Lord Robert Plunder was a British nobleman and scientist. While searching for an undiscovered element he believed existed in nature, Lord Plunder discovered the hidden jungle on the Antarctic continent that became known as the Savage Land. There, he confirmed his theories by discovering the Anti-Metal (later determined to be an isotope of Vibranium), a substance that can destroy the molecular bonds of any known metal. Lord Plunder returned to his native England to find his wife had passed away in his absence. Realizing his own mortality, he locked away a sizable sample of the Anti-Metal he had brought back, and fashioned a small fragment of it into a medallion that could be used as a "key" to unleash its power. He then split the key in two, giving half to each of his two sons, Kevin and Parnival, as their inheritance.[1] When word of Lord Plunder's discovery leaked out, agents of an unscrupulous power tried to wrest from him the Anti-Metal's location. Saved from the agents by the arrival of his armed butler Willis, Lord Plunder decided to see to his sons' safety. While Parnival was sent into hiding with Willis, he and Kevin sought refuge in the Savage Land. There Lord Plunder was slain by the native Maa-Gor and his tribe of barbaric Man-Apes when he took his son to the mound of Anti-Metal.[citation needed]