Captain America's shield is a fictional item appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. It is the primary defensive and offensive piece of equipment used by Captain America, and is intended to be an emblem of American culture.
Over the years, Captain America has used several shields of varying composition and design. His original heater shield first appeared in Captain America Comics #1 (March 1941), published by Marvel's 1940s predecessor, Timely Comics. The circular shield best associated with the character debuted in the next issue, Captain America Comics #2.
Original shield
In his debut, Captain America was equipped with a heater-style shield made from steel. After complaints by rival comic-book publisher MLJ that the design was too similar to that of its own patriotic hero the Shield, Timely Comics replaced the triangular shield with a disc-shaped one.
While the origin and fate of the original shield were not described in the original comics from the 1940s, the shield's fate was revealed decades later in 2001 through a retconned story. T'Chaka, king of Wakanda, met Captain America in early 1941 and gave him a sample of vibranium. The vibranium was used to make Captain America's circular shield, and his triangular one was retired.
In the 2010 limited series Captain America/Black Panther: Flags of Our Fathers, Captain America, Nick Fury and the Howling Commandos meet Azzari (grandfather of T'Challa)—the Black Panther and king of Wakanda during World War II. Aided by Wakandan military forces, they repel a series of attacks by the Red Skull and Baron Strucker. During the battle, the Red Skull crushes the triangular shield, and Captain America uses a circular vibranium shield provided by T'Challa to incapacitate Red Skull. The weapon served as the inspiration for Captain America's later circular shield.Captain America/Black Panther: Flags of Our Fathers #1-4 (June–September 2010)
A second triangular shield was kept at Avengers Mansion. It is destroyed by Mr. Hyde during a raid on the mansion by Baron Zemo's Masters of Evil, but is later restored by Zemo.Thunderbolts #105 (October 2006) The shield is eventually given to and used by Eli Bradley. A third triangular shield is kept in the Smithsonian Institution until it is destroyed by Bron-Char.
Circular shield
The round shield most associated with Captain America made its debut in Captain America Comics #2 (April 1941). A near-indestructible concavo-convex metal disc approximately in diameter, weighing , it has remained Captain America's most constant shield over the decades.
In Captain America #255 (March 1981), it is established that the shield was presented to Captain America by President Franklin D. Roosevelt.Captain America #255 (March 1981) The shield is created by metallurgist Myron MacLain, who had been commissioned by the US government to create an indestructible armor material to aid the war effort. MacLain experiments with vibranium. During one of his experiments to fuse vibranium with an experimental steel alloy, MacLain falls asleep and awakens to find that his experiments have created a metal alloy. MacLain attempts to recreate the shield's metal to no avail, with his experiments instead creating adamantium.All-New Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe #2 (May 2007)Captain America #303 (March 1985)The Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe #2 (February 1983)
Captain America's shield is more durable than regular adamantium and is essentially indestructible. The vibranium grants the shield unusual properties, allowing it to absorb kinetic impact and vibrations without harm.
Soon after his revival from suspended animation and rescue by the Avengers, Captain America briefly experimented with Stark's modification of the shield which included a magnetic mechanism that enabled Captain America to hold the shield through a corresponding magnetic mechanism attached to his left glove, as well as communications equipment. These modifications allowed Captain America to launch the shield from his glove and control it mid-flight.Avengers #6 (July 1964) Captain America decided to have those modifications removed and restored the holding straps since he found that he preferred to physically throw the shield himself and the electronic equipment hindered the shield's balance.Tales of Suspense #62 (February 1965)
After Captain America is killed, S.H.I.E.L.D. takes over custody of the shield, with one replica on display in a museum and another replica buried alongside Captain America. The shield is subsequently stolen by Bucky Barnes, who does not want anyone else to carry the shield. At Iron Man's insistence, Barnes uses the shield as the new Captain America.Captain America (vol. 5) #33 (December 2007) Barnes attempts to return the shield to Steve Rogers after his resurrection, but is told to keep it. Rogers reclaims the shield after Barnes is apparently killed during the Fear Itself storyline.Fear Itself #7 (December 2011)
Destruction of the shield
Over time the shield has been damaged or destroyed several times within the confines of the Earth-616 continuity:
In The Avengers #215–216, the Molecule Man disintegrates the shield, along with Thor's hammer, Iron Man's armor, and the Silver Surfer's board. He later reassembles these items, with the exception of the armor, as the electronic circuits are too complicated for him to understand.The Avengers #215–216 (January–February 1982) During the 1984-1985 Secret Wars limited series, the shield is partially destroyed by Doctor Doom, who has stolen the power of the Beyonder. When the Beyonder reclaims his power, the heroes are temporarily granted the ability to realize their wishes. Rogers uses this to reconstruct his shield.Secret Wars #11 (March 1985) During the 1991 miniseries The Infinity Gauntlet, Thanos shatters the shield with a blow of his fist while in combat with Captain America. The shield is soon restored by Nebula when she obtains the Infinity Gauntlet and uses it to undo the events of Thanos's temporary godhood, resulting in her erasing the death and destruction that Thanos had caused over the previous 24 hours.Infinity Gauntlet #3 (September 1991) Due to a stray molecule being out of place when Captain America reconstructed the shield using the Beyonder's residual power, a vibranium "cancer" was introduced to the shield, spreading with each subsequent impact until it finally shattered. When Klaw strikes the shield during a battle with Captain America, he inadvertently realigns the shield's molecules, destroying the cancer.Captain America (vol. 3) #22 (August 1999) During the 2011 miniseries Fear Itself, the Serpent destroys Captain America's shield.Fear Itself #5 (October 2011) The shield is repaired by Iron Man and Asgardian dwarves, who enhance it with uru metal.
Other shields
While Steve Rogers was asleep in suspended animation, three other men used the identity of Captain America, all using steel replicas of the discus shield. The 1950s Captain America was placed in suspended animation after becoming mentally unstable. By the time he was revived years later, Rogers had returned. When the two clashed, in the 1950s Captain America's shield was broken. In the 1980s, in a story written by Mark Gruenwald, Rogers chose to resign the mantle of Captain America, rather than submit to the orders of the United States government and took the alias as "The Captain" instead. During this period, the role of Captain America was assumed by John Walker, the former Super-Patriot, who used both the costume and the indestructible shield. In his new identity of "The Captain", Rogers initially used a pure adamantium shield provided by Tony Stark, but a falling out between the two as a result of the "Armor Wars" storyline led Rogers to return it. He then began to use a pure vibranium shield provided by the Black Panther. When Rogers returned to his Captain America identity, Walker became the U.S. Agent and returned the original shield to him. Walker would go on to have his own array of different shields over the years, the first of which appeared to be the last vibranium shield Rogers was using as the Captain. At one point, when Rogers was exiled from the United States and was briefly unable to use his shield, Sharon Carter provided him with a photonic energy shield designed to mimic a vibranium matrix. During the time when the shield was lost in the Atlantic, Rogers tried using a pure adamantium shield, but was unable to get used to the balance. He also tried fighting without a shield but also found it awkward. Sharon Carter next provided him with another photonic shield, but one whose shape could be controlled to morph the energy field into a wider force field, a bo staff or even fire a projection of the shield. While he enjoyed the versatility, Rogers noticed a number of drawbacks, particularly its inability to ricochet. Rogers gave one of the energy shield gloves to a freedom fighter in an oppressive future he traveled to and received a replacement from S.H.I.E.L.D. when he got back to his own time. In Secret Avengers, he uses a new energy shield which could be generated on either arm, or both, and was able to be thrown and ricochet off surfaces to hit targets before it dissipates, preventing enemies from using it against him. A new shield would be generated moments later. Moon Knight, who had acquired a copy of the technology, had it described to him as a "zero point energy shield".Moon Knight (vol. 6) #9 (March 2012) In Captain America: Steve Rogers, Steve wields a new version of the triangular shield that can deploy an energy blade on its pointy end and can be divided in two, allowing him to use both halves in combat.Captain America: Steve Rogers #1 (July 2016) On Earth-691, Vance Astro wielded the shield for a time as Major Victory.
Marvel Cinematic Universe version
Captain America's shield is a recurring item throughout the Marvel Cinematic Universe franchise. This version of the shield was created by Howard Stark and given to Steve Rogers during World War II. Within the MCU, the shield is seen as a symbol of Captain America's strength and legacy.
Appearances In Iron Man (2008), a partially completed replica of the shield appears when Pepper Potts watches Tony Stark trying to remove his damaged armor. Stark uses the alloy of a prototype made by his father to create his Iron Man armor.Iron Man: Security Measures one-shot (November 2008) In Iron Man 2 (2010), Stark's replica of the shield is noticed by Phil Coulson and it is subsequently used to hold the apparatus that allows Stark to discover a new element. In Captain America: The First Avenger (2011), Steve Rogers uses an ornamental version of the triangular shield during World War II on a musical tour with the USO promoting war bonds. He then uses that shield in his first combat mission. It is rendered useless after Johann Schmidt punches a large dent in it. He later notices an unadorned circular shield among Howard Stark's proposed weapons, which Stark says is made of a rare metal called Vibranium that is much stronger and one-third the weight of steel. Although Stark says it is a prototype, Rogers decides to use it after it stops .45 caliber bullets shot at it by Peggy Carter. It is painted in the familiar red, white and blue pattern modeled after the colors of the American flag. Rogers uses the shield throughout the war. It protects Rogers from not only standard weapons, but also the energy-based weapons Hydra uses that are powered by the Tesseract. Rogers also uses the shield as an offensive weapon and becomes highly skilled in accurately throwing, deflecting, and retrieving it. Rogers has the shield with him when he is frozen in 1945. In 2011, Rogers and the shield are discovered by S.H.I.E.L.D. agents in the Arctic within a crashed, frozen aircraft.