We all know what makes Captain America so cool. He has the Super Soldier Serum in him that makes him the perfect human. He has trained and honed his body over the years and dives right into any battle. Cap's shown his leadership abilities with several teams as well as the tactical and strategical thinking he is capable of. Besides the wings on his mask and the red, white and blue colors of his uniform, Captain America's shield is what he is most famous for.

The shield has some amazing properties. Besides being virtually indestructible, its design and consistency has allowed it to become an extension of Cap's body. He can use it as both a defensive and offensive weapon. His ability to throw the shield with an unbelievable precision makes the Super Soldier even more super.

There has been some times when the supposedly indestructible shield has been...broken. If Captain America lost his shield or if it was damaged beyond repair, what would that mean for his character? Could he still be Captain America without it and would it put him at a disadvantage?

Slight spoiler if you haven't read Fear Itself #5 yet.

Steve Rogers knows every square inch of his shield. He knows everything he can do with it. In the middle of a battle, he can throw it without thinking and knows where it will end up. That is until he faced the Asgardian god known as the Serpent.

In the middle of the heated battle where everything was at stake, Captain America threw his shield only to be surprised when the Serpent caught it...and destroyed it. How do you fix an indestructible shield? You can't simply glue it back together. Despite all the technology in the Marvel Universe, they've never been able to completely analyze the chemical composition of the shield. Near duplicates have been forged over the years but the difference is immediately noticeable. Cap could make due with a copy but it wouldn't be the same. The slight difference could be enough to throw him off his game if he tried using it without fully realizing what the end results might be.

Captain America's shield has been damaged before. Back in Secret Wars #11, Doctor Doom attempted to steal the Beyonder's power. In doing so, his first act was to unleash it upon the heroes. In the blast that resulted, Cap's shield was damaged but still intact for the most part. Cap continued to use the shield and even managed to use it offensively by throwing it at his opponents. Steve was able to wish the shield to become whole due to residual powers from the Beyonder that were still floating around after Doom's defeat. That won't be a luxury Steve will have this time.

Even if it were possible to reassemble the shattered pieces of Cap's shield, they would have to locate every shard and broken piece. Being that this happened in the middle of a battle and destruction surrounded them, it might not be an easy task. Because the composition of the shield is unknown, could they attempt to melt down the pieces and remold the shield? The utmost care would have to be taken in order to ensure the shield maintains the exact same dimensions and feel it originally had.

Can Steve Rogers still be Captain America without the shield? Of course he can. While operating as the Super Soldier when Bucky had the shield as Cap, Steve showed he was still perfectly capable of holding his own and kicking all sorts of ass. In terms of a defensive weapon, he used his force-shield to protect him when needed.

There was also the time when the government wanted to control Captain America and issue him orders and missions. Steve quit and turned in his shield and costume. Operating as The Captain (in the soon to be U.S.Agent costume), Steve used a vibranium-based shield. It wasn't quite the same. It had a different feel but it still got the job done. Steve could always get a new shield but it wouldn't be right. Just as it's great seeing Steve back in the Captain America suit, having the shield is an extension of that.

What will happen to the shield? We all know Marvel can't just leave it shattered. It can't simply be duplicated and they're not going to throw the pieces in the trash. We've already seen he has a shield in Captain America #1 (which we can assume takes place after Fear Itself). Because we're talking about an Asgardian event, it's probably safe to assume some sort of Asgardian magic will repair the shield. It's possible that Odin might feel bad for turning his back on Midgard and maybe he'll award Steve with a new and better Asgardian shield. But that wouldn't be right. Cap's mentioned before that the shield is practically an extension of himself. It's like an extra limb. Missing limbs can be replaced but there's just too much history with the shield to just let it lie shattered or replaced.

Wouldn't be the first time he's gotten a new shield. 

The shield is iconic. He's not Captain America without the shield. 
Of course, he could pay homage to Barnes and use that wicked pistol Barnes carried when he was Cap.

I wouldn't mind if he got a new shield temporary. Maybe one made by the Asgardians that has power to it.
Like whatever force someone directs at it, it blows back it back at the person. Some other power could be good.
If it's temporary fine but always go back to the old shield.

I always assumed they had various copies. It might have been a rare exemplar, a unique model...back in the 40s.. but I always thought they had various copies "now" in modern times. Thus explaining how USAgent, Bucky, and all the others Captain wannabee could sport shields as well. Plus, didn't it break once or twice?

Definitely not the first time the shield's been broken and it definitely will not be the last.  It will come back, one way or another.  You just simply cannot have Cap without the shield.  That's like trying to have pizza without cheese (in my opinion): you just don't do it.

THE SPOILER WARNING WASNT BIG ENOUGH, OH MY GOD WHAT HAVE YOU DONE!!!! 
 
j/k 
 
Anyway with genius' like Stark, Richards, Pym, and T'challa all for the most part on good terms with Rogers I don't think it would be very hard for him to get it repaired.

Repairing it could be harder then before with all the good Vibranium being destroyed..

well, a captain america died so maybe they won't repair it. 
 
Next time when all the heroes are fighting the serpent : 
"Wolverine, be careful" 
"to what? I have an indestructible skeleton !" 
"And I had an indestructible shield..." 
"oh shit !" When The serpent grab him over his head and rip him appart...

It's pretty obvious that Stark is  going to fix the shield while he's making the weapons for "The Mighty"  I think this will ultimately be an upgrade since it will be forged in the same workshop as Thor's hammer.

I THINK HE SHOULD GET A NEW SHEILD HOW ABOUT AN ADAMATIUM ONE

Beyond all of this, if you've read Cable & Deadpool, Cap and Cable have had a lengthy conversation about the shield and how it survives for at least a few more generations and became Cable's shield in the future. Simply put, they CANNOT destroy the shield permanently. Like Logan, it keeps coming back.

@CanucksXVX said:

i dont know much bout cap history as i liked to but, couldnt they make a mixture of vibranium and adamantium, so it has that industructable side to it as well as the vibration absorbing part. like i said i dont know much bout captain america, so i dont know if they tried or if they ever thought about this ida in the pqst

That is what I thought Caps shield was made of, Adamantium.

Adamantium was a formed from a Mixture of Vibranium and that other mix of mental which made it unique.

I'm not enjoying this Fear Iteslf story now, tell you what, get the Sentry, Hulk and Thor to batter that Serpent idiot.

I am sorry but there's too much commotion over a shield. I understand that the shield represents something. A symbol. But in the Captain America is a soldier and he uses a "weapon". This "weapon" can be lost or destroyed while in combat. Captain America has had replacement uniforms, characters and weaponry. The breaking of the shield is a symbol too. But there is too much drama surrounding this broken shield. We live in a modern day and age. It would a strategically stupid to not have a replacement shield. That's like saying Iron Man doesn't have a spare suit. So i can only imagine living in this modern age that some scientist. Maybe a collaboration between Stark, Parker, Richards & Pym will create an even better shield forged from adamantium, vibranium, catnip, a big mac and a rubberband. Maybe Captain America will need to get used to this new shield or maybe he'll be more soldier and use different weaponry. A shield, a knife, a gun. Maybe the Gods of asgard will magically repair this broken shield. Maybe Captain America will travel to another dimension and get a shield from a dead captain america. But whatever the course of the shield story will be. It's not interesting at all.

I was, shocked, when I saw The Serpent destroy Cap's shield. I mean, seriously. You can't just destroy Captain America's damned shield. It's unbreakable! Though, I'm not so worried cause I'm sure they're somehow going to fix it. Asgardian magic I assume. My biggest problem is Thor. I mean, if he dies, that's just messed up. I will, just, gah! Stupid Marvel! DX
 
Oh, and the Shield is made up of Vibranium and something else. I think it's Adamantium or some other metal.

Just give the pieces to Reeds kid, it will be as easy as putting together a four piece puzzle

We he gets his shield back as he has it in Captain America #1 and that takes place post Fear Itself...

I think if Odin can recreate Galaxies then... (insert Franklin here as well, since he also has ties to the story too now)

Odin-force Thor could only dent the shield, but the Serpent just breaks it with his bare hands, eh? Marvel's "even greater than the last threat!" paradigm is exceedingly tedious. Worse, it undermines the significance of previous stories. The editors and writers behave like a bunch of sugar addled 8-year-olds who missed their last dose of Ritalin.

Even if the shield is impossible to fix, it's possible. 

@ Dernman
 
There isn't an exact science to the Marvel Universe. In all honesty a kid gets bitten by a radioactive spider and gets spider powers? Come on. A spiders irradiated and It dies because it gets cooked on the inside. But in any event if it does manage to bite. At best you get some skin rash. Ergo I am sure that the Marvelous Marvel Writers will write some kinda brandspanking new vibranium deposit or even better some Macguffin-like super alien kryptonite, vibranium, adamantium, silver, gold, aluminum plexigas, comicvinian-ore from outerspace in another parallel dimension created by magical clone robot gods or whatever.

There was a pretty epic moment in the season 1 finale of the Avengers cartoon when Loki uses the Odin's Force to just shatter that damn shield but Cap didn't let it bring him down. He just picked up some Asgardian shield and kept on fighting. True to the spirit of the character who never gives up and simply adapts given the combat scenario. A shield made out of Uru would be pretty dope.

Even if the shield is impossible to fix, it's possible. 

Why not just go take Vance Astrovik's shield from him since that is Cap's shield from the future. Oh wait Marvel forgot about the cosmic side of the house, oh well.

OH MY GOD..!! 
why did you post that image!? 
 
I can handle knowing what happens, but I still want to read and see it......dang... 
 
In any case, you have to figure Odin will get off his butt for a change and help Midgard and fix the sheild

Clearly Tony is gonna come back and make everyone armor... so he is gonna give Steve a newer better Asgardian sheild that is 100 times better... Blah Blah Blah

I figure magic or tony stark or tony stark + magic = shield is back.

I thought it was funny in the movie that when he was being all stealthy, he had this huge red, white and blue shield on his back and NO enemy troops could see him!

Just will it back together.
 
Hang on, Cap's shield is destroyed by The Serpent, in EMH Cap's shield was destroyed by Loki, Fraction needs to think of something original

Odin fixes it. Done. 
 
"Magic must defeat magic." - Uncle from Jackie Chan Adventures

Then he'll get another one.  Simple as that.  If it's a completely new one, or the same one somehow magically repaired, he'll have a shield somehow.  Learning how to use another weapon is too time-consuming these days...

My bet is Odin will give him his shield back to normal

Odin fixes it. Done.  "Magic must defeat magic." - Uncle from Jackie Chan Adventures

Honestly, F the shield. 
 
It's like arguing over a character's wardrobe--if the character is defined by what they wear, or their accessories, or the car they drive, or even their superhuman skills, they aren't really a character at all.  Steve Rogers is The Man with or without a shield.

I think if Odin can recreate Galaxies then... (insert Franklin here as well, since he also has ties to the story too now)

i think t.stark is gonna make him a new on in the asgardian forge.

He gets it fixed?