Supersoldier

For the Amalgam Comics character, see Super-Soldier. For the Marvel UK title, see Super Soldiers.

A supersoldier is a fictional soldier that operates beyond normal human limits or abilities. Supersoldiers are common in science fiction literature, films, TV programs, computer, conspiracy theories, and video games, but have also made appearances in other related genres, such as military fiction and spy fiction. Many depictions of supersoldiers treat them as shock troops or heavy infantry, although others feature them as elite commandos or special forces personnel.

Supersoldiers are usually heavily augmented, either through eugenics (especially selective breeding), genetic engineering, cybernetic implants, drugs, brainwashing, traumatic events, an extreme training regimen (usually with high casualty rates, and often starting from birth or a young age), or other scientific and pseudoscientific means. Occasionally, some instances also use paranormal methods, such as black magic or technology and science of extraterrestrial origin. The creators of such programs are viewed often as mad scientists or stern military men, depending on the emphasis, as their programs will typically go past ethical boundaries in the pursuit of science or military might.

Popular Examples

• Captain America: The First Avenger - Steve Rogers portrays Captain America in this 2011 film rendition of the franchise. A scientist, Dr. Abraham Erskine, is commissioned by the United States military to counter the actions of the Nazi regime, with both sides looking to create a new fighting force. Dr. Erskine's method of creating a supersoldier involved injecting a top-secret serum of his own design, as well as bombarding the subject with "vita-rays", inducing massive muscle and skeletal growth and increased performance.
• Crysis - A video game series started in 2007 featuring a distant future with a massive alien-built structure found on the fictional Lingshan Islands near the East Phillipines. As an elite soldier of the United States Army's Delta Force, the main character, codenamed "Nomad", wears a Nano-Suit that provides the user a massive boost in combat capability and defensive stature. Using this technology, the player combats North Korean forces and extraterrestrial invaders.
• F.E.A.R. - A psychological-horror video game series started in 2005, spanning a number of years and a variety of nightmare-fueled enemies, all centered around the main antagonist Alma Wade, a supernatural enemy using fear to destroy entire cities. The first game takes focus on supersoldiers, as the beginning plot is centered around The Pointman searching for a cannibal named Paxton Fettel who has taken control of Armacham Technology Corporation and their genetically-modified supersoldiers, who become the game's focal enemy.

U.S. Army

In the book The Men Who Stare at Goats, journalist Jon Ronson documents how the U.S. Army repeatedly tried and failed to train soldiers to use psychic powers. The events were dramatized in the film of the same name.

See also

• Project MKULTRA
• Übermensch
• Superhuman
• Superhero
• Human enhancement
• Captain America
• Space Marine
• List of Supersoldiers in fiction