Captain America’s iconic Super Soldier Serum turned him into the absolute peak of human excellence in the Marvel Universe, and with the release of the MCU’s Thunderbolts* film and the Sentry’s power on full display, Marvel can finally show the full extent of the super soldier serum, and stop holding back on the limitless potential of Captain America’s true power.
Captain America is the gold standard for what a Super Soldier should be; however, some serum iterations have made super soldiers far more powerful than Steve Rogers, most notably the Golden Sentry Serum. There are a couple of origins for the Sentry Serum, though the Thunderbolts* film notably depicts a version of the serum that takes inspiration from 2006’s Sentry #8 by Paul Jenkins and John Romita Jr.
Sentry’s variant of the formula is described as “one hundred thousand times” more powerful than Steve Rogers’, yet its properties reveal the true boundlessness of Captain America’s serum.
Captain America’s Super Soldier Serum Was the Catalyst For The Sentry Serum From Thunderbolts*
The Creation Of Captain America Subsequently Created "The Void"
Both the Super Soldier Serum and the Golden Sentry Serum are two sides of the same coin, as it was the Super Soldier Serum that brought about the creation of the Golden Sentry Serum. First introduced in Captain America Comics #1, as a WWII project titled “Project Rebirth,” the experimental serum enhanced nearly every aspect of his physical form, making him stronger, quicker, smarter, and extremely durable, causing him to be nearly bulletproof. Though Steve Rogers is not indestructible, it has been shown that it takes an incredible amount of power to even phase the star-spangled Hero.
Due to the creator of the serum dying before the formula was written down, Captain America was the only hero to receive the perfected serum. Many programs attempted to recreate and enhance Steve Rogers’ success, notably Project Sentry; similar to the origin revealed in Thunderbolts*, Robert Reynolds was a drug addict who took the Sentry Serum and became a hero. However, in Sentry #8, it’s disclosed that Bob broke into the lab and took the serum in an attempt to get a fix without knowing what the serum was; subsequently, it turned him into one of the most powerful heroes in the Marvel Universe.
Sentry’s Power Reveals The True Lack Of Limitations Of The Super Soldier Serum
The Serum Created A Hero 1000x More Powerful Than Steve Rogers
Steve Rogers is undoubtedly powerful, as he has gained the reputation of being one of Marvel’s most unbeatable heroes, yet Sentry makes Steve look almost weak by comparison, as Bob is quite literally a thousand times more powerful with the Sentry Serum. This enhanced version of the Super Soldier Serum didn’t just give its host peak human form; it altered Bob on a molecular level, allowed him to channel all energy, and, most terrifyingly, the ability to warp reality. This changed the Super Soldier Serum from a human enhancement to a serum that gives its host incredible yet volatile power.
These powers are only heightened with the side effects that derive from the Sentry Serum, the entity known as the Void, who has destroyed planets, withstood the power of the sun, and during the “Siege” event, turned Asgard into rubble. Moreover, Sentry killed the gods Ares and Loki, and, in an impressive and horrifying display of raw power, broke every bone in the Hulk’s body. In The Age of Sentry #1, written by Jeff Parker, with art by Nick Dragotta, it’s noted Bob holds the power of “a million exploding suns,” and Sentry’s feats of immense mass destruction back that up.
Marvel Has Demonstrated That Steve Rogers Himself Possesses Near-Limitless Potential
Cap Has Tussled With Marvel’s Strongest Superpowered Heroes
Although Steve Rogers doesn’t have the sheer might that the Sentry wields, for good reason, Captain America’s super abilities also veer into incredible powers that allow him to pull off inhuman feats that the average person wouldn’t dare try. Seen within 1998’s Captain America #10, written by Mark Waid, with art by Andy Kubert, Captain America has the strength to physically alter a jet’s trajectory by bending its wing while in mid-air. With the effects of the Super Soldier Serum, Steve Rogers has been shown to rip through military-grade aircrafts as well as jump out of planes and land unscathed.
Captain America can absorb energy blasts from some of Marvel’s heaviest hitters, an ability that possibly evolved into the Sentry’s ability to absorb every type of energy.
In AvX: Versus #2, the X-Men hero, Gambit, faces off against Captain America and uses his explosive kinetic powers to charge Steve’s uniform, forcing Captain America to endure a massive, encompassing blast. Despite not being as well-revered as other X-Men, Gambit holds near omega-level powers, and from his reaction, Remy believed the blast was capable of killing Steve Rogers. However, Steve emerged from the blast practically unharmed. This fight showed Captain America can absorb energy blasts from some of Marvel’s heaviest hitters, an ability that possibly evolved into the Sentry’s ability to absorb every type of energy.
Captain America And The Sentry Showcase The Evolution Of The Super Soldier Serum
A Villain With Unlimited Power Presents Vast Narrative Possibilities
While the Sentry is vastly more powerful than Steve Rogers’ version of the serum, both have a penchant for being unbeatable, with their opponents often having to find ways to beat them other than physically. In Captain America #21, written by Rick Remender, with art by Nic Klein, and Dean White, the villain known as Iron Nail was able to defeat Steve Rogers by draining the Super Soldier Serum from his body. This moment presented one of the few ways one can defeat Steve Rogers; however, the Sentry is an entirely different story, as his powers are not as easily stripped away.
The Sentry’s durability is even more complex, as not even flying into the sun could depower him, and it took the combined might of Doctor Strange and Reed Richards to lock away the powers of the Sentry and the Void. In many of his iterations, the only way for one to stop the unbridled destruction of Sentry and the Void is for Bob to consciously will it himself. The vast power-scaling of the Sentry gives Marvel an incredibly formidable villain that rivals Galactus, and provides more insight into the inner workings of Captain America’s own Super Soldier Serum.
Marvel Has the Opportunity To Further Explore The Vast Possibilities Of The Super Soldier Serum
With Sentry, The MCU Can Expand On This Lore
The Sentry Serum and, by extension, the Super Soldier Serum are products that hold limitless power, with the boundaries of each serum only set by Captain America and Sentry’s mental limitations and moral compass. Marvel’s Super Soldier Serum examines the full extent of human and superhuman potential. Captain America’s serum was designed to bring the human body to its absolute limit, creating a hero who is impervious to nearly every foe he faces, while the Sentry Serum goes beyond limits to create a terrifying force that falls outside of the laws of nature.
Throughout Marvel history, Captain America was the apex of human anatomy, but the creation of the Sentry showed there is no true limit to the evolution of the Super Soldier Serum.
The duality of the Sentry also allows Marvel to create a hero who either overcomes their irremovable dark side, or arguably more interestingly, a villain who is unstoppable in every way and forces heroes to find other ways toward victory aside from physical strength. With the Thunderbolts* introducing Sentry to the public eye, Marvel has the opportunity to further explore the full extent of the Super Soldier Serum. Throughout Marvel history, Captain America was the apex of human anatomy, but the creation of the Sentry showed there is no true limit to the evolution of the Super Soldier Serum.
