MCU: 10 Things You Didn't Know About Vibranium
The lesser known facts behind Marvel's most famous substance.
Transcript
00:00 You can't navigate the vast expanse of the Marvel Cinematic Universe or the comics that
00:04 inspired it without coming across Vibranium in one form or another.
00:08 From Captain America's iconic shield to the arm of the Winter Soldier, Vibranium has
00:12 been popping up on screen since the very early stages of the MCU.
00:16 Fans of the MCU will now be more than aware of Vibranium's incredible capabilities after
00:21 seeing that demonstrated in glorious detail in many of the franchise's more dramatic
00:25 showdowns.
00:26 Whether it be Falcons soaring through the sky in his new suit or bullets literally bouncing
00:30 off Black Panther, the incredible uses and properties of Vibranium have been on display
00:34 in Marvel films and comics for years.
00:37 However, considering that it debuted in the comics in 1966, it's hardly surprising that
00:43 even the most diehard fans may have forgotten some of the more obscure facts about the world's
00:47 toughest metal.
00:49 This is Emile from WhatCulture and here's 10 things you didn't know about Vibranium.
00:53 10.
00:55 Vibranium arrived on Earth in a meteor
00:57 Appearing with a bang, Vibranium first arrived on the planet 2.5 million years ago within
01:02 a meteorite that landed in a small region in Africa.
01:06 This meteor had a peculiar and welcome effect on the ecosystem it landed in.
01:11 In a mysterious turn of events, the soil and the plant life in the region suddenly exploded
01:15 with fertility.
01:16 And as time passed and man eventually evolved on the continent, five tribes made their way
01:20 to the area, making it their home.
01:23 Marvel fans will know instantly this sequence describes the birth of the country of Wakanda,
01:28 which would become home to the Avenger, Black Panther.
01:31 While on Earth, Vibranium is most closely associated with Wakanda for obvious reasons.
01:35 The Wakandans possess and guard the planet's Vibranium supply.
01:39 Despite this, the fact that Vibranium arrived from outer space means that it is originally
01:44 an extraterrestrial material, a theory that has already been confirmed in an edition of
01:48 the comics featuring Captain Marvel.
01:50 9.
01:51 This version of Vibranium exists in Antarctica
01:55 In the Marvel comics, the first instance of Vibranium being discovered by humans took
01:58 place in Antarctica.
02:00 However, this version of Vibranium bore a key difference to that of the Vibranium Marvel
02:05 fans have become familiar with.
02:06 Showing up for the first time in a 1966 edition of Daredevil, it doesn't manipulate kinetic
02:11 energy.
02:12 Instead, this version of Vibranium dissolves other metals, earning it the appropriate name
02:16 of "antimetal" as it possesses the ability to cut through any metal.
02:21 Antimetal is discovered in a region of Antarctica dubbed the Savage Land.
02:24 This bizarre region was created 200 million years ago by the N'Wali, an ancient group
02:29 of aliens that progressed to advanced levels of technology millions of years before most
02:34 species were learning to rub twigs together to make fire.
02:37 The Savage Land is a separate, contained ecosystem within Antarctica, a tropical landscape circled
02:42 by volcanoes and inhabited by dinosaurs and humanoid creatures dubbed "man-apes".
02:47 This mind-blowing location is discovered by explorer Robert Plunder.
02:51 His sons Kevin and Parnival go on to become the superhero Kazaar and the cunning Daredevil
02:55 4, the Plunderer, respectively in the comics.
02:58 8.
02:59 Captain America met Black Panther defending Wakanda's Vibranium from the Nazis
03:03 While Captain America and Black Panther meet for the first time under the MCU banner in
03:07 2016's Civil War, events play out a little differently in the comics.
03:11 These two iconic characters actually meet during World War II, as depicted in the 2010
03:17 comic, Flags of Our Fathers.
03:19 Rogers is dispatched to Wakanda to prevent Nazis led by the Red Skull from stealing Vibranium
03:23 from Wakanda.
03:25 On his arrival, he soon finds himself face to face with the Black Panther of that time
03:29 period.
03:30 Much like the events depicted by the Civil War film, the two heroes actually go toe to
03:34 toe upon meeting for the first time, eventually teaming up to decimate the incoming Nazi attack
03:39 with the help of Nick Fury.
03:41 During this conflict, Cap's triangular original shield, made of ordinary metal, is destroyed.
03:46 He is subsequently gifted with a round Vibranium shield by Black Panther, which inspires the
03:51 iconic circular shield he wields in his later adventures.
03:54 This is quite a shift from the MCU canon, where Rogers' original shield is forged
03:59 by Howard Stark, who confides that making that shield used virtually all of the Vibranium
04:03 stores he had access to.
04:05 Safe to say, it was worth it in the long run.
04:07 7.
04:08 The Vibranium in Black Panther's suit robs incoming objects of momentum
04:12 Anyone who has seen Black Panther will be awestruck at the seemingly endless capabilities
04:17 of the suit donned by T'Challa, played by the late, great Chadwick Boseman.
04:21 The heart-shaped herb that he ingests in the Wakandan tradition, granting him near superhuman
04:26 strength, speed and agility, draws its powers from the Vibranium-enriched soil where the
04:30 meteor landed.
04:32 Coupled with his Vibranium-weaved suit, it is easy to see why Black Panther is such a
04:36 formidable hero.
04:38 The science behind the suit is incredibly interesting.
04:40 The Vibranium-weaved material robs incoming items of kinetic energy and stores it for
04:45 use at a later time.
04:47 Bullets fired back at Black Panther quite literally do nothing but make him stronger,
04:51 as the suit can disperse the stored kinetic energy at his discretion.
04:54 8.
04:55 Look no further than T'Challa's chase of arms dealer Ulysses Klaus in 2018's Outing.
05:00 Black Panther uses the stored energy to blast away a carload of goons after absorbing a
05:03 haul of gunfire during a chase through the streets of South Korea.
05:07 Some might argue the suit gives T'Challa an almost unassailable advantage over most
05:11 of his foes.
05:12 The playing field would be considerably more level were it not for the involvement of Vibranium.
05:16 I mean, give the rest of us a chance, please, Black Panther.
05:19 6.
05:20 A scientist experimenting with Vibranium discovered adamantium.
05:23 While fans of the MCU may be familiar with Captain America's shield or Falcon's suit,
05:28 newer fans who may not have read the comics might be unaware that another unforgettable
05:31 superhero owes his powers, in part, to Vibranium.
05:35 That's the X-Men's poster boy, Wolverine.
05:37 In the comics, scientist Myron McClane stumbles upon a small amount of Vibranium.
05:41 He attempts to bond it with other metals in order to create a new super-strong alloy,
05:46 but fails time and time again.
05:47 However, following yet another failed experiment, McClane accidentally created a new metal,
05:52 virtually immune to destruction, adamantium.
05:55 As all die-hard Marvel fans are aware, adamantium is the substance that eventually bonds with
05:59 Logan's skeleton, resulting in his transformation into the essentially indestructible, razor-clawed
06:05 Wolverine.
06:06 He remains one of the most recognizable and well-known superheroes in comic history to
06:11 this day, following Hugh Jackman's unforgettable 13-year tenure in the X-Men films.
06:16 It's hard to process that according to the comics, had a meteor not crashed in Africa
06:20 millions of years ago, the world might never have seen one of the most archetypal superheroes
06:25 of the last 50 years bear his famous claws on screen.
06:28 5.
06:29 Vibranium could cushion huge falls Due to Vibranium's ability to absorb kinetic
06:35 energy, the logic-defying substance can also be used to great effect when jumping from
06:39 great heights.
06:40 Conveniently enough, this comes in handy extremely often when you're a superhero and plunging
06:45 from great heights is all in a day's work.
06:47 Black Panther's suit exemplifies Vibranium's impact-dampening effect perfectly.
06:52 T'Challa is able to consistently plummet from great heights and hit objects at great
06:55 speed, emerging unscathed in the process.
06:58 The Vibranium that comprises the suit absorbs the impact from forces that would turn your
07:02 average citizen into a meat pancake.
07:04 Captain America can also be seen using his shield to disperse the impact of falls to
07:09 great effect throughout his appearances in the MCU.
07:12 You know, it's not just a glorified Frisbee, right?
07:15 But there are limits to the amount of energy Vibranium can store, so I wouldn't go skydiving
07:20 without a parachute relying on Vibranium to save you.
07:24 However, considering the limits of how much energy Vibranium can absorb are yet to be
07:28 established in the comics, a standard MCU 50-foot drop should be a piece of cake.
07:33 Or you'll turn into one.
07:35 4.
07:36 A company has created a real-life form of Vibranium
07:39 While Vibranium as depicted in the MCU is obviously a fictional metal, the ultra-adaptable
07:44 qualities of the material has inspired a real-life version of the notoriously useful Marvel staple.
07:50 Hyperloop Transportation Systems have developed their own smart material that they have christened
07:54 Vibranium, which they're planning to use in their Hyperloop systems in the near future.
07:59 A prototype system that'll connect the regions of the United Arab Emirates is currently in
08:03 development which will lead to US variants if testing is successful.
08:08 Dirk Olborn, the founder of the company, has boasted of the extraordinary capabilities
08:12 of their version of Vibranium.
08:14 He posits that their material is intelligent and can actually sense integrity and react
08:19 adaptively to impact, offering greater protection to passengers on board in the unlikely events
08:24 of an accident.
08:25 This version of Vibranium is allegedly 8 times lighter than Aluminium, while boasting strength
08:30 10 times that of steel versions, and the plan is to use the material in the outer layers
08:34 of the Hyperloop's transportation pods.
08:36 Who knows, you could be barrelling to work one day soon in a pod made of Vibranium-inspired
08:41 material.
08:42 3.
08:43 Vibranium can be sentient
08:44 Vibranium's incredible adaptability is no surprise when one considers that a living
08:49 version of the substance actually exists in Wakanda.
08:53 Sentient Vibranium is discovered in a Wakandan cave by the Dora Milaje, an elite personal
08:57 guard to the King of Wakanda.
08:59 The Vibranium discovered within the cave has the uncanny ability to cause earthquakes and
09:03 disrupt local ecosystems in addition to other natural phenomena.
09:08 The Dora Milaje actually take this sentient Vibranium into their bodies.
09:12 Members who spent years fine-tuning their abilities within the cave eventually absorb
09:16 the substance through their skin.
09:18 They also use this Vibranium in their spears, allowing them to better bond with the substance
09:22 and connect with the environment around them.
09:25 Just like Ultron and with all intelligence, Sentient Vibranium can be extremely dangerous
09:30 in certain circumstances.
09:32 This version of Vibranium mimics the nature of the person absorbing it down to their very
09:36 core while forming a distinct personality of its own at the same time.
09:40 A member of the Dora Milaje with a flawed personality who goes on to absorb the sentient
09:44 iteration runs the risk of the darker aspects of their personality being multiplied and
09:49 taking control of them with potentially devastating consequences.
09:52 2.
09:53 A member of the New X-Men uses Vibranium tattoos to stay alive.
09:57 A lesser-known fact surrounding Vibranium is tied up in the backstory of member of the
10:01 New X-Men, the disarmingly named Gentle.
10:04 Born to a Wakandan mother, Gentle's mutation derives from his Russian father.
10:09 He has the ability to dramatically increase or decrease muscle mass at his discretion.
10:14 While this imbues him with super strength and durability, he is abused and treated as
10:18 an outsider by his own mother due to his X-Gene.
10:21 T'Challa eventually takes pity on him and sends him to Xavier's school for mutants.
10:26 But what does this have to do with Vibranium?
10:27 Well, Gentle's body is covered from head to toe in Vibranium tattoos.
10:32 As a result of the psychological trauma from his upbringing, he is prone to fits and seizures
10:36 which the Vibranium tattoos alleviate.
10:38 Over time, they have bonded with his muscle tissue and glow blue whenever he uses his
10:43 powers.
10:44 After watching Captain America bash bad guys to pieces with the help of his trusty Vibranium
10:48 shield for years, it is hardly surprising that the medical properties of Vibranium may
10:52 have gone unnoticed by the wider Marvel fandom.
10:55 1.
10:56 Vibranium still has weaknesses
10:57 It might be an absurdly resilient metal, but Vibranium has shown throughout the Marvel
11:01 canon that while nearly unbreakable, the extraterrestrial metal still has weaknesses that can be exploited.
11:07 While a key benefit of Vibranium is that it manipulates kinetic energy, it also has the
11:11 unfortunate side effect of being a superb conductor of electricity.
11:15 This could spell disaster for any hero rocking a Vibranium weapon or suit.
11:19 Eagle Eye fans will remember Natasha Romanoff allowing Cap to escape in Civil War when she
11:23 managed to slow Black Panther down to great effect using an electroshock weapon.
11:27 While astonishingly resistant to damage, Vibranium has been shown throughout the MCU films as
11:32 a material that is ultimately breakable.
11:34 Is the iconic scene in Endgame where Thanos shatters Captain America's shield with titanic
11:39 blows, showing that the metal is not immune to damage of the highest degree?
11:43 It has also been shown to not provide protection against telekinetic powers.
11:47 Ultron's Vibranium-enriched final form does not do a great deal to prevent Wanda Maximoff
11:51 from quite literally ripping his heart out of his chest.
11:55 While astoundingly adaptable and durable, Vibranium falls just short of indestructible.
11:59 I don't care how strong or weak it is though, you can't stop me using it to slide down
12:04 hills on a snowy day, that's for sure.
12:06 Please make it a real thing.