Captain America's Shield in the MC2

 

With the release of Captain America: Brave New World nearly upon us, I wanted to take a look at one of the most iconic items in all of superhero fiction: Captain America’s Shield. Naturally, while I like to provide context and a broad history within the Main Marvel Universe, I also try to add a bit of MC2-specific history, so this post will cover Captain America’s Shield in the MC2.

   While Captain America debuted in 1941’s Captain America Comics #1, he wielded a different shield, resembling what Wikipedia informs me is called a heater style shield. Due to complaints from a rival comic company, the shield’s shape was changed to the now-iconic round design beginning with Captain America Comics #2. As for the in-continuity origin of this shield, let us take a look at that next.

 

But first, to talk about this topic, we need to first take a quick look at Adamantium. ‘True Adamantium’ (as codified by the Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe (vol.1)  #15) first appeared in the Main Marvel Universe or Universe-616 in Avengers (vol. 1) #66 as the creation of a Dr. Myron Maclain who has invited various Avengers including Thor and Iron Man and Goliath (Clint Barton) aboard the S.H.I.E.L.D. Helicarrier to test their abilities against it in order to confirm it’s durability. Against his will, The Vision steals the Adamantium and uses it to rebuild his creator, Ultron, but that’s another story!

 

With Avengers (vol. 1) #66 taking place in the modern era, well after Captain America’s World War II exploits with his round shield, it raised the question of what the shield was made from. For example, the shield Captain America used in Avengers #34 was easily destroyed by the Living Laser in Avengers #35, In this case and other instances published around this time, we have the Avengers: Official Index to the Marvel Universe suggested explanation that these were substitute shields provided by Tony Stark aka Iron Man. Tales of Suspense #93 makes it overtly clear that Captain America’s Shield is virtually indestructible.

 

In Captain America #255 President Roosevelt gifts Steve Rogers his iconic shield, briefly mentioning ‘the metal in the shield has some incredible properties’ while bemoaning that its creation was a ‘metallurgical accident’ that cannot be duplicated.

 

Captain America’s profile in the Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe (vol. 1) #2 identifies the shield as ‘constructed of a unique vibranium-adamantium alloy’ cast by the metallurgist Dr. Myron MacLain. The shield was ‘the result of a laboratory accident’ which led to many unsuccessful attempts to duplicate the process but resulted in the MacLain inventing Adamantium. The profile further notes ‘because of it’s vibranium-derived properties, is even stronger than pure adamantium.’

 

In addition to a detailed look at the shields design, the Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe (vol. 1) #15 also features a profile covering Adamantium itself. The profile notes no one else ‘ever learned how to duplicate either the special adamantium compound used in the creation of the shield, which is known as Proto-Adamantium, or the process which fused the Proto-Adamantium with the Wakandan Vibranium.’ It is also mentioned that the United States Government shared the secrets of Adamantium’s composition with some allies while various criminals have stollen this information, either of which led to the bonding of Adamantium to the mutant Wolverine’s skeleton.

 

Shortly afterwards, in Captain America #303, a captive Myron MacLain himself recounts the details of the creation of Captain America’s Shield. Tasked with creating a super-strong metal to build tanks from, Myron was gifted a sample of Vibranium but failed in his efforts to bond it with a steel alloy he was developing. Weary, MacLain fell asleep while waiting for some metal to heat up and awoke to discover the metals had somehow bonded. Pouring the molten metal into a disc shamed mould, Myron learned he had produced the indestructible metal alloy he had hoped for but was never able to recreate the process, believing an ‘unknown factor’ had entered the experiment while he slept.

 

Myron MacLain’s own profile in the Avengers Assemble handbook works to further clarify the timeline discontinuity of Adamantium, by stating Myron’s research working to recreate the shield’s ‘Proto-Adamantium’ composition would later be used by Lord Dark Wind to device a process of bonding ‘True Adamantium’ to human tissue. This process was in turn stolen and used in the Weapon X program that captured and experimented on Wolverine (as referenced in, among other places Wolverine #-1). Only after many more years and the development of a molecular rearranger that could reshape Adamantium, did MacLain release his Adamantium to the wider world in the aforementioned Avengers #66. The profile further clarifies that the retroactively designation ‘Proto-Adamantium’ has led to ‘the inaccurate assumption by many that the metal was a Adamantium/Vibranium alloy.’ Honestly, this stuff is a convoluted mess, but the Handbook writers do amazing work making sense of it all!

 

While there is a wealth of trivia to talk about surrounding Captain America’s Shield, it is time to delve into the MC2 side of this post. We get our first glimpse of Captain America in the MC2 via a flashback to the last mission of the original Avengers in A-Next #7. It is Captain America who announces to the assemblage of Avengers the danger posed to all worlds by the alternate universe's Doom and his Universal Cube. It is here we learn that many of the Avengers died during their final mission, with Iron Man (among the few to return) declaring there were no other survivors.

 

However, when the new team of Avengers arrive in the alternate world, they discover the rumours of Captain America's demise were greatly exaggerated. Cap reveals he chose to stay behind and aid the rebel underground, allowing his teammates to add his name to the list of the dead to discourage any would-be rescuers (A-Next #10).

 

Captain America details the history of this alternate world (which the Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe: Alternate Universes 2005 designates as Earth-9907) which was roughly identical to their own until World War II. Whereas on the Main Marvel Universe and MC2’s Earth the Red Skull was trapped in suspended animation within a hidden bunker until the modern era, on Earth-9907 he escaped and killed Adolph Hitler and led the Axis Powers to victory, killing Captain America and conquering the entire planet. Many years later, the Red Skull spared a young Victor Von Doom, making him his heir only to be murdered and replaced as ruler by him. Needing new worlds to conquer, Doom spent billions to produce a Universal Cube capable of opening portals to other realities which led to the original Avengers team becoming aware of this universal threat (A-Next #10).

 

The rebel base is attacked by Doom's Thunder Guard, forcing Cap to order the rebels and Avengers to retreat before he destroys the jump portal to cover their escape. When Steve tries to send the new and inexperienced Avengers team home to save them, believing they are not prepared for the upcoming battle, the heroes refuse, declaring they are staying (A-Next #10).

In A-Next #11, Captain America leads the Avengers in a mission to stop Dr Doom's use of his new Universal Cube. The team separates into groups and combat the various members of the Thunder Guard, with Cap, Thunderstrike and American Dream's aiming to destroy the Cube itself. When American Dream is pinned, Cap throws her the shield of his deceased counterpart, allowing her to free herself. In the end, Doom is defeated when Crimson Curse sacrifices herself to banish him. Following this, Thunderstrike elects to stay behind to aid Captain America with his efforts and to bond with that world's version of his father.

 

During Adam Chapman’s Comics Shenanigans Episode 748 co-creator and artist supreme Ron Frenz notes:

‘We miscommunicated a bit and if you look at the artwork on the sequence where Cap throws Shannon the shield, during the fight when her hair gets cut off…Cap’s Shield is on his right arm. And the case with the other shield that gets blasted was the alternate Captain America’s Shield, the one the Red Skull always kept, and Doom always kept as a trophy. So, Cap’s Shield is on his right arm. In panel four, his shield is still on his right arm, he picks up the alternate Cap’s Shield with his left hand. And then in panel six, he’s throwing with his right arm the shield. It’s confusing enough that my intention was that he was throwing American Dream *his* shield and that he was going to take up the alternate Cap’s Shield in his continued battle for freedom on *that* Cap’s world. But Tom, rightfully so I think, ultimately scripted it that Cap was throwing Shannon the alternate Cap’s Shield. Because at the end as they are saying goodbye he says, ‘keep the shield, I think this world’s Cap would want you to have it.’  A slight miscommunication.’

 

From this point forward, American Dream wields the Earth-9907 Captain America’s Shield, unless you would prefer to argue it is the MC2’s own Captain America’s Shield. Regardless, Captain America was returned to his own reality in Spider-Girl #58. After this, Captain America is seen collaborating with the new Avengers during the events of Last Hero Standing. Here we see just how much of a toll his many battles have taken on his body, and we learn that Steve's abilities are declining. When Loki kidnaps and places various heroes under his dark spell in a plot to bring about the end of the heroes, Captain America leads a team made up of Spider-Girl, Thunderstrike, Wild Thing and J2 to Asgard. There, they learn of Loki's plans and join with Thor to return to Earth to stop the evil god.

 

Having planned to retire after this last battle, Captain America is instead mortally wounded in combat with Loki when he breaks the Asgardian's spell, freeing the other heroes. As he lays dying, Thor intervenes, combining Asgardian life force with the spirit and power of Captain America's country channelled through Mjolnir to transform the heroes soul into a new star that will inspire generations to come (Last Hero Standing #1-#5). 

 

Unless I am mistaken, this Captain America’s Shield is not seen after this, though it is possible it was put on display in Avengers Mansion. Meanwhile, Shannon Carter continues to carry her shield as the next generation’s American Dream.

 

Special thanks to my dear friend Jesús Arias for his virtually indestructible help and patience, the Marvel Appendix  for always being an invaluable resource of obscure information and the various Official Handbooks of the Marvel Universe. I am off to book tickets for Captain America: Brave New World!

 

Until I read an explanation for Dr. Myron MacLain’s extraordinary longevity, I remain

 

frogoat