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{{short description|Fictional, indestructible metal alloy}}
{{pp-pc1}}
{{For|other uses of "adamant" and similar terms|Adamant (disambiguation)}}
{{Distinguish|Adamantane}}
{{Missing information|more ]|date=August 2022}}
{{Multiple issues|
{{In-universe|date=December 2014}}
{{Refimprove|date=November 2009}}
}}

{{Infobox comics elements <!-- Misplaced Pages:WikiProject Comics --> {{Infobox comics elements <!-- Misplaced Pages:WikiProject Comics -->
<!-- | name = Adamantium (not in minecraft) -->| image = <!-- | name = Adamantium (not in minecraft) -->| image =
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| caption = | caption =
| publisher = ] | publisher = ]
| debut = '']'' #66 (July ]) | debut = '']'' #66 (July ])
| creators = ]<br>]<br>] | creators = ]<br>]<br>]
| type = Metal | type = Metal
| material = y | material = y
| supports = ], ], ], ], ] | supports = ], ], ], ], ], ], ]
| subcat = Marvel Comics | subcat = Marvel Comics
| sortkey = Adamantium | sortkey = Adamantium
}} }}
'''Adamantium''' is a fictional metal ], most famously appearing in ] published by ]. It is best known as the substance bonded to the character ]'s skeleton and claws.


==First mention in Marvel comics==
'''Adamantium''' is a fictional metal alloy in ]s published by ] and is best known as the substance bonded to the character ]'s skeleton and claws. Adamantium was created by writer ] and artists ] and ] in Marvel Comics' '']'' #66 (July 1969), which presents the substance as part of the character ]'s outer shell.<ref name="Back38">{{cite journal|last= Walker|first= Karen|date= February 2010|title= Ultron: The Black Sheep of the Avengers Family|journal= ]|issue= 38|pages= 23–30|publisher = ]}}</ref> In the stories where it appears, the defining quality of adamantium is its practical indestructibility. It was first mentioned in ] in a story scripted by writer ] and drawn by ] and ] in '']'' #66 (July 1969). Here, it is part of ] ]'s outer shell.<ref name="Back38">{{cite journal|last= Walker|first= Karen|date= February 2010|title= Ultron: The Black Sheep of the Avengers Family|journal= ]|issue= #38|pages= 23–30|publisher = ]}}</ref> In the stories where it appears, the defining quality of adamantium is its indestructibility.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Brevoort |first1=Tom |last2=DeFalco |first2=Tom |last3=Manning |first3=Matthew K. |last4=Sanderson |first4=Peter |last5=Wiacek |first5=Win |title=Marvel Year By Year: A Visual History |date=2017 |publisher=DK Publishing |isbn=978-1465455505 |page=136}}</ref>


==Etymology== ==Etymology==
⚫ The word is a pseudo-Latin ] (real Latin: ''adamans'', from original Greek ''ἀδάμας'' ; ''adamantem'' ) based on the English noun and adjective '']'' (and the derived adjective ''adamantine'') added to the neo-Latin suffix "]". The adjective ''adamant'' has long been used to refer to the property of impregnable, diamond-like 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 ] or ].<ref>. Oxforddictionaries.com.</ref><ref name=Kundu>{{cite journal |last=Kundu |first=Suze |date=2019 |title=Elements of science and fiction |journal=] |volume=11 |issue=1 |pages=13–16 |doi=10.1038/s41557-018-0194-5|pmid=30552432 |bibcode=2019NatCh..11...13K |s2cid=54626181 }}</ref>


In 1912, The Metallurgo Syndicate, Ltd., of Balfour House, used "Adamantium" (with a capital 'A') as a product brand when they exhibited ''"two of their specialities in the shape of '''Adamantium''' bronze - a high-class non-corrosive, anti-friction metal..."''<ref>{{Cite book|last=Fowler|first=William|url=https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=mdp.39015084517963&view=1up&seq=9&skin=2021|title=The Mechanical Engineer, Vol. XXX|publisher=The Scientific Publishing Company|year=1912|pages=520|language=English}}</ref>
⚫ The word is a pseudo-Latin ] (real Latin: ''adamans'', ''adamantem'' ) based on the English noun and adjective '']'' (and the derived adjective ''adamantine'') with the neo-Latin suffix "]," implying a metal. The adjective 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'' has long been used to designate 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 ] or ].<ref>. Oxforddictionaries.com.</ref> ''Adamant'' and the literary form ''adamantine'' occur in works such as '']'',<ref>Great Books of the Western World Vol. 4 pg 40</ref> the '']'', '']'', '']'', '']'', '']'', '']'', and the film '']'' (as "adamantine steel"), all of which predate the use of ''adamantium'' in Marvel's comics.


The term "adamantium" occurred in the 1941 short story "Devil's Powder" by ], appearing in '']'':<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://archive.org/details/sim_astounding-science-fiction_1941-06_27_4|title=Astounding Stories 1941-06: vol. 27 Iss #4|date=June 1941|publisher=Penny Publications|language=English}}</ref> ''"It was a bullet. It was a small slug of ''adamantium'', the toughest and hardest of all metals..."''
⚫ ==History and properties==
{{In-universe|section|date=December 2014}}
In the Marvel Universe, Adamantium is a group of man-made metal alloys of varying durability, but all are nearly indestructible. Adamantium is inadvertently invented by the American metallurgist ] in an attempt to recreate his prior discovery, a unique alloy.


''Adamant'' and the literary form ''adamantine'' occur in works such as '']'', '']'', '']'', '']'', '']'',<ref name=Kundu/> and the film '']'' (as "adamantine steel").
⚫ Before molding, the components of the alloy are kept in separate batches, typically in blocks of resin. Adamantium is prepared by melting the blocks together, mixing the components while the resin evaporates. The alloy must then be cast within eight minutes. Adamantium's extremely stable molecular structure 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 dark metallic grey, shiny, and resembles high-grade steel or ].<ref>''Avengers'' (vol. 1) #201-202 (November – December 1980)</ref> It is almost impossible to destroy or fracture in this state and when molded to a razor's edge, it can penetrate most lesser materials with minimal application of strength.<ref>''X-Men'' (vol. 1) #139 (November 1980)</ref>


All these uses predate the use of ''adamantium'' in Marvel's comics.<ref name=Kundu/>
Despite its utility in armament and armature, adamantium is rarely used due to its high cost, lack of source materials and inability to be manipulated easily.


⚫ ==Fictional history and properties==
⚫ Wolverine once discovers an adamantium-laced skull in ]'s laboratory and says it seemed to have been there for eons.<ref>''Wolverine: The Jungle Adventure'' (1990)</ref>
⚫ According to Marvel's comics 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 near-impossible to destroy or fracture in this state, and when molded to a sharp edge, can penetrate most lesser materials with minimal force.<ref>''The Classic X-Men'' #16 (Sept. 1987)</ref>


⚫ The Marvel Comics character Wolverine discovers an adamantium-laced skull in the villain ]'s laboratory and says it seems to have been there for "]".<ref>''Wolverine: The Jungle Adventure'' (1990)</ref>
⚫ ==Adamantium as key component==
Adamantium is used as the key component in several instances in the Marvel Universe, including:
⚫ * ]'s outer shell.
⚫ * ]'s skeleton and claws.
* ]'s combat knife and bullets.
* The outer skin of some of ]'s robotic bodies.
* ]'s shield.
* ]'s spinal column and some strips coating several of his bones.
* Certain iterations of ]'s shield.
* ]'s original wrist-mounted, prehensile metal coils.
* ]'s claws and skin.
* One particular set of ]' arms.
* The outer layer of ]'s rapier.
* ]'s skeleton and talons.
* One of ]'s labs for extremely dangerous experiments.
* ]'s crescent blades.
* A unique suit of armor once used by the villain ].
* The outer skin of ].
* One of several layers of containment at the superhuman incarceration facility known as the ].
* An outer coating on the ]'s blades.
* A special brand of bullet in the ] suit's ballistic weapons.
* Bullets used by ].
* ]'s claws.
* ] suit.
* Bucky Barnes' Captain America suit is laced with Adamantium.
* A statue of the ], sculpted by ].
* ]'s head is made of Adamantium.
* ] has used arrowheads made of Adamantium.


⚫ ===As a key component===
⚫ ==Adamantium in the Ultimate Marvel Universe==
⚫ * ]'s outer shell<ref name="Back38"/>
⚫ Within the Earth-1610 reality, also known as the ],<ref> at Marvel.com</ref> Adamantium is highly durable and is able to effectively protect a person's mind from ]ic probing or attacks. It has been shown as a component of the claws and skeleton of the ] and ] characters. The shield of ] is composed entirely of Vibranium, which is a super-strong metal created before Adamantium but the formula for which could not be replicated, therefore leading to the creation of Adamantium. 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 ]'s four adamantium claws is broken.<ref>''Ultimate X-Men'' #12 (January 2002)</ref>
⚫ * ]'s skeleton and claws<ref>''X-Men'' #98 (April 1976) (w)]</ref>
* ]'s skeleton and claws were laced with adamantium in a 1998 storyline.<ref>] (w); ] (a), "Blood Wedding", ''Wolverine'' )(Vol. 2) #126 (July 1998). ].</ref>
* Most of ]'s skeleton.<ref name="DD197">''Daredevil'' #197</ref>
* ]'s skeleton and talons<ref>] (w) ] (a), "Wounded Wolf", ''The Uncanny X-Men'' #205 (May 1986). ].</ref>
* ]'s claws<ref name="X-23: Target X">'']''</ref>
* ]'s body, following his resurrection by General Kreigkopf<ref>{{Cite comic|writer = ]|penciller = ]|inker = ]|colorist =]|letterer = RS and Comicraft's Wes Abbott|editor = Stuart Moore|story = Dirty Work|title = The Punisher|volume = 6|issue = 4|date = October 2001|publisher =]|location = New York City}}</ref>


==In other media== ==Other versions==
===Secondary adamantium===
* The first novel of the Halo Forerunner series, "Cryptum", ships are referenced to move though the air like a ribbon of steel and Adamantium.<ref>Halo:Cryptum. Chapter 9</ref>
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.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.cbr.com/marvel-adamantium-types-explained/ |author=Martin, Michael|title=Marvel: Every Type Of Adamantium, Explained|publisher=] |url-status=live|date=February 27, 2020|accessdate=May 18, 2022|archivedate=May 28, 2020|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20200528030649/https://www.cbr.com/marvel-adamantium-types-explained/}}</ref><ref>. Marvel.com. Retrieved June 3, 2020.</ref> Its resilience is described as far below that of "true" adamantium.<ref>. Marvel Directory.com. Retrieved June 3, 2020.</ref><ref>"Adamantium". ''The Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe Deluxe Edition'' #1 p. 5 (Marvel, August 1985)</ref>

Appearances of secondary adamantium in Marvel comic books include the casing of the supercomputer F.A.U.S.T.,<ref>''Marvel Team-Up'' #18 (February 1974)</ref> a suit constructed by F.A.U.S.T. and ] for ],<ref>''Thor'' #269 (March 1978)</ref> a retractable protective dome around Exile Island,<ref>''Super-Villain Team-Up'' #17 (June 1980)</ref> and an army of Ultron duplicates.<ref>"This Evil Triumphant!". ''The Avengers'' vol.3 #22 (Nov. 1999)</ref>

⚫ ===Ultimate Marvel===
⚫ In stories published under the Marvel Comics ], adamantium is highly durable and can shield a person's mind from ]ic probing or attacks. It is a component of the claws and skeleton of ] and of the ] 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 ]'s four adamantium claws is broken.<ref>''Ultimate X-Men'' #12 (January 2002)</ref>

==Comparison with real materials==
Scientist David Evans argued that as adamantium "is considered to be a very dense and indestructible metal" the most suitable real material to model it would be ], "the densest known metallic element".<ref>{{cite journal |last=Evans |first=David |date=2015 |title=Wolverine: The Force Behind His Train Lunge |url=https://core.ac.uk/download/pdf/267014096.pdf |journal=Journal of Interdisciplinary Science Topics |volume=4 |pages=90–92 |access-date=August 12, 2022}}</ref>


==See also== ==See also==
* ]
* ]
* ] * ]
* ]
* ] * ]
* ]


==References== ==References==
{{reflist}} {{reflist|2}}

{{Marvel Characters}}



] ]
]

Latest revision as of 14:53, 1 November 2024

Fictional, indestructible metal alloy For other uses of "adamant" and similar terms, see Adamant (disambiguation).
This article is missing information about more real-world context. Please expand the article to include this information. Further details may exist on the talk page. (August 2022)
Adamantium
Publication information
PublisherMarvel Comics
First appearanceThe Avengers #66 (July 1969)
Created byRoy Thomas
Barry Windsor-Smith
Syd Shores
In story information
TypeMetal
Element of stories featuringWolverine, Ultron, Bullseye, Lady Deathstrike, X-23, Daken, Omega Red

Adamantium is a fictional metal alloy, most famously 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.

First mention in Marvel comics

It was first mentioned in Marvel Comics in a story scripted by writer Roy Thomas and drawn by Barry Windsor-Smith and Syd Shores in The Avengers #66 (July 1969). Here, it is part of supervillain Ultron's outer shell. In the stories where it appears, the defining quality of adamantium is its indestructibility.

Etymology

The word is a pseudo-Latin neologism (real Latin: adamans, from original Greek ἀδάμας ; adamantem ) 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, diamond-like 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.

In 1912, The Metallurgo Syndicate, Ltd., of Balfour House, used "Adamantium" (with a capital 'A') as a product brand when they exhibited "two of their specialities in the shape of Adamantium bronze - a high-class non-corrosive, anti-friction metal..."

The term "adamantium" occurred in the 1941 short story "Devil's Powder" by Malcolm Jameson, appearing in Astounding Stories: "It was a bullet. It was a small slug of adamantium, the toughest and hardest of all metals..."

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 these uses predate the use of adamantium in Marvel's comics.

Fictional history and properties

According to Marvel's comics 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 near-impossible to destroy or fracture in this state, and when molded to a sharp edge, can penetrate most lesser materials with minimal force.

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

As a key component

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. Its resilience is described as far below that of "true" adamantium.

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

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.

Comparison with real materials

Scientist David Evans argued that as adamantium "is considered to be a very dense and indestructible metal" the most suitable real material to model it would be osmium, "the densest known metallic element".

See also

References

  1. ^ Walker, Karen (February 2010). "Ultron: The Black Sheep of the Avengers Family". Back Issue! (#38). TwoMorrows Publishing: 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. ^ Kundu, Suze (2019). "Elements of science and fiction". Nature Chemistry. 11 (1): 13–16. Bibcode:2019NatCh..11...13K. doi:10.1038/s41557-018-0194-5. PMID 30552432. S2CID 54626181.
  5. Fowler, William (1912). The Mechanical Engineer, Vol. XXX. The Scientific Publishing Company. p. 520.
  6. Astounding Stories 1941-06: vol. 27 Iss #4. Penny Publications. June 1941.
  7. The Classic X-Men #16 (Sept. 1987)
  8. Wolverine: The Jungle Adventure (1990)
  9. X-Men #98 (April 1976) (w)Chris Claremont
  10. Claremont, Chris (w); Yu, Leinil Franics (a), "Blood Wedding", Wolverine )(Vol. 2) #126 (July 1998). Marvel Comics.
  11. Daredevil #197
  12. Claremont, Chris (w) Windsor-Smith, Barry (a), "Wounded Wolf", The Uncanny X-Men #205 (May 1986). Marvel Comics.
  13. X-23: Target X
  14. Ennis, Garth (w), Dillon, Steve (p), Palmiotti, Jimmy (i), Sotomayor, Chris (col), RS and Comicraft's Wes Abbott (let), Stuart Moore (ed). "Dirty Work" The Punisher, vol. 6, no. 4 (October 2001). New York City: Marvel Comics.
  15. Martin, Michael (February 27, 2020). "Marvel: Every Type Of Adamantium, Explained". CBR.com. Archived from the original on May 28, 2020. Retrieved May 18, 2022.
  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 p. 5 (Marvel, August 1985)
  19. Marvel Team-Up #18 (February 1974)
  20. Thor #269 (March 1978)
  21. Super-Villain Team-Up #17 (June 1980)
  22. "This Evil Triumphant!". The Avengers vol.3 #22 (Nov. 1999)
  23. Ultimate X-Men #12 (January 2002)
  24. Evans, David (2015). "Wolverine: The Force Behind His Train Lunge" (PDF). Journal of Interdisciplinary Science Topics. 4: 90–92. Retrieved August 12, 2022.
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