Marvel finally brings back SHIELD after almost a decade of absence, with Nick Fury Jr. leading the organization. SHIELD has acted as the connective tissue between superheroes, governments, and global crises throughout the decades. Founded by Nick Fury Sr., SHIELD represents the ideal of order amid chaos in a universe filled with global threats of all kinds.
SHIELD collapsed during the controversial Secret Empire, when Hydra’s Captain America impostor used the organization’s resources to execute his authoritarian takeover. Once Hydra’s infiltration was exposed, SHIELD’s credibility was damaged beyond repair. The organization’s downfall marked the end of an era, but it won’t remain dissolved for long.
Nine years after the events of Secret Empire, SHIELD will rise from the ashes. More importantly, it will do so in a Captain America comic, where Steve Rogers will likely help the organization regain its credibility.
SHIELD Officially Returns In Captain America #6
Captain America #6; Written by Chip Zdarsky; Art by Valerio Schiti, Delio Diaz, and Frank Alpizar
Chip Zdarsky’s Captain America run brings S.H.I.E.L.D. back into the Marvel Universe for the first time since its collapse in Secret Empire. As Doctor Doom’s global rule crumbles and One World Under Doom‘s conclusion paves the way for the upcoming Armaggeddon event, Captain America is set to become the bridge between two eras. Steve Rogers is already waging war on Doom in Latveria, but his mission won’t end there.
Before Armaggeddon begins, Nick Fury Jr. will set the stage for SHIELD’s role in the event with the organization’s official return. Zdarsky’s Captain America #6 reintroduces a smaller iteration of the agency, with less far-reaching influence but big plans for the future. Fury will be accompanied by the agents Charles Castlemore, Joe Ramos, Red Widow, and Trevor Tambling. Naturally, though, their methods may clash directly with Captain America’s.
Logan’s clash with Nuke and his investigation of Weapon X in Wolverine: Weapons of Armaggedon suggest all characters and organizations tied to the history of the Super Soldier serum will be central to Armaggeddon. Wolverine himself will be wielding the Captain America shield. Between the events of Captain America #6 and Armaggeddon, Steve Rogers’s world may need to change drastically and require him to make major sacrifices to participate in Marvel’s next big event.
SHIELD Resembles Hydra In One Key Way
SHIELD Can Never Truly Be Dissolved
SHIELD has always shared a strange, cyclical similarity with its greatest enemy. Both SHIELD and Hydra are unable to truly die. Regardless of how many times they fall, they’re inevitably reborn with new agents and new tactics. Like Hydra’s motto says, “cut off one head, two more shall take its place.” SHIELD’s purpose is too deeply ingrained in the Marvel Universe to ever vanish completely.
That resilience comes with a moral cost. SHIELD operates within shades of gray, always walking a thin line between order and oppression. Its use of secret weapons, surveillance programs, and covert manipulation often mirrors Hydra’s own methods. Even after the agency’s public collapse, remnants of both SHIELD and Hydra continue to influence world affairs.
- First Appearance
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Captain America Comics
- Alias
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Steve Rogers, John Walker, Sam Wilson
- Alliance
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Avengers, Invaders, S.H.I.E.L.D., U.S. Army
- Race
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Human
- Franchise
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Marvel