Why Didn’t Iron Man Use Vibranium?

Tony Stark was an incredibly smart guy. He used his genius intellect to create a series of technologically advanced suits to protect him while fighting crime as his superhero alter ego, Iron Man.

Though each suit was more durable and more advanced than the last, they were often damaged or destroyed in battle. This has led some fans to wonder: Why did Iron Man never make a suit of vibranium?

Tony Stark never used vibranium because the metal was rare and expensive. He likely wouldn’t have been able to purchase enough for his purposes. He also wouldn’t have been able to make as many changes to the suit without completely starting over.

What is Vibranium?

Before we talk about why Tony Stark never made an Iron Man suit out of vibranium, we first need to define what vibranium is.

Vibranium is the strongest metal in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and most of the world’s supply is concentrated in the African nation of Wakanda. Vibranium is extraterrestrial in origin and was brought to Earth by a meteorite.

The metal is practically indestructible, as it can absorb incredible amounts of kinetic energy without damage. Not only does it store this energy, it can also store and release it, making it an excellent material for weapons as well as armor.

Vibranium is incredibly lightweight and versatile. T’Challa, the Black Panther, wore a suit made of vibranium mesh that could protect him from all kinds of impacts, yet was flexible and light enough for him to have full range of motion while wearing it.

Finally, vibranium can impart magical powers due to its mutagenic properties. It essentially changes the genetic structure of any organic being close to it, increasing their strength and athleticism, heightening their senses, and increasing any inherent powers they may have.

Check out this video to learn more about vibranium:

Vibranium vs. Nanotech

Clearly, vibranium is a pretty awesome substance. But magical metals are not the only awesome substances found within the MCU.

Strictly speaking, Iron Man’s nanotechnology is not a substance. It is, as the name suggests, a branch of technology.

Tony Stark used this technology to create some of his more advanced Iron Man suits, which some fans argue are actually stronger than vibranium.

Stark’s nanotech suits were made up of tiny robots, called nanobots. These nanobots were connected to Stark’s mind; all he had to do was think, and the suit could shift into a different form.

Stark used this technology to modify his suit in the heat of battle, which allowed him to adapt to quickly-changing circumstances instantly. He also used the technology to heal wounds and create weapons on the fly.

The fact that nanotech was literally connected to Stark’s mind gave the technology near-magical properties. Does this make it better than vibranium?

The short answer is, it depends.

Vibranium is a metal, whereas nanotech is a technology. So, comparing the two is like comparing apples to oranges.

As some fans have pointed out, Iron Man could technically make a nanotech suit from aluminum. But aluminum is a soft, weak metal; even with nanotechnology, an aluminum suit would not protect Iron Man.

Meanwhile, a suit constructed of vibranium is incredibly protective even without the use of nanotechnology. We can see an example of this in Captain America: Civil War, T’Challa’s first appearance as the Black Panther in the MCU.

That said, he wears an upgraded vibranium suit in Black Panther – one made with nanotechnology. This suit seems to combine the strength of vibranium with the incredible technological effects that Iron Man’s suits are known for.

This begs the obvious question:

Why did Iron Man never make a suit of vibranium for himself?

Why Didn’t Iron Man Use Vibranium?

Since vibranium was mostly found in Wakanda, it was mined, used, and sold by the Wakandan people. It was an extremely rare metal, which also made it extremely expensive.

In fact, a single gram of vibranium cost a whopping $10,000.

Of course, Tony Stark was a billionaire, so he probably could have afforded to buy enough of the metal to create an indestructible Iron Man suit.

During his time in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, he created a bunch of different suits for himself. In fact, he debuted at least one new suit in every movie he appeared in.

He built many of these new suits out of necessity – the old one would get damaged or destroyed in a battle, so he would simply create a new one to replace it.

Beyond necessity, however, Tony built new suits so that he could make improvements to their technology. With each battle he fought, he learned firsthand what did and did not work about his suit–and he would create the next one to correct the flaws and weaknesses he discovered.

Had he built a suit of vibranium, it would have been more durable than any of his other suits, so he probably wouldn’t have had to build a new one after every battle. But he also would have been limited in the number of improvements he could make to it.

True, he may have been able to make additions or changes to the vibranium suit over time, but he wouldn’t have been able to start fresh and create an entirely new-and-improved suit–unless, of course, he decided to buy more vibranium.

Though he was on friendly terms with the Black Panther and, by extension, the nation of Wakanda, it is unlikely that they would have permitted him to purchase a large amount of the metal.

Remember, vibranium was controlled by the Wakandan people; it was closely related to their national identity. To allow an outsider, even Iron Man, to use a significant amount of the metal would have been to cheapen their own connection to it.

Conclusion

Iron Man never built a suit of vibranium because it would have been extremely expensive, it also would have limited the changes and improvements he could make to the suit.

What’s more, he likely would have been limited in the amount of vibranium he could purchase from Wakanda, since the metal was closely related to the nation’s own identity.