Marvel Confirms The MCU’s Secret Cold War History

Warning! Spoilers ahead for Marvel’s What If…? episode 8.

Marvel confirmed the MCU’s secret Cold War history in Marvel’s What If…? episode 8. The existence of superheroes may only have become common knowledge relatively recently in the MCU, when Tony Stark outed himself to the world as Iron Man, but it’s gradually becoming clear there’s a secret history of superhuman activity running through the twentieth century. Ant-Man revealed Hank Pym and Janet Van Dyne had worked with SHIELD during the Cold War, while The Falcon & the Winter Soldier introduced Isaiah Bradley as the first Black Captain America, a super-soldier who served during the Korean War in the 1950s.

Black Widow went further, though, hinting at a superhuman arms race in the Cold War. It introduced the Red Guardian, Russia’s answer to Captain America, a physically powerful super-soldier who genuinely believed he’d gone up against Steve Rogers; in doing so it confirmed the USSR had worked on its own super-soldier program during the Cold War, pointing to a shadowy fight between superhumans that must have raged over the decades. Now, surprisingly, Marvel has revealed more about this Cold War arms race in Marvel’s What If…? episode 8; although this is set in a branched timeline, it split away from the main timeline during Avengers: Age of Ultron, meaning its history is the same.

Related: Every MCU Easter Egg In What If? Episode 8

As revealed in Captain America: The Winter Soldier, when Hydra scientist Arnim Zola passed away in 1972 his mental engrams were uploaded to a vast computer system. According to Marvel’s What If…? episode 8, multiple copies of the Arnim Zola program were created, one of which was placed in charge of Russia’s super-soldier program. This was apparently based at a complex in Siberia – presumably the one seen in Captain America: Civil War. Operating out of the Siberian base, Zola must have been in charge of multiple workstreams, including the Winter Soldier program and the creation of Red Guardian. It’s quite possible the Black Widows also worked for him.

Zola’s command of the Soviet super-soldier program technically meant it was a Hydra initiative. Ironically, though, Zola appears to have lost control of the projects shortly after the fall of the Soviet Union, and by the ’90s the Red Room was run by General Dreykov, who seems to have been motivated purely by his own lust for power and thus would never have been a Hydra loyalist. As seen in Black Widow, the Red Room actually foiled Hydra, with Dreykov stealing mind-control technology that was being developed at the North Institute.

Little by little, Marvel is revealing the secret history of the MCU – one woven into the real-world politics of the Cold War. The United States had super-soldiers, Ant-Man, and the Wasp; the Soviet Union had Red Guardian and the Winter Soldier; no doubt there were many others as well. Hopefully Marvel’s What If…? episode 8 has simply set the scene for more revelations going forward.

Marvel’s What If…? streams Wednesdays on Disney+.

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Thomas Bacon
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Tom Bacon is one of Screen Rant’s staff writers, as well as a Peer Mentor for new writers and a member of the Care Team, offering support and a listening ear to members of the Comics group. A lifelong fan of major franchises including Star Wars, Doctor Who, and Marvel, Tom is delighted his childhood is back – and this time it’s cool. You can find him on Twitter @TomABacon.

A graduate of Edge Hill University, Tom remains strongly connected with his alma mater as a volunteer chaplain. He’s heavily involved with his local church, and anyone who checks him out on Twitter will swiftly learn he’s into British politics too.

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