Contains spoilers for A.X.E.: Judgment Day #4!Just as important as any costume, Captain America's iconic unbreakable shield stands as a symbol representing one of Marvel's greatest heroes. Though the upper limit of the shield's impenetrable nature remains to be seen, a recent page shows that the shield's true stress limit is much more than one might think.
The Avengers find themselves in the middle of a war between the Eternals and the X-Men in the ongoing Judgment Day event. To stop the Eternal Druig's onslaught on mutantkind, the Avengers and their allies helped build the Progenitor; a Celestial created from the body that serves as Avengers Mountain. Though they intended for the Celestial to simply order a ceasefire from its Eternal servants, the Progenitor took it upon itself to bring Earth its judgment day, adjudicating each person individually to see if they are, at their core, good or bad. If the Progenitor finds more good than bad, it will raze the planet.
Kieron Gillen and Valerio Schiti's A.X.E.: Judgment Day #4 ends with the Progenitor's decision to wipe out humanity. As the Progenitor in all its Celestial glory turns its thumb down, it rains an energy blast on Captain America and those surrounding him. Once the dust settles, Steve Rogers looks around, surrounded only by skeletons and ash, his shield having protected him from the entirety of the Celestial blast. This is a show of the shield's immense protective abilities rather than Steve Rogers being spared, as Captain America was actually the first to be judged by the Celestial, judged a failure due to his failed efforts to unite the world.
To date, this has to be one of the most impressive displays of the iconic shield's power. Protecting Captain America from blows against the likes of Thanos or the Hulk is one thing, but withstanding the full brunt of a Celestial blast is quite another. For Cap to make it out of the blast meant to eradicate life - instantly incinerating everyone around him - simply by holding the shield above his head is quite the feat of strength for the vibranium (and proto-Adamantium)-based object.
This isn't the first time the iconic item has withstood such power, but it's very rare. What If...? #70 shows Captain America surviving a similar attack by Galactus, however beings such as Thanos (wielding the Infinity Gauntlet) and the Asgardian Serpent have been able to shatter it. Captain America being able to fend off a Celestial blast suggests rather than being due to power, past instances where the shield has broken were down to magical of reality-altering abilities rather than pure force, as few things can equal the sheer might of a Celestial.
While fans knew that even the strongest Marvel heroes and villains struggle to make a dent in Captain America's shield, few would have guessed it's powerful enough to take a near point-blank blast from one of the cosmic gods. Now, however, that question seems to be beyond debate, as Captain America proves that despite lacking conventional superpowers, his shield allows him to go toe-to-toe with Marvel's most powerful beings.
A.X.E.: Judgment Day #4 is available from Marvel Comics now.