He’s Marvel’s Man Out of Time and the sole recipient of the famous Super Soldier serum – until Bucky Barnes, that is – but just how did Captain America survive in the ice for so long?
That’s the question posed by Redditor ‘darthalex22’ (h/t ComicBook.com), who applies some biological science to the finale of Captain America: The First Avenger in an attempt to explain how Cap was able to cheat death… for 70 years.
It’s a pretty interesting theory, as it covers everything from Steve Rogers plunging into sub-zero waters right up to the moment when he’s thawed out and informed of his next mission – by Samuel L. Jackson’s Nick Fury, no less. See for yourself:
Physical examination of Capt. Rogers revealed that while thickened, his blood’s water was not frozen. Blood tests revealed that his blood contained excessive amounts of glucose as a result of his liver processing his glycogen stores, thus lowering the freezing temperature of blood-borne water and creating a ‘cryoprotectant’. This process is similar to that of Water-Bears (Tardigrades) and hibernating Wood Frogs who metabolize glycogen in their liver to circulate copious amounts through their body to reduce the osmotic shrinkage of cells and stop from freezing. This, however, has never been seen before in humans.
Not that Cap’s ability to survive needed much explaining, mind you. He’s the star-spangled patriot, for crying out loud, and many MCU fans had already concluded that Steve Rogers was able to survive his decade-long icebath thanks to the Super Soldier Serum. And nothing more.
But what say you? Do you buy into this Captain America theory? Or are we reading too much between the lines? Let us know down below, and remember, next up for Steve Rogers is the launch of Joe and Anthony Russo’s Avengers 4 on May 3rd, 2019.