Despite his shield being made out of vibranium, the Wakandans have never tried to reclaim Captain America’s shield in the MCU. As seen in the new series Eyes of Wakanda, the secret African nation has special agents who gather intelligence on the outside world and reclaim sources of vibranium. However, it seems they’ve never tried to take back the shield.

In the MCU, vibranium is rare outside of Wakanda (and Talokan). However, Captain America: The First Avenger revealed that Howard Stark had a small supply he used to make Steve Rogers’ iconic shield, which now belongs to Sam Wilson in the present day. Here’s why Wakanda’s War Dogs were never sent to reclaim Captain America’s shield in the MCU.

Captain America’s Vibranium Shield Was A Gift From Wakanda

The simple reason the War Dogs were never dispatched to reclaim Captain America’s shield is that it was a gift. Originally, all that was known since 2011’s Captain America: The First Avenger was that Howard Stark had recovered the vibranium on an expedition to Africa.

However, the full story behind Stark’s vibranium wound wouldn’t be revealed until years later in a different animated MCU released in 2023 (before Eyes of Wakanda). In Marvel’s What If…? Season 2, an alternate MCU reality is depicted where Ego gets his hands on Peter Quill as a child, motivating a much earlier Avengers team to ᴀssemble in 1988.

This team of Avengers included T’Challa’s father, T’Chaka, who was also Wakanda’s Black Panther at the time. Speaking with Howard Stark before facing Quill, it’s revealed that T’Chaka’s father, T’Chanda, gave the vibranium as a gift to help in the war effort.

Because this occurred well before the nexus event that was Peter Quill gaining Celestial powers as a child, the origins of the vibranium shield should be the same as in the main MCU timeline, while also explaining why the War Dogs were never sent to reclaim it.

Wakanda Could Have Taken The Shield If They Wanted To

While the vibranium used to make Captain America’s shield was a gift, that doesn’t mean Wakanda couldn’t take it back if they wished.

The Wakandans even had the opportunity in 2021’s The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, when Sam Wilson, John Walker, and Bucky Barnes clashed with the Dora Milaje over Zemo. By the end of the brief brawl, the Wakandans were the clear victors, and the Dora known as Yama even had the shield in her hands before Ayo told her to leave it behind.

At any rate, Captain America’s shield represents a rare moment of Wakanda’s reaching out to the world despite its typical isolationism, at least before King T’Challa opened the nation’s borders in the present-day MCU. Unlike many other vibranium weapons and relics across the world, Captain America’s shield never needed to be reclaimed.

All episodes of Marvel’s Eyes of Wakanda are now streaming on Disney+.