Captain America: How in the world does his shield even work?

Now there's been multiple versions of it. Going from the comic books, and the filmography.

Originally it was vibranium but it was transmuted into adamantium (which should mean it has entirely different properties now as a different metal). Then became some sort of composite. Then it only gets messier from there. Then the movies decided to just call it vibranium because of copy right issues.

1) Does it actually absorb kinetic energy, and does it do so normally?

This question annoys me the most as it creates a paradox where the shield simply cannot function. Now the general belief is that it does. The problem it almost never does so constantly, and Steve Rogers is able to overcome this in order to use it as a weapon somehow. We see Captain America being pushed back, or characters overcoming it in order to make Steve Rogers strain himself to hold back their attacks. As well as their attacks reverberating across his body, and causing it to shake. Now here comes the most confusing part of this.

2) If it absorbs kinetic energy how can it be used as a weapon?

In order to do so Steve Rogers would have to be producing more energy that its ever absorbed, and exceeding that amount. Suggesting that Steve Rogers is somehow stronger than the likes of the Hulk, and Thor. Which is positively outlandish. Steve Rogers is not as strong as they are let alone stronger than them.

Now I know most people are going to say "it's a comic book, I don't have to explain anything." Here's the problem the comic books don't explain it either, and they skirt around the issue. By their own logic using it as a weapon should be impossible if it absorbs kinetic energy. Yet, it is used as a weapon by people clearly not strong enough to overcome its kinetic energy absorbing abilities.

Then next explanation is that it is using antarctic vibranium instead. Which doesn't make sense either. As it apparently causes adamantium to melt. Which if the shield was a composite of both it wouldn't work either. Well, unless it was made entirely out of vibranium.

How does anything in comics work?

By the power of bullshit, usually. The problem here is that said bullshit causes a paradox.

And how does he always catch it without it chopping his hand off?

Someone should just blow his legs off, and then end him.

@boogeymonster:

I think the logic is more similar to the concept of Young's Modulus in which the material acts normally as any other rigid body (meaning it will obey the classical kinematics/dynamic for rigid system) until you introduce enough force to cause mechanical changes. So Capt can throw it and use it as a normal shield.

In terms of Young's Modulus this is demonstrated as material deformation, in terms of a hypothetical vibranium, the excess energy would lead to it being absorb.

I think the more interesting question is where does this absorb energy go? Conservation law says that energy cannot be created or destroyed so either the energy dissipates rapidly (deflection) or is transformed into something else (shock-wave, heat, light, deformation, etc).

But we don't consistently see those things happening special considering that the energy is implied to be "absorb" not results into an elastic collision.

That would imply that vibranium is some kind of quantum mechanically engineered material that violates apparent probability or it contains some extra-dimensional spaces that redirect the "absorb" energy into to some pocket dimension.

Cap should've been headshotted ages ago.

You should know by now that logic and comics cannot be put together in one sentence.

By a magic Murcia force that Steve Rogers can channel through him. You maynot believe it but Murica force is legit.

Used as a shield it works by absorbing kinetic energy, attacks that hit the shield tranfer kinetic energy to it which it absorbs. Used as a weapon, the shield tranfers kinetic energy from Steve to his target.

The shield is powered by the might of freedom and R. Lee Ermey.

Magic .

Apparently it was even reforged using uru metal at one point. So, that might actually be valid.

@tj849: Damn bruh

I thought it was said in the comics at some point that most of it was vibranium or something & the edges were made of adamantium. Not totally concrete, but meh for comics I'll buy it.

I might be thinking of something else, if not then this has probably changed. Been awhile since I've seen it talked about since its just a thing he does.

Otherwise, Imma go with deep, unknowable magic that not even the strongest magicians in Marvel are aware of.

@boogeymonster: I swear you need a scientific explanation for everything that happens in comics, haha

This.

D'ya ever consider that comic writers don't have scientific backgrounds and are just trying to write entertaining stories? lol They ain't got no time for none of that physics nonsense.

never thought about that, if Cap can throw the shield then he would become paste crushed by the shield when he blocks someone like Thor.

I think it was David Mazzucchelli who wrote about how comics are a balance between logic and fantasy, and thinking too much about logic can make the entire medium fall apart. When you read comics, you have to accept that these things can't happen in the real world and these universes have entirely different laws.

It's not about having any sort of scientific explanation . It about how it defies its own internal logic about what it's supposed to be able to do.

It's like people these days don't know the difference between hard science, and common sense.

As I noted in the opening post:

1) Does it actually absorb kinetic energy, and does it do so normally?

This question annoys me the most as it creates a paradox where the shield simply cannot function. Now the general belief is that it does. The problem it almost never does so constantly, and Steve Rogers is able to overcome this in order to use it as a weapon somehow. We see Captain America being pushed back, or characters overcoming it in order to make Steve Rogers strain himself to hold back their attacks. As well as their attacks reverberating across his body, and causing it to shake. Now here comes the most confusing part of this.

2) If it absorbs kinetic energy how can it be used as a weapon?

In order to do so Steve Rogers would have to be producing more energy that its ever absorbed, and exceeding that amount. Suggesting that Steve Rogers is somehow stronger than the likes of the Hulk, and Thor. Which is positively outlandish. Steve Rogers is not as strong as they are let alone stronger than them.

Now I know most people are going to say "it's a comic book, I don't have to explain anything." Here's the problem the comic books don't explain it either, and they skirt around the issue. By their own logic using it as a weapon should be impossible if it absorbs kinetic energy. Yet, it is used as a weapon by people clearly not strong enough to overcome its kinetic energy absorbing abilities.

it just does

It's a comic book

You see, this is a good answer.