Falcon & The Winter Soldier: 10 Biggest Takeaways From Episode 3
3. The Flag Smashers Came From Isaiah's Blood
One of the biggest mysteries from the first two episodes of The Falcon and the Winter Soldier revolved around the eight new super soldiers that made up the Flag Smashers. Many had tried, and some with outrageous consequences, but no one had ever been able to recreate Erskine's formula.
So then, where did Karli Morgenthau and her crew get their powers and abilities from? In episode three, it was revealed that Dr. Wilfred Nagel, while working for the CIA, was able to extract everything he needed to recreate the serum from Isaiah's blood.
This came after the reveal that Isaiah Bradley was turned into a super soldier and sent to fight the Winter Soldier during the Korean War. However, he was sent to prison for 30 years upon his return, with experiments continuing and ultimately leading to Nagel being able to recreate the serum.
After the scientist Blipped, the CIA discontinued the programme so he was forced to take his work to the Power Broker on Madripoor, for whom he made 20 vials of the stuff. This was then stolen by Karli Morgenthau who enhanced her entire team of Flag Smashers, while simultaneously painting a target on her back.