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EspañolADAMANTIUM (COMICS)
'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.
Adamantium is virtually indestructible. It can be manipulated or destroyed, but only under extreme conditions. The same technologies responsible for molding adamantium, such as a molecular rearranger, are capable of disintegrating it. Antarctic vibranium produces waves that melt all metals, including adamantium. The metal, a composite of steel and highly classified materials, is also affected by magnetism; Magneto once used his magnetic abilities to rip the adamantium bonded to Wolverine's bones right out of his body. 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 ºF. Adamantium's extremely stable molecular structure prevents it from being further molded after this eight-minute time period even if the temperature is high enough to keep it in its liquified form. Once adamantium has hardened, only precise molecular rearrangement can alter its shape.[1]
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.
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. It was discovered in an attempt to duplicate Captain America's shield and resembles Captain America's shield on a molecular level, but dissimilarly contains no vibranium. True Adamantium is nearly as strong as Captain America's shield and is, for all practical purposes, indestructible. Adamantium of sufficient mass could even withstand a direct hit from a nuclear weapon.[1] Only precise molecular rearrangement or cosmic powers on the order of the Infinity Gauntlet have proven capable of destroying it. Using all of his strength, the Asgardian God of Thunder, Thor, has only slightly dented a small cylinder of adamantium while striking it with Mjolnir. The Hulk was also able to damage the robot Ultron during the first Secret Wars. The degree of impermeability varies directly with the thickness of the 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 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 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 radioactive and a very small amount, if ingested, has proven capable of shutting down Wolverine's healing factor. The only device that can produce Carbonadium, known as the Carbonadium Synthesizer, was thrown into a river in Brussels by Wolverine.
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.
Objects composed of pure adamantium, within the mainstream Marvel Universe, are practically indestructible. They have withstood assaults from beings as powerful as Thor, the Hulk, Hercules, Namor the Sub-Mariner, and Thanos without sustaining damage.
There is evidence that brings into question the status of adamantium as "unbreakable", compared with the mainstream Marvel Universe counterpart. Just like the mainstream Marvel one, the Ultimate Marvel version of Wolverine possesses an adamantium-laced skeleton and retractable claws. In the first issue of the ''Ultimate Wolverine Vs. Hulk'' mini-series, the Hulk rips Wolverine in half. In ''Ultimates'' vol1. #5, the Hulk breaks a needle made of adamantium. 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. 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 since it had been assumed that, despite this series and the mainstream Marvel one taking place in two entirely different continuities, adamantium is indestructible in both.
There are numerous theories supported by various comic book fans about why these incidents in the ''Ultimate'' continuity are possible, but Marvel has offered no official explanation at this time. It is noteworthy that the series itself specifically takes the time to make the point that while Wolverine's ''bones'' are "supposed to be unbreakable", his skeleton's ''connective tissues'' are not. Contrarily, Colonel Wraith refers to adamantium as being only "semi-indestructible" in the ''Ultimate X-Men'' story arc "Return to Weapon X". In a flashback in the same arc, a cage composed of adamantium is destroyed by a mere mortar shell.
Aside from the controversy surrounding adamantium's status as "unbreakable" within the Ultimate Marvel Universe, there is at least one other difference concerning adamantium between the two continuities. Adamantium within the Ultimate Marvel Universe appears to be highly effective in blocking telepathic probes. Ultimate Wolverine's mind has been rendered extremely resistant to telepathy due to the presence of the adamantium laced to his skull. Within the mainstream Marvel Universe, adamantium has shown no special ability to protect an individual's mind from telepathic probing.
Little else 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.
★ 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.
1. Marvel Directory on adamantium
★ Adamant
★ Promethium
★ Uru
History and properties
Adamantium is virtually indestructible. It can be manipulated or destroyed, but only under extreme conditions. The same technologies responsible for molding adamantium, such as a molecular rearranger, are capable of disintegrating it. Antarctic vibranium produces waves that melt all metals, including adamantium. The metal, a composite of steel and highly classified materials, is also affected by magnetism; Magneto once used his magnetic abilities to rip the adamantium bonded to Wolverine's bones right out of his body. 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 ºF. Adamantium's extremely stable molecular structure prevents it from being further molded after this eight-minute time period even if the temperature is high enough to keep it in its liquified form. Once adamantium has hardened, only precise molecular rearrangement can alter its shape.[1]
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. It was discovered in an attempt to duplicate Captain America's shield and resembles Captain America's shield on a molecular level, but dissimilarly contains no vibranium. True Adamantium is nearly as strong as Captain America's shield and is, for all practical purposes, indestructible. Adamantium of sufficient mass could even withstand a direct hit from a nuclear weapon.[1] Only precise molecular rearrangement or cosmic powers on the order of the Infinity Gauntlet have proven capable of destroying it. Using all of his strength, the Asgardian God of Thunder, Thor, has only slightly dented a small cylinder of adamantium while striking it with Mjolnir. The Hulk was also able to damage the robot Ultron during the first Secret Wars. The degree of impermeability varies directly with the thickness of the adamantium.
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).
Omega Red's carbonadium coils.
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 radioactive and a very small amount, if ingested, has proven capable of shutting down Wolverine's healing factor. The only device that can produce Carbonadium, known as the Carbonadium Synthesizer, was thrown into a river in Brussels by Wolverine.
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.
Adamantium in the Ultimate Marvel Universe
Objects composed of pure adamantium, within the mainstream Marvel Universe, are practically indestructible. They have withstood assaults from beings as powerful as Thor, the Hulk, Hercules, Namor the Sub-Mariner, and Thanos without sustaining damage.
There is evidence that brings into question the status of adamantium as "unbreakable", compared with the mainstream Marvel Universe counterpart. Just like the mainstream Marvel one, the Ultimate Marvel version of Wolverine possesses an adamantium-laced skeleton and retractable claws. In the first issue of the ''Ultimate Wolverine Vs. Hulk'' mini-series, the Hulk rips Wolverine in half. In ''Ultimates'' vol1. #5, the Hulk breaks a needle made of adamantium. 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. 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 since it had been assumed that, despite this series and the mainstream Marvel one taking place in two entirely different continuities, adamantium is indestructible in both.
There are numerous theories supported by various comic book fans about why these incidents in the ''Ultimate'' continuity are possible, but Marvel has offered no official explanation at this time. It is noteworthy that the series itself specifically takes the time to make the point that while Wolverine's ''bones'' are "supposed to be unbreakable", his skeleton's ''connective tissues'' are not. Contrarily, Colonel Wraith refers to adamantium as being only "semi-indestructible" in the ''Ultimate X-Men'' story arc "Return to Weapon X". In a flashback in the same arc, a cage composed of adamantium is destroyed by a mere mortar shell.
Aside from the controversy surrounding adamantium's status as "unbreakable" within the Ultimate Marvel Universe, there is at least one other difference concerning adamantium between the two continuities. Adamantium within the Ultimate Marvel Universe appears to be highly effective in blocking telepathic probes. Ultimate Wolverine's mind has been rendered extremely resistant to telepathy due to the presence of the adamantium laced to his skull. Within the mainstream Marvel Universe, adamantium has shown no special ability to protect an individual's mind from telepathic probing.
Little else 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.
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.
Notes and references
1. Marvel Directory on adamantium
See also
★ Adamant
★ Promethium
★ Uru
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