Chapter Text
"Finding a stable secondary form has been a rite of passage for all since the dawn of time. There is no right or wrong amount of time for this process to take. Some have settled at a very young age. In very rare cases individuals have settled late in their adult life. However late settling does not affect their ability to function. What does affect them is when a fully settled adult becomes 'Unsettled' or as Dr. A. Erskine termed it "Soldiering". A process where an individual would be given a serum to unlock what was thought to be one's full potential. The theory being that if one could continue to change one's form in combat they would have the upper hand in battle.
This theory was never really explored as Erskine only made two "Super Soldiers" with his serum. Both of which were killed. (see Johann Schmidt pg 14 and Steve Rogers pg 7 and Appendix 4) These two men were only able to have two secondary forms. After the death of the Doctor Erskine, the quest for unlimited forms continued, but never with the results that Erskine had.
The products to come were more unstable with every new form they were able to gain. The Russians claimed to have made a Super Soldier with unlimited forms. (see: Winter Soldier pg 107). This claim has never been verified.
It was also found that trauma plays a part in form unsettling too. Due to the stressfulness of being in modern combat, a new field of study was created. This field, Settling Trauma, studies the effects of things like serums and multiple types of trauma to find ways to help resettle those who have become Unsettled. With their help, many have been successfully able to settle once more."
Text taken from The Animal I Am by Evans Antony Stan