Captain America’s shield has long been an American symbol and a symbol of the character himself. But Captain America: Sentinel of Freedom posited that Cap’s shield might not exactly be made in America – in fact, its origins surprisingly might not even be of this world.
Captain America: Sentinel of Freedom #2, by Jackson Lanzing, Collin Kelly, Carmen Carnero, Nolan Woodard, and VC’s Joe Caramagna, reveals that Cap’s shield may have an alien – and sinister – genesis. After battling and defeating a collective of fighters defending a German facility known as The Forge, Cap looks up to see a startling sight: a large UFO bearing a design similar to that of his shield on its underside – a craft decidedly hostile.
The spaceship then launches its own alien-looking metal fighter against Cap, but the outcome remains unknown, until the next issue. The alien aggressor is dispatched by a mysterious enclave of five entities – known as The Machine, The Money, The Power, Love and The Revolution – voting to “redact” either the shield, Cap himself, or the of them.
“It’s not your symbol, it’s theirs,” is the mantra repeated throughout the series. Cap first heard the phrase in the final issue after he and The Winter Soldier defeated a terrorist attacking the 4th of July parade in New York – one dressed in the costume of their former WWII ally, The Destroyer . However, the individual impersonating The Destroyer is just a pawn and is then killed from a distance, leaving Cap with the mystery of the enclave behind the attack – and the meaning of those cryptic words.
However, Cap is already spilling a few clues, thanks to his former allies and fellow ham radio enthusiasts. The so-called “Radio Company” has deciphered several coded messages broadcast over the airwaves – one of them referring to the mysterious Forge. The opening moments of the series’ first issue revealed that The Forge was where Cap’s legendary round shield was first crafted, but his connection to the enclave controlling the UFO bearing the marks of the shield remains. unknown.
The origin of the Cap Shield has expanded over the decades. First designed with a more triangular design by Joe Simon and Jack Kirby in 1941 Captain America Comics #1, it was later transformed into its more well-known circular shape. Its properties have also changed over the years – originally simply made from common and potentially replaceable metals, they are now known to consist of adamantium, vibranium and possibly other rare metals, and that they are functionally indestructible.
Captain America: Sentinel of Freedom #2 is on sale now from Marvel Comics.
Source: Marvel Comics
