Did the world know about Wakandan Vibranium before the end of Black Panther?
In Captain America: Civil War, there is a scene in Vienna, where king T'Chaka says the following to a large gathering of officials:
When stolen Wakandan vibranium was used to make a terrible weapon, we, in Wakanda, were force to question our legacy. Those men and women killed in Nigeria, were part of a good will mission from a country too long in the shadows.
Now, in Black Panther post credits scene, we see that the UN is still unaware of the vibranium and its powers, and that Wakanda possesses it.
Then how can T'Chaka make such a statement at the time of Civil War?
Best Answer
Yes, but not many.
It's possible that Bruce, Tony Stark, and possibly Howard Stark already know about the Wakandan vibranium. Besides them, there are more people who tried to intrude and steal vibranium from Wakanda. One of them is Ulysses Klaue, a guy Ultron gets Vibranium from.
Here are some references.
Captain America: The First Avenger
Howard Stark: Vibranium. It's stronger than steel and a third of the weight. It's completely vibration absorbent.
Steve Rogers: How come it's not a standard issue?
Howard Stark: That's the rarest metal on earth. What you're holding there? That's all we've got.
Tony Stark: If this guy got out of Wakanda with some of their trade goods...
Steve Rogers: I thought your father said he got the last of it?
Bruce Banner: I don't follow. What comes out of Wakanda? [looking at Steve's shield]
Tony Stark: The strongest metal on earth.
--
Ultron: ...Upon this rock I will build my church. Vibranium.
Ulysses Klaue: You know, it came at great personal cost. It's worth billions.
Now coming to your second question,
Then how can T'Chaka make such a statement at the time of Civil War?
Well, there were too many casualties in Avengers: Age of Ultron, which were caused by the weapons made by Ultron using Vibranium. It may not be known to the world, but it was to some people.
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When did the world find out about Wakanda?
Wakanda became an isolationist nation, posing as a third world country, in order to keep the existence of vibranium a secret, although it was discovered by researchers sometime during the 1940s.Did the world know about Wakanda?
Wakanda is legit. Prior to Age of Ultron, as far as the Western World knew, the only vibranium in the world had been forged into Captain America's shield.Where was vibranium from before Wakanda?
The metal from beyond the stars Although it might seem as if vibranium is a naturally occurring resource, its origins actually lie in the stars. Thousands and thousands of years ago, a meteor containing the precious metal crashed into the planet, landing in what would eventually become the country of Wakanda.Did vibranium exist before the MCU?
The New Element is referred to as vibranium by name, meaning Tony created it and that it didn't exist before Iron Man 2. And for a brief period, that was canon in the MCU. Iron Man 2 opened in 2010, and it took over a year for the explanation to be retconned.BLACK PANTHER / STORY OF WAKANDA / VIBRANIUM TECHNOLOGY
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Answer 2
The world knows about Vibranium, and that Wakanda had some of it. When Klaue stole vibranium in the past, they reported to the UN that it was all the vibranium they had in the country. This was likely to prevent others from attempting to steal more.
Everett K. Ross: My intel reports that the chunk of vibranium you took was all that Wakanda had.
Ulysses Klaue: [laughs, then gets serious] I took that chunk of vibranium out of a MOUNTAIN of the stuff!
T'Chaka's statement is in apology for the vibranium Klaue stole being used to create Ulton, as it is known globally the vibranium used was stolen from Wakanda. But when he was making this statement the world didn't know Wakanda also had more, and it certainly didn't know about their technology.
I'm looking for the quote where T'Challa or T'Chaka explicitly says that's the lie they told, but the above will do for now.
Answer 3
It could be that Howard Stark found a small (emphasis on small) deposit of vibranium OUTSIDE of Wakanda. It was just enough to make a small item, like Cap's shield. The asteroid that fell might have had small pieces fall around it when it went through the atmosphere. Thus it stands to chance that one fell outside Wakandan borders just slightly enough for an expedition to discover it.
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