The History of Adamantium in the Marvel Universe

Throughout the Marvel Universe, both heroes and villains have utilized adamantium to change the course of history. Adamantium weapons are crucial to the arsenals of heroes like Wolverine and Captain America.

Meanwhile, villains like Ultron and Sabretooth also used adamantium to launch some of their most destructive rampages, pushing Marvel's greatest heroes to their limits.

From the origins of adamantium to how it shaped the lives of Wolverine and Captain America, let’s take a closer look at the rare metal that courses through the veins of the Marvel Universe.

WHAT IS ADAMANTIUM?

Adamantium is an incredibly rare metal yet to be found naturally anywhere on Earth. The substance takes its name from Adamantine, the indestructible metal that makes up Hercules' mace. Adamantium’s strength stems from its unique chemical composition, a closely guarded secret of the United States government.

By combining resins at extreme heat during its creation process, the metal briefly takes a liquid state that can be molded into any shape. However, once the metal sets into shape, it becomes virtually indestructible. Adamantium is only vulnerable to a molecular rearranger, which can be used to change its shape.

Although adamantium is most famously associated with Wolverine, the metal actually made its debut in AVENGERS (1963) #66 by Roy Thomas and Barry Windsor-Smith. In that story, Ultron forced the Vision to build him a new body out of stolen adamantium. This incident established the metal's remarkable strength.

Due to its molecular density, Ultron's adamantium rendered the killer robot invulnerable, allowing him to withstand attacks from Thor and Iron Man. The Avengers only defeated Ultron by overloading his programming and forcing him to self-destruct.

CAPTAIN AMERICA AND ADAMANTIUM

The connection between adamantium and Captain America dates back to the creation of the Avenger's shield. During World War II, Doctor Myron MacLain developed new metals to use on the battlefield in CAPTAIN AMERICA (1968) #303.

After falling asleep in his lab, MacLain woke up to find the steel and vibranium samples he worked on somehow bonded together to form a new alloy: proto-adamantium. As the proto-adamantium cooled, MacLain molded it into a disc and created Captain America's shield.

Thanks to the mysterious properties of proto-adamantium and the vibranium within it, Captain America's shield became one of the most durable objects in the universe. Many scientists, MacLain included, failed to replicate the exact compound used in Cap’s shield.

However, MacLain's attempts to recreate proto-adamantium resulted in the development of adamantium. Also called primary or true adamantium, this indestructible metal can cut through almost any substance. Despite this, proto-adamantium can withstand direct strikes from adamantium, as Wolverine learned when he tried to slash through Captain America's shield.

There are also a few weaker versions of adamantium, like carbonadium and secondary adamantium, which are known as adamantium steel. While these alloys are far more durable than most metals, powerful superhumans like Thor have destroy objects made from these metals.

WOLVERINE AND ADAMANTIUM

After abducting and brainwashing Logan, the top-secret Weapon X Program coated Wolverine's skeleton and bone claws in adamantium. However, they did not develop that technology themselves.

Years before that operation, Lord Dark Wind—the criminal father of Lady Deathstrike—developed a process to bond the indestructible metal to bones as part of his efforts to build a private army.

When the Weapon X Program obtained his research, Professor Truett Hudson, Doctor Abraham Cornelius, and Doctor Carol Hines put Logan through the torturous adamantium-bonding process in MARVEL COMICS PRESENTS (1988) #73 by Barry Windsor-Smith.

While other test subjects did not survive the adamantium bonding process, Wolverine's mutant healing factor helped his body accept the metal. As Logan recovered, Weapon X put him through an intense brainwashing process, but he ultimately escaped and killed most Weapon X agents in a berserker rage.

While Wolverine's adamantium claws make him a lethal fighter, even the leading X-Man has his limitations. Magneto once ripped the adamantium out of Wolverine's body. Apocalypse eventually gave Logan's skeleton a new coating of adamantium.

On another occasion, Wolverine lost his healing factor which led to him developing adamantium poisoning. A terminally ill and powerless Wolverine even briefly died after being encased in liquid adamantium in DEATH OF WOLVERINE (2014) #4 by Charles Soule and Steve McNiven.

During the SABRETOOTH WAR, Sabretooth neutralized Wolverine's powers. Consequently, Logan donned the Adamantium Armor, a full-body suit developed by Forge that protected him while restoring his healing factor.

WEAPON X AND ADAMANTIUM 

Besides Wolverine, several other members of the Weapon X Program and its related organizations received adamantium augmentations. Before Apocalypse restored Wolverine's adamantium, he gave Sabretooth, Logan's lifelong nemesis, an adamantium-laced skeleton. He forced Logan to fight Sabretooth for the right to wield it in WOLVERINE (1988) #145.

After he lost that adamantium skeleton, Sabretooth got another coating of adamantium on his skeleton and razor-sharp claws from a reformed Weapon X Program in WOLVERINE (1988) #162 by Frank Tieri and Sean Chen.

Similarly, when Romulus—the mastermind behind Weapon X —captured Wolverine's son, Akihiro, he encased his claws in an adamantium sheath to reinforce them in WOLVERINE: ORIGINS (2006) #36.

When Weapon X experimented on Clayton Cortez with samples of Wolverine and the Hulk's genetic codes, Weapon H lined his skeleton and claws with adamantium that maintained its shape when he transformed into a Hulk-like form.

Around the time William Stryker took over as the director of the Weapon X Program, he forged a new cybernetic body that included several adamantium components. Other Weapon X agents like Deadpool and Maverick used adamantium weapons like katanas, knives, and adamantium-tipped bullets when the occasion called for it.

ADAMANTIUM IN THE MARVEL UNIVERSE

Beyond the Weapon X Program, several heroes and villains have also used adamantium, including many of Wolverine's foes. As Lady Deathstrike, Yuriko Oyama carried on her father's mission as a cyborg with retractable adamantium nails. 

Similarly, Donald Pierce gave his cybernetic body adamantium shielding. Omega Red fought Wolverine with tendrils made of radioactive carbonadium, a cheaper version of adamantium.

Silas Burr, Logan's former commander in the Canadian military, surgically bonded adamantium to his skin, becoming the villain known as Cyber. During one battle with Wolverine, these two rivals unearthed Adamantine, the living mythological metal that inspired adamantium, in WOLVERINE (2024) #1. Feeling upstaged by the indestructible metal, Adamantine began possessing adamantium-wielders like Cyber and replacing their adamantium.

Despite the metal's rarity, this incident is a testament to how far adamantium has spread across the Marvel Universe, far beyond the edges of Wolverine's claws.

Villains outside of Wolverine's immediate orbit also weaponized this rare metal. Both Doctor Octopus and the Constrictor used adamantium tentacles in some of their battles against Marvel Heroes. Other villains used adamantium as cybernetic enhancements: Bullseye replaced his spine with an adamantium implant, Hammerhead transformed his upper body with an adamantium skeleton, and Tiger Shark has adamantium teeth. Much like Ultron in his numerous forms, M.O.D.O.K. briefly protected himself with adamantium armor.

Many Marvel heroes also received adamantium upgrades. Deathlok used cybernetic components made of adamantium, while other heroes like Moon Knight, Hawkeye, and Shuri used adamantium or adamantium-tipped weapons when the battle called for it.

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