Entertainment

Wonder Woman's Shield Has Divine Origins

by Allie Gemmill

Just because you're a superhero, it doesn't mean you can go into battle without any protection. Even if you have crazy good healing powers that get you back on the battlefield in no time at all, I think you'd agree it's just a fool's errand to not have some sort of armor, or say, a shield, as is the preferred method of protection for two well-known superheroes: the DCEU's Wonder Woman and the MCU's Captain America. How do the shields of Wonder Woman and Captain America compare, though? Is one superior to the other? Do one shield give its owner a particular advantage in combat that the other shield doesn't?

One thing I can confidently tell you: both of these shields are tough as hell. If you've seen Captain America in action, then you know this his shield can deflect bullets or explosives and be used in a boomerang-like fashion to knock enemies out. Then again, Wonder Woman's shield isn't some measly thing she's beta-testing; her shield looks just as mighty as the Cap's. In a trailer for Wonder Woman, she puts it to good use deflecting machine gun fire on a WWI battlefield and, at another time, she gets in caught in a revolving door (proving shields are not an everyday accessory).

So, it's known that both shield are damn good at protecting their owners. Like, crazy good. Even when they get a little wear and tear, they're great pieces. What makes these shields so great is also where their fundamental differences come in. On the DC wiki for Wonder Woman's shield, all that's mentioned is that her shield, like her Bracelets of Submission, are her main sources of armor and protection. The wikis fail to specify what the shield is made of, although there is mention that they possess "magical Amazonian powers." I'd be willing to wager that Wonder Woman's shield is infused with a kind of supernatural/godlike power which makes it impervious to weapons or damage in the same was Wonder Woman herself, being born of Zeus and thus of divine genetic makeup, is impervious to weapons or harm and can heal at a greater rate.

Much more is known about Captain America's shield. For starters, it's man-made from vibranium and adamantium, two materials exclusively known in the MCU. Adamantium, if you'll recall, is what is the X-Men Wolverine's skeleton is made of, making him impervious to any kind of bullet or weapon. According the the Marvel wiki on Captain America's shield, vibranium is the primary metal (ostensibly adamantium gives it an extra-protective element) and it possesses supernatural properties that allow the shield to slice through the air, deflect bullets and so forth. No wonder it's the weapon Captain America trusts most.

In the end, it would seem that while the respective shields of Wonder Woman and Captain America come from different places (one is divinely made, the other made by man), they both keep their owners well-protected in the heat of battle.