WARNING: The following contains spoilers for The Falcon and the Winter Soldier Episode 2, "The Star-Spangled Man," now streaming on Disney+.
For a very long time in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Steve Rogers was, as far as we knew, the only super-soldier. Indeed, 2008's The Incredible Hulk disclosed that Project Rebirth, which gave Steve Rogers his special abilities, had been put on ice. However, the latest episode of The Falcon and the Winter Soldier revealed the existence of another secret super-soldier created by the government in 1951 -- something that effectively alters the history of the MCU.
And as shocking as this revelation is, it could also signify something even bigger. In fact, the introduction of this super-soldier essentially opens the door for an adaptation of Venom's biggest cosmic story -- one that is still unfolding today.
In "The Star-Spangled Man," Bucky Barnes and Sam Wilson come to the conclusion that the Flag Smashers are super-soldiers, something that seems impossible to the Falcon. However, Bucky knows something Sam doesn't. To offer possible answers, Bucky takes his partner to the home of Isaiah Bradley, another super-soldier created by Project Rebirth who fought in the Korean War and crossed paths with Bucky in 1951.
While it was believed that Project Rebirth never created another super-soldier, we now know that there was at least one other superpowered asset created by the U.S. government. And this is what could lead to an adaptation of Venom's epic storyline involving the god of the symbiotes, Knull.
In 2018's Venom series by Donny Cates and Ryan Stegman, Eddie Brock learned of the existence of Project Rebirth 2.0, which established the Sym-Soldier Program. This project created a platoon of super-soldiers by bonding test subjects to pieces of an ancient symbiote dragon. These super-soldiers went on covert missions during the Vietnam War, but they too were eventually put on ice due to the symbiote's corruptive nature. The existence of the symbiote dragon and these Sym-Soldiers was the catalyst for a sequence of events that led to the waking of Knull, the creator of the symbiotes and god of the abyss, who eventually traveled to Earth and invaded the planet in the currently ongoing King in Black event series.
The character of Venom isn't technically a part of the MCU just yet, but with the new agreement between Sony and Marvel, that may be on the cusp of changing, especially since we have yet to know all of the characters the studios will share on the big screen. What's more, the MCU has already introduced All-Black the Necrosword, a weapon created by Knull and a precursor to the symbiotes in Thor: Ragnarok. In the comics, Gorr the God Butcher, a character whose origin was closely tied with Knull, is the villain who is armed with the Necrosword. Gorr is set to appear in the upcoming Thor: Love and Thunder, which means more pieces might be falling into place for Knull's inclusion in the MCU.
Indeed, if Project Rebirth was still active in 1951 in the MCU to create a new super-soldier to take part in the Korean War, then the door is open for the Sym-Soldier Program being created a few years later. This revelation in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier is huge for the Captain America mythology but it could also have larger, cosmic implications if the symbiotes ever join the MCU.
Directed by Kari Skogland, The Falcon and the Winter Soldier stars Anthony Mackie, Sebastian Stan, Emily VanCamp, Wyatt Russell, Noah Mills, Carl Lumbly and Daniel Brühl. New episodes debut on Fridays on Disney+.
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