Summary

• Vibranium has been used by various characters in the MCU, including Captain America, whose iconic shield was made from the rare metal.
• Wakanda is the main source of vibranium in the MCU, and the nation's history and advancements are closely tied to the resource.
• Other characters, such as Black Panther, Vision, and Bucky Barnes, have also utilized vibranium in their weaponry or body enhancements.

A mysterious and powerful metal in the MCU, vibranium has been used by many characters for a variety of purposes, both good and evil. Vibranium was first introduced into the MCU as a key element in Steve Rogers' transformation in 2011's Captain America: The First Avenger, as the rare metal is used to create Captain America's iconic circular shield. Since then, Marvel Studios has significantly expanded on the mythos surrounding vibranium and has included the element in several different projects, as its versatility means it can be used for a wide variety of purposes. This means that many MCU characters have wielded vibranium.

Black Panther explained more about the history of the MCU's vibranium, revealing that at least two vibranium meteorites had crashed to Earth millennia ago, one landing in an area of Africa that would become Wakanda and one hitting the Atlantic Ocean near the Yucatán peninsula. The vibranium housed in these meteorites enriched the plants and wildlife of these areas, imbuing the regions with remarkable characteristics that allowed the nations of Wakanda and Talokan to develop. Vibranium has become a coveted resource in the MCU thanks to its practically limitless potential, but while some still seek to harness its power, others have been using it for some time already.

18 Steve Rogers, A.K.A. Captain America

Although vibranium had been around long before Steve Rogers, he was the first character to be seen using the metal on-screen in the MCU's Captain America: The First Avenger. Captain America's shield was forged from what was thought to be the only vibranium in the world, and the shield was used by Steve Rogers throughout his career as Captain America, except for a period between Captain America: Civil War and Avengers: Endgame. Rogers became a master of using his vibranium shield as a means of protection, but also as a weapon, and the shield was almost indestructible, except for when pitted against Black Panther's vibranium claws or Thanos' sword.

17 Howard Stark

While Steve Rogers might have wielded the vibranium shield, the thing itself was actually created by Howard Stark, Tony Stark's father. Howard Stark was pivotal in the creation of Captain America in the 1940s, and adding the vibranium shield to the ensemble completed the iconic Captain America look perfectly. Howard acquired vibranium after a group of Stark Industries researchers led a mission into Africa and was first presented to the world in 1940, only to be wielded by Steve Rogers two years later.

16 Bashenga

The opening moments of 2018's Black Panther explained the history of Wakanda and its vibranium, introducing audiences to the first King of Wakanda and the first Black Panther, Bashenga. Bashenga became the Black Panther after ingesting the heart-shaped herb, a plant that had been affected by the existence of vibranium in the earth, gifting him superhuman abilities, including enhanced strength, reflexes, instincts, and stamina. After his transformation, Bashenga established the nation of Wakanda, and its citizens began to mine the vibranium, eventually creating the most technologically advanced nation in the world, though decided to keep their power a secret in order to ensure their protection.

15 T'Challa, A.K.A. Black Panther

T'Challa was the first Black Panther seen in the MCU, bursting onto the scene in 2016's Captain America: Civil War after the death of his father, King T'Chaka, during Zemo's attack on the United Nations. As the Black Panther, T'Challa had already ingested the vibranium-infused heart-shaped herb, and sported a vibranium suit of armor for his heroic escapades. This suit would be updated in Black Panther, and T'Challa would be shown to ingest the heart-shaped herb twice more during the Phase 3 film, each time being gifted a visit to the Ancestral Plane to speak with his ancestors who had also consumed the vibranium plant.

14 Shuri, A.K.A. Black Panther

As a member of Wakanda's Golden Tribe and the royal bloodline, Shuri was the clear candidate to become the MCU's new Black Panther after the tragic death of Chadwick Boseman and his character, T'Challa. This seemed uncertain, however, as Killmonger had burned the heart-shaped herbs in Black Panther, so Shuri spent a period of Black Panther: Wakanda Forever created a synthetic version, still imbued with vibranium. Even before becoming the Black Panther, each of Shuri's technological creations for Wakanda had implemented vibranium in some way. She had used it for her gauntlets, the holographic kimoyo beads, and more.

13 The Wakandan Tribes & The Dora Milaje

Before the debut of Talokan in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, Wakanda was the only nation in the world shown to have a practically endless supply of vibranium, as Wakanda was established on the site of one of the crashed vibranium meteorites. Vibranium is a key element in almost every part of Wakandan life: they weave it into their clothing, make jewelry and weapons from it, and use it to create technological advancements that have made Wakanda perhaps the most sophisticated nation on the planet. In the case of Wakanda's all-female special forces, the Dora Milaje, vibranium is used in their armor and spears, making them incredibly formidable and effective.

12 Ulysses Klaue

When a nation such as Wakanda has such a wealth of a material like vibranium, there are sure to be those that covet it. In recent years, the governments of the world have taken an interest in obtaining vibranium, but prior to the world's widespread knowledge of the resource, it was black market arms dealer Ulysses Klaue who wanted it more than anyone. He led a raid on Wakanda in 1992 and stole a cache of vibranium that he could sell to the highest bidder. After Klaue's arm was severed in Avengers: Age of Ultron, he even repurposed old Wakandan mining equipment with vibranium to make himself a versatile prosthetic hand.

11 Ultron

Although Ultron started as a peace-keeping program created by Tony Stark and Bruce Banner, the artificial intelligence broke free from his chains and met with Ulysses Klaue to claim some vibranium. With this, he planned to create a body using vibranium - which would become Vision - but after this plan was thwarted, Ultron upgraded his own mechanical body using the metal. Ultron also used vibranium to create the doomsday core and magnetic force that kept Sokovia together while it flew into the sky, planning to drop the city on the Earth once it was high enough and cause the extinction of humanity.

10 Vision & White Vision

After Ultron's plan to put his own consciousness inside his vibranium body failed, the Avengers put JARVIS inside the body instead, powered with the Mind Stone and Thor's lightning, creating Vision. Vision's vibranium structure gave him superior strength, intelligence, the ability to change the density of his being, and an incredible amount of durability, but this wouldn't stop him being killed by Thanos in Avengers: Infinity War. Phase 4's WandaVision revealed that the Vision's body had been rebuilt by SWORD, however, now sporting a new white look and designed to be a weapon, though he was set free from SWORD's control by the fabricated Vision.

9 N'Jadaka, A.K.A. Erik "Killmonger" Stevens

Killmonger harnessed the power of vibranium in Black Panther after assuming the throne of Wakanda and becoming the Black Panther, with T'Challa seemingly being killed in ritual combat. While the other Wakandan Kings wanted to keep Wakanda and its vibranium hidden, however, Killmonger wanted to disburse vibranium across the world to be used to create weapons for a great uprising. This plan was stopped by T'Challa's return, but Killmonger's legacy lived on in T'Challa's change of heart and Shuri's promotion to Black Panther in Wakanda Forever.