Tag: shield

Captain America’s Shield: Metaphors and Symbolism

Feb. 12 Characters Comments Off on Captain America’s Shield: Metaphors and Symbolism

Captain America’s shield is one of the most recognizable weapons in the history of comics. Not only does the vibranium shield keep Ol’ Cap safe, it is an important symbol of the character. There are many metaphors hidden behind the red, white and blue of Steve Roger’s shield.

Symbol of American Resilience

Captain America’s shield is a symbol of America’s resilience. No matter what is thrown at this country, we are able to survive and fight back. I remember back to a few months after 9/11 when I saw a t-shirt of Captain America’s shield with the words “9/11: We will Continue to Stand.” The shield is able to absorb the attacks Rogers has to face and our resilience is able to absorb the damage we take.

Captain America's Shield

Captain America’s Shield

Character-Specific Weapon

Many characters from other heroes to Hydra agents have attempted to throw Captain America’s shield with his accuracy and ability to make it return to his hand. Only those he has taught have been able to wield the shield the correct way. Just like Thor’s Mjolnir, Captain America’s shield is a perfect weapon which cannot normally be used by others. Characters sometimes fall victim to their own abilities and powers, but Cap’s shield cannot be used against the master wielder. The shield ads depth to the character and gives him another ace in the hole.

Captain America’s Shield is America

My favorite metaphor to be found behind Captain America’s shield comes in the form of the shield being America. Not only does the Cap stand for America, but America stands for the Cap. America is Captain America’s truest shield. When Marvel “killed” Captain America during Civil War, countless fans backlashed against the company. In the comics, Steve is now on his way to the presidency since people believe he is the best person to lead the country. Too bad we don’t have leaders like him in government.

There are at least a dozen other minor metaphors to be found in Captain America’s shield. Which are your favorites?

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Marvel’s S.H.I.E.L.D.: How Important is It?

Feb. 10 TV & Movies no comments

Marvel’s “S.H.I.E.L.D.” has gained extra interest in the Phase 2 Marvel movies, ABC, and in Nick Fury’s team. As someone who follows the industry, I can see the show backfiring if it is not done correctly. If the show does not live up to expectations, the House of M could come crashing down like a house of cards. It would bring the industry as a whole down with it.

S.H.I.E.L.D.

S.H.I.E.L.D.

There is no arguing the fact that the comic book market is in its best upswing in decades. Superhero movies have been among the top movies each year for a long time, “The Walking Dead” is one of the top shows on TV, more people are inside of comic book stores than over the last generation, and people are buying every piece of comic book merchandise they can. If Marvel’s “S.H.I.E.L.D.” appears to have been thrown together, everyone outside of the die-hard fans might see the superhero industry as inundating every market it can.

Joss Wheadon is leading the Marvel “S.H.I.E.L.D.” project, so we can rest assured that the company wants the show to be as impactful as possible. On the plus side, I cannot see Joss delivering a crappy product, but no matter how good a project is there will be detractors. “The Avengers” was a great movie, but I understand how Hawkeye fans were disappointed by the lack of exploration into his character. I can see how some people might have believed the special effects to have been a bit much.

Similar issues could be brought up about Marvel’s “S.H.I.E.L.D.” Remember, Wheadon has to play God with the project and do everything he can to try to make as many people happy as possible. There will be people who will complain that there should not be many superheroes on the show as they could detract from the human S.H.I.E.L.D. team. Other people will complain that there are not enough superheroes and will stop watching the show because of it. Even Wheadon will not be able to please everyone.

The danger comes in the fickleness of the market at the time. If Marvel can correctly predict the fickleness of the market when “S.H.I.E.L.D.” comes out, the show should be successful. If the company cannot predict the machinations, the show is simply screwed. Marvel only has to be successful in predicting the future. No pressure.

If the show fails for some reason, Marvel will be stuck with egg on its face. The secondary market fans who are only interested in the movies would begin to fall to the wayside. The loss, or decrease, of the movie revenue would send the market back over a decade. Nobody wants that for Marvel’s “S.H.I.E.L.D.”

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