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Vibranium - The Wonder of Wakanda

Black Panther wearing Vibranium suit. PC: ucf.edu

If you've ever thought that the Vibranium metal used in the Black Panther movie is a real material, you're possibly mistaken.

What is Vibranium?
Sourced from a meteorite that landed in Wakanda many centuries ago, Vibranium provides the superpower in the main character’s suit, absorbing energy and redistributing it.

Vibranium (/vaɪˈbreɪniəm/) 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 Wakanda, the metal is associated with Black Panther, who wears a suit of vibranium, and with Captain America, who bears a vibranium-steel alloy shield which has never been reproduced.

 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.

Captain's America's shield made of Vibranium-Steel Alloy. PC: Quora.com

Journalists have drawn parallels between Wakanda's vibranium reserves and the mining of coltan in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Coltan is an ore containing niobium and tantalum, two rare and valuable metals, and its exploitation is linked with child labour, systematic exploitation of the population by governments or militant groups, exposure to toxic chemicals and other hazards.

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.

Properties and Known Abilities
In the Marvel Comics Universe, vibranium is a rare metallic substance of extraterrestrial origin. The only actual physical property directly mentioned, is Howard Stark tells Captain America it is 1/3rd the weight of steel, giving it a specific gravity of 2.6. It exists in many forms:

Wakandan Vibranium is the most common variety, and is often referred to simply as "vibranium". It is a rare substance native only to the fictional small African nation of Wakanda.

The Wakandan isotope possesses the ability to absorb all vibrations in the vicinity as well as kinetic energy directed at it.

The energy absorbed is stored within the bonds between the molecules that make up the substance. As a result, kinetic energy is dissipated within the bonds instead. There are limits to the capacity of the energy that can be stored, and although the exact limitations are not yet known, there have been a few examples. One such instance was when the oil conglomerate Roxxon discovered that a small island in the South Atlantic had a foundation composed of vibranium.

Black Panther crawling in V-suit. PC: quora.com


Due to this, Roxxon found it necessary to destroy the island and so blew it up with bombs. Unable to absorb the force of the explosions, the vibranium was destroyed, but it did succeed in entirely absorbing the sound made by the explosion, preventing damage to the surrounding area.

This variety of vibranium is a powerful mutagen. Vibranium exposure led to the mutation of many Wakandan natives. Its radiation has also permeated much of Wakanda's flora and fauna, including the Heart-Shaped Herb eaten by members of the Black Panther Tribe and the flesh of the White Gorilla eaten by the members of the White Gorilla Tribe. Both give superhuman abilities to whoever eats them.

It is also believed to dramatically enhance mystical energies.

Other varieties include: Antarctic variety, Artificial variety and Living variety.

In conclusion, Vibranium is just an imaginary material created for comic and fictional purposes. It does not exist in real life. Its fantastic properties just show possibilities in Materials Science and Engineering. Other fictional materials include Adamantium and Unobtainium.

Credit: The Free Encyclopedia, UCF

Read Also: Is Vibranium possible in real life?


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