There aren’t many heroes who are more iconic than Marvel’s Captain America, with his instantly recognizable emblematic star shield, and despite vibranium being a work of fiction, astrophysicist and writer Dr. Neil deGrasse Tyson confirmed Captain America's shield is scientifically accurate. This deep look into how Captain America’s shield works completely quashes comic book skeptics’ reservations about the vibranium weapon and reveals why the veteran Avenger is so persevering.

In a YouTube video posted by StarTalk, "Neil deGrasse Tyson Breaks Down the Science in Marvel Movies,” Neil deGrasse Tyson responds to the question of whether Captain America's shield can be grounded scientific. Not only does Neil deGrasse Tyson confirm Steve Rogers’ shield makes sense scientifically, but he also explains that so long as there’s a surface facing him, he will always have an angle to bounce his shield off of due to the shield retaining coil energy.

This revelation speaks both to the logic behind the shield and the incredible skill Captain America needs to wield such a weapon.

According To Neil Degrasse Tyson, Captain America's Shield Is Backed By Science

Captain America Is Secretly A Trigonometry Wiz

While Captain America’s shield is known to return to him more often than not, Neil deGrasse Tyson explains that the shield won't return to him when simply throwing it, meaning Steve Rogers has to be incredibly well-versed in trigonometry. When in battle, Steve Rogers needs to instantaneously calculate where to throw his shield so that it takes down multiple foes and perfectly returns to him. Knowing the inner workings of how the shield functions makes Steve Rogers’ complete mastery of the shield all the more impressive, standing as a true testament to Captain America’s more nuanced skill set.

First seen in Captain America Comics #2, written by Jack Kirby, with art by Joe Simon, Reed Crandall, and Al Gabriele, the shield’s combined vibranium and steel alloy is noted to be more sturdy than adamantium and virtually indestructible. One underlying problem is that vibranium is a fictional man-made alloy; however, from Neil DeGrasse Tyson’s explanation, the properties of the vibranium shield become more transparent. It can be deduced that the combined metals absorb the shock of kinetic energy, while also allowing Captain America to dish out attacks and still skillfully catch the shield without sustaining injury.

Steve Rogers’ Shield Trick Shots Aren’t Science Fiction, Just Pure Skill

Neil deGrasse Tyson Proves Captain America’s Shield Skills Are Possible

Steve Rogers’s status as a super soldier does factor into how well he wields his iconic shield, yet it should also be noted that heroes without the Super Soldier enhancement have also been able to master Captain America’s shield, intelligent and well-versed Steve Rogers actually is. Neil deGrasse Tyson proving the scientific accuracy of Captain America’s shield brings an exciting level of understanding to Marvel lore and an overall more nuanced perspective to Captain America.

Source: StarTalk via YouTube (Time Stamp: 14:24)