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It's a new day for Captain America and SHIELD in Marvel Comics. 

Ever since Chip Zdarsky came on as the writer of Captain America, Marvel's Star-Spangled Man With A Plan has had a transformative past few months. Previously, Zdarsky had revealed a new superteam called the United Captains, but it seems like that team will be shelved for the time being to make way for the return of SHIELD. In a press release for the upcoming Captain America #6, Marvel editor-in-chief C.B. Cebulski said, "Ever since S.H.I.E.L.D. disbanded almost 10 years ago, the idea of bringing it back has come up at every creative retreat we’ve had. We’ve been working on the return of S.H.I.E.L.D. for a long time, and especially so over the past few months since our most recent creative retreat."

"After digging more into this Captain America story with Chip, [series artist] Valerio [Schiti], and our teams, it became clear that this was the right story and right time to do so. And with this year being the 60th anniversary since S.H.I.E.L.D.’s debut, we thought it was even more fitting to make this happen," continued Cebulski. 

Chip Zdarsky provided more context for this change in Captain America's future in the press release. “When we first announced plans for the second arc of this Cap run, I had a different idea in mind for the team supporting Steve. But when the possibility of a new S.H.I.E.L.D. came along, we just hit the ground running. S.H.I.E.L.D. is Marvel. It’s human ingenuity and fortitude, keeping the world safe. Bringing them back with a new mandate and scope has been incredibly fun. They’re starting small, but they, and Fury, have big plans," said Zdarsky. 

Interestingly, one character has survived the transition between teams, suggesting that the United Captains storyline has not simply been pushed out on the publishing schedule: Red Widow has moved from the United Captains to the new SHIELD, with Marvel describing the character as "a former Russian agent abandoned by her home country for her questionable loyalty" in her new incarnation. (Originally, she was simply described by Marvel as "Red Widow, representing Russia.")

Marvel's earlier description of Captain America #6 went like this: "A WORLD WITHOUT DOOM! The aftermath of One World Under Doom has brought Latveria to the brink of civil war. Captain America deploys to protect civilians and investigate rumors of a weapons stockpile—but when the United Nations Security Council adds their own loyal Super-Soldiers to the mix, it becomes clear that everyone wants a piece of Latveria—no matter the cost. With warring factions tearing the country apart and a team of Captains pursuing their own agendas, can Captain America hope to bring peace to Latveria? And is that even what his handlers want?"

No official description of the new issue has been released as of writing. As a result of the revised storyline, the release date of Captain America #6 has been pushed from December 17, 2025 to January 21, 2026. Additionally, the cover for Captain America #6 has been changed to reflect the new return of SHIELD and removal of the United Captains from the issue. Take a look below to see the new cover of Captain America #6, featuring your first look at the new SHIELD lineup, with the original cover for the issue featuring the United Captains. 

This isn't going to be Zdarsky's first time working with a classic Marvel team like SHIELD. The writer had a run on retconned WWII-era superteam Invaders beginning in 2019, featuring Captain America, the Winter Soldier, and the Human Torch reuniting as the 1970s-created group to stop Namor from continuing to publicly crash out. 

Captain America #6 will be out January 21 2026. 

Get ready for what's next with our guide to upcoming comics, how to buy comics at a comic shop, and our guide to Free Comic Book Day 2025.