf of national governments. Despite initially involving the enhancement of baseline humans, the project's focus eventually shifted towards recruiting or capturing mutants and experimenting on their genetics. Beyond Steve Rogers/Captain America, who was considered "Weapon I", the project also conceived Isaiah Bradley (also Weapon I), Ted Sallis/Man-Thing (Weapon IV), Flash Thompson/Agent Venom (Weapon V), Luke Cage/Power Man (Weapon VI), Nuke (Weapon VII), Mary Walker/Typhoid Mary (Weapon IX), and James Howlett/Wolverine, Victor Creed/Sabretooth and Wade Wilson/Deadpool (all Weapon X), among others.
- Howard Stark stated his desire to name the operation "Brooklyn Project," to contrast with the Manhattan Project and let Robert Oppenheimer and his crew in Los Alamos know they had competition. In an ironic twist, Stark would wind up working with Oppenheimer on the Manhattan Project later in the war.[16]
- Before Captain America was rediscovered in 2011, the specifics of his creation (Project Rebirth itself) were highly classified. For example, within S.H.I.E.L.D., only Omega-level personnel knew the full details. To the rest of the world, he was a war hero and icon of American wartime propaganda with an origin shrouded in mystery.[17]
References[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Marvel Studios: Character Encyclopedia Updated Edition
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Agent Carter: 1.01: Now is Not the End
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 What If...?: 1.01: What If... Captain Carter Were The First Avenger?
- ↑ The Incredible Hulk
- ↑ Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.: 1.01: Pilot
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 Captain America: The First Avenger
- ↑ Agent Carter: 1.04: The Blitzkrieg Button
- ↑ The Falcon and The Winter Soldier: 1.05: Truth
- ↑ Captain America: Civil War
- ↑ Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.: 5.15: Rise and Shine
- ↑ Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.: 4.10: The Patriot
- ↑ The Falcon and The Winter Soldier: 1.03: Power Broker
- ↑ Captain America: The First Avenger
- ↑ Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness
- ↑ What If...?: 2.09: What If... Strange Supreme Intervened?
- ↑ Captain America: First Vengeance
- ↑ Iron Man: Security Measures
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