World War 2 is a pretty pivotal era for Marvel, both for its in-universe characters, and for the real-world comic book writers and artists behind the heroes. Debuting in 1939 under the banner of Timely Publications, Marvel would continue to grow throughoutWorld War 2, tying in some of its most iconic characters' origins with the historical conflict. Despite its relevance, World War 2 has been rarely shown in recent Marvel media, thoughMarvel 1943: Rise of Hydralooks to change that.
Putting players in the boots of both Captain America and Black Panther - along with two of their allies -Marvel 1943: Rise of Hydrawill throw players into the height of the Second World War, deep behind enemy lines in occupied Paris. While developer Skydance has remained pretty tight-lipped onMarvel 1943’s main story, it does seem as though its two superhero leads will butt heads at least once during the game, and it seems like Captain America’s shield is a point of contention between the two.
Captain America’s Shield Could Be a Point of Tension in Marvel 1943
The Comic History of Captain America’s Shield Explained
InCaptain America’s comic book debutall the way back in 1940, the Star-Spangled Man wielded a triangular shield, still adorned with the classic stars and stripes fans have come to expect from anything remotely Captain America-related. This design was quickly swapped out in Cap’s second comic book appearance for the hero’s now-famous circular shield. In a later comic, it’s briefly explained that this circular, metallic shield was given to Captain America as a reward by President Franklin D. Roosevelt, who intended to make the hero a symbol of the U.S. war effort.
For over 300 issues, the origins behind Captain America’s iconic circular shield were kept a mystery, but all was revealed inCaptain America#303. In this comic, it’s revealed that U.S. scientist and metallurgist Dr. Myron McClain created Cap’s shield by forging together steel and a powerful unnamed metal. McClain would go on tocreate Adamantium, a metallic element that’s used throughout the Marvel universe, and Cap’s shield is a sort of prototype version of that compound.
However, in the early 2000s, it was retconned that the mysterious unnamed metal used to forgeCaptain America’s shieldwas actually Vibranium, taken from Wakanda. There have been a few different versions of this origin over the last few decades, all of which present a different tale of how the US came into possession of Vibranium. While the comics have often shown the Vibranium to be a gift from one nation to another, there’s room forMarvel 1943: Rise of Hydrato flip that on its head, and use it as a reason for the hostilities between Cap and Black Panther.
Why Captain America’s Shield Might Raise Tensions With Black Panther
Throughout all of Marvel media, from the comics to the MCU, Vibranium is always portrayed to be an extremely valuable resource forthe Wakandan people, being used to power their cities and advance their technology. It’s been seen countless times in the comics, whenever Vibranium is misused, tensions with Wakanda rise. It seems like those tensions are already starting to boil over inMarvel 1943: Rise of Hydra.
DuringMarvel 1943: Rise of Hydra’s recent State of Unreal presentation, Skydance showed off a bit more ofCap and Black Panther’s climactic bridge fight. This included some more dialogue before the clash, including a line from Black Panther who states, “That shield that you hide behind does not belong to you. You are unworthy of it,” pretty explicitly suggesting that the Vibranium used to create Cap’s shield was not offered as a gift in this Marvel universe.
Marvel 1943: Rise of Hydra
WHERE TO PLAY
In the chaos of war, worlds collide. Captain America and Azzuri, the Black Panther of the 1940s, must overcome their differences and form an uneasy alliance to confront their common enemy. Fighting alongside Gabriel Jones of the Howling Commandos, and Nanali, a Wakandan spy embedded in Occupied Paris, they must join forces to stop a sinister plot that threatens to turn the havoc of WWII into the ultimate rise of Hydra.
