In East Africa, close to the shores of Lake Turkana, beats the heart of global technological, scientific, and societal advancement. Although don't go looking for it, they tend not to take too kindly to outsiders. Yes, the African nation of Wakanda has adopted stringent isolationism for a particularly good reason: Wakanda is the controlling entity of vibranium, the versatile metal that is the figurative and literal bedrock of their entire civilization.
Wakanda sits atop a vibranium meteorite that struck the Earth millions of years into the MCU's past. Its properties have seeped into nearly every facet of the Wakandans' daily lives. Their weaponry is forged from it, their protector, the Black Panther, wears a full bodysuit coated in it, and it possesses astronomical monetary value.
In Avengers: Age of Ultron, the villainous 'bot pays smuggler Ulysses Klaue billions of dollars for only a small, stolen amount. Despite this, Wakanda occasionally gifts small amounts of vibranium to its allies (such as Captain America's shield or Bucky Barnes' second bionic arm).
Naturally, all this propelled Wakanda to a status unachievable by any other global power. Wakandan citizens live in comfort and relative peace (alien invasions aside). And while Wakanda has embraced many aspects of African traditionalism, it exists so far beyond what the average individual outside its borders could even fathom. An upcoming book from publisher Dorling Kindersley called Marvel Studios Cross-Sections sheds some light on the benefits enjoyed by the Wakandan people. Marvel Studios Cross-Sections will be available to take home for $50 on October 14.
A bisected view of the resplendent Wakandan Citadel, the palace of the Royal Family, is shown in Marvel Studios Cross-Sections. One of the captions on the artwork is labeled "Hope for the Future" and explains the critical role education plays in developing Wakandan minds. Wakanda's educational system is so finely-tuned that it holds massive importance to the nation:
"The importance of education is so second-nature that it isn't even a topic of debate, so schools are always fully supplied with everything from the latest tablets to lab supplies. In Wakanda, technology isn't used as a short-term solution. It is an investment in the future."
This is exemplified no better than by Wakanda's star student, Shuri. Not only is she the Princess of the Royal Family, but she was named head of the Wakandan Design Group when she was just a teenager. Her inventions include a pair of sonic energy gauntlets, a Black Panther suit capable of harnessing kinetic force offensively, and an artificial replica of the legendary heart-shaped herb, which grants those who ingest it superhuman abilities.
In Avengers: Infinity War, many fans were offended when Shuri upstaged Dr. Bruce Banner while they were tinkering with the Vision. But the scene was not intended to punch down on Bruce, a brilliant scientific mind in his own right. It was meant to illustrate Shuri's built-in leg-up, having been born in Wakanda (although Shuri might have some competition in her new pal Riri Williams).
In a more generalized sense, the intelligence of a native Wakandan compared to a person living in, say, Philadelphia, is like a match-up between an aircraft pilot who can operate a Boeing 747 and a guy who's pretty good at skateboarding. This is not necessarily a remark on capability but rather one on privilege.
Vibranium vs. Adamantium in the MCU's Future
For as long as the rest of the world has known about vibranium, they've wanted some, and many have gone to extreme lengths. Ulysses Klaue infiltrated Wakanda in 1992 with the help of its own prince. And when N'Jobu tried to cover up his crime, his own brother, King T'Chaka, murdered him to preserve his nation's secrecy.
But in the final battle of Eternals (2021), Sersi used her powers of transmutation to petrify the body of Tiamut, a Celestial who threatened the whole planet, into an unknown substance. That MCU plot thread was left dangling for some time, much to devotees' annoyance.
The story of Captain America: Brave New World finally revealed that Tiamut's corpse was converted into pure adamantium, a brand-new metallic element that then-United States President Thaddeus Ross hyped up as stronger than vibranium. But Earth's entire supply of adamantium can only be found within the remains of Tiamut, which sit in the Indian Ocean. So, every major country wishes to claim it for itself.
The race for adamantium almost caused a war to break out (Sam Wilson and Joaquin Torres stopped that catastrophe dead in its tracks). But the point still stands: with adamantium in play, who needs vibranium? Now, everybody else can potentially have what Wakanda has had for millennia.
This could benefit Wakanda, as the fixation on adamantium will get other governing bodies off its back. But as comic fans know, not everyone has pure intentions when utilizing adamantium.
Look no further than James Howlett, also known as Logan/Wolverine. As a subject of the Weapon X program, Logan's entire skeleton was grafted with adamantium, an indescribably painful process. The MCU's Sacred Timeline has not yet shone a spotlight on its Wolverine Variant, but Hugh Jackman is rumored to return for Avengers: Doomsday in 2026.
Now that adamantium is on the table in the MCU, could it lead to the kind of scientific leaps already made by Wakanda? Time and future MCU projects will tell.
