So often when we picture an enemy, a true threat; they become bigger, stronger, faster, or smarter in our mind’s eye. So it’s only natural that for thousands of years, the terrifying ‘other’ has been painted as more than a man, and the warrior on the opposing side has been given super powers, if only in the imagination of those opposing him. Super soldiers are as natural a feature in stories as conflict, or war itself. Join us this week as we begin by discussing the star spangled poster child for performance enhancing drugs, Captain America and then survey the theme of the super soldier throughout history, around the world. From the Sacred Band of Thebes, to the sect of Assassins in Persia; from secret Nazi meth and Übermensch envy, to monkeying around with hybrids in the USSR, we will see what happens when the enemy we imagine is, well, super.
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