Warning: The following article contains spoilers for Black Panther: Wakanda Forever.
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, the sequel to Ryan Coogler’s Black Panther, managed to answer a few questions we had about the future of the Marvel Cinematic Universe while introducing a few new ones as well. The film was an expression of grief and loss regarding the death of Chadwick Boseman, and how T’Challa’s affected the MCU and the people of Wakanda. Wakanda Forever also introduced a couple of new characters to the Marvel world including Riri Williams (Dominique Thorne), and the King of Talokan, Namor (Tenoch Huerta).
Namor’s introduction into the MCU has seemingly shaken up the world in a few different ways. They introduced Talokan itself as a new power, one of the few nations we have seen so far, but positioning the nation on top of one of the only other deposits of Vibranium in the MCU has certain implications for it as well. So, it might be worth having a look at where other possible Vibranium deposits might turn up in the future, especially as the MCU is about to introduce the Fantastic Four, and as they are introducing more mutants seemingly with every new project.
Space
Space should be one of, if not the most obvious choice for where we might find Vibranium moving forward. Space has been explored in the MCU since 2014’s Guardians of the Galaxy. Part of the origin story for Vibranium is that a meteorite crashed into Earth, and landed in both Talokan and Wakanda. If the Vibranium did come from space, there could still be plenty of it floating around. Either it broke off from a planet, or a larger meteor that came close to Earth’s planet, or someone sent it to Earth.
Giving Talokan Vibranium and connecting it to space once again in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever does make it seem like Marvel might be teasing that there is more Vibranium somewhere in the stars, especially considering how big it is. For example, we saw Nidavellir in Avengers: Infinity War, and they easily could have had some Vibranium on hand only for it to have gone unmentioned. You have to wonder if Vibranium might make an appearance in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3.
The Quantum Realm
The Quantum Realm might be the most unlikely place for Vibranium to show up in the MCU, as if it did come to Earth by way of a meteorite, it couldn’t have landed in the Quantum Realm. However, as the trailer for Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania seemingly suggests that Kang the Conqueror is somehow stuck in the Quantum Realm, he could have gotten his hands on Vibranium.
In the comics Kang the Conqueror is a time traveler who comes from the future. It is possible that Vibranium is more abundant in the future if he is from the future in the MCU. It also might be possible that Kang the Conqueror conquered Wakanda in the future, and that is how he managed to get his hands on Vibranium. What looks like his base in the trailer for the third Ant-Man film, seems to be made of some kind of metal and it would not be a stretch to say that it could be Vibranium.
Latveria
Latveria might be the place on Earth most likely to house another deposit of Vibranium. In the comic books, Doctor Doom is the ruler of Latveria, a small European country. Placing a deposit of Vibranium under Latveria would give Doom added motivation as to why he becomes ruler of the country, should the MCU go down that path. He even has an army of robots, dubbed Doombots, which could easily be made out of Vibranium if this ended up being the case.
Of course, Doctor Doom has not been introduced in the MCU yet, but fans seem convinced that because the Fantastic Four movie is set to be released prior to Avengers: Secret Wars, Doom will have a pivotal role in both films. If he does appear in Fantastic Four, we could easily see him as the ruler of a small country that happens to be sitting on one of the only Vibranium deposits in the MCU.
Krakoa
The nation of Krakoa could be one of the nations on Earth that houses a Vibranium deposit. In Marvel Comics, Krakoa has recently become an island home for the mutants of the Marvel Universe. When the MCU eventually introduces all the mutants we know and love, we could see their island habitat have its origin changed.
In the comics, Krakoa is a sentient being, who later becomes a safe place for mutants to gather and thrive. But if Krakoa were to be repurposed, almost as an amalgamation of the headquarters of Magneto, Genosha, and itself, we could see a Vibranium deposit there. It has already been suggested that the Vibranium Namor’s mother ingested turned Namor into a mutant, so it is possible that the MCU’s Krakoa is the birthplace of some of our favorite mutants, rather than their safe haven.
The Savage Land
The Savage Land is a location in the Marvel Universe that is hidden and secret to most of the world, making it prime placement for another Vibranium deposit. Filled with prehistoric creatures, the Savage Land is located in Antarctica and is full of volcanoes. Because of the dinosaurs who live there, the Savage Land is classified as a wildlife preserve in the comic books.
Even though the MCU has not introduced their version of the Savage Land yet, there is something too coincidental between dinosaurs and a meteorite to pass up. Maybe the Vibranium meteorite landed there and mutated the wildlife living there already to make them more dinosaur-like? Or maybe the creatures in the MCU version of the Savage Land are dinosaurs from space, ones which were contained in the Vibranium meteorite only to be released when they crashed on Earth? Either way, we could easily see a Vibranium tie-in when the Savage Land is introduced in the MCU.
Sakaar
Introduced in Thor: Ragnarok, Vibranium could be found in Sakaar, after all, it is the dumping ground of the MCU. We know that both Thor and Hulk managed to travel there accidentally on separate occasions. It is certainly possible that some Vibranium made its way to the planet as well. It is also possible that they used the metal to make weapons for the Grandmaster’s tournament. But in the end, it might be unlikely that there is a large cache of Vibranium there, as it probably would have been mentioned in Thor: Ragnarok, especially when you consider the state of their weapon cache. However, that does not rule out that there could still be some buried under cosmic rubble.
Attilan
Two meteorites landed on Earth, one in Wakanda and the other in Talokan. So it is possible that another meteorite, a smaller meteorite, could have landed on the Earth’s moon. In Marvel Comics, the Earth’s moon is home to a small city called Attilan, the home of the Inhumans. Ordinarily, we probably would have ruled out Attilan being involved in the MCU at all, but Black Bolt’s inclusion in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness warrants a mention of it here.
There is also the slight possibility that the consistent mention of Steve Rogers being on the moon is not a running gag in the MCU, but rather a sly hint referring to Rogers helping the Inhumans in some way. This would be an interesting way to introduce the Inhumans into the MCU’s main universe, and an interesting way to bring back Steve Rogers. If Vibranium had landed near Attilan, it would also be a perfect opportunity for Rogers to design a new version of his Captain America shield.
Battleworld
Vibranium is used to make all kinds of weapons in the MCU, so why not include a chunk of the metal in Battleworld? In the comic books, Battleworld was introduced in Secret Wars, so there is a good chance that we might see some version of the world in the upcoming Avengers: Secret Wars.
Either the entirety of Battleworld could be made of Vibranium, which would be unlikely, or Vibranium could have landed there. But what might be more likely is that whoever is responsible for bringing the Avengers to Battleworld (like the Beyonder or Doctor Doom) brought the Vibranium with them to level the playing field between the weapons-based heroes, if the goal is to make them fight one another. But this one does seem a little far-fetched compared to the other places as writing in Vibranium on top of a movie as epic as Avengers: Secret Wars is most likely something Marvel would not do.
Do you think that Marvel will introduce Vibranium in any other part of the MCU, or do you think that they will stop with the introduction of Talokan? It does seem like Vibranium and more importantly who controls the Vibranium, might be a significant part of the MCU, and in the projects to come. Whether or not this is the case, we should find out in the coming years either way.