The Best in Fictional Weaponry: Captain America's Shield

*Originally published on 2/27/12



When talking about iconic weapons, especially in comic book circles, someone is sure to mention Captain America's shield. It's become an image just as well known as the "A" on his forehead and acts as the primary weapon of one of the Marvel roster's bigger icons.

The shield itself has gone through many changes. Originally, it was shaped more like a traditional shield before it was changed up to the circular design that many are more familiar with today. With the new design came new details that made it all the more impressive.

Captain America's shield measures out to about 2 ½ feet in diameter and is composed of Vibranium, an indestructible metal that is capable of absorbing vibrations (although in some instances, the shield is made up of a Vibranium-Adamantium alloy). This gives Captain America a great defensive advantage as he can protect himself from any sort of attack that may come his way.

While the shield is resilient to most attacks, it has, on occasion, cracked under pressure. To the shield's credit, every instance was during a confrontation with beings of godlike power. All things considered, that's not too shabby. Of course, being broken by godlike beings usually results in it being repaired by godlike beings, which usually ends up making the thing even more resistant to damage.

While Captain America can, and does, use the shield in hand to hand combat, the circular design also gave it the capability to be used as a ranged weapon. This was accomplished by Captain America throwing the shield at his target like a weaponized Frisbee.

You'd think that this would limit Captain America's abilities, but the shield comes back to him much like a boomerang. This is especially handy as it would look rather silly if Captain America threw his shield and had to constantly run to retrieve it during fight scenes.

This can also be used to give his opponents a false sense of security. This was shown when Captain America confronted the Batman villain Bane in the intercompany crossover Marvel Vs. DC. Cap throws his shield, but Bane manages to dodge the attack and points out that Captain America just gave up his primary asset in this fight. Bane is soon hit from behind as the shield makes impact on the return trip.

Not only can it return to its wielder, but the shield also has great potential to ricochet, allowing Captain America to take out a whole squad of mooks with a single throw.

While shields have proven useful in battle time and time again, its status as a defensive item means that it never really comes to mind when talking about weapons. This shield, however, stands out. Not only is it incredibly effective at providing the defense that a good shield should, but it can be used on the other end of battle, giving it a versatility that is hard to come by.