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Captain America’s current profile indexes his shield’s durability at 1-A, with this current justification:
Even ignoring this, what’s traditionally utilized on this wiki (eg in order to avoid anti-feats against 1-A for a particular character in an otherwise 1-A setting) is the point that having 3-D characters with 1-A attack potency or durability is “possible” through a higher metaphysical-energy system which supports abilities operating on a qualitatively higher metaphysical-level. This is the case with something like Magic in Marvel, but as noted in the passage from the FAQ above, even this is further qualified with regard to the physical statistics of these 3-D characters and their specific relation to this metaphysical-energy system. Yet, even if we go with the maximalist interpretation that was in effect before this revision to the FAQ went through which qualified the previous standards, Cap’s shield has no justification for operating on a metaphysical-form of invulnerability, and none of the metals composing the shield’s frame are even mystical before its reforging with Uru after Cul destroyed it (more on that later).
Secondarily, this shield specifically has anti-feats in terms of having its supposed 1-A durability derived from significantly strong molecular cohesion (which, of course, is a quantitative process), and messing with these molecules can negate the durability of this shield, which would be impossible if its durability was qualitatively superior to its quantitative physiology:
So, what do we do about this? Technically you can take this far enough to claim that this is a huge vulnerability of potential anti-feats for Marvel’s existing 1-As, as any of them failing to destroy Captain America’s shield would obviously mean they’re operating on a quantitative level. Alternatively if these implications are too impractical, just downgrading the shield could be a temporary solution without diving too deep on pain of some unwieldy consequential revisions. I leave the exact implications to staff discretion, even if I think the fundamental point (that the shield should not be 1-A) ought to be preserved in any case.
All fine and good, right? It takes hits from 1-A characters like Thor as the All-Father, so it seems pretty standard in terms of how scaling goes here. Except the problem is that this breaks the current standards on things 1-A and above. Quoting from the FAQ:Durability: Building level, Outerverse level with his shield (Rogers' shield is cast from Proto-Adamantium, an extremely durable steel-Vibranium mixture alloyed with an unknown catalyst. It can endure a blow from Thor with the Odinforce, who only slightly dented it. After Cul Borson broke it, Tony Stark had it repaired and enhanced with Uru metal, making it even more durable. In this new form, it blocked a strike from Thor with the Odinforce and withstood an attack from a Celestial.
First note that the shield is a quantitative object in 3-dimensional space, and thereby receives its characteristics of durability through its material physiology. It is “tough” due to being made of exceptionally tough materials as mentioned in its durability justification (Proto-Adamantium and Vibranium), but this means that the 1-A durability justification is claiming that its “toughness” is qualitatively superior to its physiology, which is inherently quantitative. And this is what’s “broadly” rejected by the quoted passage.Q: Can a character have physical stats qualitatively superior to their own state of existence?
A: Broadly: No. The crucial thing to note about 1-A and above is that these tiers, in the relevant respect here, are completely discontinuous with lower ones. Therefore, no extension or add-ups of things from a lower reality (i.e. No quantitative increases) can measure up to a qualitatively greater plane of existence, and this applies to physical strength no less than it does to size. Thus, even if they are being boosted by a force from the corresponding level, a character from a lesser reality can't have qualitatively greater physical strength. The entity could not produce such a thing in the same way it could not produce a spatial object that is larger than itself.
That said, while they cannot be at this level by having their own physical power increased, they might be endowed with, or awaken, metaphysical attributes that allow them to imitate and influence things on a 1-A* and higher scale. For example, consider the following scenario: A cosmology that includes both a physical level and an "informational" level that both transcends the physical and holds the "coding" of all the things in it. An entity capable of influencing the informational level then "locks" a certain person's code, and makes them unable to be interfered with even by other beings on a similar level to itself. This alteration to the metaphysical make-up of the person then emanates downwards into their physical body, and likewise makes them unable to be harmed by anything in the physical world.
In general, a character that is of a lower reality yet has, e.g. "1-A durability," would be receiving a metaphysical alteration that completely overwrites their own physical attributes. In the case of a cosmology that receives such a rating from Reality-Fiction Transcendences, for instance, say in a situation where the lower reality is a drawing to the higher reality, this alteration would not be the character becoming so materially "tough" that the artist cannot erase their drawing anymore. Rather, it would be an alteration at the level of the drawing itself.
A similar case, therefore, goes for Attack Potency. A character from a lower reality cannot "punch with 1-Aforce," because even if the higher reality has a concept of force, it is completely disconnected from that of the lower reality and therefore there is nothing that can bridge the two. They can, however, serve as a sort of conduit for power from a higher level, and thereby imitate qualitatively greater Attack Potency.
However, keep in mind: Just because a character from a lower reality is being empowered by something from a higher plane, does not mean that we can pass over any instances of ilicit interactions that might count as anti-feats towards the higher reality being 1-A. This is because, as said before, even an entity from a qualitatively greater level of existence cannot bring a thing to its own level simply by quantitatively increasing their strength. Therefore, if this empowerment is clearly one entirely focused around increasing their existing statistics while keeping them fundamentally unchanged instead of overwriting the very way in which they operate, it cannot be used to avoid or excuse anti-feats.
In which case, evidence must be given and weighed up in order to determine whether the empowerment is metaphysical in nature, either by explicit statements, or contextual indications that make such a thing sufficiently probable. For example: If the verse consistently insists on the inaccessible and invulnerable nature that the higher plane has by virtue of its greater ontology, and then a character from a lower reality is only able to influence it due to the interference of something from this higher realm.
Even ignoring this, what’s traditionally utilized on this wiki (eg in order to avoid anti-feats against 1-A for a particular character in an otherwise 1-A setting) is the point that having 3-D characters with 1-A attack potency or durability is “possible” through a higher metaphysical-energy system which supports abilities operating on a qualitatively higher metaphysical-level. This is the case with something like Magic in Marvel, but as noted in the passage from the FAQ above, even this is further qualified with regard to the physical statistics of these 3-D characters and their specific relation to this metaphysical-energy system. Yet, even if we go with the maximalist interpretation that was in effect before this revision to the FAQ went through which qualified the previous standards, Cap’s shield has no justification for operating on a metaphysical-form of invulnerability, and none of the metals composing the shield’s frame are even mystical before its reforging with Uru after Cul destroyed it (more on that later).
Secondarily, this shield specifically has anti-feats in terms of having its supposed 1-A durability derived from significantly strong molecular cohesion (which, of course, is a quantitative process), and messing with these molecules can negate the durability of this shield, which would be impossible if its durability was qualitatively superior to its quantitative physiology:
- Avengers Vol 1 #215. Molecule Man through matter-manipulation pulls the shield apart, explicitly stating that despite the shield’s otherwise “invincibility”, its composition of molecules made it vulnerable, even if those molecules possessed tougher bonds than anything Molecule Man had seen before. Note that this is specifically before Molecule Man’s mental blocks were unlocked during Secret Wars (which resulted in him being H1-B through utilizing his abilities as an incomplete cosmic cube).
- Captain America Vol 3 #21. After Doctor Doom destroyed Captain America’s shield with the Beyonder’s powers in the original Secret Wars, it was reformed using those powers, but its restored form had one Vibranium molecule out of alignment, causing a flaw in the entire shield which caused it to disintegrate as opposed to being indestructible. Obviously, its 1-A durability (if qualitatively superior to its physiology) shouldn’t be affected by the misalignment of molecules in this physiology, and if it was 1-A, it wouldn’t be destroyed by a H1-B Doctor Doom.
The enchanted Uru was infused with the broken fragments of the shield as a gift to Cap from Odin’s smiths, and is explicitly an example of an empowerment entirely focused around increasing statistics without fundamentally changing or overwriting the way the shield fundamentally operates. It’s just a “tougher” shield because it’s made from another metal on top of Vibranium and Proto-Adamantium. It should be noted that the fragments from the old shield (made from those metals) are still part of the frame, just fused with Uru, which would still make it quantitative physiologically and impossibly 1-A. Even if you want to make the argument that Uru’s durability is 1-A due to its mystical properties (which would probably contradict the FAQ itself, as it’s still a physical metal), it being merged with clearly non-1-A materials in an attempt to create a greater whole than all the materials individually is obviously another anti-feat. This is all besides that Uru physically being 1-A also has the same problems, as Thor pretty casually (as in, rated L1-C here by our standards) used his physical fingers (quantitative entities) to carve things out of Uru before. It being 1-A just has the same problems as Vibranium does.However, keep in mind: Just because a character from a lower reality is being empowered by something from a higher plane, does not mean that we can pass over any instances of ilicit interactions that might count as anti-feats towards the higher reality being 1-A. This is because, as said before, even an entity from a qualitatively greater level of existence cannot bring a thing to its own level simply by quantitatively increasing their strength. Therefore, if this empowerment is clearly one entirely focused around increasing their existing statistics while keeping them fundamentally unchanged instead of overwriting the very way in which they operate, it cannot be used to avoid or excuse anti-feats.
So, what do we do about this? Technically you can take this far enough to claim that this is a huge vulnerability of potential anti-feats for Marvel’s existing 1-As, as any of them failing to destroy Captain America’s shield would obviously mean they’re operating on a quantitative level. Alternatively if these implications are too impractical, just downgrading the shield could be a temporary solution without diving too deep on pain of some unwieldy consequential revisions. I leave the exact implications to staff discretion, even if I think the fundamental point (that the shield should not be 1-A) ought to be preserved in any case.
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