Everyone knows the Super Soldier Serum made Steve Rogers the man he is today. They also know the tragic twist: the scientist who invented the process died, and the process died with him. They only got it right once seventy years ago, but they've been trying ever since, with what we will call mixed results.
5. Taskmaster
It recently came to light that a version of ol' Doctor Erskine's Wonder Tonic gave Taskmaster his abilities. And perpetually erases his memory. So, you win some, you lose some.
4. Luke Cage
People in comics are always saying, "We have never managed to get Doctor Erskine's formula right again!" Nobody ever says, "Although a couple of times, we did it way better. Luke Cage can lift trucks, for example, and his skin is unbreakable. So maybe we should cut ourselves some slack."
3. Man-Thing
On the other hand, Man-Thing is like a PSA on why you shouldn't eff around with this stuff. "WARNING: Side effects may include turning into shambling moss." Man-Thing is my anti-drug.
2. Ultimate Hulk
…but at least Man-Thing never knocked down a town.
1. The Sentry
Apparently, that power-of-a-million-exploding-suns juice was some lab rat's attempt to replicate the super-soldier serum, according to a miniseries I will never read. I would, however, like to read a miniseries in which the entire Marvel universe files a class action lawsuit against that person.
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The original Paul Jenkins/Jae Lee Sentry mini is actually really good when taken out of context. I reccommend it to anyone.
@ActualButt I was about to say the same thing. That original series was enjoyable. Everything it inspired deserves to be hated of course.
in that picture, is the Sentry… falling?
If fairness to the scientists, due to Marvel’s ‘sliding time scale’, the amount of time that scientists have spent attempting to recreat will perpetually remain 10-15 years. 😉
Super soldier serum gone wrong is today’s mutant! It seems like everyone is one, especially in the Ultimate universe.
I’m assuming that’s a picture of Sentry on the ground crying like the little bitch he is. Luke Cage is the flyest super soldier.
“You want some Super Soldier Serum? I can getchu the stuff, but it’s gonna cost, man.”
I had no idea Sentry, Man-Thing, and Luke Cage gained their powers from super-soldier serum.
I really hate the retcon for Taskmaster as it really adds nothing to the character (that I can see thus far). I’m not angry enough rant about it for years, I just don’t think it was necessary.
@Impossibilly: I remember when I and many comics fans thought Taskmaster and Bullseye were mutants because there was no logical explanation for their abilities. That’s back when mutants could have low-key (i.e., not appropriate for combat) abilities like Forge and Cypher. I think things were a little more interesting back then. Now super-soldier serum is the new hottnes. I also miss the days when Bullyseye had hair and not some stupid scar, and when Venom was an interesting, human-sized Spider-Man villain.
(I’m not jaded, I’m just old.)
I have never read anything with The Sentry in it, but by just looking at him you can tell that he sucks
Good call on the improved serum/super soldier process with Cage. He didn’t just get an injection, he had to be soaked in a boiling vat of the stuff.
The only time The Sentry will be #1 in anything, ever.
“according to a miniseries I will never read.”
That’s the iFanboy spirit!!
@ActualButt @TheAskanison I agree with you two, the original Sentry story (I read it in trade form) was fun, but wasn’t suppose to go on any further. You could think of that original story as an extreme example of a story in which everything we know has changed, until the story is done and the status quo was restored. He’s the ultimate hero, because to save the world he CANNOT be a hero. He sacrificed everything to save the world. That’s the story. That’s it! You should have left it alone, Bendis! (Wow, that was cathartic!)
I had really viewed the original Sentry story as an “Elseworld” type story for Marvel (I suppose that would be a “What If?”, but that just sounds wrong.)
“Always leave them wanting more” is such a good rule in storytelling, and understandably a difficult one for this sort of comic environment. In short, to properly use the Sentry in the Marvel Universe required a reboot of everything in order for us to come close to accepting him; provided you could get past everything else that just wasn’t fun. Yes, a universe reboot for one character — and he really wasn’t all that enjoyable.
I mean, Jessica Jones has been inserted into Marvel history, but that doesn’t require us to buy so much. Much of her history is behind the scenes, or is benign. And she’s much more interesting.
Alright, back to work for me!
Good piece, Jim! I didn’t know how Taskmaster got his powers. Cool!
why does everyone hate the sentry anyway?
Cuz it is fun to make fun of the Sentry.
@Kickass Aren’t you the guy who said something like, “If its not Marvel, who cares?”
@AlanRob Hey, don’t let facts get in the way of Kickass’ story! 😉
@kidCharlemagne Everyone just resents the way that he was ‘forced’ upon us by editorial
Even better than the original Sentry mini is the Age of Sentry which is a super silve age throwback. It’s a lot of fun, not because the character is great or anything, because of what it set out to do.
Yay. Super Soldier FUN
@MisterJ- ah! I wasnt aware
I’m fine with Taskmaster not being a mutant, because “I’m a mutant” was the original lazy storytelling device. I appreciate everything the concept has become, but the current origin for Taskmaster allows for *every* version of him in comics to be valid.
I like it.