Vibranium is one of the most powerful substances in Marvel Comics, as it’s not only a virtually unbreakable metal that can be shaped into armor, shields, and weapons, it also acts as a nearly unlimited energy source. Vibranium can absorb and store large amounts of kinetic energy as well as sound waves and basically any other type of vibration, and the energy it stores can be tapped into as a power source. Basically, vibranium is an impressive substance, and in the Ultimate Universe, it’s become more powerful (and terrifying) than ever before.

In Ultimate Black Panther #10 by Bryan Hill and Carlos Nieto, Black Panther has a dream that seems more like a vision of the future, one that is influenced by cosmic forces he doesn’t yet understand. In the dream, Black Panther is chasing Moon Knight through the streets, creating explosions to knock the villain to the ground before facing him one-on-one. Moon Knight generates an energy sword with his divine power, but it’s totally ineffective against Black Panther’s vibranium suit. Black Panther destroys the energy sword before pushing his claws through Moon Knight’s chest, killing him then and there.

Black Panther is then visited by a cosmic being of pure darkness who calls Black Panther its “slave”. It laughs at T’Challa’s hubris in using a substance like vibranium and thinking there’d be no consequences. According to this entity, Black Panther is now a servant of “the ancients”, just like anyone else who wields vibranium the way T’Challa does. When Black Panther rejects this, and says he doesn’t need vibranium, the dark entity challenges T’Challa to try to free himself. The vibranium then becomes like tar, stuck to T’Challa’s skin, and Black Panther is physically incapable of removing it.

Ultimate Black Panther is Establishing Vibranium as a Malevolent Cosmic Force

The Ultimate Universe Introduced Vibranium’s Opposite as a Cosmic Source of Life

While vibranium is quite literally the bedrock on which the entire nation of Wakanda is built (in both the Ultimate Universe and Marvel’s main continuity), it seems Earth-6160’s version is a bit darker than the original. Earth-616’s vibranium isn’t good or bad, as it’s just a metal with the ability to absorb and redistribute large amounts of energy. But, because of all it’s done for Wakanda (mixed with the fact that it was used to make Captain America’s shield), vibranium is greatly associated with Marvel’s heroes. Now, that’s about to change.

Black Panther and Wakanda still use vibranium in the Ultimate Universe, but it’s being revealed that the element has a dark secret of cosmic proportions. Not only was Black Panther haunted by a sinister entity that claimed vibranium turned T’Challa into its slave, but readers have already been introduced to another ‘element’ that’s being presented as the cosmic opposite of vibranium. This element is a mysterious green ore that has the power to create life. So, if the green ore is vibranium’s opposite, and its purpose is to create life, what does that say about vibranium?

Could vibranium be a cosmic tool of death, and all those who wield it become agents of death themselves? Ultimate Black Panther has shown instances of T’Challa seemingly being influenced by his vibranium suit to attack and kill his enemies, all while it promises to give him the power to kill a god – which it does in his vision. That, plus the fact that the green ore is an element of life, means vibranium could be a cosmic force of death that’s controlled by a mysterious dark entity who uses the vibranium to collect ‘slaves’ across the cosmos.

Vibranium has Become the Ultimate Universe’s Version of the Symbiotes

The Ultimate Universe Teases a Venomized Black Panther Redesign

The nature of the Ultimate Universe’s vibranium is still very much a mystery, but what has been revealed to fans so far confirms that it’s more than just metal, and it seemingly offers those who wield it the power to kill a god (if Black Panther’s vision is true), making vibranium far more powerful than it has ever been. What fans also know about this mysterious new take on vibranium is that it is connected to a cosmic being of darkness who uses vibranium to collect hosts. In other words, the Ultimate Universe’s vibranium sounds a lot like classic symbiotes.

The visual alone of Black Panther trying to rip the vibranium suit off his skin is incredibly reminiscent of when Spider-Man tried to remove his black suit symbiote in Earth-616. Plus, vibranium’s new lore that’s being crafted in the Ultimate Universe seems similar to that of Earth-616’s symbiotes, especially in regard to the King in Black. The King in Black is the god of the abyss, an entity that is literally anti-life who wants nothing more than to throw the universe back into a state of empty nothingness, and he uses his symbiotes to do that.

While fans don’t know exactly what the dark entity who visited Black Panther in this issue actually is, it seems a lot like the King in Black, especially if vibranium is the cosmic opposite of life (as its relationship with the green ore implies). Could this mean that vibranium will effectively replace symbiotes in the Ultimate Universe? And if so, does that mean fans should expect a ‘Venomized’ Black Panther redesign in the near future? Based on what fans know right now, that’s not beyond the realm of possibility, and it’s a truly exciting prospect, to be sure.

What Does This Mean for the Future of Symbiotes in the Ultimate Universe?

Will Venom Still Exist in Ultimate Spider-Man Continuity?

If vibranium actually does end up replacing symbiotes in the Ultimate Universe, then it’s possible that the Klyntar species simply doesn’t exist in this reality. That would actually fall in-line with the continuity of the original Ultimate Universe, which also didn’t have symbiotes (Venom was a synthetic symbiote, not an alien), meaning doing away with symbiotes wouldn’t be unheard of in an ‘Ultimate Marvel’ universe. But, what does that mean for Venom in the Ultimate Spider-Man series?

Should fans already be bracing themselves for the possibility that Venom isn’t going to appear in Ultimate Spider-Man now that it seems like vibranium will be replacing symbiotes? Well, not yet, as Ultimate Spider-Man has already laid the groundwork for its own Venom – and it’s following the Ultimate Universe trend. Just like in the original Ultimate Universe, Venom will seemingly be a product of human invention in Earth-6160, as the pico-tech suit Spider-Man wore in the first few issues is a black suit that ‘bonds’ with its wearer and can change its form and appearance – plus, it’s becoming sentient.

While fans will have to read Ultimate Spider-Man to see what will become of Peter Parker’s sentient pico-tech suit (and if it will actually become ‘Venom’), they can continue reading Ultimate Black Panther to follow what is becoming of vibranium. Vibranium has always been a powerful substance in Marvel Comics, but now, it’s becoming something so much more than that, and fans should be very excited to see where its new lore will take it.

Ultimate Black Panther #10 by Marvel Comics is available now.