Monday, February 10, 2014

"The Living Grenade" Would Have Been No Problem


You'll probably need a laser to burn through this


Marvel Trivia Question



Did Captain America ever need to replace this shield?



Wait a minute--after Cap traded up from his original oversized shield to his disc-shaped model, we've had the impression that the latter shield has been with him ever since.  And since it's practically indestructible, nothing short of the Beyonder is going to be able to damage it irreparably (though Thor has been known to dent the thing).  So how can we be talking about it needing to be replaced with another shield?

To discover the answer, we need to go back to when the Avengers first battled Arthur Parks, the Living Laser, who had escaped their custody after an attack on Hank Pym's lab. That led to an intensive search, where Captain America has taken an extra precaution against the Laser's power:



Soon enough, the group confronts the Laser, and it's time to put Stark's alloy to the test:



But it looks like the Laser has been doing a little planning of his own--capturing the Wasp, and snaring Cap and Hawkeye in a deadly trap:



Now, get ready to earn your no-prize, because here's where the fun begins:


That's right--Cap's shield is destroyed. Pfft.


Naturally, we're all shaking our heads in disbelief--but it gets better. Because once our heroes escape the Laser's trap (courtesy of Goliath), regroup back at Avengers H.Q., and discover the Laser has travelled to Costa Verde, the team follows the Laser there. And we find that Cap has apparently reached into the Avengers' supply closet and picked up--a spare shield??



Which brings us full circle: how can Cap be going into this battle with another shield? Did he just have several of them manufactured for emergencies? No, that just won't do. Since we know we weren't seeing things when the original was disintegrated, we have to somehow come up with a way for Cap to still be carrying around his original shield.

And that ball has bounced into your court! What's the explanation??

By the way--ladies are welcome to contribute to the discussion, despite what the Wasp thinks:



3 comments:

  1. I thought you were going to mention that the Cap figure is drawn by Kirby, and the rest of the cover by Don Heck.

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  2. "Don't dare miss the big change in Goliath!" Like - he gets deformed? His growing powers stop working on his legs? Check out that cover - it's awful.

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  3. The "big change" for Goliath was that, due to an experimental treatment he developed with lab assistant Bill Foster, he was finally able to change size again after being trapped at his 10-foot height for so long.

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