UPGRADES

02.10.2016: HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!!

_{★— [[ Okay I just want to talk about Steve’s new shield for a moment. So according to the concept, it’s mildly based off the holo-shield seen in his Commander days, or more recently in his team up with Tony in Madripoor;}

_{“ this one has two main innovations: its tip can deploy an “energy blade” so Cap can cut into things, and the shield can be divided in two, so Steve can use both halves, one with each arm. Both modifications will help us see a completely different set of moves for Captain America, moves that we [have] never seen Steve use before, in terms of hand-to-hand combat. “}

_{So we’re talking two hand combat styles here // Dual wielding. Some say it provides advantages but most weapons experts disagree as it increases vulnerability with the lack of defence.} 

_{I’m going to look at this from a tactical point from the concept art. So you’ve got the blunt of the shield (the face) that can detach from the point and the blade can be used separately. Essentially that means punching with the left and swinging with the right. This is a pretty useful tactic for Steve. Given his boxing background where he’s taught to keep his dominant arm behind him, assuming here that Steve’s right handed (which he tends to be unless the artist decides to switch, which they’ve done sometimes) - so how’s that relevant to his new shield? It means that with a natural stance and dominant hand (the one with the blade) behind him, he doesn’t have to readjust his traditional style. (Unless he converts (into a right-handed southpaw rather than left-handed orthodox fighter style for some tactical advantages in having a strong front arm). So lets just say he keeps it traditional. The use of dual weaponry is an extreme advantage - and that’s just ONE of the many styles Steve’s developed that he can integrate into his new weaponry. Close combat would be this weapons forte – whereas projection I assume would be a weakness.} 

_{It’s strange to see Steve not using the weapon largely as a projectile, but we’ll see how that goes. The shape of it isn’t ideal for throwing but that being said, he did so in the 1940′s without much question. Must’ve gotten stuck in lots of places though. This one especially due to the blade tip, and once he detaches the blade from the face he’ll have no choice but to keep combat close, given how the other parts wouldn’t really go too far. (I do like that it’s purposely designed to resemble a medieval ‘Heater’ shield though [ or a Kite shield with a flatter edge at the top] I like the reference they're trying to make )  He’s always been good at hand to hand but lets just assume he’s going to get a couple more gadgets in the future to help him in regards to taking out opponents from a distance. (Seems Sam’s got his back if they’re fighting together, making a nice balance of captains; Sam going for the distance and Steve going for the close).}

_{I can’t actually wait to see more specifics on the shield and the power that the blade may have. Vibranium enforced particles seemed to be the justification behind the holoshield so if they’re doing something similar then it’d be interesting to see what exactly Steve can cut through. I always thought it’d be cool if he had a weapon that could cut through armour, it’d make his job so much easier but many people throw up the debate that it’s making him a more violent character given the nature of he shield was to DEFEND rather than hurt. I can see the practicality of it, but again it may be compromising the message that used to surround Steve– again it depends how he uses it, only time will tell. ]]}