Asuper soldier (orsupersoldier) is a conceptsoldier capable of operating beyond normal human abilities through technological augmentation or (in fictional depictions) genetic modification or cybernetic augmentation. Soldiers that obtain greater-than-normal physical abilities by wearingpowered armor or a technological exoskeleton (such as the Mobile Infantry inRobert A. Heinlein´sStarship Troopers novella) are a distinct, but related concept and the two often overlap, as is the case forHalo andWarhammer 40,000 universes, for example.
Super soldiers are common inmilitary science fiction literature, films, and video games. Well-known examples include the novelThe Forever War byJoe Haldeman and theHalo franchise. Super soldiers are also prevalent in the science fiction universe ofWarhammer 40,000 and its prequelThe Horus Heresy. Critic Mike Ryder has argued that the super soldiers depicted in these worlds serve as a mirror to present-day issues around sovereignty, military ethics and the law.[2]Marvel Comics, and by extension theMarvel Cinematic Universe, feature a wide array of heroes and villains whose powers are obtained through various competing attempts to create a super soldier, includingCaptain America,Hulk, the GermanRed Skull, and the RussianRed Guardian.[3]
Fictional super soldiers are usually heavilyaugmented, possibly throughsurgical means,eugenics,genetic engineering,drugs,brainwashing,traumatic events, an extreme training regimen or other scientific andpseudoscientific means, or a combination of some of these methods. Some depictions can be categorized ascyborgs or cybernetic organisms due to their augmentations taking the form of technology integrated into a living organism.[4] A few stories also useparanormal methods or technology, and science ofextraterrestrial origin. The fictional masterminds of such programs are depicted often asmad scientists or sternmilitary personnel depending on the needs of the plot, in stories that typically explore theethical boundaries of the pursuit of science and victory.
In 2022, thePeople's Liberation Army Academy of Military Sciences reported that a team of military scientists inserted a gene from thetardigrade into human embryonic stem cells in an experiment with the stated possibility of creating soldiers resistant toacute radiation syndrome who could survivenuclear fallout.[5]
In the bookThe Men Who Stare at Goats (2004), Welsh journalistJon Ronson documented how the U.S. military repeatedly tried and failed to train soldiers in the use of parascientific andpseudoscientific combat techniques during theCold War,[6] experimenting withNew Age methods andpsychic phenomena such asremote viewing,astral projection, "death touch" and mind reading against various Soviet targets. The book also inspired awar comedy of the same name (2009) directed byGrant Heslov, starringGeorge Clooney.[7]
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The following are examples of fictional super soldiers in various media:
The Men Who Stare at Goats by Jon Ronson, Picador, pp.240.
Ronson, Jon (2009).The Men Who Stare at Goats. Simon & Schuster.ISBN 978-1439181775.