Vibranium

Vibranium is a fictional metal appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics, noted for its extraordinary abilities to absorb, store, and release large amounts of kinetic energy. Mined only in the kingdom of Wakanda, the metal is associated with the character Black Panther, who wears a suit of vibranium, and Captain America, who bears a vibranium/steel alloy shield. An alternate form of the material, known as Antarctic Vibranium, or Anti-Metal, has appeared in the Savage Land.

Publication history

Vibranium first appeared in Daredevil #13 (February 1966), which was written by Stan Lee and layouts by Jack Kirby with finished art by John Romita. Here, vibranium was seen to be an unusual metallic element with decidedly strange properties. Since that point in Marvel Comics continuity, it has been established that there are a few variations of this element that can be found in isolated regions all around the world. The variation first introduced in Daredevil #13 eventually became known as Anti-Metal. This variation is different in that it can cut through any known metal. In the Marvel Universe, Anti-Metal can traditionally be found only in Antarctica. Later in Fantastic Four #53 (August 1966), by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, a new variation of vibranium was introduced in the isolated nation of Wakanda. This variation had the unique attribute of being able to absorb sound. This is the variation that is most often identified in continuity as simply "vibranium".

Fictional history

In the Marvel Universe, vibranium was first deposited on Earth by a meteorite 10,000 years ago. It was discovered during an expedition to Antarctica and named "Anti-Metal" due to its property of dissolving other metals.[1]

A different variety of vibranium found in Wakanda absorbs sound waves and other vibrations, including kinetic energy. Absorbing sound waves, vibrations, and kinetic energy makes this metal stronger. To protect this resource, Wakandans concealed their country from the outside world. Wakandan king T'Chaka funded his country's education by occasionally selling off minuscule quantities of the metal. As a result, Wakanda is one of the world's most technologically advanced nations.[2] In the early 1940s, a small amount of Wakandan vibranium came into the possession of the scientist Myron MacLain. He tried to combine vibranium with iron to create armor, but was unable to fuse the elements. One morning, MacLain found that the two materials had bonded on their own in an unknown manner. The ultra-resilient alloy was used to create Captain America's shield.[3] MacLain worked for decades without success to duplicate the accident, creating adamantium in the process.[4][5] When T'Challa became the king of Wakanda, he strove to end his country's isolation from the rest of the world. Making the existence of vibranium known to the outside world around the mid-1980s, he sold small quantities of it to foreigners who, he believed, would not use it to harmful ends. T'Challa used the profits to enrich and modernize his nation.[6]

Properties and known abilities

In other media

Real-world material

In 2016, Hyperloop Transportation Technologies developed a real-world smart composite material that they named Vibranium. The lightweight carbon fiber material for the Hyperloop pods is reported to provide the passengers double protection against damage to the exterior. The company says that its Vibranium is 8 times lighter than aluminum and 10 times stronger than steel alternatives. The smart material can transmit critical information regarding temperature, stability, integrity and more, wirelessly and virtually instantly.[19]

Journalists have drawn parallels between Wakanda's vibranium reserves and the mining of coltan in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Coltan is an ore containing niobium and tantalum, two rare and valuable metals, and its exploitation is linked with child-labor, systematic exploitation of the population by governments or militant groups, exposure to toxic chemicals and other hazards; see coltan mining and ethics.[20][21][22] Historian Thomas F. McDow draws a parallel to uranium, found in the mine Shinkolobwe in Haut-Katanga Province, also in the Democratic Republic of Congo.[23]

Scholarly analysis

The concept of vibranium as an extremely valuable material, monopolized and mastered by the African civilization of Wakanda, has been subject to scholarly analysis. Several studies have looked at it from the perspective of cultural studies and literary criticism, including tying it to the genre of afrofuturism.[24][25][26] Alessio Gerola noted in the context of the 2018 film Black Panther, that "Fundamental disagreements about vibranium’s existence and use drive the film's plot, but the mythology and history of vibranium are even more essential to understanding how and why characters like Klaw, Killmonger, T'Challa, and Shuri treat vibranium the way they do", concluding that "Vibranium, from a narrative point of view, simply represents the power of possibilities and the disagreements that arise about the “great responsibilities” that follow from such "great powers".[26]

It has been also analyzed with regards to its physical properties as a type of supermaterial. In 2017, Mark Whiting concluded that vibranium, as described in fiction, is not unrealistic, and resembles "a high-entropy shape-memory alloy composite, reinforced with a ceramic", beyond the ability of our current material science to produce, but not beyond the ability of our current theoretical science to explain.[27] It has been suggested that the popular culture impact of vibranium can make it useful as a teaching-aid when attempting to interest students in material science and related fields.[28][29][30]

See also

• Neutronium
• Unobtainium

External links

• World of Black Heroes: Vibranium Biography
• Vibranium at MarvelDatabase.com
• Vibranium at MarvelDirectory]