What if Captain America had the powers of a super-soldier AND those of Doctor Strange? According to Marvel Comics, he wouldn't need his classic vibranium shield... since a magical one would work even better.

That's just one of the unexpected reveals delivered in Infinity Wars: Soldier Supreme, one of several limited comics spinning out of the larger Infinity Wars event. If fans thought that seeing Thanos killed by Gamora was as shocking and satisfying as the event could possibly get, then the first previews of Steve Rogers conjuring and wielding his magical shield should hint at how high that bar will continue to rise.

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It seems that, in this alternate "Infinity Warp" reality, the government's goal wasn't just to create a super-soldier, but one as infused with mystical powers as he was with strength and stamina. And boy was Steve Rogers a success, as made clear in CBR's preview page of Soldier Supreme #1 below. Take a look:

As the artwork shows, Steve's summoned shield spell (manifested with his telltale star insignia) may just put his vibranium original to shame, stopping bullets, bazookas, and even a tank round without him moving a muscle. Aside from showing just how much fun writer Gerry Duggan and artist Adam Kubert are having in this Marvel mash-up, the previews of the "Infinity Warps" characters are building even more interest than the premises did on their own. Now fans must only wait to see Captain America don his Doctor Strange-esque uniform, but there are plenty other mash-ups to enjoy in the meantime.

There's the blending of Wolverine's daughter X-23 and the mystical Scarlet Witch into "Weapon Hex," the combination of Tony Stark and Thor Odinson into the "Iron Hammer," and last but certainly not least, "Ghost Panther" - Ghost Rider if he began his life as Black Panther.

Captain America Soldier Supreme uses his powers

The official synopsis for the comic explains that this version of "Stephen Rogers" is "classified 4-F by the military" and forged by "tapping into arcane sorcery." Believe it or not, these aren't just "what if" one-shots, either. As Gerry Duggan explains in an interview with CBR, these heroes really do get explained as the story of Infinity Wars plays out in the coming weeks and months:

I’ve got to be careful about spoilers when talking about this. At one point in time though, Thanos used the Infinity Stones to cut the number of souls in the universe by half. He did that by killing people. History may be repeating itself here, but in a totally new and unexpected way. Because we just might be halving the number of souls in the universe by mashing them together.

That’s a pretty meaty statement, but you’ll have to tune into Infinity Wars #2-#3 to really get a sense of where of that’s heading. Infinity Wars #3 really sets the table for that universe in a great way.

Infinity Wars: Soldier Supreme #1 will be available from Marvel Comics on September 19th, 2018.

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Source: CBR