In the distant past, a massive meteorite comprised of the sound-absorbing mineral vibranium crashed in Wakanda, and was unearthed a generation before the events of the present-day. Knowing that others would attempt to manipulate and dominate Wakanda for this rare and valuable resource, King T'Chaka concealed his country from the outside world. T’Chaka sold off minute amounts of the valuable vibranium while surreptitiously sending the country's best scholars to study abroad, consequently turning Wakanda into one of the world's most technologically advanced nations. Wakanda has an unusually high rate of mutation due to the dangerously mutagenic properties of the Vibranium Mound. Vibranium radiation has permeated much of Wakanda's flora and fauna, including the Heart-Shaped Herb eaten by members of the Black Panther Cult, and the flesh of the White Gorilla eaten by the members of the White Gorilla Cult.
