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San Jose councilman is sworn in with Captain America’s shield

He's the hero local government needs.

 

Michelle Jaworski

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Posted on Jan 26, 2017   Updated on May 25, 2021, 3:15 am CDT

San Jose councilman Lan Diep, a longtime comic book fan, took inspiration from a comic book great as he was sworn into office Tuesday.

Instead of a Bible, Diep chose to place his hand on Captain America’s shield—whose ideals he admires—as he was sworn in as a San Jose city councilman. He wanted to “bring a moment of levity to the proceedings” and proudly held the shield during the ceremony.

A routine council seat swearing-in might not get much attention outside of local news, but Marvel fans delighted in learning that a councilman used Captain America’s shield for his ceremony.

“I think Captain America represents—embodies the ideals of America,” Diep told NBC Bay Area afterwards. “And those are the kind of things I’m hoping to strive for: Equal justice, fair play, and, democracy.”

We imagine he aligns more with earlier comic book versions of Steven Rogers and not the Hydra-infused current run.

While Diep plans to take his job seriously, he hopes that adding a bit of fun to local politics might engage more people and have them pay attention to it.

Steve would be proud indeed.

H/T Inverse

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*First Published: Jan 26, 2017, 12:15 pm CST