This Is How Captain America Gets His Original Shield Back

The original Captain America is back in action, but you can’t have Cap without his trademark shield, and this is how he gets it back.

Spoilers incoming for Generations: Sam Wilson Captain America & Steve Rogers Captain America #1 and Secret Empire, so if you haven’t read these yet you’ve been warned.

The Generations books pair current heroes with their predecessors, and in this quasi-epilogue to Secret Empire Sam Wilson is launched back in time to the beginnings of World War II, when the world was meeting a new hero by the name of Captain America. Wilson ends up enlisting in the army, where he rises up the ranks to lead his unit of skilled pilots as the “man in the air”.

This eventually brings him into contact with Captain America, though the vomiting Steve Rogers isn’t exactly what the TV footage portrays. They strike up a friendship, that is until the day Steve is frozen in the ice. Unlike some of the other Generations stories, Wilson continues to live past this point and into his older years. He eventually meets Rogers once more when he is discovered by the Avengers, and the two reconnect.

Wilson even lives long enough in this alternate world to see himself debut as the Falcon alongside Cap, but Wilson uses this life to serve in other ways. He eventually becomes a pastor and leads his own church, helping the poor and disenfranchised. This all allows Wilson to finally frame his life in a new way, something he has been unable to do in the present. In fact, he reveals this is the first time he has truly felt like his own person and not just someone’s sidekick or best friend.

Wilson also had the chance to see how Rogers struggled with his role as an inspirational figure and gets to know the man behind the mask even better than he had before. When Wilson finally returns to the present, Thor makes a point to say “you have the look of a man who has lived a lifetime,” and in many ways he had.

That prompts Wilson to seek out his friend, who has been keeping a low profile since the events of Secret Empire. “I know if I try to talk to him, he’ll say no. Better to just make it clear,” Wilson narrates, and throws Cap’s shield from a rooftop nearby. A letter is attached to the shield, making Wilson’s point of view crystal clear.

“When you handed me this shield you said you had a mission for me,” Wilson said. “Now I’ve got one for you. You’re going to overcome this. I know you have your doubts. You wonder if you can earn back their trust, inspire them again. And I’m telling you, you will. You’re going to be the hero they need. The one they’ve always hoped for. I’d bet my life on it.”

Cap stands looking forward with his shield in hand, and while the road will be difficult, he seems more than up for it.

Generations: Sam Wilson Captain America & Steve Rogers Captain America #1 is in stores now.