The most versatile metal in the world, and they used it to make a frisbee. -- Ultron src

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History

Origin

Vibranium is a rare metallic ore with energy-manipulating properties. Theorized to have been first deposited on Earth by a meteorite 1,000,000 years ago,[4] the material has long been hypothesized - by many scientists who have had ample chance to study it - to be extraterrestrial in origin. Captain Marvel inadvertently proved this theory to be true during a scuffle between survivors of the Builders attack and the Spartax empire who relocated them, where the latter had been poisoning the planet and its nomadic inhabitants through the improper mining of Vibranium to rebuild their fleets.[5]

There are said to be five different types of vibranium found on Earth, including three known varieties and a few unknown others.[6] Two of the best known isotopes are Wakandan Vibranium and Antarctic Vibranium.[7]

Modern Day

If tempered properly through a mix of magic and science, Vibranium can amplify mystical energies. The material becomes highly unstable when used this way, because it taps into an energy flow on the quantum level that is virtually infinite. If someone was able to master the secret of using magically charged vibranium, they would become immensely powerful.[8] Dr. Doom utilized this property in his latest scheme for ultimate power, nearly crippling King T'Challa as a preemptive measure while seeding the citizens of Wakanda with nanites, turning the secret city's people into his ultimate spy network/hostage cache.[9] At the same time, he secretly aided the xenophobic dissident Desturi sect with their uprising, and attempted overthrow of the royal family, while he stole the mother load of Vibranium from right beneath the city.[10] When the meteor fell to earth over Africa thousands of years ago, it was largely thought that the majority of which had fallen squarely into Wakandan territory. In reality however it was found that unprocessed Vibranium exists in microscopic form across the entire world as the meteorite had seeded the earth in trace particles of it.[11] Through which Doctor Doom could temporarily assume total control over the planet's very biosphere via the transplant of said ambient alien metal scattered across the environment in most every piece of building material in every civilized corner of the globe. In order to fashion makeshift doombots out of Vibranium particulate matter with a thought.[11] After the war, all the processed Vibranium on Earth had been rendered inert by a Shadow Physics designed pulse bomb, using Doom's new mystically charged Vibranium armor as a focal point to broadcast it across the world. With the continuum-wide reset resulting in the aftermath of the death and rebirth of the Multiverse Vibranium has also been restored to the planet. As the mutant criminal Vanisher attempted to make off with stolen Vibranium to sell on the black market in New York City.[12]

Variations

Wakandan Vibranium

Wakandan Vibranium also known as Vibranium A, is found almost exclusively in the tiny African nation of Wakanda.[13][7]

In the distant past, a massive meteorite comprised of the sound-absorbing mineral Vibranium crashed into the land that would later become Wakanda, and was unearthed a generation before the events of the present-day. One of the local tribes, lead by Bashenga, its mightiest warrior, decided to investigate the site, believing the meteorite to be a gift from the gods. When they reached the crater they found that the material vibrated on its own and decided it would be useful to forge into weapons. However the radiation the meteorite gave off also had a side effect, turning some of the tribesman into "Demon Spirits". Bashenga prayed to the Panther God to give him the strength to defeat these demons becoming the first "Black Panther" and united the tribes to form the nation of Wakanda. His lineage would later rule the country for centuries.[14]

Vibranium radiation has permeated much of Wakanda's flora and fauna, including the Heart-Shaped Herb eaten by members of the Black Panther Cult, and the flesh of the White Apes's eaten by the members of the White Gorilla Cult.[14] Members of the Panther tribe who consume the herb are instinctively tied to the Vibranium, able to sense whenever it is taken out of their country by illicit means.[15]

Wakandan Vibranium absorbs vibratory or kinetic energy in its vicinity within itself.[7] When focused on the molecular level, it can even sap the energy that binds particles together causing matter to disintegrate.[16] The apparent observable vibratory rate of the molecules of the Vibranium itself does not noticeably increase when the Vibranium absorbs mechanical energy.[7] The outside vibratory energy is stored within the bonds between the molecules making up the Vibranium.[7] As a result, a chunk of Vibranium which had absorbed a considerable amount of vibratory energy would be exceedingly hard to demolish.[7] If enough force were applied to this chunk to smash it, the Vibranium would explode, releasing much of the absorbed energy.[7] There are limits to the capacity of Vibranium to absorb vibratory energy, although the exact extent of these limits has not been determined.[7][17]

For example, in recent years the oil conglomerate Roxxon discovered that a certain small island in the South Atlantic had 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 prevented damage to the surrounding area.[18]

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 1940's a small amount of Wakandan Vibranium came into the possession of the young, brilliant scientist Dr. Myron MacLain.[19] Dr. MacLain began to develop super-strong metals for the US Government at the beginning of World War II.[19] While experimenting with various alloys for use as tank armor, he accidentally created the disk shield by infusing Proto-Adamantium with Wakandan Vibranium.[20] Although he was never able to duplicate the alloy, after several decades of continued experiments, MacLain finally produced the formula for True Adamantium for the US Government.[21]

Sometime later the renegade scientist Ulysses Klaw, who believed the rumors of Vibranium to be true, found the great "sacred mound" of Vibranium in Wakanda. The king of Wakanda had guarded the mound for generations as a sacred trust. Klaw failed in his attempt to steal Vibranium from the mound but killed the king T'Chaka. T'Chaka's son, T'Challa, became the new king of the Wakandans and 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 greater world and sold small quantities of it to foreigners whom he believed would not turn it to harmful ends. This proved to be a hugely lucrative enterprise: Wakandan Vibranium is sold at $10,000 per gram, and the country's sacred mound is estimated to hold about 10,000 tons of the material. The gross net worth of a Vibranium bench alone is equivalent to $20,000,000.[13] T'Challa used the profits from these sales to enrich and modernize his nation.[13][22]

Anti-Metal

Antarctic Vibranium , also known as Vibranium B or S.L.V (Savage Land Vibranium), has thus far been found only in the isolated region of Antarctica known as the Savage Land.[23][7] It is also known as Anti-Metal due to its opposite effects to Wakandan Vibranium.[7] Antarctic Vibranium, through a means that is not understood, emanates vibrations which cause the atomic and molecular bonds in nearby metals of other kinds to weaken, which results in the liquefaction of nearby solid metals.[24][7] Savage Land Vibranium also produces protective counter vibrations which can throw off sonic attacks, its unique properties can also be used to create dimensional apertures to other realities with the right vibrational attunement.[25]

A particularly influential noble partook of this mystery element, fashioning it into a family crest which served as a key their most sacred treasure, The Plunder Stone.[26] with this rock the family patriarch hoped to do some good with it, even fashioning a Medallion out of the metal and imparting it onto his two sons. His more duplicitous heir chose to abuse its power for criminal endeavors, fashioning a weapon out of it which melts all forms of munitions used against him.[27]

Over the years the antarctic variety has become much more prolific on the global stage. A mercenary looking to utilize Anti-Metal as a terrorist weapon in satellite espionage discovered it had mutagenic properties, giving him similar alloy melting properties in the mesh suit he wore.[28] At a trial overseen by She-Hulk, a trading company's mismanagement of which lead to the collapse of one of their storage complex's. Revealing that human exposure to it can also be deadly, as Anti-Metal's vibrations can dissolve the iron content in the blood, causing any manner of health deficiencies because of it.[29] Due to its metal slagging properties Anti-Metal is next to impossible to properly fashion. But a war-criminal scientist found and perfected a means to fashion it into useful munitions, yet kept the secret to himself.[30]

While a largely theoretical practice, it is possible to transform Wakandan Vibranium into Antarctic Vibranium. A fraction of the sacred mound of Wakandan Vibranium was converted to Antarctic Vibranium by particle bombardment, specifically through Gigawatt Baryon Beams produced by a massive Cyclotron apparatus. Alternating the differentiating isotope that separates Wakandan Vibranium from Antarctic Vibranium.[31] Turning one of its Vibranium deposits into a massive Anti-Metal mound which threatened the mega-structure of the eastern hemisphere and the entire world at large.

During the Vibranium Vendetta story-line, a unstable form of Vibranium called Nuform was created by Roxxon that would quickly degenerate into Anti-Metal if not regularly bombarded with Microwave Radiation.[32] When Wakandan Vibranium was left inert during the Doomwar, Princess Regent Shuri ventured to the Savage Land in order to procure some Antarctic Vibranium. It was revealed that Klaw had struck an accord with A.I.M in order to procure a defense system liquidating mind control device called Scream, which he could utilize through the power of a similarly sonkinetic superbeing called M.U.S.I.C..[33]

Reverbium

Reverbium is an artificial variant of Vibranium that was created by Sajani Jaffrey after most of the world's Vibranium was rendered inert. This variant is imperfect, so rather than absorbing vibrational and kinetic energy, it does the opposite and pushes it away, making it a powerful weapon even in small amounts.[34] All of the existing Reverbium has been seemingly destroyed to avoid its use as a dangerous weapon, after the Hobgoblin stole some of it for the Kingpin. It was revealed later that Sajani had kept some bits of said faux material for further study at Horizon Labs until its abrupt destruction and dissolution.[35]

One of the flaws of Reverbium, is that while the metal itself is incredibly potent. Its atomic structure is highly unstable, making it less resilient than pure Vibranium. The right particle bombardment can send its subatomic structure crumbling into dust.[36]

It is later revealed that some A.I.M scientists were working on recreating more of the substance for their own purposes under the influence of Klaw when he returned.[37] Ulysses learned that Reverbium could be used to amplify his powers to unfathomable degree's, further enabling his control over sound even greater range and effect.[38] He'd intended to use this aspect in order revive his unresponsive sister Julia to a semblance of life by recreating her as a soniokinetic entity mimicking himself via neuropsychic energy transfer.[39]

Living Vibranium

Discovered by the Dora Milaje and then refined by once famous Wakandan scientist, Obinna Nwabueze. His delving into the subatomic structure of vibranium yielded results in the form of semi-sentient consciousness within it, resulting in truly self reliant smart metal that could fend for itself.[40] What many people didn't know, even a great many living within Wakanda, was that sentient Vibranium wasn't manufactured at all. It is a naturally recurring ore sitting within a cave near the great mound called the Echo Chamber, which was turned into a training site reserved and utilized for militia conditioning by the Dora Milaje. Said vibranium responded to resonation with mimicry and often responded best if the recipient using it was one of the Adored Ones, whom having spent years honing themselves within the echo chamber, absorbed some of it through their skin.[41] This Sentient Vibranium proved too volatile however, as the inner self mimicked the user down to its core while also growing a persona of its own. Left unchecked said materia could go on a rampage either of its own accord,[42] or if exposed to an errant personality.[43]

Said vibranium's abilities are vast, since it knows itself within as well as without; able to harmoniously attune to nature around itself to cause all manner of impossible phenomena to occur. I.E. tremors, irregular animal behavior, casting of illusions and syncing directly with other vibranium caches to trigger all of these effects.[42] The Dora's found a way to control it through use of Treated Vibranium in the form of drums or small pieces of which kept within their spears. Once done somebody could command it to act on the instrument carriers behalf.[44] Both treated and living varieties of Vibranium throw out vibrations instead of absorbing them, through which a user can open a portal to an extra dimension linked to the quasi-consciousness of the Mimic-27 through the echo chamber. Only those who have trained there can access it however, and the Sentient Vibranium will create mimicry's of anyone who enters as a defense mechanism.[41] Whenever new recruits practice in the cave with the control device housing the mimic, it seemingly faces the advocate with an almost psychometric projection of themselves; entailing the Living Vibranium situated within the cave has clairvoyant properties. Showing those who take the test premonitions of their own future.[43]

Known Uses

Marvel Cinematic Universe (Earth-199999)

Ultimate Avengers: The Movie ( Earth-3488

On Earth-3488, Vibranium is a metal used by the alien race called the 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 were weapons composed of Vibranium. S.H.I.E.L.D. had enough Vibranium to create the shield later used by Captain America. S.H.I.E.L.D. constructed a satellite that could detect Vibranium, but it was destroyed by the Chitauri soon after deployment.[73]

Ultimate Avengers 2: Rise of the Panther ( Earth-60808

On Earth-60808, large amounts of Vibranium were found in Wakanda. Dr. Bruce Banner discovered that during a previous Chitauri attack, the Hulk had been able to smash through the Vibranium plated Chitauri ships without any effort. Because of this, he discovered that Vibranium turns brittle when exposed to gamma radiation.[74]





Notes

Vibranium is not as hard or dense as Adamantium, but it is still very durable.[59] It is also naturally occurring and thus easier to acquire in significant quantities, unlike adamantium which must be produced artificially.



Trivia

See Also