Warning: SPOILERS below for Black Panther!
-
Aside from Infinity Stones, Vibranium is the most valuable and coveted commodity in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
As established in Black Panther, Vibranium arrived on Earth millions of years ago in the form of a gigantic meteor composed of the metal. The meteor crashed in the continent of Africa, whereupon the nation of Wakanda was built around the "Great Mound" of Vibranium. Over millennia, the Wakandans learned to harness Vibranium, which is the most versatile substance on the planet. Vibranium is stronger than steel and nearly indestructible; because of its ability to absorb and deflect kinetic energy, the metal is completely vibration absorbent. The Wakandans have manipulated Vibranium for myriad uses, including weapons, vehicles, buildings, and even clothing and jewelry.
Related: Every Piece of Black Panther's Armor And Tech Explained
Vibranium is the rarest metal on Earth, but it is abundant in Wakanda, which keeps its existence a zealously-guarded secret. For its own protection from colonization, Wakanda's true nature stays hidden. The mysterious African nation presents itself as a poor Third World country to outsiders. In actuality, Wakanda, which is ruled by King T'Challa, the Black Panther, is the most technologically advanced and wealthiest nation on the planet.
However, despite the Wakandans' best efforts, supplies of Vibranium have escaped their borders over the years. Here is every instance Vibranium has been seen in the MCU thus far:
This Page: Wakanda's Vibranium and Captain America's Shield
Wakanda
For centuries, the Wakandans have mined the Great Mound of Vibranium. They built their nation - including Wakanda's gleaming capital city - around it, with the country's true face shielded from the outside world by an invisibility screen. The Great Mound itself extends miles below the African continent's surface and houses the advanced laboratory of the Wakandan Design Group, headed up by the teenage princess Shuri, the most brilliant person on Earth (even smarter than Tony Stark).
All of the vehicles, aircraft, weapons, and armor worn by Wakanda's soldiers and the elite Dora Milaje are comprised of Vibranium in some form or another. Perhaps the most impressive Vibranium suits of all are the various Black Panther suits worn by the line of Kings. The newest Black Panther suit created by Shuri improves upon T'Challa's design and features the ability to absorb and redirect kinetic energy. The new suit is housed entirely in T'Challa's necklace and can morph over him. Of course, it comes with the Black Panther's trademark Vibranium claws.
Related: Every Question You Have About Black Panther's Heart-Shaped Herb, Answered
Heart-Shaped Herb
The Vibranium in Wakanda's soil bonded with a rare plant which became known as the Heart-Shaped Herb. Found only in Wakanda, the Herb grants the Black Panther his superhuman strength and endurance when it is ritually ground up, liquified and drank. Zuri is the spiritual figure who tends to the garden of the Heart-Shaped Herb, but the garden was burned to the ground on the orders of King Erik Killmonger. Nakia salvaged one last Herb to restore the powers of King T'Challa, but as of the conclusion of Black Panther, Zuri is dead and the garden has been destroyed. However, it's likely Zuri's priestesses and helpers will have the means to grow more Heart-Shaped Herbs in the future.
Captain America's Shield
In 1940, Howard Stark brought a limited supply of Vibranium to the United States, which he acquired "from deepest Africa." All of that Vibranium was used to construct a shield, which was presented to the only success of the Super Soldier Project, Steve Rogers. The shield became Captain America's trademark weapon. Though a similar shield was sighted in Tony Stark's Malibu lab in Iron Man 2, Steve Rogers and his Vibranium shield were resurrected in the 21st century after being frozen in ice in 1945. Rogers wielded the shield until the conclusion of Captain America: Civil War, when he abandoned it and the Captain America mantle after being taunted by Tony Stark. The shield is technically the property of the U.S. Government, which likely took possession of it after Rogers became a wanted international fugitive.
Vibranium in S.H.I.E.L.D.
S.H.I.E.L.D. somehow also acquired supplies of Vibranium over the years. Director Nick Fury utilized Vibranium in the construction of The Bus, the original aircraft headquarters of Phil Coulson's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. The Bus featured a containment room made of a silicone-carbide Vibranium alloy, which was designed to hold superhuman prisoners. Fury also created a Vibranium digital storage device called the Toolbox, which contained highly classified files and information privy only to the Director of S.H.I.E.L.D. The Toolbox was gifted to Phil Coulson when he became Director.
What Klaue Stole
Ulysses Klaue, a notorious smuggler and international black market arms dealer, has been a thorn in Wakanda's side since the early 1990s. As we learned regarding Killmonger's secret history, Klaue worked with Wakanda's Prince N'Jobu in 1992 to smuggle Vibranium to the United States. Over the years, Klaue continued to return to Wakanda to steal Vibranium "at great personal cost" to both himself and the Wakandans he killed in the process. In Avengers: Age of Ultron, Klaue had stolen a large supply of Vibranium, which Ultron took from him in South Africa.
Related: Black Panther Ending Explained
The sonic cannon attached to Klaue's artificial left arm is Wakandan Vibranium tech. The final piece of Vibranium Klaue would ever steal was an artifact he and Erik Killmonger heisted from the British Museum and attempted to sell to CIA Agent Everett Ross in South Korea. This artifact is MIA after the melee that occurred between Klaue's forces and the Black Panther's.
Ultron
Ultron needed the huge amounts of Vibranium Klaue stole for his project to create a perfect form for himself. His goal was to utilize Dr. Helen Cho's Cradle technology to combine artificial organic tissue with Vibranium. When the Avengers stole the Cradle from him and brought it to Avengers Tower in New York City, Ultron used the remains of his Vibranium supply to construct a larger, more powerful android body for himself in Sokovia. He also combined HYDRA's salvaged Chitauri technology with Vibranium to create a doomsday device that lifted the landmass of the country thousands of feet into the sky. The Avengers' combined powers destroyed Ultron and saved the world from an extinction-level event. However, it's possible traces of Vibranium remain scattered across Sokovia.
Vision
Vision's android body is composed of a synthetic Vibranium alloy, while his mind is the artificial intelligence of J.A.R.V.I.S. and his powers are derived from the Mind Stone. Ultron intended Vision to be his perfect form, but the Cradle which housed Vision was stolen by the Avengers and brought back to Avengers Tower, where Thor's lightning brought Vision to life. One of the most powerful members of the Avengers, Vision is also probably the largest supply of Vibranium independent of Wakanda in the MCU, as his body is comprised of much of the Vibranium supply Ultron stole from Ulysses Klaue.
Bucky's Arm
While there's no evidence that the Soviet Union had access to Vibranium to construct the metal arm of the Winter Soldier, Bucky Barnes' recuperation in Wakanda is likely to lead to a new Vibranium arm grafted onto his left shoulder. Bucky was brought to Wakanda by Steve Rogers at the conclusion of the superhero Civil War, where he was placed into cryogenic suspension. Shuri is mapping his mind and engineering a way to eliminate his Soviet brainwashing so Bucky can return.
Related: Marvel Has A Bad CGI Problem
The end-credits scene of Black Panther shows that Bucky has come out of his cryo-freeze and has began the process of healing under Shuri's direction. He is still missing a left arm, but no doubt Shuri will gift him with a new and more advanced limb made of Vibranium technology for Avengers: Infinity War.
Next: How Black Panther Sets Up Avengers: Infinity War
