Another comic question Adamantium v. Vibranium

[Vanyel]

Which is strong? Adamantium or Vibranium? True Adamintium is supposedly unbreakable, while Vibranium can absorb the kinetic energy of what ever hits it. So which is it?

 

[Trekker4747]

I'm going with admantium.

 

[Base_Delta_Zero]

Aborbsing kinetic energy isn't going to help much against extreme thermal effects of say, a high energy laser, is it? Adamantium is just all-around indestructable. Or are you asking in a versus scenario? Adamantium claws versus Vibranium shield? That's kind of like an unstoppable force (Ad) encountering an immovable object (Vib), isn't it?

 

[Checkmate]

In a versus scenarion, neither wins. It's pretty much the unstoppable force vs. the immovable object scenario. Adamantium weapons can't dent Vibranium, and Vibranium weapons can't do anything to Adamantium.

For all around best, Adamantium wins. It may not be able to hurt Vibranium defenses, but it's not going to be hurt by it either. And unlike Vibranium, Adamantium isn't limited to defeating kinetic energy.

 

[All Seeing Eye]

I was under the impression that Adamantium was artificial Vibranium. Artificial Vibranium isn't as strong as pure Vibranium.

 

[Trekker4747]

Adamantium wins.

IF it has time to prepare.

 

[LaxScrutiny]

I want an adamantium baseball bat with a vibranium handle to soak up the shock. I want a force field generator built into the handle, and I want it to shoot plasma balls. Hmm, how about plasma baseballs? It should also make coffee. And have a teleportation device.

 

[Trekker4747]

I want an adamantium baseball bat with a vibranium handle to soak up the shock. I want a force field generator built into the handle, and I want it to shoot plasma balls. Hmm, how about plasma baseballs? It should also make coffee. And have a teleportation device.

Useless unless it also does texting.

 

[Chris3123]

That's kind of like an unstoppable force (Ad) encountering an immovable object (Vib), isn't it?

Am I the only one who had Juggernaut vs. Blob pop into their head after reading this?

 

[Rii]

Unusually for a fictitious substance, Adamantium actually has a decent name. Ergo, it is superior.

 

[Christopher]

I was under the impression that Adamantium was artificial Vibranium. Artificial Vibranium isn't as strong as pure Vibranium.

No, actually adamantium is a carbon steel alloy containing vibranium. Carbon steel is quite strong to begin with, and the vibranium component makes it nigh-indestructible because of its kinetic energy-absorbing powers.

So it's kind of a false question, because the things being compared are aspects of the same thing. I'd say that adamantium is definitely stronger, because it combines the energy absorption of vibranium with the sheer hardness and strength of carbon steel -- two different kinds of strength working in concert.

 

[V]

Adamantium is officially "synthetic Vibranium"; it's not as good as the real thing. Vibranium is officially stronger, but exists in extremely minute quantities in Wakanda.

[No, actually adamantium is a carbon steel alloy containing vibranium. Carbon steel is quite strong to begin with, and the vibranium component makes it nigh-indestructible because of its kinetic energy-absorbing powers.

Adamantium contains no Vibranium. The entire concept behind Adamantium was to make something as strong as natural Vibranium, but you could make as much as you wanted. What they got was stronger than everything EXCEPT real Vibranium so it was "good enough"

 

[All Seeing Eye]

Adamantium is officially "synthetic Vibranium"; it's not as good as the real thing. Vibranium is officially stronger, but exists in extremely minute quantities in Wakanda.

[No, actually adamantium is a carbon steel alloy containing vibranium. Carbon steel is quite strong to begin with, and the vibranium component makes it nigh-indestructible because of its kinetic energy-absorbing powers.

Adamantium contains no Vibranium. The entire concept behind Adamantium was to make something as strong as natural Vibranium, but you could make as much as you wanted. What they got was stronger than everything EXCEPT real Vibranium so it was "good enough"

Indeed!

 

[Christopher]

If Marvel is calling it "synthetic vibranium" now, then they've retconned it from what it was when I researched my X-Men novel.

 

[darkwing_duck1]

The answers, straight from Marvel:

Adamantium

Adamantium is a virtually indestructible steel alloy named after the fabled metal Adamantine of Greek mythology. The metal has its origins in the work of American metallurgist Dr. Myron MacLain during World War II when the U.S. government assigned him to military research and development. Through a metallurgic accident, MacLain created the indestructible Vibranium-steel compound that was used to create the shield used by the super-soldier Captain America. MacLain spent decades attempting to duplicate the process, and although unsuccessful, he instead created True Adamantium in the 1960s.
Extraordinarily expensive to produce, Adamantium is created through the mixing of certain chemical resins whose exact composition is a closely guarded government secret. For eight minutes after the resins are mixed, Adamantium can be molded if kept at a temperature of 1,500 degrees Fahrenheit. Its extremely stable molecular structure prevents it from being molded further, even if the temperature remains high enough to keep it in liquefied form. Hardened Adamantium can only be altered by rearrangement of its cellular structure. Given sufficient mass, Adamantium could survive a direct hit from a nuclear weapon or a blow from the most powerful superhuman. The only known substance able to pierce Adamantium is the compound known as Antarctic Vibranium, also called "anti-metal".

The Japanese scientist Lord Dark Wind was the first to propose a procedure by which Adamantium could be bonded to a human skeleton. Dark Wind's theory was practiced by the ClanDestine Weapon X Program who subjected their former mutant operative, Wolverine, to the procedure. Wolverine's mutant healing factor allowed him to survive the process and induced a molecular change in the metal, transforming it into a wholly new metal, named Adamantium Beta that does not inhibit the biological processes of bone.

Attempts by the former Solviet Union to reproduce the metal resulted in the creation ofCarbonadium, a weaker yet far more malleable form that was used to create retractable coils wielded by the Russian super-soldier Omega Red. Due to the prohibitive cost of Adamantium’s creation, many parties have resorted to the use of a somewhat weaker compound named Secondary Adamantium, which was once used to coat the sentient computer named F.A.U.S.T..

http://www.marvel.com/universe/Adamantium

Vibranium

A precious extraterrestrial metal found only in meteor deposits in the African nation of Wakanda and in the Antarctic jungle of the Savage Land. Captain America's shield is made of vibranium, American Steel, and adamantium. The variation of vibranium found in the Antarctic has been dubbed Anti-Metal. Whereas vibranium absorbs all vibratory energy (i.e., sound) in its area, as well as kinetic energy directed at it, Anti-Metal produces, rather than absorbs these vibrations.

http://www.marvel.com/universe/Glossary:V

 

[Christopher]

The answers, straight from Marvel:

Adamantium

Adamantium is a virtually indestructible steel alloy named after the fabled metal Adamantine of Greek mythology. The metal has its origins in the work of American metallurgist Dr. Myron MacLain during World War II when the U.S. government assigned him to military research and development. Through a metallurgic accident, MacLain created the indestructible Vibranium-steel compound that was used to create the shield used by the super-soldier Captain America. MacLain spent decades attempting to duplicate the process, and although unsuccessful, he instead created True Adamantium in the 1960s.

Okay, that's pretty ambiguous on whether adamantium contains vibranium or not. At least its predecessor in Cap's shield did.

 

[darkwing_duck1]

The answers, straight from Marvel:

Adamantium

Adamantium is a virtually indestructible steel alloy named after the fabled metal Adamantine of Greek mythology. The metal has its origins in the work of American metallurgist Dr. Myron MacLain during World War II when the U.S. government assigned him to military research and development. Through a metallurgic accident, MacLain created the indestructible Vibranium-steel compound that was used to create the shield used by the super-soldier Captain America. MacLain spent decades attempting to duplicate the process, and although unsuccessful, he instead created True Adamantium in the 1960s.

Okay, that's pretty ambiguous on whether adamantium contains vibranium or not. At least its predecessor in Cap's shield did.

I'm not sure where you're getting that from. My read is that Cap's shield is a vibranium(w)/conventional steel alloy. it may be near as tough as true admantium, but it's different and contains no admantium in the mix.

I think the references to adamantium in Cap's shield stem from the replacement shield he had in the late 90s or early 00s (his original one was lost at sea for awhile).

It was made of true admantium, but was heavier than the old one and the aerodynamics were off a bit.

 

[Christopher]

Okay, that's pretty ambiguous on whether adamantium contains vibranium or not. At least its predecessor in Cap's shield did.

I'm not sure where you're getting that from. My read is that Cap's shield is a vibranium(w)/conventional steel alloy. it may be near as tough as true admantium, but it's different and contains no admantium in the mix.

No, no, adamantium is the mix. It says it right there in the first sentence of the passage you quoted: "Adamantium is a virtually indestructible steel alloy." Cap's shield is a similar steel alloy containing vibranium. The inventor of Cap's shield tried to recreate that alloy but failed, and ended up creating true adamantium instead. It doesn't make sense to talk about adamantium as an ingredient in an alloy; that's like listing "cake" as an ingredient in a cake recipe.

 

[DWF]

The funny this is as John Byrne pointed out once, the vibranium in Cap's shield should prevent it from all the rebounding it does.

 

[EnderAKH]

Growing up with MArvel in the 80s, it was always my understanding that Adamantium and Vibranium were seperate powerful metals, and Cap's shield was a melding of the two.