At this point in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, everybody knows what vibranium is. From Captain America’s shield to the Black Panther’s armor and Wakanda’s infrastructure, the fictional metallic ore has permeated every corner of the MCU. Black Panther: Wakanda Forever only increased the discourse surrounding it after discovering that Wakanda isn’t the only country harboring the energy-manipulating metal.
That being said, vibranium must now compete with a whole other metallic compound – adamantium, to be specific – now that the MCU is bringing the X-Men into the fold. Considered virtually indestructible, adamantium is most widely associated with the claws that come out of Wolverine’s knuckles, but its history takes back all the way to the demigod Hercules.
Because we know that Hugh Jackman will officially reprise the character of Wolverine in Deadpool 3, it’s all but confirmed that adamantium will be mentioned. In what shape or form that’ll look like is unclear. But what if we told you there was another, even more precious metal that could soon find its way into the MCU?
Enter: mysterium. Mysterium is an extremely unique meta-material that not only shares the durability of adamantium, but also possesses magical properties that allow its user to cancel out any magical forces thrown their way. It conducts electricity, is radiation-proof, and has magnetic properties. To top it off, it’s mutant-made.
The reason mysterium could find its way into the MCU is that two Marvel characters who have a history with the compound are either about to enter the franchise or are heavily rumored to. The first is Abigail Brand, the half-alien, half-mutant who is a member of S.W.O.R.D, the subdivision of S.H.I.E.L.D. She will make her MCU debut in the Phase 5 Disney Plus series Secret Invasion in 2023. Played by Emilia Clarke in the series, the character of Abigail Brand has a long history of using mysterium to further her agenda.
The second reason mysterium could find its way into the MCU is because of Doctor Doom, an incredibly intelligent sorcerer whose long been rumored to join the MCU at some point in the Multiverse Saga. Like Abigail Brand, Doctor Doom has a deep interest in mysterium, going to great lengths to study it.
The addition of just one of these characters could indicate that vibranium’s days of being the one and only most valuable metallic compound have come to an end. Of course, there’s a ways to go before any of this is addressed, but our bets are on Deadpool 3 being the film that does it, if not Secret Invasion.
In case you want even more of a reason to be excited about the MCU’s potential future. Mysterium originates from the White Hot Room, a plane of existence outside the core universe that just so happens to be where the Phoenix Force comes from, the same force that overtook Jean Grey and turned her into the Dark Phoenix. Indeed, adding the X-Men to the MCU opened up a well of possibilities, in case that isn’t evidently clear, and the storylines it opened up span far beyond just Phases 5 and 6 of the Multiverse Saga.