Captain America's Shield

Verified Timeline

Lore & Background

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 2.5 feet (0.76 m) in diameter, weighing 12 pounds (5.4 kg), 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. 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. 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.

In Their Own Story

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. 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. 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. 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. During the 2011 miniseries Fear Itself, the Serpent destroys Captain America's shield. The shield is repaired by Iron Man and Asgardian dwarves, who enhance it with uru metal.

Reader's Guide

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. 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. 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. 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.

Did You Know?

• The circular shield debuted in Captain America Comics #2 (April 1941), not the first issue.
• The shield weighs exactly 12 pounds (5.4 kg) and is 2.5 feet (0.76 m) in diameter.
• Myron MacLain created the shield by accident when he fell asleep during an experiment to fuse vibranium with steel.
• The shield has been destroyed by the Molecule Man, Doctor Doom, Thanos, and the Serpent, and was repaired each time.
• During the Fear Itself storyline, the shield was enhanced with uru metal by Iron Man and Asgardian dwarves.