Can Magneto crush Captain America’s shield? (2024)

It depends on WHICH shield you were discussing.

Answer-Man’s Archive: The Many Shields of Captain America

Captain America has had a number of metallic shields over the decades each having vastly different properties some which could be affected in some degree by Magneto’s electromagnetic powers. We will ignore the two plasma shields since Magneto’s powers are certainly great enough to destabilize either of these shields sufficiently given their completely electromagnetic nature.

See Also

Everything You Need To Know About Thor's Hammer - /Film

• Captain America’s first triangular shield was made of an undisclosed bullet-proof alloy, possibly carbon steel, given its genesis in 1941.
• Captain America used this shield until he gave it to King T’chaka in Wakanda. In return, T’chaka gave Rogers a piece of vibranium used to develop his second and most famous shield.
• This shield would have a varied history being moved through time and space by the nefarious Zemo, destroyed by Mr. Hyde, and later plucked once more through time and finally destroyed by a Kree warrior facing Captain America.
• Being made of a steel alloy, this shield would have no resistance to Magneto’s formidable magnetic powers.

Captain America Trivia

In his debut, Captain America (secretly U.S. Army Private Steve Rogers) is equipped with a triangular, badge-shaped shield made from a bulletproof alloy.

After complaints by rival comic-book publisher MLJ that the design was too similar to that of its own patriotic hero the Shield, Timely Comics replaced the triangular shield with a disc-shaped one. — Wikipedia

• Captain America’s most famous shield was an experiment to create a new indestructible material. Over the decades, this particular material has been retconned into and out of existence but has been called Proto-Adamantium in most circles.
• Attempts to replicate the indestructible nature of this Proto-Adamantium shield led to the creation of True Adamantium, the second most indestructible material on Earth.
• Proto-Adamantium’s greatest strength is its nearly immutable nature and resistance to being damaged or changed. The process used to create adamantium requires the material be brought together, shaped and within a fixed amount of time before setting. The process used to create Captain America’s shield was similar with the inclusion of vibranium. The process was lost and therefore unable to be repeated.

• In 1985′s Captain America #303, (see above) we meet MacLain again, who, we learn, created Captain America’s shield…and yes, in MacLain notes we learn the shield is composed of adamantium/something-something/vibranium/iron alloy. We are never told what the X-element which allowed proto-adamantium to exist.
• However, Magneto’s powers have come up against Captain America’s shield in the past, and he has been able to affect the shield via his magnetic powers. He can push or pull the shield magnetically but has never successfully damaged the shield in any way.

• This second shield has been proven to be resistant to any forces shy of reality-alteration powers. If you cannot manipulate the forces of reality using powers such as the Odin Force, the Power Cosmic, or the Infinity Gems, the shield cannot be easily affected.

• In CAPTAIN AMERICA #332, Steve Rogers resigned as Cap when he refused to work on the United States government’s payroll. Beginning in issue #337, he took on an alternative identity as “The Captain.”
• Discovering his fighting style was limited without the use of his shield, Tony Stark offered him a silver shield of his own design. In one of their many conflicts, Steve Rogers realizes the gift was dependent on Captain America turning a blind eye to Iron Man’s attempts to recover and neutralize power armors based upon his designs in the “Armor Wars” saga, Rogers returns the shield to Stark.

• Following this, the Black Panther created a shield of pure vibranium for the Captain painted to match his Black, White and Red costume, with a series of concentric circles. Steve Rogers served as “the Captain” in CAPTAIN AMERICA Vol. 1 #332–350

• While Magneto has never shown he could affect Proto-Adamantium, he has shown to possess sufficient power to reshape and manipulate Adamantium Beta when he stripped Wolverine of his augmented skeletal structure. Thus both of these shields theoretically should be within his power to effect due to their metallic alloys used.

• We learn in a battle Magneto has with the Black Panther, that pure Vibranium is immune to his magnetic powers. In addition, the vibranium prevented Magneto from affecting the iron in the Black Panther’s bloodstream.
• Given vibranium’s extraterrestrial origins, it may be possible for the material to have distinct anti-magnetic properties. However, since the shield is an alloy, there MAY be enough other metallic elements for Magneto to lock onto with his powers, the same way he affects Captain America’s proto-adamantium shield. (See above.)

Captain America’s real proto-adamantium shield has only been able to be destroyed on very singular occasions. Six to be specific:

As of 2011, Wikipedia lists that the the shield has been damaged or destroyed several times within the confines of the Earth-616 continuity. On each of these occasions, the shield was subjected to a cosmically powerful force capable of reshaping matter on a massive scale. Specifically, the powers that affected the shield are:

• In The Avengers #215–216, the Molecule Man used his total control over matter to disintegrate the shield, along with Thor’s hammer, Iron Man’s armor, and the Silver Surfer’s board. After he does so, he comments that the board’s molecules are “weird”, and while there are “odd forces interweaving” among the hammer’s molecules, the shield is “weirdest of all”. He later reassembles these items, with the exception of the armor, as the electronic circuits are too complicated for him to understand.
• During the 1984–1985 Secret Wars limited series, the shield is partially destroyed by Doctor Doom, who has stolen the power of the godlike being known as the Beyonder. Even broken, Rogers is able to wield what is left as an effective weapon, with the shield largely retaining its balance when thrown. When the Beyonder reclaims its power, the heroes are temporarily granted the ability to realize their wishes. Rogers uses this to reconstruct the shield. It later shatters into dozens of pieces, due to a sub-molecular imperfection introduced into the vibranium. Rogers has the pieces taped back together, and during a battle with the villain Klaw, Klaw’s shock wave–augmented power realigns the shield’s vibranium molecules and restores the shield.

• During the 1991 miniseries The Infinity Gauntlet, Thanos, who possesses near-omnipotence via the Infinity Gauntlet, shatters the shield with a blow of his fist while in combat with Captain America. The shield is soon restored by Thanos’ alleged granddaughter, Nebula, when she obtains the Gauntlet and uses it to undo the events of Thanos’s temporary godhood, resulting in her erasing the death and destruction that Thanos had caused over the previous 24 hours.
• In Avengers Vol. 3 #63 (March 2003), the Odinforce, wielded by an enraged Thor, dents the shield. Thor later repairs it.
• In “Thor” Vol. 2 #73 (January 2004), the Odinforce, again wielded by an enraged Thor, destroyed the shield, killing Steve Rogers with it. This timeline was later erased in “Thor” Vol. 2 #79.
• During the 2011 miniseries Fear Itself, the Serpent, the Asgardian god of fear and brother to Odin, breaks it in half with his bare hands. After the battle, the shield is repaired by Asgardian dwarves with added Asgardian uru-infused enhancements to make it stronger, though a noticeable scar on the surface is visible, which Captain America elects to keep to give character to the shield.

The metal shields of Captain America land all over the place in terms of being affected by Magneto’s powers.

Triangular carbon steel shield. (US Government) Easily affected by Magneto. Probably the only shield with no defense against his powers.

Proto-Adamantium alloy shield: (Contractor, US Government) As currently understood, highly unlikely, virtually impossible for him to disrupt or destroy. However, it is susceptible to magnetic interaction and can be pushed or pulled by his magnetic powers.

Vibranium alloy shield: (Contractor, Wakanda) Vibranium cannot be affected directly by Magneto’s powers, but the other metallic alloys could possible be affected. So it is well within the possibility, given vibranium’s resistance to kinetic energy has a theoretical upper limit of energy absorption and Magneto’s overwhelming capacity to apply continuous pressure via his electromagnetic powers. Unless the shield is made of pure vibranium, Magneto could theoretically destroy it given enough time.

Adamantium alloy shield: (Contractor, Tony Stark) At least theoretically possible; its resistance is dependent on the grade of adamantium used in its construction. If a high grade of adamantium is used, it would be indestructible but still able to be pushed or pulled by Magneto.

More Magneto:

• Is Magneto officially an Omega Level Mutant?

More Captain America:

• Why is the MCU Captain America’s shield considered indestructible?
• What makes Captain America stand out among The Avengers?
• Can we use selective breeding to create a human with the abilities of Captain America?
• Does Captain America have super powers?

The Answer-Man’s Archives are a collection of my articles discussing superheroes and their powers in relationship to their respective universes. You can find other Archives on the Science Fiction and Fantasy Stack Exchange.

Thaddeus Howze is a writer, essayist, author and professional storyteller for mysterious beings who exist in non-Euclidean realms beyond our understanding. Since they insist on constant entertainment and can’t subscribe to cable, Thaddeus writes a variety of forms of speculative fiction to appease their hunger for new entertainment.

Thaddeus’ speculative fiction has appeared in numerous anthologies:Awesome Allshorts: Last Days and Lost Ways (Australia, 2014), The Future is Short(2014), Visions of Leaving Earth (2014), Mothership: Tales of Afrofuturism and Beyond (2014), Genesis Science Fiction (2013), Scraps (UK, 2012), and Possibilities (2012).

He has written two books: a collection called Hayward’s Reach (2011) and an e-book novella called Broken Glass (2013) featuring Clifford Engram, Paranormal Investigator.

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