Captain America's Shield
Captain America's Shield is a comic book object that first appeared in Captain America Comics #2
Captain America's only weapon and protection, the shield has become the symbol and embodiment of justice and patriotism
Size
Diameter: 30 inches
Weight: 12.5 lbs
History of Captain America's Shield
When Dr. Myron MacLian tried to create a metal that is comparably durable as Hercules' mace, he experimented on Wakandan Vibranium for its unique capabilities. One night, Dr. MacLain fell asleep and an unknown catalyst fused the Vibranium and an experimental iron alloy and because he was asleep, Dr. MacLain wasn't able to replicate the bonding process or know what was the catalyst. It was then poured into a mold for a tank hatch to have a circular form and painted into a American flag motif. It was then that President Franklin Roosevelt presented the shield to Captain America.
Dr. MacLain tried to recreate again the unknown alloy without the Vibranium, with the end result the creation of Adamantium
When Captain America was brought in the modern world, Iron Man made modifications in the shield by installing electronics components and actuators for Captain America to better control its flight when being thrown, but he decided that it threw the shield's natural flight and got rid of it. Cap would often lend Iron Man his shield for research and he would provide Cap with steel replicas that gets destroyed everytime.
Captain America's shield has been labled as indestructable as admantium, but it has been destroyed on several occasions but subsequently repaired. The shield's destruction are made possible by the following:
- Molecule Man's manipulation
- Doctor Doom's possession of the Beyonder's powers
- Thanos' use of the Infinity Gauntlet
- Thor wielding the Odinforce
When the shield was lost in the Atlantic Ocean and subsequently found, when it was dropped, the shield shatters into pieces. Iron Man and Captain America found out that when the Beyonder repaired the shield, he left a molecular imperfection that left the bonds unaligned. With every blow the shield absorbed, the imperfection continued to spread across the shield until it was destroyed. To make matters worse, the shockwave created by the destroyed shield has spread to all over the world, destroying all vibranium made components and risk reaching the Vibranium mound in Wakanda that can destroy the planet. Cap traveled to Wakanda to sacrifice the shield from the impending explosion, but the villain Klaw, who is now a living sound energy, was already there absorbing the energy exerted by the surrounding vibranium explosion. When Klaw attacked Captain America, he instinctively braced his shield and the resulting attacked realign the shield's molecules and restored it.
Functions of the Shield
The aerodynamic shape of the shield allows it to glide with pin-point accuracy. Captain America commonly uses the shield to take out several opponents at once. Cap has used the shield for so long and become so accustomed to it that it is in many ways an extension of his own arm. Cap easily ricochets the shield off of walls to hit elusive targets, and often throws it so that it returns to where he is standing. Being made from a vibranium-iron alloy, the shield absorbs the force as it ricochets from wall, thus not losing its momentum.
Composition of the Shield
The molecular mass of the shield is constructed from a rare alloy vibranium and an experimetal iron alloy (There is some debate on the exact composition of the shield.)
Molded with a Vibranium/Iron alloy, the shield is for all purposes, practically indestructible. The star and stripes of the shield are made of an enamel, that can stand temperatures of up to 9,000 degrees Fahrenheit.
The only energy that this shield cannot penetrate is psionic.
Captain America's Shield in Media
Iron Man Cameo
The Colbert Report
| Object Name: | Captain America's Shield |
| 1st Appearance: | Captain America Comics #2 |
| Appears in: | 592 issues |
