Forged By Fate

During World War II, American metallurgist Dr. Myron MacLain accidentally creates an indestructible Vibranium-steel compound. Eventually this compound is used to become the most famous symbol of Super-Soldier Steve Rogers—Captain America's shield. Dubbed Proto-Adamantium, this version of the unbreakable steel alloy is impossible to reproduce. However, other versions, including True Adamantium, Secondary Adamantium and Adamantium Beta are created through years of testing and research. 

Given the metal's incredible strength and durability, many individuals want to use Adamantium for their own purposes, both good and evil. Villains like Ultron, Romulus, Silas Burr, AKA Cyber and Frank Payne, AKA Constrictor, benefit from its unique nature. On the other side, many versions of Captain America wield the shield and some of its ilk. Tony Stark, AKA Iron Man, figures out how to manipulate the metal and James Howlett/Logan, AKA Wolverine, continues to be the best he is at what he does in part because of the Adamantium bonded to his bones and those iconic claws. 

A Discovery for the Ages

The United States government employs metallurgist Dr. Myron MacLain experiments with several different kinds of steel alloys as well as a then-unidentified substance now known as Wakandan Vibranium during the early 1940s. During one of his tests, he falls asleep only to awaken to find the two metals bonded! He quickly pours the molten substance into a disc-shaped mold for optimal testing, but he can never repeat the process.

Now known as Proto-Adamantium, this sample goes on to become one of the most iconic weapons in the world: Captain America's Shield. Though many, including MacLain, attempt to recreate Proto-Adamantium and fail. The closest MacLain comes to recreating it is without Vibranium, and it becomes known as True Adamantium. Others figure out how to create formidable versions like Secondary Adamantium and Beta Adamantium.

The Strongest One There Is

The Proto-Adamantium in Captain America's shield proves itself strong enough to withstand attacks from most. However, even it can be damaged by those with god-like powers like Thanos when he has the Infinity Gauntlet and Victor Von Doom, AKA Doctor Doom, when he possesses the power of the Beyonder. 

Once hardened, True Adamantium can only be altered by a device known as a Molecular Rearranger. This version is also incredibly strong and can survive nearly any attack. When True Adamantium comes into contact with the healing factor mutagen found in Wolverine's DNA, it becomes Adamantium Beta, which can bond with human bones as it did when he was experimented on by Weapon X. Of all the versions, Secondary Adamantium is the weakest. 

In addition to being manipulated by those with god-like powers, Adamantium can also be controlled by Max Eisenhardt, AKA Magneto's omega-level mutant powers. The metal can also be disintegrated by Antarctic Vibranium and sliced by the mystical Muramasa Blade. Some individuals also have to worry about Adamantium poisoning once the metal is in their system. Finally, once a part of a living, Adamantium makes that individual much heavier than before, so drowning becomes much more likely. 

Metal Heads

Dr. Myron MacLain

The one who starts it all, Dr. Myron MacLain accidentally discovers Proto-Adamantium while working for the government in the 1940s. Without knowing it, he comes across a way to incorporate Vibranium as well. The sample he achieves goes on to become Captain America's second and most famous shield.

Captain America

The Sentinel of Liberty initially uses a triangular shield, but when it’s destroyed in a battle on Wakandan soil, he switches to a circular one developed by Dr. Myron MacLain. Made of Proto-Adamantium, the strongest known substance in existence, this shield becomes Captain America's most constant weapon in his quest for justice. 

Cyber 

The mutant known as Silas Burr uses his mental manipulation powers to train some of Canada's fiercest warriors, including Logan and his son Akihiro, AKA Daken. The son's master, Romulus, orders him to capture Burr and deliver him to a scientist and metal workers who cover his body in Adamantium, creating the first version of the criminal known as Cyber. 

Lord Dark Wind

Kenji Oyama, AKA Dark Wind, an unsuccessful Kamikaze pilot during World War II, dedicates his life to figuring out a way to bond Adamantium to bone. He figures it out, but his notes are stolen and eventually make their way to the Weapon X program. He grants Bullseye an Adamantium spine after the assassin was paralyzed. Upon his death, Kenji's daughter, Yuriko, carries on his work and becomes Lady Deathstrike, and eventual Adamantium-wielder herself. 

Dr. Abraham Cornelius

An employee of Canada's Weapon X program, Dr. Abraham Cornelius takes the notes stolen from Kenji Oyama and begins experimenting with the Adamantium bonding process. He succeeds with Logan because of the mutant's healing factor, but struggles to find similar results for many years after. 

Wolverine

The man known as both James Howlett and Logan is taken by the Weapon X program and forced to undergo the Adamantium-bonding process by Dr. Abraham Cornelius. He survives because of his healing factor and goes  on to become one of the individuals with the longest working relationship with Adamantium, spending only brief periods without it since the operation. 

Romulus

The mysterious, long-living operator known as Romulus pulls strings behind the scenes for years. He becomes obsessed with guiding Logan and also orchestrates various Adamantium experiments on Cyber and Wolverine himself. Later, Romulus attempts to make New Adamantium with Vibranium in the mix. He laces his own skeleton with Vibranium and gives himself more claws than Wolverine for good measure, but still cannot defeat Logan.

Ultron

When Ultron creates the sixth version of himself, he integrates Adamantium into his robotic body before attacking the Avengers once more. Over the years, the mechanical menace uses variations on the metal to increase his durability. 

Constrictor

The S.H.I.E.L.D. agent-turned-assassin known as the Constrictor utilizes Adamantium whips that extend from the wrists of his battle armor to crush his enemies. Eventually, he gives them up to Remy LeBeau, AKA Gambit so he can save the life of Victor Creed, AKA Sabretooth, who was suffering from his then-recent loss of internal Adamantium. 

Bullseye 

When Matthew Murdock, AKA Daredevil, lets Bullseye fall from a building, the assassin's spine shatters. Though Dark Wind's initial notes on attaching Adamantium to bone were stolen, he manages to work out most of the details and uses them to give the assassin an Adamantium spine. 

Lady Deathstrike

The daughter of Dark Wind, Yuriko Oyama, eventually follows in his footsteps and intends to avenge her father's death, thinking that Wolverine had killed him. Failing to destroy Logan, she allows Rita Wayword, AKA Spiral, to turn her into a cyborg with Adamantium claws all her own, which she often uses to try and eviscerate Logan. 

Doctor Octopus

Spending years of using titanium arms, Dr. Otto Octavius, AKA Doctor Octopus, eventually steals some Adamantium and creates a nearly indestructible set. Even with the new weapons, Daredevil defeats him and he loses the set for years. He regains them eventually, but is taken out by a vengeful Flint Marko, AKA Sandman, and a Molecular Rearranger is used to destroy the Adamantium arms. 

Donald Pierce

Longtime X-Men antagonist and cyborg Donald Pierce eventually upgrades his metallic body with Adamantium. When he nearly gets  destroyed, he finds his way to one of Nathan Summers, AKA Cable's safe houses, which leads him to a source of Adamantium previously held by Khyber, who does not appreciate the theft.

Battlestar

Lemar Hoskins joins the ranks of costumed heroes through his association with John Walker, who takes over as Captain America when Steve Rogers gives the role up and becomes The Captain. First as Bucky and then as Battlestar, Hoskins wields an Adamantium version of Cap's first, triangular shield. 

U.S. Agent

When John Walker takes over as Captain America, he wields the Proto-Adamantium circular Captain America shield. When Steve Rogers reclaims the identity and weapon, he gives Walker his Captain costume as well as the round True Adamantium shield created by Tony Stark, which he uses as U.S. Agent. 

Deathlok

Michael Collins, AKA Deathlok, is created by the Cybertek Systems Inc. division of Roxxon Oil. He possesses an Adamantium skeleton as well as a Adamantium-steel alloy cartilage and muscles.

Sabretooth

Victor Creed and Logan may have been part of Weapon X at the same time, but the scientists do not attempt to graft Adamantium to the former’s bones. Years later, after Magneto pulled the metal from Wolverine's body, Sabretooth experiments with the Adamantium bonding process himself and winds up with the skeleton as well as finger claws.

X-23/Laura Kinney

Cloned from Wolverine's DNA and bonded with Adamantium as a child, X-23/Laura Kinney overcomes years of programming to become a hero. She uses her claws to save the world alongside the X-Men, X-Force and even takes over the Wolverine code-name and a variation of the costume.

Hammerhead

Wilson Fisk, AKA Kingpin's agent Underworld shoots Hammerhead with Adamantium bullets. Though they do not kill him, he is severely injured. When Martin Li, AKA Mr. Negative offers to give him an Adamantium skeleton, Hammerhead agrees and uses his new internal armor to battle Peter Parker, AKA Spider-Man, and others. 

Tiger Shark 

As part of Thaddeus Ross, AKA Red Hulk's time-plucked Offenders, Todd Arliss, AKA Tiger Shark, wields Adamantium teeth against Namor McKenzie, AKA Namor! It's unclear where the metallic chompers come from. 

Weapon H

Mercenary Clayton Cortez kills his own men for following inhumane orders, which lands him in hot water. He’s turned over to a new Weapon X run by William Stryker. The shadowy scientists imbue him not only with Bruce Banner, AKA Hulk’s DNA, but also Adamantium bones and claws. He breaks free and attempts to make his own way in the world with incredible power.

True To Form

After failing to replicate the Proto-Adamantium experiments that resulted in Captain America's shield, Dr. MacLain managed to create a variation called True Adamantium, which was not as strong or durable as Proto-Adamantium, but could still survive almost every known form of attack or stress. The secret process of making True Adamantium involves steel alloys being altered by chemical resins that can only be molded for a very brief time after combined at temperatures of 1500 degrees Fahrenheit.

Given the incredible expense that comes from creating and utilizing True Adamantium, another version, called Secondary Adamantium, has been developed and used in larger scales. Still very strong, this metal can be broken more easily than its predecessors.

Cyber-Bully

In the late 50s/early 60s, Silas Burr returned to train troops in a secret Canadian organization that predated Weapon X. There, he used his manipulation powers and basic cruelty to whip cadets into shape, one of whom was Wolverine's son, Daken. Romulus ordered Daken to wipe the organization out and then beat, but not kill Burr. Romulus hired a scientist and some metal workers to apply Adamantium directly to his skin, adding a set of claws in the process. Silas survived the process and eventually became the mercenary Cyber. Romulus would claim to manipulate events behind the scenes leading to further Adamantium-related experiments, but the veracity of these claims is questionable at best. 

Birth of a Legend

After surviving a failed kamikaze mission during World War II, Kenji Oyama bought an island, had a family and began working on a process to fuse Adamantium to human bones for the purpose of creating an unstoppable army for his homeland. He succeeded, but his notes were stolen and eventually used by Professor Truett Hudson and Dr. Abraham Cornelius at the Weapon X program.

Wanting a successful result from their Adamantium-bonding experiments, Weapon X captured their one-time agent, Logan, a mutant with a healing factor and a penchant for killing. The mercenary became the perfect test subject and the process was a success. However, it was so traumatic that Logan went berserk and killed almost everyone at the facility. However, Hudson and Cornelius survived to continue experimenting with various forms of Adamantium.

Later, Dr. Jaime Munoz studied the results of this experiment and labeled the resulting version Adamantium Beta because the healing factor mutagen in Logan actually changed the indestructible metal on a molecular level that allowed it to bond to bone. 

After regaining his humanity with James Hudson, AKA Guardian, and Heather Hudson, AKA Vindicator, in the woods, Logan caught a flight to Washington, D.C. with Ben Grimm, AKA The Thing, to meet with Dr. MacLain. He was appalled at the idea of bonding his metal to bones, but had heard rumors of Dark Wind's experiments. However, MacLain  could not examine Logan further because of an unexpected visit from Sabretooth. 

Ultron's Upgrade

While testing a cylinder of Adamantium for Dr. MacLain—then working for S.H.I.E.L.D.—Thor Odinson, AKA Thor, hit it with Mjolnir, which barely dented the sample. Iron Man's repulsor blasts, which could have destroyed a tank, had even less of an impact. MacLain, however, did possess a Molecular Rearranger that could allow for the reshaping of the material. 

Ultron took control of his creation-turned-Avenger Victor Shade, AKA The Vision, and had him steal the Adamantium sample as well as the Rearranger. With them, the android menace created the Adamantium-plated Ultron-6 body and attacked the team. Since then, he has repeatedly figured out how to wrap himself in the nearly indestructible substance or one of its variations. 

Contrictor Constructions

S.H.I.E.L.D. agent Frank Payne had been assigned to go deep undercover in Chicago's The Corporation crime syndicate. Going by the name Frankie Schlichting, he had to shoot his way out of a bad situation. When Nick Fury told him to get back to work, Payne broke ranks and shortly became a costumed assassin known as The Constrictor. It's unknown exactly how Frank got the Constrictor battlesuit and how the Adamantium whips were constructed. 

Though he stuck to the shadows for his work, he made his public debut fighting against the Hulk. Though he lost that battle, his Adamantium whips held up nicely against the Jade Giant. 

A Dark Wind Blows

Doctor Octopus stole Adamantium and took it to Glenn Industries where he created new versions of his arms made out of the metal. He fought Daredevil with them, but was defeated. The new arms would go missing for a while, but Daredevil kept finding trouble of the Adamantium variety.

It took decades, but the man now calling himself Lord Dark Wind -- formerly Kenji Oyama -- managed to recreate the process for bonding Adamantium to bone and even used it to create an Adamantium spine for Bullseye. However, his daughter, Yuriko, attacked him during a battle with Daredevil, leaving him for dead. The shock of killing her parent and the suicide of her lover Kira altered Yuriko's outlook and she began hunting Bullseye by way of his Adamantium skeleton, wanting to recover her father's Adamantium research. During her search, she came upon Wolverine and Alpha Flight and revealed her recent history, but failed to defeat them. 

Heavy Metal Moments

Over the ensuing years, Adamantium showed up in a variety of unique and interesting places. To celebrate the Incredible Hulk, New York City allowed the erection of a statue. No normal statue, though, this one—according to Ben Grimm—was carved out of Adamantium with a Vibranium knife and weighed 10 tons. Over the years, this piece of art would become a weapon as well as a thing of worship before being smelted and used by Dr. Cornelius in his continuation of the Weapon X project many years later. 

Dr. MacLain got a chance to look at Captain America's shield once more after it was stolen by Georges Batroc, AKA Batroc for Stane International. MacLain had been kidnapped and forced to look for the secrets of the Proto-Adamantium. After approximating the alloy he was told to pour it over a suit of armor. Though one of Stane's goons donned the armor, it could not stand up to Captain America's mighty shield! 

However, during the Secret Wars on Battleworld, Doctor Doom stole The Beyonder's power and, among other things, broke a piece of Captain America's shield off. Before the ordeal was over, though, it was made whole again.

Metal Menaces

Lady Deathstrike eventually made a deal with Spiral to have cybernetic and Adamantium implants grafted onto her, resulting in nearly indestructible claws that extended from her fingers. Ever since, she has repeatedly done everything in her power to exact revenge on Wolverine and his fellow X-Men.

Criminals Overrider and TESS-One broke into Adametco, the number one manufacturer of Adamantium in the States, and demanded that TESS get covered in Adamantium. Both Wolverine and Captain America happened upon the facility at the same time. Even though TESS stood for Total Elimination of Super-Soldiers, the Sentinel of Liberty and the Ol' Canucklehead managed to stop the Adamantium-plated threat. 

Kingdom of the Adamantium Skull

While on a mission in the Savage Land, Wolverine encountered a robot duplicate of En Sabah Nur, AKA Apocalypse, in one of his master's labs. There, he found what he assumed to be an eons-old skull consisting entirely of Adamantium!    

After years, Doctor Octopus found his Adamantium arms and began using them just in time to take on his old Sinister Six teammates as well as Spider-Man and Hulk. Though he eventually joined up with the Sinister Six, Doc Ock was soon taken out by Sandman. who he had previously shattered after turning him into glass. Octavius was arrested and his Adamantium arms were destroyed by a Guardsman with a Molecular Rearranger in The Vault. 

Lost and Found

During a battle between Magneto and Wolverine, the master of magnetism—an Omega-Level mutant—used his powers to rip the Adamantium from Logan's body, leaving him with bone claws for a time.

Around this same time, Tyler Dayspring, AKA Genesis, sent his Dark Riders to break Cyber out of his Muir Island cell and bring him to a secret lab in The Citadel. Once there, Cyber was soon trapped in a specific room where Death Watch Beetles were unleashed. They feasted on Burr's flesh and left the metal behind. Genesis got his hands on Wolverine not long after with the intention of bonding Cyber's Adamantium to Wolverine's body so that he would become Genesis' first Herald for Apocalypse. 

After some interference by Sam Guthrie, AKA Cannonball, the succeeding experiment began to fail and Wolverine rejected the Adamantium. After breaking free, Logan went totally feral and killed Genesis before running off on his own. During this time, Sabretooth had his skin and claws laced with Adamantium, which gave him an edge over his longtime enemy. 

In the wake of a battle with Skrulls in space, Wolverine was replaced by one of the shape-shifters while the real-deal was kidnapped by Apocalypse. To find the perfect Death, En Sabah Nur pitted Logan against Sabretooth. After Wolverine won, Apocalypse took Creed's Adamantium and bonded it to the X-Man. 

The removal of his Adamantium left Sabretooth understandably weakened. After a series of twisty deals, Gambit delivered Creed to Nathaniel Essex, AKA Mister Sinister in exchange for some information. Upon examining Victor, Sinister determined that he had become dependent on Adamantium. Since Gambit needed him alive, he went to get some from Sabretooth's old partner Constrictor. The Adamantium from the coils was enough to stabilize Creed. 

Ultron Returns

When Ultron took over the small nation of Slorenia, he created an army of robot duplicates of himself, mostly made up of titanium steel but some were made from Secondary Adamantium. Ultron had to build a Molecular Rearranger into each one to manipulate the metal. Iron Man managed to hack these devices and use them against the drones! Hank Pym then used Antarctic Vibranium and its anti-metal properties to destroy Ultron's more pure Adamantium body. 

Blades of Fury

Sabretooth was eventually grabbed by a recently restarted Weapon X and had Adamantium bonded to his bones without his consent. This process also resulted in Adamantium-coated finger claws. 

An offshoot of Weapon X, called The Facility, wanted to continue where their parent organization left off. Realizing that they could not find individuals who could survive the Adamantium grafting process, they decided to clone Logan instead. The DNA sample was incomplete, so the duplicate wound up being female. Still, with Wolverine's healing factor and claws in place, this new version—dubbed X-23 and later Laura Kinney—survived the process and wielded her own combination of Adamantium claws, two coming out from the knuckles of each hand and another from each foot. 

Cyber 2.0

Later, Cyber used his mental abilities to take over the body of a strapping farm boy named Milo Gunderson. He then employed Phineas Mason, AKA the Tinkerer, to bond Adamantium to his new body before reuniting with Daken and Logan in a bloody battle. However, a bad heart nearly killed him. Needing information, Wolverine took Cyber back to the Tinkerer, supplied him with the Carbonadium Synthesizer, which allowed the scientist to cut through the Adamantium and insert a kind of pacemaker made out of Carbonadium. Before Cyber woke back up, Logan snuck out with the Synthesizer and threw it into a nearby river.  

Wolverine also had Tinkerer create Carbonadium-tipped bullets that he delivered to Bucky Barnes, AKA Winter Soldier. Barnes used one to shoot Daken, which slowed his healing factor. 

Secrets Revealed

After Romulus finally revealed himself to Wolverine, he also claimed to have been pushing Logan to become what he was the whole time. Later, Wolverine tracked Rolumus down after meeting his sister Remus and fought the brother after he had had Adamantium fused to his bones. With extra claws, Romulus lashed out at Wolverine. During the fight, Logan's enemy attempted to explain truths about how Logan had actually started the Weapon X program. Even after Wolverine—and a deep ocean—defeated the now-heavy villain, the X-Man remained uncertain as to whether Romulus had been telling the truth or not. 

A group of mercenaries known as Blackguard bought Weapon X's files off of the black market and used them to create a 12-man group called Strikeforce X with laser claws and unbreakable bones. That didn't stop Wolverine from attempting to kill them all and burn Blackguard down to the ground. 

The Death Of Wolverine

After losing his healing factor, Wolverine became susceptible to any number of bacteria, radiation and other maladies that threatened to kill him. Around that same time, Abraham Cornelius put out a contract for anything and anyone with Adamantium. Battlestar's shield and the Hulk statue were stolen for the Adamantium, and Cyber was killed by Ogun, who was also after Lady Deathstrike and Wolverine. Cornelius wanted to get the Adamantium-bonding process a hundred percent right before he died, but still could not fully crack it. Logan slashed the cables that would have injected human subjects with the metal, but it covered him, turning him into a kind of statue.

The survivors of Cornelius' latest experiment banded together with X-23, Daken, Sabretooth, Raven Darkhölme, AKA Mystique, and Deathstrike to find Wolverine's body in hopes it could help them. Mister Sinister managed to make off with it, but lost it to a collection of X-Men including Piotr Rasputin, AKA Colossus, Ororo Munroe, AKA Storm, Kurt Wagner, AKA Nightcrawler, and Angelica Jones, AKA Firestar. X-Man Kitty Pryde managed to phase Logan's body out of his shell and laid him to rest in a secure location, and the remaining statue was placed in a cabin in Canada. Wolverine was eventually brought back by Persephone, who used him as a weapon until he regained control of himself and went back to the X-Men. 

Further Developments 

A new Weapon X run by Reverend William Stryker rose from the ashes of the previous incarnation and wanted to experiment on Old Man Logan, Sabretooth, James Proudstar, AKA Warpath, Neena Thurman, AKA Domino, and Lady Deathstrike among others. To track such formidable beings down, the program employed adaptable, high-tech cyborgs with Adamantium bodies and claws. 

This same group managed to get samples of Amadeus Cho's DNA, which they combined with several other elements, including an Adamantium skeleton and claws into a new subject dubbed Weapon H. After breaking free, the man once known as Clayton Cortez began to explore his powers and live a new life out in the world. 

Though Weapon X might be one of the more recent known recipients of the Adamantium bonding process, he surely will not be the last. Luckily, the nearly unbreakable metal has found its way into the hands—and bodies—of some people who will do anything to keep others safe. 

XXX

While scientists from other nations focused on Adamantium, the Russians began developing a more malleable version called Carbonadium, mostly associated with the villain Arkady Rossovich, AKA Omega Red and his built-in whips. Given its highly radioactive nature, though, the metal needs to be treated with a Carbonadium Synthesizer, a device that has a tendency to get stolen quite often.

Ultimate Adamantium

Earth-1610, also known as the Ultimate Universe, has a version of Adamantium, but it's comparatively less strong than its 616 counterpart as it can be torn apart by Hulk. Weapon X— a division of S.H.I.E.L.D.—bonded the metal to that reality's Wolverine and Sabretooth.  

Earth-691 Adamantium

In the original Guardians of the Galaxy Universe (Earth-691), Martinex managed to use a flexible form of Adamantium to help fix Vance Astrovik, AKA Major Victory's busted arm. Not only did it offer protection, but also allowed him to use the arm immediately after application. He eventually had his entire suit made out of the material. 

Dargonite

The Earth-691 Universe also has another incredible metal called Dargonite, possibly named after Thor's son Dargo. The Punishers used this material to make bullets that punctured Major Victory's flexible Adamantium suit.