The icon that is CAPTAIN AMERICA would not be complete without his shield, and through out the years the Sentinel of Liberty has used various type of this magnificent weapon. Let us now look back at one of comicdom’s most recognizable weapon.
KITE SHIELD
When CAP first appeared in CAPTAIN AMERICA Comics #1 (March 1941) he was equipped with a kite shield. This shield is made up of bulletproof alloy.
The fate of this shield is later revealed to be in Wakanda which became a national treasure of that nation (see issue Black Panther vol. 3 issue 30, May 2001). The shield was given by CAPTAIN AMERICA to king T'Chaka, father of T'Challa, the BLACK PANTHER as a pledge that Wakandan nation would remain uninvolved in the rest of the war.
CAPTAIN AMERICA would then receive a second kite shield on his return from Wakanda. After the events of the war the second kite shield is kept in storage with Steve Rogers' other personal effects. It is retrieved at some point when CAPTAIN AMERICA joined the superhero team the Avengers, and the shield was later kept at the Avengers Mansion. During a raid on the mansion by the Masters of Evil, Mr. Hyde destroyed the shield, but was later restored by Baron Zemo(THUNDERBOLTS #105, Oct. 2006).
Note: This shield has been passed on to the teenage superhero Patriot.
A third kite shield is displayed in the Smithsonian Institution. CAPTAIN AMERICA used it, after losing his usual shield, to foil an attack on the museum. This shield was then given to him in gratitude. Later on a Kree alien warrior destroyed the third kite shield.
DISC SHIELD
On the second issue of CAPTAIN AMERICA Comics we would see a more familiar shape for the shield. This is the first introduction of the disc shield. The real world reason behind the change is that a rival comic-book publisher MLJ complained that the design of CAPTAIN AMERICA’s shield was too similar to the costume desing of their own patriotic hero which funny enough is known as The Shield.
Many years later we would later learn the story on how CAPTAIN AMERICA receives the disc shield in the 1981 issue of CAPTAIN AMERICA #255. We would find out that the benefactor of the shield is President Franklin Roosevelt. In this particular issue also we get the reason behind the costume change from the “half mask” to the more “complete mask”.
Shield Description: it is a concavo-convex metal disc approximately 2.5 feet (0.76 m) in diameter, it is reportedly to be indestructible by normal means. The material used is a unique mixture of vibranium and an experimental iron alloy. A metallurgist named Dr. Myron MacLain created it.
CAPTAIN AMERICA has used steel replicas of his shield on times when his regular shield is unavailable. Obviously the quality of this shields are subpar than his Vibranium-Iron alloy shield, these shields often times gets lost or destroyed.
Note: In a storyline involving the death of CAPTAIN AMERICA, WINTER SOLDIER who was formerly the sidekick of Cap known as BUCKY, stole the disc shield believing that no one other than Steve Rogers is worthy of carrying it. Iron Man offered the shield to Bucky to become the next CAPTAIN AMERICA. BUCKY refused at first, but an old letter from Steve says that if anything happens to him BUCKY should carry the shield.
For a time CAPTAIN AMERICA also used a pure adamantium shield when his regular shield went missing in the atlantic, but he was unable to get used to the balance.
PHOTONIC SHIELD
During a storyline involving an exiled Rogers he was again unable to use his regular shield, Sharon Carter provided him with a photonic energy shield that was designed to mimic a vibranium matrix. Added feature of this shield is that it was able to turn into an energy staff that could be used as a weapon.
Currently in 616 continuity, having relinquished his title as CAPTAIN AMERICA to BUCKY as well as his Vibranium-Iron alloy disc shield, CAPTAIN STEVE ROGERS went back into using the photonic shield.
IN LIVE MEDIA:
The first CAPTAIN AMERICA adapted to live media was the 1944 serial starring Dick Purcell. Unfortunately this Cap did not use any of his iconic shield, but was reported that a small shield design was incorporated to his belt buckle.
CAPTAIN AMERICA next appeared in a two (2) live TV Movies in 1979; CAPTAIN AMERICA and CAPTAIN AMERICA II: Death Too Soon. There are many differences in his costume here and in the comics. The show has a disc shield but it is made of “Jet-Age plastics” instead of a metal material. The shield still bears resemblance to the comics but they replaced the white area of the shield with transparent. The reason behind this is because this shield oubles as a wind shield for his motorcycle.
Then we have the 1990s film entitled CAPTAIN AMERICA. This is actually the most faithful visual adaptation of the character from the comics. The shield he carries is a good representation of the comics disc shield as well.
Which brings us to the latest incarnation of the character in THE FIRST AVENGER: CAPTAIN AMERICA (2011). From what we have seen in the trailers and the pictures released by Marvel we are getting an updated look on the shield of CAPTAIN AMERICA. Present in the movie is the Kite shield:
And we will also see the different stages of the development of the disc shield.
We should also note that there is a slight alteration on the color design of the shield, this version left the metal sheen where the white area should be.
Another thing that needs to be pointed out, in terms of movie chronology this is not the latest shield design as we have already seen it in the previous Iron Man movies.
To sum things up, the shield is a vital part of CAPTAIN AMERICA as CAPTAIN AMERICA is a vital part of the AVENGERS.
I hear a song coming, those who knows sing along: