Thor has his hammer. Iron Man has his suit of armor. Hawkeye has his bow and arrows while Wolverine has his claws. What does Captain America have? His Red, White and Blue, Shield of course!! Captain America’s shield is a symbol of pop culture. It is his signature weapon that can be used in both defense and offense. Captain America and his Shield are two sides of the same coin. Wherever there is a physics-defying flying vibranium Frisbee, expect Cap to be nearby. But the round vibranium shield wasn’t Captain America’s only weapon of choice. Throughout the years, Cap has had several different types of shields while on his adventures. Presenting 13 different types of Shields ever used by Captain America throughout Marvel Comics:
Vampire Shield
Earth 3931 is a universe you would never want to be in. In Exiles#31, the comics introduce us to this strange reality where Captain America has been defeated by Baron Blood who has turned the Super Soldier into a vampire. Captain America is a bloodthirsty and brutally ruthless version of his former self and his classic red, white and blue shield has been replaced with red and white along with a huge star at the center.
Skrull World Shield
The Skrulls came early in Earth 5692 and conquered them before Humanity had advanced itself enough to defend against a technologically superior race. The Skrulls thus rule humanity now in this timeline. Exiles #9 introduces us to this reality where humanity is nothing but cannon fodder for the ruling Skrulls who use them for entertainment in their gladiator matches. Amongst the Gladiators is The Captain, who uses a Gray and Purple version of a shield and only fights to survive but not for what’s right.
Adamantium Shield
In the 1980’s, a specific comic book arc pushed Captain America to the edge. The government wanted a superhero on their payroll that does their dirty work during the Cold War. Captain America, for the good guy he was, refused to go down the dark path so he gave up the star-spangled uniform and shield. But he found it difficult to stop him from coming back to a life of heroism, Steve Rogers would become the Captain, adopting the red, black and blue to his uniform and using a pure Adamantium Shield gifted to him by Tony Stark.
Original Triangular Shield
The Triangular Shield was Captain America’s very first shield. It made its first appearance alongside Captain America in Captain America #1. The Triangular Shield’s overlapping red, white and blue patterns might have been too much to look at. But at that time, it looked cool enough to be his favorite weapon. Captain America would later adopt new, more aerodynamic versions of his shield in the later eras. But this was the very first of them. This shield now sits in the treasure vault of Wakanda. Captain America gifted this shield to T’Chaka, father of T’Challa and the then Black Panther of Wakanda when the two met on one of Cap’s World War Two missions.
Taskmaster’s Osmium Shield
The Osmium-alloy shield wielded by the Taskmaster, one of Marvel Comics Universe’s greatest hand to hand fighters, tells a different tale. Taskmaster has an eidetic memory and can remember and copy any fighting style he once lays eyes on. He has Daredevil’s Billy Clubs, Spiderman’s web shooters, and Hawkeye’s Bow and can copy their martial arts skills as proficiently. But the thing about Cap’s shield is that it is made up of vibranium, a rare metal. And that is exactly why Taskmaster’s shield is made up of Osmium and not Vibranium.
Yeoman Captain America Shield
In Earth-398, Morgan le Fay, the witch from the legends of King Arthur, has used her magic to alter the very fabric of reality. Earth is now governed by Victorian Culture and lifestyle and the people dress accordingly. The World now relies on magic more than technology. Yeoman America is an Arthurian knight that dresses up as such. The design looks extremely cool for the age the era is based on and the shield is made up of the same blue, red and white with the added exception of new patterns and an eagle along with the star in the middle.
Energy Shield
Why limit yourself to primitive weaponry when you can use futuristic looking primitive weaponry? Captain America has used energy-based shields on several occasions. The concept involves the shield being made up of unstable plasma matrices that can change shape and handle extreme amounts of force exerted upon them. Sharon Carter gave him this shield in Captain America #451. It looked just like a brighter, orange looking energy Frisbee. The next time Captain America was given an energy-based shield was in Captain America #9. The Shield had the ability of added protection against energy based assaults.
Hydra Shield
Captain America’s most controversial storyline involved him revealing to the whole world that he had been an agent of Hydra all along. As an Agent of Hydra, Captain America held a triangular version of his shield that he used earlier but with the Hydra design taking the center stage. Captain America’s shield also had been adorned with the same energy that was seen in the energy shields that Cap once used to wield. Hydra might never sound cool as a concept but this shield sure does.
Mutant Hunter Shield
In the acclaimed Age of X storyline, Mutants have been labeled as genetically endowed terrorists that are aggressively hunted down and killed by the Government. The mutant massacre is a result of a mutant losing control of her powers, rumored to be a Phoenix Force powered Jean Grey, and killing more than 600,000 people in Albany. Captain America leads the Avengers, whose sole purpose is hunting down Mutants. Cap’s shield is a black colored design and a metallic star. The interesting thing about this shield is the energy signatures at the edges making the design look even cooler.
MCU Shield
The MCU Shield, contrary to popular belief, is not the same as the round version seen in the comic books. The design has been changed. The Star at the center now bulges out of the weapon that has now a red, silver and blue design instead of the classic comic book accurate red, white and blue. This shield was repainted again for The Winter Soldier to make it look stealthier using dark colors. The shield is reportedly going to be broken into two in Avengers 4 if Tony’s vision in Age of Ultron is to be believed. Let’s hope it never comes true. We don’t want Cap to bite the dust now, do we??
Revengers Shield
The Revengers belong to the Cancerverse. Cancerverse is a twisted reality where Death does not exist. A group of beings called the Many-Angled Ones manipulated Captain Marvel into killing Lady Death and now every being within that universe can never die, cursed with immortality. The Revengers are led by Captain America, whose head now sports a Pentagram instead of an ‘A’. The star in his shield has also been replaced with the same pentagram design.
Infinity War Dual Gauntlet Shields
The shield that Cap uses in Infinity War is unlike anything we have ever seen. The Shields can be worn in both hands and apparently join together to form a larger, more powerful version of the weapon. The design and aesthetics look very Wakandan in nature and given the fact that it was developed by the MCU’s brightest mind – Shuri, expect it to have a lot more in store. We also believe that the shield also possesses the kinetic energy absorption and release function that T’Challa’s Black Panther armor sports in Black Panther as well as later in Infinity War.
Dormammu’s Corrupted Shield
In Earth 5113, the universe has been taken over by Dormammu, who has used his control over the mystic arts to corrupt several of the superheroes of the Marvel universe and made them his servants. Doctor Strange, Namor, Bruce Banner and the Silver Surfer are the only people who now stand against Dormammu. Captain America is now a corrupted version of his former self, who now uses a shield with a jagged end that looks like a buzz saw. How the hell does Cap catch it once it comes back after being thrown?!?!?
