'Black Panther' hides a key to Marvel's future at the movies in Wakanda
Excited for Black Panther? So are we. Which is why we're rolling out obsessive coverage with Black Panther Week.
Black Panther spoilers ahead. You have been warned.
As the credits roll on Black Panther, a seismic shift occurs in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. King T'Challa informs the United Nations that Wakanda's isolationist era is at an end, and the African nation will henceforth share its technology and its resources with the outside world.
One representative asks in response, "What does a nation of farmers have to offer the rest of the world?" T'Challa merely smiles. We know it's vibranium, but the rest of the planet has no clue.
What is vibranium?
Until Black Panther, vibranium was a little-mentioned, yet extremely rare and valuable, metal. Captain America's trademark shield represented the sum total of the United States military's secret supply at the time it was made. Ultron built his robot army out of a stolen cache of the stuff, supplied by Ulysses Klaue.
Beyond factoring into a small handful of plot points in the Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. TV series, that's pretty much it for vibranium's place in the MCU. Until Black Panther came along, that is.
Black Panther teaches us a number of important facts about the rare metal. First, it's alien in origin. We don't know exactly when it happened, but at some point in MCU Earth's past, a meteor loaded with vibranium struck the region now known as Wakanda.
As Klaue tells the CIA's Everett Ross during one scene, there's enough of the stuff tucked beneath the nation's central mountain range that Wakandans have been pulling it out for a thousand years, and they've barely scratched the surface.
We're led to understand that vibranium means everything to Wakanda's development as a technologically advanced society. The movie doesn't fully reveal all of its properties, but it does offer some hints.
We know that vibranium, in its raw form, is unsafe to move around at high speeds. The movie also implies that native Wakandans carry a glowing, blue brand of sorts on the inside of their lower lip.
That persistent glow – most visible when the metal is in its raw form – suggests vibranium emits some unknown form of radiation. The Heart-Shaped Herb that, when consumed, provides the source of the Black Panther's power may possess those properties simply because of its proximity to the alien metal. That's the way the lore is written in Marvel Comics.
Why is vibranium important to Wakanda?
Black Panther portrays Wakanda as a technological marvel. It's a place where bullet wounds heal in hours rather than weeks. Where "cars" (if you can call them that) fly and maglev-powered trains speed through a network of underground mines. Where a Chadwick Boseman-sized uniform made entirely out of nanomachines can be hidden away in the teeth of an unremarkable necklace.
Hell, the entire central city of Wakanda is concealed from the rest of the world – a world populated by superhumans and S.H.I.E.L.D. technology, mind you – by a holographic mountain range. The movie strongly suggests that vibranium is behind all of this seemingly magical science.
And yet, the world is completely unaware. Wakanda got a mention in Iron Man 2 but the nation's connection to vibranium wasn't made clear until Ultron cut a deal with Klaue for his stolen cache of it in The Avengers: Age of Ultron.
That's where Black Panther's U.N.-set credits scene and the "farmer" line become important. The post-Black Panther world of the MCU is about to find out where vibranium comes from and what its capabilities are.
You've got to figure all that new tech is going to be pretty handy when the big, purple terror known as Thanos invades in The Avengers: Infinity War.
Vibranium in the future of the MCU
We already know from Infinity War trailers that Wakanda is a key setting during the events of the upcoming movie. Steve Rogers, Black Widow, Hulk, Falcon, and War Machine all join Bucky, T'Challa, and Okoye there at some point. You don't get that many Avengers in one place unless it's for a pivotal moment.
Thanos comes to Earth in his quest for the Infinity Stones, a collection of all-powerful cosmic artifacts. He plans to use them to turn himself into a living god. Black Panther is the rare MCU movie that never touches on the Stones directly. But that doesn't necessarily mean they're completely absent.
There's been some speculation that the Soul Stone, the only one of the six artifacts that hasn't directly appeared in an MCU movie, is buried deep beneath Wakanda. Perhaps it was embedded in the vibranium meteor. It may even be the source of the alien metal's power. There are strong spiritual connections in traditional Wakandan culture, after all; maybe that's all the product of a cosmic artifact.
Another possibility: Thanos visits Earth to retrieve the Mind Stone, currently embedded in Vision's forehead, and the Time Stone, which Doctor Strange is keeping safe. Vibranium, thanks to its alien point of origin and powerful capabilities, becomes key to Earth's resistance against the forces of Thanos.
Past MCU movies have revealed that the Mad Titan is a powerful ruler and military mastermind. If vibranium is the main thing standing between him and Earth's Infinity Stones, then cutting it off at the source – Wakanda – makes good military sense.
Beyond even Thanos: What happens to the MCU after Infinity War? Basically every movie released in the series to date has been building up toward a showdown of cosmic proportions in the May 4 release. But we already know the MCU will continue after Infinity War and the 2019 Avengers movie that follows it are over. What can we expect from The Next Big Threat That Unites All Heroes, Everywhere?
It's way too early to say for sure, but vibranium may be a clue there as well. The opening scene of Black Panther recounts the history of how the metal came to exist on Earth. That raises a question, though: How does anyone in Wakanda know the history?
It's possible this is a question that won't ever be answered, and we're simply meant to assume the story was passed down from generation to generation. But it's equally possible that the 2019 Captain Marvel movie will bring answers.
Captain Marvel is a prequel in the MCU timeline, set during the '90s. We also know the alien Skrulls are the movie's villain. In the comics, Captain Marvel is the one who first uncovers the alien origins of vibranium.
The MCU has a long history of mutating comic book storylines in a way that makes them work for the movies. It's entirely possible Captain Marvel will do exactly that to answer the question of how anyone on Earth knows where vibranium comes from.
Remember, this is all speculation. But MCU post-credits scenes often signpost the road ahead, and T'Challa's move in Black Panther to end Wakanda's isolationist policies strongly suggests that vibranium is about to take on an outsized importance.
Adam Rosenberg is a Senior Games Reporter for Mashable, where he plays all the games. Every single one. From AAA blockbusters to indie darlings to mobile favorites and browser-based oddities, he consumes as much as he can, whenever he can.Adam brings more than a decade of experience working in the space to the Mashable Games team. He previously headed up all games coverage at Digital Trends, and prior to that was a long-time, full-time freelancer, writing for a diverse lineup of outlets that includes Rolling Stone, MTV, G4, Joystiq, IGN, Official Xbox Magazine, EGM, 1UP, UGO and others.Born and raised in the beautiful suburbs of New York, Adam has spent his life in and around the city. He's a New York University graduate with a double major in Journalism and Cinema Studios. He's also a certified audio engineer. Currently, Adam resides in Crown Heights with his dog and his partner's two cats. He's a lover of fine food, adorable animals, video games, all things geeky and shiny gadgets.
