Sentry

	Sentry
Biographical Information
Real Name	Derek Sheppard
Universe	Earth-515
Place of Birth	Detroit, Michigan
Citizenship	US Citizen
Known Aliases	The Catalyst
Date of Birth	March 4th, 1979
Classification	Super Being
Physical Description
Race	Human Scottish English; Native American; ; ;
Gender	Male
Height	6'3"
Weight	255 lbs
Hair Color	Brown/Blonde
Eye Color	Brown
Personal Information
Allies	Thanos
Enemies	Nick Fury; S.H.I.E.L.D. One; Avengers;
Known Relatives	Samantha Grace (Mother, deceased); Brian Grace (Half-brother); Barbara Gray (Aunt); Sarah Gray (Cousin);
Fighting Styles	Personal
Professions	Soldier (Former Rank: Colonel);
Education	B.S. Notre Dame; J.D. Notre Dame;
Political Information
Former Affiliation	Task Force 141; Super Soldier Family; S.H.I.E.L.D.; S.H.I.E.L.D. One;
Current Affiliation	Thanos
Exodus Information
Creator	Mirrodin
NPC	No

"Fury may love us all in his own twisted way, and he may make sure that we're taken care of if we're injured, but that's his boy right there. That's his little soldier. Fury will raise heaven and hell to make sure Derek's okay. Derek's saved his life more times than I can count and back during the war, Derek was one of the greatest soldiers and field commanders that the United States had against the Chrell. Derek's the boyscout, he always will be. He's Fury's right hand man, the guy who will always get the job done, no matter what it is."

— Christian Sommers to Katherine Ansley

Biography

Early Life

"I don't really talk about my childhood, because, shit, there's not much to tell."

— Derek Sheppard to Tiffany Michaels

Derek Sheppard was born in Detroit, Michigan in 1979. Both of his parents worked for the big auto companies on the assembly line. They worked hard to provide for him. Times were tough and Derek grew up rough and tumble in his neighborhood which wasn't the greatest of places. He was an only child and as he grew up, he wished for younger siblings. His mother, Samantha Sheppard, was a gentle, sweet lady who tried her best to provide for her son and give him everything that he needed. She cared for him, and did what she could in order to provide. However, his father was very different. His father was rather abusive, and drank heavily. He often beat his son and his wife, and was known to go on drinking binges that would last a few days. It was no way for a young child to grow up and Samantha Sheppard knew it.

She wanted to make a change for her son, not minding the fact that she had to endure the same abuse that her son went through, if not more. She knew that something needed to be done. Derek's mother tried her best to keep the family together, but as time passed, she found that she couldn't do it all on her own. Eventually, she realized that she needed to get herself and her son out of the area and away from her husband. So, around when Derek was in Elementary school, she filed for divorce from her husband. It was contested in court, but the case didn't last very long, and their few assets were equally divided.

The courts deemed that Derek was to go with his mother, because his father lacked the ability to properly provide for him or give him a stable environment that he could grow up in. His mother made plans to move to Florida, wanting to get as far away from Detroit and Derek's father as she could. Samantha did all these things, but didn't take the time out to properly find out what it was that Derek wanted, something that she needed, in hindsight, to do.

She assumed that he would be fine, if not happy with whatever plans she was making. However he wasn't, wanting to stay in Detroit. The only life that he knew was here and he didn't want to leave what friends he had. When they moved to Florida, he got into multiple arguments with his mother and eventually ran away, heading back to Detroit. His mother tried to get in touch with him, but he repeatedly told her that he wanted to be on his own, no matter how hard it was, because he wanted to be in charge of his own life. Deciding that if that was what he wanted, she would let him, though she told him that if he ever needed her help, she was nothing more than a phone call away.

He enrolled himself into a middle school, using his old home address. He intercepted any and all mail that came to the house for him from the school, and progressed through school very well. He was an exceptionally smart child and he got very good grades, he always had. Derek kept to himself and didn't make many friends, opting to stay to himself and be by himself. He didn't want too many people around him, because he didn't want anyone asking questions about where his parents were, particularly the parents of the other students. In order to provide for himself, he worked odd jobs for different people, and had a paper route. But times were hard, and often times he went hungry. Still, he persevered onwards.

By the time he graduated from High school, he decided to join the Army, despite having multiple scholarships on the table. It was a difficult decision for him to make, because he knew that a scholarship to a university like Dartmouth or Princeton would be exceptional for him to have. He decided to go through the military and have them pay for his collegiate career. He wanted the leadership training that the Army provided and he knew that being an honorably discharged Officer of the United States Army would open a wide number of doors for him down the road.

Little did he imagine what was going to happen though, down the road after his enlistment.

The Chrell Invasion

"Get to work, soldier"

— U.S. Army Sergeant to Derek Sheppard when he began his training.

Shortly after Derek enlisted, however, the Chrell Invasion had begun. He had worked hard and made his way through OCS, becoming a Second Lieutenant in the Army, in the Infantry branch. With the Army committed to fighting the Chrell, he was needed immediately to fight against the invading alien race. Derek was fast tracked into the Ranger program and completed the training very quickly. He was put into the mix as soon as possible, and he had a platoon under his command. He and his soldiers fought hard, refusing to take any breaks in their campaign. Derek knew that he needed to do his best in order to protect the American people. He and his men were awarded numerous medals during the course of the war. They were often times given some of the more difficult missions than the rest of the Army, but not as difficult as those given to operations like the Green Beret or Delta Force.

Over time, Derek proved himself worthy of his position and more over, which resulted in him being promoted, over time, to the rank of Captain. He was brought to a few superior officers after the successful completion of a particular mission. They felt that he was ready to be added onto a top secret organization that culled talent from the various branches of the US Armed Forces as well as the armed forces of different countries around the world. It was called Task Force 141. They put him in charge of one of the many groups that made up Task Force 141.

He continued to fulfill almost every mission that was put in front of him with success and ease. As Derek continued to work, he made friends with many of the different agents within Task Force 141. Among those were Clay Grey, Jason King, Charles Miller, and Alec Partridge. They would eventually get themselves reassigned to Derek's group, and the six of them became close friends who worked together.

Furthermore, Derek met and became friends with Christian Sommers, who was operating out of Gotham City. There he met with Sommers and his younger sister, Mary. The three of them became fast friends, though for Derek, his relationship with Mary was deeper. They became intimate and fell in love. It made Derek's wishes to continue in the Army after the war was over a little complicated, because he knew that she would want to settle down and have children, something that was difficult in the military lifestyle. He began to consider leaving the Army once the war was over. It was then that he found out that his involvement in Task Force 141 was so confidential, that there were going to be no records that he had ever been born or anything of the sort.

The Task Force had been established before the Chrell Invasion to conduct secret espionage missions against other countries and other organizations deemed a threat to the United States government and people. In that capacity, it had worked with S.H.I.E.L.D. before and now, during one of their joint operations, Derek met Agent Dominic Smith. Dominic told him how it was possible for Derek to come and work for S.H.I.E.L.D. after the war was over if he wanted to, and that he wouldn't have to be in the military, any longer. He would be able to stay in one area and start a family with Mary if he wanted to.

DerekSheppard — Derek Sheppard during the course of the Chrell Invasion

As the war began to dwindle down, Derek's options were many and numerous. Unfortunately, something happened towards the tail end of the war that would change his life forever.

He was on a mission with his group within Task Force 141. They had to infiltrate a Chrell base and eliminate a high ranking member of the enemy's armed forces. The mission was pulled off without a hitch, until the very end. During their escape, they were caught and were forced to make a run for their lives while coming under heavy enemy fire. In the process, both Clay Grey and Jason King were killed when the vehicle that they were in was destroyed. Derek wanted to go back for them, as he had been able to hear them calling for his help, but he had been stopped by some of his other soldiers, who knew that if their leader went back, all of them would be lost. It was a personal low point for Derek and it made his decision to leave the military that much easier.

Joining S.H.I.E.L.D.

"I don't know if S.H.I.E.L.D. is what I should be doing with my life, Dominic, or, I guess, Nick."
"Look, you're a soldier. You got your degree, that's good, I understand that you had wanted to get it for a while. But soldiering, it's in your blood, same way it's in mine. Don't deny who you are. Join S.H.I.E.L.D. Help me, Derek."
"I'll think about it."
"Do that."

— Derek Sheppard and Nick Fury

After the war was over, Derek received his honorable discharge from the United States Army. By the time he left the Army, he had achieved the rank of Colonel. He thought about heading to college. However, before he could really make the decision between a civilian job or going back to school, he was approached by his old friend from S.H.I.E.L.D., Dominic Smith. However now, Smith had undergone plastic surgery and various other surgeries to resemble Nick Fury, the former Director of S.H.I.E.L.D. who had died during the invasion and the struggle against the Chrell. He asked Derek to join S.H.I.E.L.D. and become one of their operators. He promised Derek that he would be able to be based out of the United States, in New York City, and that he wouldn't have to work on board the Helicarriers, once they were rebuilt and put back into service.

Derek said no, however, wanting to go to school and get his degree. The Army would pay for a great deal of it, and the government was trying to sponsor education to get the country back on its feet. He was able to enroll at the University of Notre Dame, where he got a liberals arts education and then went back to get his law degree. Meanwhile, Mary went to the Gotham University and was on the Pre-Med track. They maintained their relationship from afar, knowing that after what they had been through with the Chrell Invasion, a few years of a distance relationship would be nothing. They were right, and when they were done with their respective degrees, they were closer than ever. Derek considered proposing to Mary after she completed her residency.

It had been a few years since he had been originally asked, but Derek was asked once more by Nick Fury to join S.H.I.E.L.D. Derek had years of expertise as a soldier and a warrior. Fury needed him on S.H.I.E.L.D., knowing that some US government agency would try to pick him up, like the CIA, or Weapon X. He wanted to make sure that his old friend was working with him and giving his extreme knowledge of hand to hand combat to the soldiers and agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Derek wasn't sure that he wanted to join, but the problem was, soldiering had been his life for a long period of time. With the exception of his degree, it was pretty much all he knew. War and survival had been his way of doing things since as far back as he could remember, and so he said yes to Fury's offer.

Derek decided that he would be willing to join S.H.I.E.L.D., especially after he was told that Mary's older brother, Christian, would be joining as well. He felt a little obligated to look out for his girlfriend's older brother. Mary decided that if the two men in her life were going to join S.H.I.E.L.D., she would as well, working there as a doctor after she completed her residency.

DSheppard2 — Derek Sheppard during his time at S.H.I.E.L.D.

Life in S.H.I.E.L.D. was an interesting one, as Derek was both going on missions for the organization and training various agents and soldiers. Over time, he realized that he did enjoy his work, and that it was a much different way of soldiering than what he had been doing with Task Force 141. The deaths of his two friends weighed heavily on his mind though.

Becoming Captain America

"Steve Rogers is dead. William West is dead. But we need Captain America. You're the most qualified out of anyone we know, more so than West was. It's got to be you, Derek"
"But what if I don't want to be Captain America?"
"I think you should do it, Derek."
"If you think I should, I will, Mary."

— Nick Fury, Derek Sheppard, and Mary Sommers

Derek found himself presented with an interesting situation a few years later, however. Around the time that he had joined S.H.I.E.L.D., another man by the name of William West had been given the honored mantle of Captain America. He had taken it and had done well as Captain America, working to ensure that the symbol of America and the symbol of Democracy and Freedom was still known throughout the world. He had fought a number of enemies and had bested most, if not all of them. He had even worked with the Avengers to fight against Revak. He had worked with a number of different government entities and organizations, including S.H.I.E.L.D. Derek had even met the man before and considered him a capable person to be Captain America.

However, West had recently passed away while on a mission. The Captain America persona was vacant. Once more the world needed to find someone who could effectively be Captain America. Nick Fury knew that he had the right candidate in Derek, but Derek didn't see it in himself. The role of Captain America meant that one had to rise above oneself and be someone that the entire country could believe in and count on. Steven Rogers had done such a phenomenal job that Derek believed that no one could properly fill his shoes, they would all just come in second best.

He definitely didn't believe that he could do the role any justice, but Fury believed otherwise. Time and time again, Fury came to him, asking him to take on the mantle of Captain America, and multiple times, Derek refused. Mary came to him, asking him to seriously consider it. She reassured him that he was correct in thinking that he couldn't be as good as Steve Rogers, but she told him that whether or not he measured up to the original Captain America wasn't the point. She told him that he needed to be captain America not for himself, but for everyone else. The world was still hurting even a decade after the Chrell Invasion and they needed someone to give them hope.

Captain America was that person, and she knew that he would be able to do a good, if not great job, as the Captain. He still didn't have the confidence in himself, despite everything that Mary had said to him, but he knew that Mary knew him better than he knew himself. If she believed in him and if she believed that he could do it, then that was good enough for him. He told Fury that he would become Captain America and underwent the Super Soldier Serum process. The moment he came out from the treatments and was cleared and considered fit for duty, he proposed to Mary, and she accepted.

He was thirty-three years old.

The Fall

"What the hell is going on? Where's Mary?"
"We don't have any word from the medical ward, but the whole place was blasted to hell. I'm sorry, sir, but odds are, Dr. Sommers is dead."
"Oh, Jesus Christ."

— Derek Sheppard, Unknown S.H.I.E.L.D. Agent, and Christian Sommers

Derek Sheppard, or as he was now known as, Captain America was made the cornerstone of S.H.I.E.L.D.'s primary response team, S.H.I.E.L.D. One. He was given various team members and he went out into the field with them on various missions and operations for S.H.I.E.L.D. Over time, the team grew incredibly friendly, and all of the members were close. But no two were closer than Derek and the second in command of the team, War Machine or Mary's older brother, Christian. The team continued to fight and continued to work for S.H.I.E.L.D.'s goals throughout the world, working with various teams and organizations in different countries and others that were across the globe, just like S.H.I.E.L.D. Over time, they came to be based out of New York City, instead of going on the S.H.I.E.L.D. Helicarriers.

Mary was a doctor and part of the team as a part time field medic, though she was more commonly found in the NYC Headquarters' medical bay. Derek bought a home out in Long Island, and Mary moved in with him, as they planned their wedding and their life together. However, the wedding was continually postponed or put on hold as different crises arose around the world. Mary was patient, knowing that she was willing to wait as long as it took.

As the team's missions took them around the world, they picked up a number of enemies along the way. Some were mutants, others were superpowered threats. Still more were just rulers of countries who had been ousted from power by the team for various reasons. Derek never thought that any of their actions would cause them to be personally attacked in their private lives, but that belief was shattered more than once when he and others in S.H.I.E.L.D. were attacked by various supers and mercenaries, all of whom were systematically dispatched and dealt with. Derek started to believe, just for a littlebit that he and his people were above being harmed by anyone else.

All of that changed one fateful day.

He had been in Mary's office, undergoing his yearly physical. One of the mutants that S.H.I.E.L.D. One had recently fought had joined up with some of the others that the team had brought down. They had put together a carefully orchestrated plan to infiltrate the main headquarters in NYC and set up bombs all throughout the building, all rigged to go off at a particular point in time. They had completed their mission and were working on getting out before they blew the place, but they had been made and were making a botched escape. In the process, they detonated the bombs, blowing up massive parts of the headquarters, including the medical area where Derek and Mary were. Derek survived the blast, thanks to the presence of the Super Soldier Serum in his system, as it kept him alive and safe. Unfortunately, Mary did not have any of the Super Soldier Serum, and she was killed in the blast.

This started Derek on a big fall. He got depressed, and it translated into drinking and smoking more heavily than he used to. Different members of the team tried to reach out to him, but he shunned them all, including Christian, Mary's brother. Both men were grieving and each did it in their own way. Christian became more of a womanizer and more of a drinker, whereas Derek became an introvert. He became known for much more brutality when the team was on missions and more than once, Katherine Ansley and Tiffany Michaels had to restrain him from beating foes into more than submission. But to Derek, it was what the people deserved.

After all, it had been the enemies of S.H.I.E.L.D. One that had banded together to attack the headquarters and kill his fiancé. Therefore, if he permanently stopped the enemies of S.H.I.E.L.D., an attack like that couldn't happened again.

Derek refused to talk to Nick Fury or the other team members and for a while, there was talk of removing him from the team, taking away his status as Captain America and putting him on probation. Derek faced those rumors by telling that Fury that if he wanted to do that, Derek would willingly resign, except that he said it with a little more colorful language and a little bigger more physical display that resulted in Christian physically restraining him from coming to blows with the Director of S.H.I.E.L.D. However that moment did have something good come out of it.

It brought to Christian's attention that other people were going through the same pain that he was going through, because of his sister's death. While he loved his sister, he realized that no one had loved her more than Derek had. If he had been going through a certain amount of emotional pain and grief, he could only begin to guess at the pain that Derek must have been going through. In that regard, Christian made it his job to bring Derek out of the bottom of the bottle that he had found himself and to bring him back to the land of the living. Except it was a harder job than Christian could have expected. It took a long time, and there were many relapses, but he got Derek relatively sober, and got him to cut back on the smoking. Furthermore, he got Derek to be able to communicate better with the team, and he convinced Fury to not sack Derek.

Captain America No More

"I'm done."

— Derek Sheppard

Information Coming Soon

Into the Light

"Dom, is that you?"
"What's going on, soldier?"
"Not too sure. Feel weird inside. What the hell's wrong with me?"
"Super Soldier Serum gone bad."
"Son of a bitch."
"You're telling me. I need you to hang on though. We've got Matthews flying in."
"Paul Matthews? The brain guy? Hey, I haven't seen him in a while. I…I saw Mary. She's doing great."
"Mary's dead, Derek. You want to stay away from my little sister."
"That's what you told me when I asked her out."

— Nick Fury, Derrek Sheppard, and Christian Sommers

Information Coming Soon

DSheppard — Derek Sheppard by the time he "died"

Powers

Chemically Enhanced Physiology: The Sentry's superhuman powers and abilities derive from the Super Soldier Serum as the serum was increased 1000 times. Making it much more potent the experimental serum creates a phase-shift in his molecules, causing each atom to step an instant ahead of the current timeline. The serum induces a photosynthetic reaction, resulting in a hyperstate of consciousness. Though most of his powers and all of his limits are still unknown, the Sentry has been said to have the power of a million exploding suns. Sentry is powerful enough to fight off Cosmic Threats.

Superhuman Strength: The Sentry possesses vast superhuman strength, granting him the ability to lift (press) far in excess of 100 tons easily. He is one of the strongest beings in the Universe. He has demonstrated several astonishing feats of strength during his career, including easily lifting tremendous weights, ripping Carnage in two (although it is not certain if he is dead), taking Terrax the Tamer's cosmic axe and shattering it with his bare hands[1], lifting a cruise liner effortlessly and his unrestrained power overloaded the Absorbing Man. While possessed by The Void he was able to break the Hulk's limbs with relative ease and was even able to easily overpower and defeat Ares in combat going so far he ripped him in half, presumably killing him. He can also absorb solar radiation for additional strength. His recent clash with the most powerful incarnation of the Hulk has suggested his physical prowess is among the elite as he was able to hold his own. The Sentry has yet to demonstrate an upper-limit to his strength, but he has shown that it can rival the likes of Hercules, the Hulk.
Superhuman Speed: The Sentry possesses the ability to think, move, and react at superhuman speeds. He has been observed catching bullets and has also been seen moving far in excess of supersonic speeds; his speed on earth is enough to be gauged as fast enough to move at orbital velocity (5 miles a second). It should also be noted that the Sentry has numerously been depicted as able to fly to the sun in a matter of moments (where it takes light over 8 minutes). This shows that his speed during inter-stellar travels is several times in excess of the speed of light, or (alternately) demonstrative of an ability to enter hyperspace.
Superhuman Stamina: Sentry's enhanced musculature is far more efficient than that of a human. As a result his muscles produce no fatigue toxins thereby granting him theoretically unlimited stamina. The Sentry is unable to tire.
Superhuman Agility: Sentry's natural balance, agility, and body coordination are enhanced to levels that are far beyond the natural physical limits of even the finest human athlete.
Superhuman Reflexes: The Sentry can react at superhuman speeds exceeding several times the speed of Sound. Sentry was able to catch a sniper bullet from an advanced Skrull gun (typical sniper bullets travel at mach 4).
Superhuman Senses: The Sentry possesses vastly enhanced senses. He is able to hear almost any sound at any volume or pitch. The only Earth creature who can detect sounds at the frequencies he can is a blue whale (0.01-200,000 Hz). He has shown enough control to block out ambient sounds to focus on a specific source/frequency (He has demonstrated hearing a butterfly's heartbeat in Africa). The range of his eyesight is also far greater than that of a human being. He is able to detect a single person from hundreds of miles in the air and above cloud level. The full extent is unknown.
Flight: The Sentry possesses the ability to float by unknown means, utilizing his superhuman speed to fly far above supersonic speeds (above mach 4). He has demonstrated traveling to the Sun and back in a matter of moments which would require him to fly at speeds faster than light (or bypassing normal space through a hyperspace shortcut). And during the Skrull's secret invasion he flew to Saturn (about 1 thousand-million miles distant) almost immediately, which required him either to move at multiple times the speed of light (still thought to be impossible in this spacetime) or to have bypassed space altogether thus giving the impression that he had moved faster than light-speed.
Invulnerability: The Sentry is, for all intents and purposes, nigh invulnerable to harm. He has been seen surviving extremely harsh atmospheric conditions, including the vacuums of space. Nick Fury has stated that so far SHIELD has yet to find a way to kill him, and even Iron Man's scanners found no physiological weaknesses in the Sentry's body. However, it has been displayed multiple times that he is susceptible to mental manipulation: by the Abyss.
Photokinesis: It may be theorized that the Sentry also has the superhuman ability to generate, control, and emit light. This ability to produce hard-light constructs may be similar to those of Dazzler when it was revealed that the Abyss is a just an expression of his repressed persona, and thus his creation.
- Light Projection: By conscious control over the light he produces, he can control its direction, frequency (color), amplitude (intensity), and duration. The Sentry can produce numerous effects with the light he manipulates. He can simply cause a bright glow all about his body. He can create a pulse of light on the order of several thousand watts seconds of power, which temporarily blinds people with its brilliance. This ability has been proven to be able to calm down the Hulk.
- Energy Blasts: The Sentry can generate light, heat, force, and other forms of energy as powerful blasts and explosions of a yellow color. These blasts are usually generated from the hands and eyes. The maximum power of these blasts is unknown.
Vast Psionic Abilities: The Sentry possesses powerful psychic and mental powers mainly used for holding his physical form together, (though it is not yet known whether the Sentry can use them the way Professor X and other psychics use theirs). The only psychic abilities he has displayed so far was implanting his memories inside another person's mind. The Sentry was able to erase himself from the memories of every being on the planet.
Resurrection: The Sentry appears to be able to bring the dead back to life under extreme emotional distress. It does not appear he has control over this power, as he was shocked by his ability to do such an act. This may also extend to simply healing others' injuries.
Molecular Manipulation: The Sentry has the powers of molecular manipulation which he had used to revert himself from the liquid Molecule man had turned him into. The extent of these powers are not known.

Former Powers

Artificially Enhanced Physiology: Sheppard has no superhuman powers, although as a result of the Super-Soldier serum, he was transformed from a normal soldier in the United States Army into a "perfect" specimen of human development and conditioning. Derek is as intelligent, strong, fast, agile, and durable as it is possible for a human being to be without being considered superhuman.

Peak Human Strength: Derek's physical strength is enhanced to the very peak of human potential. As a result, Sheppard is as physically strong as a human being can be without being classified as superhuman. Government files class him as being capable of lifting up to 800 lbs.
Peak Human Speed: He can run at speeds of up to approximately 30 miles per hour, and has on an occasion run a mile in little over a minute (almost 60 mph) when under duress.
Peak Human Stamina: His body eliminates the excessive build-up of fatigue-producing poisons in his muscles, granting him phenomenal endurance. He can exert himself at peak capacity for several hours without rest before showing any signs of fatigue.
Peak Human Agility: Derek's agility is superior to that of any Olympic athlete that has ever competed.
Peak Human Reflexes: Sheppard's reflexes is superior to that of any Olympic athlete that has ever competed.
Peak Human Durability: His ability to withstand injury is superior to those of ordinary humans. This explains how he has survived the physical punishment during his career like building falls and explosions.
Peak Human Metabolism: His enhanced metabolism allows him to heal from injury or disease faster than normal humans. His immunity to diseases, toxins, or even alcohol poisoning is extraordinary, and legendary among the members of S.H.I.E.L.D. and his team, S.H.I.E.L.D. One.
Peak Human Mental Process: Sheppard's mental performance has been greatly enhanced, allowing his mind to operate in the most efficient and rapid manner possible. One manifestation of this is his tactical genius; the ability to quickly process multiple information streams (e.g., threat assessment) and rapidly respond to changing tactical situations. Derek also possesses an edictic memory, meaning that he never forgets anything and has perfect recall. This enables him to remember any military tactic and apply it to any situation.
Peak Human Reflexes: He possesses reaction time near superior to any Olympic athlete that has ever competed.
Peak Human Perception: Derek has exceptionally keen eyesight and hearing.}}

Abilities

Master Martial Artist: Derek Sheppard has mastered multiple martial arts including American-style boxing, Okinawa-te, jujitsu, aikido, judo, and various others which he either portrayed skill or knowledge in (two of them being pressure point fighting in which he rendered a guard unconscious using a nerve pinch and taijiquan) and combined these disciplines with his acrobatic talents to create his own unique hand-to-hand style of combat. He engages in a daily regimen of rigorous exercise (including aerobics, weight lifting, gymnastics, simulated combat, and even blind fighting) to keep himself in peak condition, and has often defeated opponents whose size, strength, or other powers greatly exceeded his own. As such, he is one of the finest human combatants Earth has ever known, alongside individuals such as Batman, Captain America, Wolverine, and Iron Fist.

Master Tactician and Strategist: Derek is an accomplished strategist, due to his fighting in the Chrell Invasion, and afterwards with S.H.I.E.L.D. and still later when he was Captain America. He is widely considered one of, if not the greatest tactician on the planet both on and off the battlefield. He is able to formulate battle strategies and his brilliant tactical sense allows him to just as quickly alter any strategy of plan to fit the need of the situation change.

Master Acrobat: His years of training have made him an expert in the field of acrobatics and gymnastics as well as a stunning aerialist.

Indomitable Will: He is a very strong willed person second to none. He is able to suppress all forms of temptation including physical, mental, and sexual. He is capable of resisting all forms of mind control; only the strongest willed individuals have a chance of enslaving him.

Expert Marksman: He can throw most if not all projectile weaponry with great aim and is well versed in the use of firearms. Unlike Steve Rogers, Derek has no qualms with utilizing firearms if he needs to.

Weapons Proficiency: He does not usually use weapons other than his shield, but in desperate times or situations where he and teammates are outnumbered, he will wield additional weapons to ensure victory. He has used staffs, bludgeons, and is adept with swords. He likely received training with different kinds of weapons during wartime for undercover infiltration missions in the event of not being able to use his shield.