Captain America’s Shield Shattered In AVENGERS: AGE OF ULTRON!

At the Marvel Studios panel last night, a brief preview was shown for next year’s Avengers: Age of Ultron. There were a lot to take in, but the last scene they showed was arguably the most striking: Tony Stark in a wasteland with the bodies of his fellow Avengers strewn about beaten. Thanks to keen eyes at the panel, there was another notable aspect of the scene: Cap’s shield was shattered.

But wait, isn’t Captain America’s vibranium shield supposed to be indestructible? Maybe these people’s eyes were playing tricks on them. Not so. Today, Marvel put on display Steve Roger’s ruined shield in the upcoming sequel for all the con goers to see. Props to our intrepid Harrison Rawdin for snapping this picture.

Damn, that is a huge crack! While surprising that we’re seeing it in Avengers: Age of Ultron, this concept is anything but original. Cap’s shield has been destroyed several times in the comics, but is always repaired somehow, usually through cosmic or mystical means. Still, this is huge for the Marvel Cinematic Universe. That thing has been shown to survive anything. It withstood an attack from Thor’s hammer, for crying out loud! What power does Ultron possess that could damage something that an Asgardian weapon couldn’t? Does this mean we’ll see Cap utilize a different type of shield weaponry during the latter half of the film? Personally, I’d like to (temporarily) see him bust out the energy shields he used while he was America’s Super Soldier several years ago.

Granted, the shield will probably be repaired at the end of the movie, most likely through Asgardian magic. Still, I can’t wait to see the circumstances in which the shield gets damaged. Yes, Cap is perfectly capable of fighting the forces of evil without it, but that thing almost like an extension of his arm. Captain America without a shield…it’s too hard to even think about!

UPDATE: Marvel has posted a closer look at the shield.