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Vibranium is a rare, naturally occurring meteoric ore, theorized to be extraterrestrial origin, that has been found in two distinct varieties. Vibranium is most abundant in Wakanda.

Vibranium is not as hard or dense as Adamantium, but it is still very durable. It is also easier to make objects out of, such as the mesh costume the Black Panther wears. Vibranium absorbs more impact than adamantium.

File:Wakanda 0003.jpg

Map and flag of Wakanda

Wakandan Vibranium

Wakandan Vibranium is found almost exclusively in the tiny African nation of Wakanda. Wakandan Vibranium, through as yet unknown means, absorbs vibratory energy in its vicinity, such as sound waves, within itself. The apparent observable vibratory rate of the molecules of the Vibranium itself does not noticeably increase when the Vibranium absorbs mechanical energy. The outside vibratory energy is stored within the bonds between the molecules making up the Vibranium. As a result, a chunk of Vibranium which had absorbed a considerable amount of vibratory energy would be exceedingly hard to demolish. If enough force were were applied to this chunk to smash it, the Vibranium would explode, releasing much of the absorbed energy. There are limits to the capacity of Vibranium to absorb vibratory energy, although the exact extent of these limits has not yet been determined.

For example, in recent years the oil conglomerate Roxxon discovered that a certain small island is the South Atlantic has a foundation composed of Wakandan Vibranium. Roxxon found it necessary to destroy the island and blew it up with bombs. Unable to absorb the force of the explosion, the Vibranium was destroyed, but it did succeed in entirely absorbing the sound made by the explosion, which prevents damage to the surrounding area.

It is only in recent years that the outside world has learned of the existence of Wakandan Vibranium, although its existence has been rumored for decades. In the early 1940s a small amount of Wakandan Vibranium came into the possession of the young, brilliant scientist Dr. Myron MacLain. Dr. MacLain began to develop super-strong metals for the US Government at the beginning of World War II. While experimenting on iron alloys for use as tank armor, he accidently created the ultra-resilient Vibranium-iron alloy shield used by Captain America. Although he was never able to duplicate the alloy, after several decades of continued experiments, MacLain finally produced the formula for True Adamantium and gave it to the US Government.

Sometimes later the renegade scientist Ulysses Klaw, who had believed the rumors of Vibranium were true, found the great "sacred mound" of Vibranium in Wakanda. The chieftans, also known as kings, of the Wakandans had guarded the mound for generations as a sacred trust. Klaw failed in his attempt to steal Vibranium from the mound but killed the chieftan T'Chaka. T'Chaka's son, T'Challa, became the new king of the Wakandans and also adopted the sacred guise of the Black Panther. T'Challa strove to end Wakanda's isolation from the rest of the world. He made the existence of Vibranium known to the outside world and sold small quantities of it to foreigners when he believed would not turn it to harmful ends. T'Challa used the profits to enrich and modernize his nation.

Vibranium can amplify mystical energies. It's unstable when used this way and it taps into an energy flow on the quantum level that is virtually infinite. If anyone was able to master the secret of using magically charged vibranium they would become immensely powerful.

Anti-Metal

Antarctic Vibranium has thus far been found in nature only in the isolated region of Antarctica known as the Savage Land. Antarctic Vibranium, is also known as Anti-Metal due to its effects. Whereas Wakandan Vibranium absorbs vibratory energy into its molecular bonds, Antarctic Vibranium, through a means that is not yet understood, emanates vibrations which cause the atomic and molecular bonds in nearby metals of other kinds to weaken. The result is to cause nearby solid metals to liquify. If huge quantities of Antarctic Vibranium were gathered together, at some unknown point the accumulated mass would increase logarithmically as more Vibranium was added.

Theoretically, if the enormous mound of of Wakandan Vibranium were composed of Antarctic Vibranium instead, the resulting vibrations would therefore liquify metals throughout Africa, and possibly beyond. A fraction of the sacred mound of Wakandan Vibranium was apparently converted to Antarctic Vibranium by particle bombardment. It is not known what the Wakandans have done with the artificially created Antarctic Vibranium.

It is possible to convert Vibranium into Anti-Metal, but it is unknown if the opposite is true.

One of the most recent uses of this metal was when Spider-Man created spider-tracers made of this material to destroy the Reverbium that was at the hands of Kingpin.

Reverbium

Reverbium is an artificial variant to Vibranium created by Sajani Jaffrey, after most of the world's Vibranium was rendered inert. This variant is imperfect, so rather than absorbing vibrations, it does the opposite, and blows everything away, making it a powerful weapon even in small amounts. Reverbium seems to have recently been destroyed, to avoid its use as a dangerous weapon, after The Hobgoblin stole some of it for the Kingpin. It wasn't revealed until recently that Sajani had kept some bits of said faux material for further study at Horizon Labs until it's abrupt destruction & dissolution.[1]


Captain America's Shield 001

Captain America's Shield

Known Uses

  • Captain America's Shield is made of a Vibranium-iron alloy created by Dr. Myron MacLain.
  • The costume worn by the Black Panther is micro weave mesh Wakandan Vibranium while the claws in his gloves are of the Anti-metal variety.
  • Warpath wields a pair of Vibranium daggers given to him by Storm.
  • Avengers Tower is reinforced with Vibranium-laced concrete.
  • Gentle has Vibranium tattoos all over his body, keeping his powers to increase his strength and muscle mass cause in check. His powers also cause seizures and are slowly killing him.[2] The Vibranium tattoos keep him alive for now, but must occasionally be reapplied.[3]
  • Maverick uses a Vibranium weave suit that muffles the sound of his movements and uses a rifle with Anti-metal bullets.
  • Echo's sliver made by Buck Lime.
  • Tony Stark's Arc Reactor Tony Stark uses Vibranium as an alternative to Palladium for his chest piece.
  • The walls of the interrogation room on "The Bus" are made of a silicon carbide-Vibranium alloy, meant to contain prisoners as strong as an Asgardian.

Notes

  • In Ultimate Avengers: The Movie, Vibranium is a metal used by the alien race called Chitauri. A portion of it was recovered by S.H.I.E.L.D. after an attempted nuclear attack on Washington, D.C.. From what their researchers could determine, it absorbed energy like a sponge and could take multiple hits. The only means to pierce the metal was with weapons composed of Vibranium. SHIELD had enough Vibranium to create a shield later used by Captain America. SHIELD constructed a satellite that could detect Vibranium, but it was destroyed by the Chitauri soon after deployment.
  • In the movie's sequel, Ultimate Avengers 2: Rise of the Panther, large amounts of Vibranium are found in Wakanda. Dr. Bruce Banner discovers that in the previous Chitauri attack, the Hulk was able to smash their ships without any effort. He learns that Vibranium turns brittle upon exposure to gamma radiation.

Trivia

The Inhumans have their own word for Vibranium.[4]

See Also

Links and References

References

Template:The Black Panther Template:First Avenger

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