The second episode of Marvel’s What If…? season 2 was released today and it has officially acknowledged a very old mystery regarding Captain America’s Vibranium shield. In the Marvel Cinematic Universe, fans were introduced to Steve Rogers/Captain America in Captain America: The First Avenger (2011), who wields the Vibranium shield. However, where did it come from?
In the First Avenger prequel comic, Howard Stark created the Vibranium shield after he sent explorers to “deepest Africa” to retrieve the metal. However, actor Chadwick Boseman once explained in an interview that he believed the Vibranium was taken by force and not with consent. Finally, this confusion is cleared with the latest episode of What If…? season 2. The episode revealed that the Vibranium was gifted to Howard Stark. Americans and Wakanda had previously worked together and King T’Chanda (grandfather of T’Challa) had gifted Howard Stark some Vibranium.
Also read: Captain America 4: Harrison Ford Reportedly Getting New Ability That Can Even Melt Vibranium
How did Howard Stark get the Vibranium for Captain America’s shield?
For a long time, there has been confusion over how Howard Stark got his hands on Vibranium for Captain America’s shield. In the First Avenger prequel comic, Howard Stark revealed that his explorers went “deepest Africa” and got the metal for him, which he used to create Captain America’s shield. However, actor Chadwick Boseman once told EW that the Vibranium was stolen from Wakanda.
This created a lot of confusion among the fans and it has remained a mystery for a long time, but not anymore. The question was finally answered in the latest episode of What If…? Season 2.
What If…? Season 2 confirms that Howard Stark was gifted the Vibranium for Captain America’s shield
The second episode of What If…? season 2 was released recently and it has solved the mystery about Captain America’s shield. In the episode, T’Chaka (T’Challa’s father) revealed that the Americans and Wakanda had previously worked together and his father, King T’Chanda, gifted Howard Stark some Vibranium to help the war effort in the 1940s. So, Howard Stark used that gifted Vibranium to create Captain America’s shield.
This reveal doesn’t affect the explanation in the comics as Stark probably kept it a secret to keep Wakanda hidden from the world. It was quite obvious that Stark, even with his resources, would have a hard time stealing the precious metal from Wakanda, given its security. Hence, the mystery about Cap’s shield has finally been solved.
