Warning! This post contains SPOILERS for Captain America: Brave New World
Captain America: Brave New World introduces adamantium in the MCU for the very first time. Serving as a major plot point in the new Captain America movie starring Anthony Mackie as Sam Wilson and Harrison Ford as President Thaddeus Ross, adamantium is an incredible metal from the original comics that’s virtually indestructible. Likewise, it’s also confirmed that adamantium rivals vibranium, the MCU’s first impressive metal from the nation of Wakadna.
As seen in the original Marvel Comics and in Fox’s X-Men movies, adamantium is best known for being the strong metal used to cover Wolverine’s bones and claws. However, adamantium is now debuting in the MCU as a valuable new element coveted by multiple nations, presumably to set up the origins of an MCU Wolverine at some point in the future. To that end, here are the biggest confirmed differences between adamantium and vibranium in the MCU thus far.
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Adamantium Is More Indestructible Than Vibranium
According To President Ross
Although the nations of the world initially fought over adamantium and its singular source from the Celestial mᴀss that emerged in 2021’s Eternals, Captain America: Brave New World establishes that President Ross is bringing forth a new treaty with the intent to share adamantium and its valuable applications between the nations of the world, specifically Japan, India, and France. As such, President Ross confirmed during the White House’s “Celestial Island World Summit” that the new metal is more indestructible than vibranium, an impressive claim considering vibranium’s track record in the MCU.
In the comics, adamantium is able to withstand direct hits from nuclear weapons. It can even handle the force of some of the most powerful blows from superhumans like the Hulk. Combined with Wolverine’s impressive accelerated healing factor, it’s a big reason why Logan can walk away from almost everything the Marvel Univese has thrown at him.
5
Brave New World Claims It’s The Most Versatile Element On The Planet
For Tech, Medicine, And Defense
During President Ross’ presentation, several screens display adamantium’s various practical applications, revealing that it can be used in the creation of new technologies, advancements in medicine, and defense. To that end, one of the screens even features a surprising line: “Adamantium: the world’s most versatile element”. This is also a bold claim about the new element, especially considering the many uses for vibranium that have been seen thus far in the MCU.
Vibranium has been used not only to make Captain America’s shield, Sam Wilson’s wings, and various Black Panther suits, but also all the various ways it’s used in every day life by the people of Wakanda. It’s woven into their clothing, and is even used to grow the heart-shaped herb and other plants. It also helps powers their ships, shields, and more applications seen in the Black Panther movies and beyond. Likewise, the underwater city of Talokan uses vibranium in unique ways all its own, most notably to power its artificial solar light source (known as the Sastun).
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Adamantium Isn’t Controlled By An Isolationist Nation
Wakanda (And Talokan) Controls Vibranium
Another big and important difference between vibranium and adamantium in the MCU comes from President Ross, who highlights that adamantium isn’t under the control of an isolationist nation. After all, a big focus in Wakanda Forever was that other nations desperately wanted their own supply of vibranium that was seemingly under Wakanda’s sole control, as well as the surprise reveal that Talokan had its own stores of the impressive metal as well. As such, the debut of adamantium is a huge deal for the rest of the world, especially if it’s indeed stronger and more versatile than vibranium, as Brave New World’s summit at the White House suggests.
3
In The Comics, Adamantium Is Denser Than Vibranium
The Same Is Likely True In The MCU
In the original Marvel Comics, adamantium is incredibly dense and very heavy. It’s a big reason why Wolverine went from 195 lbs. to 300 after his bones were covered by the indestructible metal thanks to the Weapon X program. In comparison, vibranium is much lighter, confirmed in the MCU to be a third of the weight of steel, while still being incredibly durable. While it’s not yet been confirmed in the MCU, adamantium’s greater density to vibranium will more than likely be true of the new on-screen version as well.
2
Adamantium Looks Harder To Manipulate
Japan Refined Only A Small Sample
By the time of Brave New World, Ross confirms that Japan is the only nation that has so far managed to refine a sample of adamantium from the Celestial mᴀss. This suggests that the process is likely quite hard to do, perhaps mirroring the comics and Fox’s various X-Men movies that have established that adamantium is incredibly hard to manipulate. In the comics, adamantium is only malleable when super heated to over 1500 degrees, offering only 8 minutes to be formed before becoming permanently indestructible once cooled.
Based on the comics, it stands to reason that adamantium would be very hard to refine and should more difficult to manipulate than vibranium, despite being more versatile in the MCU. However, it’s also worth noting that this new version of adamantium does have different origins, such as the fact that it’s not an alloy. Keeping that in mind, Marvel Studios could certainly go in a different direction based on plot needs regarding what the MCU’s new adamantium can and can’t do, redefining both its limits and its overall potential.
1
In The MCU, Adamantium Comes From The Celestial Island
In The Comics, Adamantium Is Derived From Vibranium
In the original Marvel Comics, adamantium is actually derived from vibranium. Rather than being a raw element, adamantium is instead an alloy made from the bonding of vibranium, steel, and a mixture of classified chemical agents. However, this is not the case in the MCU, as Captain America: Brave New World confirms adamantium comes from the Celestial Island mᴀss that was once Tiamut. The MCU’s adamantium is far more unique, having its own cosmic nature and origin just like vibranium, which originally came from a meteorite from space that landed in the African region that would eventually become Wakanda.
Captain America: Brave New World is now playing in theaters from Marvel Comics.
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February 14, 2025
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