Every Marvel Character Who Has Wielded Captain America’s Shield In The MCU

Captain America’s shield is a sacred battle weapon for Steve Rogers, but multiple characters in the Marvel Cinematic Universe have also used it. Throughout his time as a hero in the MCU, Captain America’s shield has gone through a variety of changes. After starting his superhero career with the flimsy prop supplied by the USO, Steve’s shield received a massive upgrade thanks to some of Wakanda’s rare and powerful metal known as Vibranium.

The traditional Captain America shield was created by Howard Stark during World War II and used by Steve throughout his missions at that time. The shield was lost for nearly 70 years as it was frozen with Captain America. Once Steve was found and thawed out, his trusty shield accompanied him yet again as he became an Avenger and began working with SHIELD. The adventures that followed for Captain America saw him throw down the shield at the end of Captain America: Civil War and not get it back until Avengers: Endgame. It was in the latter that Thanos demolished the iconic shield, but old man Steve brought an intact version of it back to the main MCU timeline.

Related: Captain America Theory: Endgame’s Repaired Shield Proves Steve Changed Timelines

Although Captain America’s shield is rare, it is a common item that can be used by anyone at the end of the day. There are no special powers granted to the user or requirements needed to wield it like there are with Thor’s hammer, Mjolnir. As a result, Captain America’s shield has been used by many different characters throughout more than a decade of MCU content. Here is every character who has wielded the shield.

Captain America

It is impossible to discuss who has used Captain America’s shield without mentioning the man best known for carrying it. Steve used his original Vibranium shield for years and saw improvements made to it along the way. Instead of just relying on the shield defying laws of physics or always making sure it bounces back to him, a magnetic attachment was added before Avengers: Age of Ultron. And even though Black Panther scratched the shield in Captain America: Civil War and Steve left it with Iron Man at the end of that movie, Tony repaired it to look like new for what proved to be Steve’s final mission in Avengers: Endgame.

Falcon

Sam Wilson was just a Captain America admirer when he first met Steve Rogers, but he’s now been chosen to wield the shield moving forward. Falcon hasn’t used the shield at all so far, although he was going to borrow it for a moment in a deleted scene from Captain America: Civil War. Instead, his first time properly holding the shield came at the end of Avengers: Endgame. Footage from The Falcon and The Winter Soldier has already shown Sam getting extra practice in with his new superhero accessory.

Related: Marvel Disney+ Can Explain Why Falcon Is New Captain America (Not Bucky)

Winter Soldier

Bucky Barnes won’t be replacing Captain America in the MCU, but he has already used the shield more than anyone else besides Steve. Bucky held up the shield in defense during the WWII mission that ended with his presumed death. Later, Bucky held the shield again when he was known as the Winter Soldier during a fight with Captain America. The last time Bucky got to use Captain America’s shield came when he and Steve fought Iron Man at the end of Captain America: Civil War. The best friends passed the shield back and forth to try and finish off Tony Stark.

Spider-Man

One of the most memorable uses of Captain America’s shield that didn’t come from Cap himself is thanks to Peter Parker. Spider-Man’s MCU debut in Captain America: Civil War began with a great entrance, as he took Captain America’s shield from him. Spider-Man simultaneously ripped the shield away from a surprised Captain America and webbed his hands together, all while flipping through the air and before striking an instantly classic pose. Of course, it was Captain America who got the best of the Queens native later on in a 1-v-1 battle.

Black Widow

Black Widow has also effectively used Captain America’s shield in a previous MCU movie. She picked up the shield off the streets when Cap lost it in Avengers: Age of Ultron and proceeded to toss it to him when he was locked in a fight with the deadly robot. But, Black Widow also got her hands on the shield again during the final battle. She used Captain America’s shield to take down some of Ultron’s robots and showed how capable she was of wielding it. Black Widow’s time handling the shield ended when she threw the shield to a running Captain America to deliver a final blow to one of the Ultron bots.

Related: Black Widow Movie Can Explain Her Darkest Age of Ultron Reveal

Hawkeye

Another moment from Avengers: Age of Ultron also saw Clint Barton show off his perfect aim using Captain America’s shield. Near the beginning of the movie when Ultron is awakened, the killer robot doesn’t waste any time attacking the Avengers. This attack catches the team off-guard, especially since they were simply relaxing after a party and weren’t in their battle attire. While Iron Man and Thor were able to get some gear quickly, Captain America was knocked far away from his classic shield. Thankfully, Hawkeye – the MCU’s most valuable Avenger – was there to grab the shield and throw it across the room to Steve.

John Walker

It won’t be long before another MCU character gets to wield Captain America’s shield either. John Walker aka US Agent hasn’t made his debut yet, but he is set to play a significant role in The Falcon and The Winter Soldier. In a move that has surprised many considering what hands Avengers: Endgame leaves the shield in, set photos and snippets of footage from the Disney+ series have revealed Walker will get a chance to hold the shield too. It isn’t clear how he gets his hands on it, but it is evident that he’s going to be positioned as the new Captain America instead of Falcon for at least part of the series. And with that title and responsibility, Walker will also get to carry the revamped shield.

Characters Who Have Held Captain America’s Shield In The MCU

In addition to the characters who have actually used Captain America’s shield, some others have simply held it in their hands. Ant-Man got it back for Steve in Captain America: Civil War but didn’t use it, and Tony Stark handed it back to Steve in Avengers: Endgame without ever using it himself. Red Skull also got his hands on it momentarily, and Iron Man 2 even featured Phil Coulson holding a prototype of the shield. All in all, Captain America’s shield has been used by more characters than many viewers might’ve realized in the MCU movies.

MORE: All 10 Super Soldiers Created In The MCU (Not Just Captain America)

About The Author

Cooper Hood is a news and feature writer for Screen Rant. He joined Screen Rant in late 2016 following a year-long stint with MCU Exchange, which came after first developing an MCU blog of his own. He graduated college in 2016 with a Bachelor’s degree in Media & Public Communication, with a minor in Media Production. Cooper’s love for movies began by watching Toy Story and Lion King on repeat as a child, but it wasn’t until The Avengers that he took an invested interest in movies and the filmmaking process, leading him to discover the world of film journalism. Every year Cooper looks forward to seeing the latest blockbusters from the likes of Marvel, DC, and Star Wars, but also loves the rush to catch up on Oscar films near the end of the year. When he isn’t writing about or watching new releases, Cooper is a fantasy football obsessive and looking to expand his Blu-Ray collection – because physical media is still king! Follow Cooper on Twitter @MovieCooper.

More About Cooper Hood