Boosted by the effects of the Super-Soldier program, Steve Rogers became Captain America during World War II and became one of the Marvel Universe's most beloved superheroes. However, the Star-Spangled Avenger was far from the first Super-Soldier to be created by the United States in preparation for World War II. Before Rogers picked up the shield, Isaiah Bradley was transformed into a Super-Soldier through a clandestine, dark extension of Project Rebirth, the program that would eventually empower Rogers.
After a passing comment by Marvel President Bill Jemas, Marvel Comics editor Axel Alonso decided to, pursue the idea of a secret, Black Captain America, developing the idea with writer Robert Morales and artist Kyle Baker. Morales had originally intended to make the new character, Isaiah Bradley, a scientist who experimented upon himself to gain his powers, in the tradition of characters like Reed Richards and Hank Pym, but was overruled by editorial. Instead, it was decided that the character's origins should be folded into an untold history beyond Project Rebirth, while paralleling the real-world Tuskegee syphilis experiment, an infamous government program that covertly tested the long-term effects of untreated syphilis in African American men.
Isiah Bradley's story was first told in the 2003 miniseries Truth: Red, White & Black, which saw Doctor Reinstein lead an experiment for the Super-Soldier serum in 1940, a full year before the American entry into the war. As part of the trial, 300 African American soldiers are taken to Camp Cathcart and subjected to experiments to refine the serum, with only five test subjects surviving, including Bradley. The other survivors are killed in order to maintain secrecy while the families of all the soldiers are told they had died in battle. Bradley emerges as the only survivor, acquiring a prototype shield and costume intended for Steve Rogers, and using them as he carried out top-secret missions against the Axis.
In his last mission, Bradley is successful is dismantling Germany's Super-Soldier program and assassinating its head scientist, although he is captured. Taken before Adolf Hitler himself, the Nazis decide to experiment on him to develop their own Super-Soldiers before he is rescued by Germans opposing the Nazi regime. Bradley is imprisoned at Fort Leavenworth upon returning to the States to maintain the secret of his creation until he is pardoned by outgoing President Dwight Eisenhower. As Bradley resumes his life largely incognito, the long-term effects of the unrefined Super-Soldier serum cause permanent brain damage, resulting in a form of dementia.
While Bradley's heroic exploits are known throughout the Black community, much of the world at large remains unaware of his accomplishments and what he had to endure. After his release, Bradley is quietly visited by many important, real-world figures as a sign of respect, including Martin Luther King, Jr., Malcolm X, Nelson Mandela and more while Luke Cage refers to Bradley as the first Black superhero, with Bradley as a guest of honor at Storm and Black Panther's wedding. Bradley's own grandson, Elijah, would become the superhero and Young Avengers member Patriot, receiving his powers from a blood transfusion from his grandfather.
The Weapon Plus Program surrounding the creation of Captain America has a long, bloody history in the Marvel Universe that's linked to the histories of everyone from Nuke and Wolverine and to Deadpool and Fantomex. While Bradley's superhero career was relatively short-lived, he still played a vital role in helping the Allies win World War II in the Marvel Universe, and he inspired generations of heroes to carry on his legacy in his wake.