How Captain America Survived in the Ice in the Marvel Cinematic Universe Explained

We all know the story behind Captain Americain the Marvel Cinematic Universe: He was a scrawny kid from Brooklyn, he enlisted in the army, he was injected with Super Soldier Serum, and he was frozen in a block of ice for nearly 70 years. It’s that last part that most fans take issue with.

Some write it off as an effect of the Super Soldier Serum, but others have never been able to buy it. How could a man, regardless of his enhancements, survive in frozen state for that long, only to be thawed out and return to function at a normal state?

The question has never been answered in the movies, but an explanation to the odd occurrence has finally been revealed in the Avengers S.T.A.T.I.O.N. in Las Vegas. A Reddit user by the name of darthalex22 posted a photo of the explanation online, and it points to a biological phenomenon that’s usually only seen in animals.

“Physical examination of Capt. Rogers revealed that while thickened, his blood’s water was not frozen. Blood tests revealed that his blood contained excessive amounts of glucose as a result of his liver processing his glycogen stores, thus lowering the freezing temperature of blood-borne water and creating a ‘cryoprotectant’. This process is similar to that of Water-Bears (Tardigrades) and hibernating Wood Frogs who metabolize glycogen in their liver to circulate copious amounts through their body to reduce the osmotic shrinkage of cells and stop from freezing. This, however, has never been seen before in humans.”

Basically, the insane amount of glucose in Cap’s blood allowed it to keep from being frozen, essentially a version of ultra-cold hibernation. While this has never been seen in human beings before, it could likely be a result of the Super Soldier Serum running through Cap’s veins. One commenter on the original Reddit post noted that this could also be used as an explanation as to how Bucky survived in the ice, though for a much shorter amount of time.

Does this clear up any Captain America questions for you? What other burning MCU mysteries are you hoping to get answered? Let us know by dropping a line in the comment section below!

Captain America, played by Chris Evans, can currently be seen in Avengers: Infinity War, which is still playing in quite a few theaters across the country. Marvel’s latest adventure, Ant-Man and the Wasp, is set to hit theaters this Friday.