Captain America's Damaged Shield From Avengers: Endgame Is The Ultimate Marvel Collectible

1 day ago 2

Endgame with a prop replica of his broken shield superimposed on the image

Marvel Studios / Ethan Anderton

With the success of the Marvel Cinematic Universe over the years, there's been plenty of merchandising capitalizing on all the hype surrounding The Avengers, such as the outstanding "Spider-Man: No Way Home" action figures from Marvel Legends. Though Marvel Studios is currently facing an uphill battle to get back to the glory it once had, both at the box office and with its biggest films, Disney knows that fans still can't get enough of that impressive run of interconnected blockbusters that fall under The Infinity Saga. And this year, the company has delivered a hefty collectible inspired by one of the most pivotal moments in the entirety of the MCU, courtesy of "Avengers: Endgame."

In the third act of the climactic "Avengers: Endgame" battle against Thanos (read our oral history of that epic scene here), our heroes Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr.), Captain America (Chris Evans) and Thor (Chris Hemsworth) come together in combat against the Mad Titan, who has time traveled to their future from another timeline. Thanos puts up a hell of a fight, and while they get the upper hand at one point — largely thanks to Cap being worthy to wield Mjolnir and summon lightning to strike down the purple, people-pulverizer — the villain ultimately makes a comeback and lands some crushing blows against Cap's trusty shield.

Despite chunks of the shield being smashed away and his arm suffering a terrible wound, Cap stands up and straps the battle-damaged shield to his injured limb and prepares for his final stand. Thankfully, he's saved by the arrival of his old ally (and future Captain America successor) Sam Wilson (Anthony Mackie) and everyone else who got dusted by the now-decapitated Thanos' Infinity Stones-powered snap.

Now, thanks to Marvel Studios and Disney, you can bring home a high quality, life-sized version of Captain America's damaged shield that he stands strong with in the final battle against Thanos (which you might have seen in the 2024 /Film Holiday Gift Guide). Disney was kind enough to send this prop replica my way, and believe me when I say that this is the ultimate Marvel collectible. While Hasbro has been releasing prop replicas in the Marvel Legends line of collectibles in recent years, such as the superb, new Green Goblin helmet, none of them compare to this mostly incredible piece from the Disney Store.

You can display (or cosplay) Captain America's shield all day

Battle-Damaged Captain America Shield in box

Ethan Anderton

Captain America's battle-damaged shield from "Avengers: Endgame" is a limited edition collectible of which only 1,500 were made. It comes in a box that resembles the kind of crate you might find lying around Avengers Headquarters in upstate New York, or at least what was left of it after the final battle.

Endgame Ethan Anderton

Unlike Hasbro's versions of Captain America's shield, this is not plastic. The shield itself is made of iron, and it has genuine leather straps on the back that you can secure to your arm. However, even though it's a high quality prop replica, it comes with some playability built in as well.

Endgame Ethan Anderton

There's a small sound box on the back of the shield between the leather straps that makes motion-activated sound effects, such as the whooshing sound the shield makes when it flies through the air, or the metal clang when a projectile or enemy hits the shield.

Endgame Ethan Anderton

Measuring at 24” x 2 1/3” x 17 1/2”, this shield is the exact same size as the one Steve Rogers was carrying around in the MCU. Since it's made of iron, you can really feel the weight on your arm when you strap into it. This is exactly the kind of item that would complete any authentic Captain America ensemble for your next Comic-Con appearance.

The stand for Captain America's shield could be a little more elegant

Ethan Anderton

However, as exquisite as this shield is, there are some shortcomings. First of all, the stand included with the shield feels pretty cheap. For a prop replica that costs $400, you would think a more stylish stand, maybe one with some kind of official plaque and edition number, might be included. But it's a cheap, three-piece stand that you assemble yourself. It's not anywhere near as cool as assembling the Avengers.

Endgame Ethan Anderton

As for the shield itself, if there was one complaint that I have, it's that I wish the manufactured scuffs and damage to the face of the shield felt more intentional and detailed. While the makers of the prop replica did a decent enough job of varying the streaks and scratches around the shield to make it look battle-worn — and I know that broken side of the shield can't be as jagged or broken as it would be if it were actually broken by Thanos' massive blade — I would have like to see more black scorching and maybe even a little bit of texture damage in areas that had been hit during Cap's fight. But the design of the broken side of the shield still looks great from the front, and it does have blemished on the broken edges, so that's pretty cool.

Endgame Ethan Anderton

Overall, there are too many generic brown streaks clearly applied with some kind of scratchy applicator and not enough marks that look like actual scrapes and hits. If you look at any shot of Cap's shield after it's been broken in "Avengers: Endgame," you can see that it looks much dirtier and damaged than this prop replica. That's to be expected, since Disney probably didn't want it to look completely ruined, but it's supposed to be damaged after all.

Endgame Ethan Anderton

What's interesting is that "Avengers: Endgame" gives no indication of what happened to the broken shield. We never see it after the final battle, and Steve Rogers doesn't take it with him when he returns the Infinity Stones to their proper timelines. So for now, you can pretend that you swiped Cap's shield from the debris-laden battlefield of Avengers HQ.

The battle-damaged Captain America shield from "Avengers: Endgame" was originally for sale at D23, and it's now available to order from the Disney Store online.

Plus, the Disney Store has a bunch of other cool prop replica items of the same quality as the battle damaged Captain America shield, not to mention some other high-end collectibles. Here's a rundown of some that you can find there right now: