Adamantium

Adamantium is a fictional metal alloy appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. It is best known as the substance bonded to the character Wolverine's skeleton and claws. Adamantium was created by writer Roy Thomas and artists Barry Windsor-Smith and Syd Shores in Marvel Comics' Avengers #66 (July 1969), which presents the substance as part of the character Ultron's outer shell.[1] In the stories where it appears, the defining quality of adamantium is its practical indestructibility.[2]

For other uses of "adamant" and similar terms, see Adamant (disambiguation).

Adamantium
Publication information
Publisher	Marvel Comics
First appearance	Avengers #66 (July 1969)
Created by	Roy Thomas Barry Windsor-Smith Syd Shores
In story information
Type	Metal
Element of stories featuring	Wolverine, Ultron, Bullseye, Lady Deathstrike, X-23

Etymology

The word is a pseudo-Latin neologism (real Latin: adamans, from original Greek ἀδάμας [=indomitable]; adamantem [Latin accusative]) based on the English noun and adjective adamant (and the derived adjective adamantine) added to the neo-Latin suffix "-ium." The adjective adamant has long been used to refer to the property of impregnable, diamondlike hardness, or to describe a very firm/resolute position (e.g. He adamantly refused to leave). The noun adamant describes any impenetrably or unyieldingly hard substance and, formerly, a legendary stone/rock or mineral of impenetrable hardness and with many other properties, often identified with diamond or lodestone.[3] Adamant and the literary form adamantine occur in works such as The Faerie Queene, Paradise Lost, Gulliver's Travels, The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, The Lord of the Rings, and the film Forbidden Planet (as "adamantine steel"), all of which predate the use of adamantium in Marvel's comics.

History and properties

According to the comic books, the components of the alloy are kept in separate batches—typically in blocks of resin—before molding. Adamantium is prepared by melting the blocks together, mixing the components while the resin evaporates. The alloy must then be cast within eight minutes. Marvel Comics' adamantium has an extremely stable molecular structure that prevents it from being further molded even if the temperature is high enough to keep it in its liquefied form. In its solid form, it is described as a dark, shiny gray, like high-grade steel or titanium.[4] It is almost impossible to destroy or fracture in this state, and when molded to a sharp edge, it can penetrate most lesser materials with minimal force.[5]

The Marvel Comics character Wolverine discovers an adamantium-laced skull in the character Apocalypse's laboratory and says it seems to have been there for eons.[6]

As a key component

Adamantium appears in various Marvel Comics publications and licensed products, where it is found in:

• Ultron's outer shell[1]
• Wolverine's skeleton and claws[7]
• Sabretooth's skeleton and claws[8]
• Captain America's second shield, alloyed with vibranium and steel[9][10]
• The damaged bone of Bullseye's vertebrae[11]
• Lady Deathstrike's skeleton and talons[12]
• X-23's claws[13]
• The Russian's body, following his resurrection by General Kreigkopf[14]

Other versions

Secondary adamantium

Marvel’s comic books introduced a variant of "true" adamantium, “secondary adamantium”, to explain why, in certain stories, adamantium was shown to be damaged by sufficiently powerful conventional forces.[15][16] Its resilience is described as far below that of “true“ adamantium.[17][18]

Appearances of secondary adamantium in Marvel comic books include the casing of the supercomputer F.A.U.S.T.,[19] a suit constructed by F.A.U.S.T. and Blastaar for Stilt-Man,[20] a retractable protective dome around Exile Island,[21] and an army of Ultron duplicates.[22]

Ultimate Marvel

In stories published under the Marvel Comics Ultimate Marvel imprint, adamantium is highly durable and can shield a person's mind from telepathic probing or attacks. It is a component of the claws and skeleton of Ultimate Wolverine and of the Ultimate Lady Deathstrike character. This version of adamantium is not unbreakable. In Ultimates #5, the Hulk breaks a needle made of adamantium. In Ultimate X-Men #11 (December 2001), an adamantium cage is damaged by a bomb. In Ultimate X-Men #12 (January 2002), one of Sabretooth's four adamantium claws is broken.[23]

See also

• Unobtainium
• Vibranium

References

1. Walker, Karen (February 2010). "Ultron: The Black Sheep of the Avengers Family". Back Issue!. TwoMorrows Publishing (38): 23–30.
2. Brevoort, Tom; DeFalco, Tom; Manning, Matthew K.; Sanderson, Peter; Wiacek, Win (2017). Marvel Year By Year: A Visual History. DK Publishing. p. 136. ISBN 978-1465455505.
3. "adamant - definition of adamant". Oxforddictionaries.com.
4. Avengers (vol. 1) #201–202 (November–December 1980)
5. X-Men (vol. 1) #139 (November 1980)
6. Wolverine: The Jungle Adventure (1990)
7. X-Men #98 (April 1976) (w)Chris Claremont
8. Wolverine vol. 2 #126
9. Captain America #303 (March 1985)
10. Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe, Vol.1 #2: From Baron Mordo to The Collective Man (February 1983). Entry: "Captain America", pg. 22
11. Daredevil Vol. 1 #197
12. Uncanny X-Men #205
13. X-23: Target X
14. Garth Ennis (w), Steve Dillon (p), Jimmy Palmiotti (i), Chris Sotomayer (col), RS and Comicraft's Wes Abbott (let), Stuart Moore (ed). "Dirty Work" The Punisher v6, #4 (October 2001), United States: Marvel Comics
15. Michael Austin: "Marvel: Every Type Of Adamantium, Explained". CBR.com (February 27, 2020). Retrieved June 3, 2020.
16. "Adamantium". Marvel.com. Retrieved June 3, 2020.
17. "Adamantium". Marvel Directory.com. Retrieved June 3, 2020.
18. "Adamantium". The Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe Deluxe Edition #1: Abomination to Bartroc's Brigade, pg. 5 (Marvel, August 1985)
19. Marvel Team-Up Vol.1 #18 (February 1974)
20. Thor Vol.1 #269 (March 1978)
21. Super-Villain Team-Up #17 (June 1980)
22. "This Evil Triumphant!". Avengers Vol.3 #22 (November 1999)
23. Ultimate X-Men #12 (January 2002)