Sometime afterward, Rogers avoids the explosion of a methamphetamine lab, but the drug triggers a chemical reaction in the Super Soldier Serum in his system. To combat the reaction, Rogers has the serum removed from his body and trains constantly to maintain his physical condition.Some time after this, Rogers' original shield was retrieved, but subtle damage sustained during the battle with the Beyonder resulted in it being shattered and a 'vibranium cancer' being triggered that would destroy all vibranium in the world, with Rogers nearly being forced to destroy the shield before a confrontation with the villain Klaw saw Klaw's attacks unwittingly repair the shield's fractured molecular bonds and negate cancer.
Stern, in his capacity as editor of the title, originally rejected the idea but later changed his mind about the concept.[93][94] McKenzie and Perlin received credit for the idea on the letters page at Stern's insistence.The heroes gathered by the Beyonder elect Rogers as leader during their stay on Battleworld.Homophobia is dealt with as Rogers runs into a childhood friend named Arnold Roth who is gay.Rogers receives a large back-pay reimbursement dating back to his disappearance at the end of World War II, and a government commission orders him to work directly for the U.S. government.