DC’s version of Captain America's super soldier serum exposes a secret ingredient the MCU never will. In 2011’s The Flash #3-4, the Scarlet Speedster encountered an old friend who had received an “upgrade” thanks to a unique version of the super soldier serum, and as the Flash digs deeper, he learnsed of this serum’s background.
Super soldier serums, or substances that enhance normal people to superhuman standard, are a staple of comic books. Indeed, DC's ultimate assassin Man-Thing was created in an accident that attempted to duplicate the serum. Various groups in the DC Universe have tried to create their own versions of the serum as well.
In The Flash #3-4, by Francis Manapul and Brian Buccellato, the Flash learns that Manuel Lago, a longtime friend of his, has been altered, transformed into a super soldier. The process gave Manuel not only super-strength and agility, but also the ability to regenerate limbs and appendages. Manuel is captured, and when his captors learn of his ability to regenerate, they begin cutting off his limbs, ultimately creating an army of his regenerated duplicates. As the Flash digs deeper, he is shocked to learn the serum’s main ingredient: stem cells harvested from pigs.
Stem Cells Are Crucial for a Super Soldier
While Marvel & DC have never fully revealed what is in their super soldier serums - indeed, the formula for Captain America's was lost with the death of Doctor Abraham Erskine - using stem cells, even ones harvested from pigs, makes perfect scientific sense. Research into the secrets of stem cells is a political hot potato, but so far, it shows immense promise in helping regenerate tissue. Recipients of the super soldier serum often find themselves in brutal fights, so the ability to easily bounce back from injuries is important, and this would even spill over into the ability to tax the body to breaking point in of strength and speed.
Organizations in both universes will keep trying to make their own super soldier serums, usually with some variation that adds new powers, transformations, and drawbacks. However, one group in the DC Universe created their own super soldier serum - even improving on Captain America's capabilities - made from an ingredient that the MCU is unlikely to ever explicitly embrace.
