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I have seen a fair amount of discussion on whether or not Captain American needs to exercise or if he is a superhuman, which got me wondering. If Steve Rogers weren't so weak prior to the SSS (Super Soldier Serum), would he be stronger post SSS?

For example, Steve could bench the bar (45 lbs, speculation), and Cap can bench around 1100 lbs (see superhuman link above). If Steve could have benched 145 lbs, could Cap have benched 1200 lbs.

This question looks like it may invite some opinions and discussion, but I am looking for something explicitly supported in the comics. Something along the lines of a What-If or examples of other SSS projects who were stonger than Steve before AND stronger than Cap after SSS will be accepted in lieu of explicit support (because I doubt it is out there).

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Pants
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  • In the comic where the super serum is removed from Cap and stuck into some goons he ends up beating up, they appear very, very large. However, Cap has not exactly been consistently sized over the years so hard to tell if the previously huge guys were the same size as they never stood next to one another while both were under the influence of the serum – Broklynite May 05 '16 at 21:51
  • Do you happen to know which comic that was, by chance? – Pants May 05 '16 at 21:54
  • Will once I'm home and not on my phone – Broklynite May 05 '16 at 21:57
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    If the comic universe is any indicator, the answer would likely be: the initial size of the person doesn't appear to matter. The original formula appears to maximize the person's physical metrics. If Captain America and Bucky Barnes (the Winter Soldier) are any indication, Bucky was larger than Cap before the serum but they are about the same size now. Additionally, Isaiah Bradley, another early experiment with the super-soldier serum used BEFORE Cap was given the treatment left him approximately the same size and weight as Captain America. – Thaddeus Howze May 05 '16 at 22:43

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If the comic universe is any indicator, the answer would likely be: the initial size of the person doesn't appear to matter. The original formula appears to maximize the person's physical metrics to somewhere near a specified maximum. It is unclear if the nature of the serum encodes a specific height/weight maximum as part of the process.

All we are ever certain of is the Super Soldier Serum creates the Perfect Human. A being whose:

  • Agility, dexterity, strength, speed, endurance, reflex and reaction time, coordination, and balance are superior to any Olympic athlete who has or ever will compete.

  • Once it is metabolized, the super soldier formula enhances all of the subject's bodily functions to the peak of human efficiency.

  • The soldier's body eliminates any excessive build-up of lactic acid and other fatigue poisons in his muscles, which grants them phenomenal endurance;

  • The soldier's has an extraordinary immunity to disease and their aging process is also slowed dramatically.

enter image description here

In the movies

If Captain America and Bucky Barnes (the Winter Soldier) are any indication, Bucky was larger than Cap before Steve Rogers introduction to the serum:(remember he rescues Rogers who was currently pre-treatment, from a fight in the alley). Unbeknownst to anyone, Bucky had already been treated with a variation of the supersoldier serum in 1943.

  • In the winter of 1945, Bucky Barnes and Captain America boarded a HYDRA train carrying Arnim Zola during a Strategic Scientific Reserve operation. During the fight with HYDRA, the side of the train car was destroyed. A second blast from the HYDRA operative's weapon threw Barnes out of the train.

  • He managed to grab hold of the side of the train but lost his grip before Captain America could pull him back in. Barnes survived the fall because of Zola's version of the Super Soldier Serum, first given to Barnes in 1943 while he was imprisoned at the Austrian HYDRA Weapons Facility, but he lost his left arm. He was later found by Soviet soldiers.

  • The difference between Barnes pre-treatment and Barnes post-treatment must not have been nearly as noticeable as Rogers who was considered 4F (unacceptable for combat) when he applied for duty, and who gained nearly a foot of height and over a hundred pounds of body mass.

  • It would have certainly been suspicious of Barnes suddenly came back a head taller and 100 pounds heavier. When Barnes and Captain America are seen standing side by side in 1945, they appear almost equal in height and weight.

In the comics:

enter image description here

Additionally, Isaiah Bradley, another early experiment with the super-soldier serum used BEFORE Cap was given the treatment left him approximately the same size and weight as Captain America.

  • Captain America is listed at 6 feet 2 inches tall, 240 pounds.

  • Isaiah Bradley is listed at 6 feet 4 inches tall, 260 pounds.

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Thaddeus Howze
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    This is a great answer! I wish I could find Isaiah's height/weight pre-serum, but this combined with the Bucky comparison is great. – Pants May 06 '16 at 21:37