Where Did The MCU's Vibranium Come From? 3 Best Origin Theories Explained

Warning: This article contains spoilers for Eternals

Vibranium is a vital part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, but its exact origins are a complete mystery. Black Panther: Wakanda Forever is likely to show plenty more vibranium inventions, showing off the many uses of the MCU’s most coveted metal. But as for why the metal itself is so rare, the most likely answer is that it isn't a natural metal. Whether by accident or on purpose, vibranium was created.

Vibranium is the metal used to create Captain America's iconic shield, with its ability to store and release kinetic energy making it nearly indestructible. This same trait also allows fantastic technology to be created from it. Exceptionally rare, vibranium is both the source of Wakanda's technological prowess and the main component of Vision's artificial body, created by Ultron in Avengers: Age of Ultron. What's more, in comic canon, experiments on vibranium led to the creation of an even stronger metal, adamantium, used in Wolverine's skeleton and claws. Because of these unique abilities, the metal is much-coveted throughout the MCU, prompting the likes of Ulysses Klaue to become a black market vibranium specialist, making millions in the process. However, for all its significance, the only information given by the movies on vibranium's original source is that a meteorite full of it landed in Africa thousands of years ago. Where that meteorite came from is still an open question.

Vibranium's source is a big mystery, in both movies and comics. The Captain Marvel comics have shown that vibranium is rare everywhere in the universe, with Earth being one of only a few places in the galaxy to contain any. In the real world, all metals are created in the cores of stars, the largest of which scatter their metallic ashes across the whole galaxy when they explode as supernovae. Even the rarest metals can be found in trace amounts all across the entire Universe. If vibranium is only found in a few select places, then the only logical conclusion is that vibranium is not a naturally occurring metal.

Theory — Vibranium was made by the dwarves of Nidavellir

Thor holding open the forge at Nidavellir during Avengers: Infinity War

Nidavellir, introduced in Avengers: Infinity War, is a gigantic forge that uses a dying star to create powerful weapons, like Thor's hammer Mjolnir and Thanos' Infinity Gauntlet. These artifacts are crafted from another rare metal called uru, which has the unique ability to store and redirect magical energy. This is what lets Thor use his weapons, Mjolnir and Stormbreaker, to focus his lightning. Uru is also stronger than vibranium, which is how the sword wielded by Thanos during Avengers: Endgame was able to break Captain America's shield.

Uru and vibranium share one big similarity — they both redirect energy. The dwarves of Nidavellir are the only people known to create uru, but it's possible they may have created vibranium too, as a byproduct. Being a weaker metal, and unable to store magic, they'd probably discard it as scrap. The vibranium meteorite that landed in Wakanda may simply have been detritus which the dwarves didn't consider worth using. However, even though it lacks some of uru's most significant qualities, it's still an incredibly potent substance in its own right.

Theory — Vibranium was made by the Celestials

In Eternals, while Sersi and Ikaris attempt to persuade Phastos to rejoin them, there's a throwaway joke about vibranium. It's a fleeting moment, but it confirms that the Eternals are familiar with the material, despite it being so rare across the universe. It's possible they know of it because of the meteorite found in Wakanda, but it's also possible the Celestials are vibranium's creators.

The Celestials are older than the Universe, as explained in the introduction to Eternals. While their full abilities are still only hinted at, the MCU's Celestials are essentially space gods. If Tony Stark could create a new element, the Celestials definitely could too and, if they created vibranium, it explains how rare it is. The meteorite which landed on Earth was probably just one of a few stray fragments, with most of it being used for other purposes. As for what those purposes are, one possibility is that Celestials use it to create their own weapons and armor. A more interesting idea, though, is hinted at by the plot twists in Eternals. If both the Deviants and the Eternals are artificially created, perhaps their bodies are at least partially made from vibranium, just like Vision. As the android proves, the metal is malleable enough that using it to enhance seemingly living tissue is not out of the question.

Theory — Vibranium was made by an infinity stone

The Celestial, Eson, shown destroying a planet with the power stone in Guardians of the Galaxy.

The most popular fan theory for where vibranium came from is that it was created by an infinity stone. The infinity stones in the MCU can impart exceptional abilities to people — Wanda Maximoff received her superpowers from the mind stone, while energy from the space stone granted superpowers to Carol Danvers. It's a safe bet that the other stones could leave traces of energy the same way.

Guardians of the Galaxy shows a Celestial named Eson destroying a planet with the power stone. This would obviously take an incredible amount of energy. If the power stone can leave energy behind in objects the way the other stones do, this act could have created vibranium as the planet was being consumed, leaving fragments of it drifting through space. One of those could have ended up landing on Earth.

As the Marvel Cinematic Universe has progressed, vibranium has become an increasingly important part of its stories, and this is unlikely to change in the future. With Black Panther: Wakanda Forever scheduled for release in 2022, the movies are likely to show more wondrous vibranium-based technology. A few more hints may be given, eventually, about vibranium’s origins. Or perhaps it’ll be more interesting to leave that as a mystery, leaving audiences to keep on speculating. Whatever the real solution, however, there's no doubt that vibranium remains one of the most important and enigmatic substances in the entire MCU.

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