Posted in: Comics, Marvel Comics, TV | Tagged: captain america, Jimmy Kimmel, joe quesada, mark gruenwald, stephen colbert
Colbert, Kimmel, Give Captain America’s Shield Back To The Gruenwalds
Stephen Colbert, Jimmy Kimmel, Give Captain America’s Shield Back To Mark Gruenwald’s Family
Article Summary
- Stephen Colbert revealed on Jimmy Kimmel that his Captain America shield from The Colbert Report now hangs at Kimmel.
- Colbert said Marvel gave him the shield after Captain America’s Civil War death, calling him worthy to wield it.
- Fabian Nicieza says the Captain America shield was Mark Gruenwald’s property, not Marvel’s, and should go to family.
- Mark Gruenwald built the shield himself, and former Marvel editor Tom DeFalco backed calls to return it properly.
Guesting on the Jimmy Kimmel Show last night,Stephen Colbert talked about the fate of the Captain America shield from the Stephen Colbert set, after the show ended. He stated, “It was 2006 or 2007, when I was doing the show called The Colbert Report, you know, the super patriot character, and Marvel Comics had the Civil War series of comic books. The physical comic books. And in those, Steve Rogers, Captain America, is assassinated… spoiler. I got a letter from Joe Quesada, who we both know, who was the head of Marvel at the time, Marvel Comics, and he said, ‘Listen, we opened Cap’s will, and we read Steve Rogers’ will. And in the will, it says that he believed the only person patriotic enough to wield the solid vibranium shield was Stephen Colbert.’ So, they had a shield that had been hanging on the wall, a Captain America shield, that had been hanging on the wall since 1960, and they sent it to me. And that hung on my set for the next 20 years… So, when we were taking apart the set, I knew exactly where I wanted to send the shield. So I wrote you a letter, and I sent you the shield.” Jimmy Kimmel then brought the shield onto the stage and asked whether he could hang it permanently inside the Jimmy Kimmel studio. Stephen Colbert said, “It’s your shield, man.” So he did.
Except maybe it’s not. Former Marvel editor, comic book writer and co-creator of Deadpool, Psi-Force and the New Warriors, Fabian Nicieza, wrote to social media. “Every time the Cap shield comes to national attention in the media, I feel I have to say this: The shield was not Marvel’s property to give in the first place, nor was it at Marvel “since 1960” (as misstated by Colbert during the interview). The shield was made by Mark Gruenwald in the late 80s/early 90s on his own time, with his own money, and was in his office until his passing. Unless he willed it to Marvel (which I don’t think he did) it should have been returned to his wife, Catherine. I don’t think Colbert knew any of this (and certainly not Kimmel), and I absolutely think Mark would have loved the journey his shield has taken (and I think Catherine does as well), I just get chafed that a company dedicated to telling stories about heroes doesn’t do a much better job at telling this story properly.” Another former Marvel EIC, Tom DeFalco, said: “You have stated the facts correctly, my friend”.
As well as being a Marvel Comics editor and EIC, Mark Gruewald’s writing work included co-creating Marvel’s first limited series, Marvel Super Hero Contest of Champions, the twelve-issue miniseries of The Squadron Supreme, and a ten-year run on Captain America, co-creating characters Crossbones, Diamondback and John Walker, U.S. Agent. He was promoted to Marvel Comics Executive Editor and Editor-in-Chief. Gruenwald also co-created The Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe in 1982, and he served as the visual reference for the Time Variance Agency agents in Marvel Comics, as well as for Mobius, played by Owen Wilson in Loki. Mark Gruenwald died of a heart attack at the age of 43 in 1996, and following his death, a portion of Gruenwald’s ashes were mixed into the original trade paperback printing of his Squadron Supreme series.
After Mark Gruenwald died, the shield remained at Marvel’s Offices in New York. Editor-In-Chief Joe Quesada asked if he could borrow it for a guest appearance on The Colbert Report, and then everyone at the offices saw Joe Quesada gift it to Stephen Colbert on the show. It stayed prominently on the set, moved to The Late Show, and was occasionally wielded until his second show ended. Now Jimmy Kimmel has it, whether he wants it or not…
If he, or any of his team, wanted to reach out toCatherine Gruenwald to return Mark Gruenwald’s shield, I am sure she’d be grateful.
Enjoyed this? Please share on social media!
Stay up-to-date and support the site by following Bleeding Cool on Google News today!
