Adamantium is a fictional chemical substance and metal alloy in the Marvel comics' universe. Adamantium is one of the most durable substances ever to be created by Earth science. The chemical and metallurgical processes needed to create it are incredibly difficult to achieve, exceedingly expensive, and its creation process is known to only a very few organizations, individuals, and governments in the Marvel Universe. Adamantium is, most famously, the metal bonded to Wolverine's entire skeleton. It first appeared in Avengers #66 (July 1969) as part of Ultron's outer shell.
History and properties of adamantium in the Marvel Universe
Adamantium is first created by metallurgis Dr. Myron McClain during the late 1960s in an
attempt to recreate the unique Vibranium-steel alloy of Captain America's shield, though adamantium contains no vibranium. While McClain is unable to
duplicate the process or discover the unknown element that created the alloy, he does create a material that is very similar on a
molecular level and is almost as durable. Adamantium is created by mixing several chemical resins together; the exact recipe is a
secret. After the resins are mixed together, the adamantium can be molded into different shapes for approximately eight minutes
as long as the mixture is kept at a temperature of 1,500 ยบ
Adamantium is astronomically expensive to create and the process is unreliable, often resulting in an inferior grade since the chemical resins mixed to create adamantium are a carefully guarded secret. As a result, supervillains almost never try to create it but seek instead to harvest it from existing sources and rearrange it on a molecular level: Apocalypse has harvested adamantium from Sabretooth, and Genesis has harvested adamantium from Cyber.
Types of adamantium
True adamantium
True adamantium is created through the mixing of certain chemical resins (defined only as "three closely related iron compounds") whose composition is classified as a highest possible level U.S. government top secret, although it has been said that the U.S. has shared the secret of adamantium's creation process with "certain of its allies". This process is almost prohibitively expensive and True adamantium is very rare as a result. True Adamantium is nearly as strong as Captain America's shield and is, for all practical purposes, indestructible. Adamantium's durability is somewhat dependent on it's thickness. For example, a sufficient amount can easily withstand a direct hit from a nuclear weapon.[1]
Secondary adamantium
As true adamantium is extremely difficult and expensive to create or manipulate, some parties found a way to duplicate it on a larger and more cost-effective scale at the expense of quality and durability. For all practical purposes, this Secondary adamantium is indestructible. Conventional weapons, such as ballistic missiles, have no effect on it; it is far stronger than even the most durable of titanium steel compounds. However, extraordinary blunt force, such as a punch from a being with superhuman strength, can warp or break it. Unconventional forms of energy discharges have also been known to warp or damage Secondary adamantium, such as Thor's lightning attacks using Mjolnir. Writers created Secondary adamantium to deal with supposedly indestructible adamantium having been damaged or destroyed in the past; all such instances were retconned as appearances of Secondary adamantium.
Adamantium beta
Adamantium beta is a new metal created as a side-effect of the process of bonding True adamantium to Wolverine's bones. His Healing Factor not only allowed him to survive the process, but also induced a molecular change in the metal. Adamantium beta functions identically to True adamantium, but it does not inhibit the biological processes of bone. Adamantium beta was first explained in Wolverine (vol.2) #80 (1994).
Carbonadium
Carbonadium is a resilient, unstable metal that is vastly stronger than steel but more flexible than adamantium. It is stated
in X-Men vol.2 #7 that carbonadium is, in fact, both a more malleable and cheaper
version of adamantium. Due to its malleability, carbonadium is less durable than true adamantium, but still nearly
indestructible. Omega Red (an adversary of The X-Men) has
carbonadium coils which allow him to drain life energies. Carbonadium is highly
Adamantium as key component
Adamantium is used as the key component in several instances in the Marvel Universe, including:
- Agent Zero's combat knife
- The outer skin of some of Alkhema's robotic bodies
- Battlestar's shield
- Bullseye's spinal column and some strips coating several of his bones.
- Constrictor's original wrist-mounted, prehensile metal coils
- Cyber's claws and skin
- A unique set of Doctor Octopus' arms
- Hammerhead's skull plate
- The outer layer of Citizen V's rapier
- Lady Deathstrike's skeleton and talons
- One of Mister Fantastic's labs for extremely dangerous experiments
- Moon Knight's crescent blades
- A unique suit of armor once used by the villain Stilt-Man
- The robotic body of TESS-One
- The outer skin of some of Ultron's robotic bodies
- Wolverine's skeleton and claws
- X-23's claws
- One of several layers of containment at the one-time superhuman incarceration facility known as the Vault
- An outer coating on the Swordsman's blades.
Durability of adamantium
While often referred to as indstructible or unbreakable, it is possible for it to be destroyed through very specific circumstances. True adamantium can be destroyed through very precise molecular rearrangement, such as being altered by Thanos while wearing the Infinity Gauntlet[2]. True adamantium's molecular structure can also be altered by Antarctic vibranium, also known as anti-metal, as it has the capability to liquify all known metallic substances, including adamantium.
There are at least two known examples of true adamantium within the Earth-616 reality sustaining damage without molecular manipulation. The first involves Thor focusing all of his strength into striking a small cylinder of adamantium Mjolnir, which is only slightly dented.[3] The second incident involves a battle between Ultron and the Incredible Hulk. During the fight, the Hulk punches the robot with enough force to slightly dent it.[4]
Within the Earth-1610 reality, otherwise known as the Ultimate Marvel Universe,[5] adamantium also exists but there is evidence that brings into question the status of adamantium as "unbreakable" or "indestructible" in comparisson with the Earth-616 version. There is an example of the Ultimate Marvel version of Wolverine being ripped in half by the Ultimate Marvel version of the Hulk.[6] There is also an instance of the Hulk breaking a needle made of adamantium.[7] During the initial appearances of the Ultimate Marvel Universe's version of Sabretooth, it is revealed that he has four retractable adamantium claws implanted within each of his forearms. Through circumstances that have yet to be explained, one of the claws implanted within Sabretooth's left forearm is broken.[8] There is also at least one known incident of adamantium within the Earth-1610 reality being damaged by conventional weaponry. In a memory flashback, the Ultimate Marvel version of Nick Fury recalls an adamantium cage containing Wolverine is shelled and destroyed during Operation: Desert Storm.[9] The Ultimate Marvel version Lady Deathstrike also has an adamantium-laced skeleton, and claimed to be indestructible on one occasion. Nonetheless, when she is grabbed in a stranglehold by Longshot, he manages to snap her neck. These facts have sparked heated debate and controversy among comic book fans and Marvel Comics hasn't provided an explanation for the noticable difference in the durability of the two versions.
Properties of adamantium in the Ultimate Marvel Universe
Little is known about the UMU version of adamantium. Among the most notable information yet to be revealed includes when adamantium is first created, the person or persons responsible for first creating it, and any of the properties and processes used in creating it.
Only one version of adamantium has been seen in the Ultimate Universe thus far. It is currently unknown whether or not any other versions of adamantium exist, as they do in the Earth-616 reality.
Adamantium in the UMU is highly durable and is able to effectively protect a person's mind from telepathic probing or attacks, a property that the Earth-616 version lacks completely.
Other Versions
Films
- In X2: X-Men United, liquid adamantium was seen boiling in a tub. William Stryker mentioned that the "tricky thing with adamantium is, you gotta keep it hot," as the writers ignored adamantium's eight-minute limit.
- In the 1956 Science Fiction film Forbidden Planet, Doctor Morbius mentions "Adamantium Steel", predating any mention of the substance in Marvel Comics.
- In the Marvel Comics animated feature Ultimate Avengers, Captain America's shield is composed of an adamantium/vibranium alloy.
Notes and references
- ^ Marvel Directory on adamantium
- ^ Infinity Gauntlet #3 (Sept. 1991)
- ^ Avengers vol.1 #66 (July, 1969)
- '^ Marvel Super Heroes Secret Wars #12 (April, 1985)
- ^ Ultimate Universe, Marvel.com, "The Basics: Universe: Earth-1610 (Ultimate Universe)"
- ^ Ultimate Wolverine vs. Hulk (Feb, 2006)
- ^ Ultimates vol1. #5
- ^ Ultimate X-Men #12 (Jan, 2002)
- ^ Ultimate X-Men #11 (Dec. 2001)
See also
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