Adamantium

Adamantium is a very dense, artificial, iron-based alloy that is virtually indestructible. A sufficient amount is capable of surviving multiple nuclear explosions with no damage. A pure blade of Adamantium is capable of cutting any known substance, with the exceptions of Adamantium itself and Captain America's shield. The ability to slice completely through a substance with an Adamantium blade depends upon the amount of force being exerted and the density of the material in question.

Creating even a small amount of Adamantium is astronomically expensive, and only a few people know the complete formula. Adamantium is created by mixing certain chemical resins together. The exact composition of these resins is a closely guarded secret of the United States government. When these resins are mixed and kept at a temperature of 1,500 degrees Fahrenheit, the resulting liquid can be cast or worked into a particular shape. After eight minutes, the mixture sets and becomes solid. Its molecular structure is extremely stable, and its shape can only be altered by precise molecular rearrangement.

Recently, some supervillains have taken to harvesting existing sources of Adamantium, hoping to utilize it through molecular rearrangement. Apocalypse harvested Adamantium from Sabretooth's skeleton, and Gambit (Remy LeBeau) in turn got adamantium from Constrictor to save Sabertooth's life. Genesis harvested Adamantium from Cyber by destroying his body's organic matter, leaving only his Adamantium-laced skin.

History

Hercules, the demigod of Greek myth, wielded an enchanted golden mace, which (according to legend) was made of Adamantine and supposed to be indestructible. Inspired by this myth, Dr. Myron MacLain sought to create an indestructible alloy for the American side during World War II. At one point he fell asleep at his lab bench, and the metals he was working with somehow bonded together. This mysterious alloy--a combination of steel, Vibranium, and an unknown catalyst--created a material stronger than any yet known. However, without knowing the exact ingredients and their proportions, MacLain could never duplicate the process. The sample was worked into a disc, which became Captain America's Shield. MacLain's later attempts to duplicate the material included a formula without Vibranium, which resulted in the creation of True Adamantium, which is almost as strong as Captain America's shield.

Because True Adamantium is exceptionally difficult and expensive to create, various researchers found a more cost-effective way to duplicate it, at the expense of quality and durability. This alternate version, referred to as Secondary Adamantium is considerably stronger than even Titanium and is resistant against most assaults. However, assaults from sufficiently powerful weapons or beings can warp or break it.

Forms

True Adamantium

See description above. The use of the term Adamantium generally refers to True Adamantium. [[1]]

Secondary Adamantium

See description above.

Beta Adamantium

Wolverine's skeleton was originally reinforced with true Adamantium. His mutant Healing Factor not only allowed him to survive the process, but it also induced a molecular change in the metal. Beta Adamantium functions like True Adamantium but does not inhibit the biological processes of bone. This fact only became apparent after Magneto forcibly extracted the Adamantium from Wolverine's skeleton.

Adamantium (Ultimate)

In the Ultimate Universe, Adamantium is still a highly durable alloy but it's status as "virtually indestructible" has been called into question, at least for this particular reality. For example, the Hulk was able to break an Adamantium needle. Another incident regarding the UMU Adamantium's durability involves the Ultimate Universe's version of Sabretooth. He possesses four Adamantium claws implanted within each forearm. Through circumstances yet to be revealed, one of the claws implanted within his left forearm is broken. Recently, during a battle between the Ultimate versions of Longshot and Lady Deathstrike resulted in Longshot, using his ability to affect probability, breaking Lady Deathstrike's neck. Much like her mainstream counterpart, she possesses an Adamantium laced skeleton. The material is also highly effective in blocking telepathic probes, a trait that Adamantium in the Earth-616 reality does not possess. Aside from being higly durable, nothing is else about Ultimate Adamantium has been revealed. It isn't known when Adamantium was first created, who is responsible for its creation, and what the properties and processes required for making it are. As a result, it isn't even known if Ultimate Adamantium is created in the same way as the Earth-616 version.

Adamanitum (Earth-691)

On one occasion, Vance Astro of the 31st-century Guardians of the Galaxy of Earth-691 was wounded in a battle with the warlike alien Stark. The alloy suit that protected Astro (Earth's first interstellar astronaut) during his trip to Alpha Centauri was damaged. His teammates repaired the damage by applying a flexible Adamantium cast to his arm and chest. The most likely conclusion is that Earth-691 found a way to create Adamantium cheaply and quickly, and in a mesh or flexible form.

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 considerably less durable than true adamantium, though for all practical purposes, carbonadium is nearly indestructible. Omega Red (an adversary of The X-Men, primarily Wolverine) has carbonadium coils which allow him to drain life energies.

Applications

Adamantium of various types has been used by many heroes and villains.

• Vance Astro's cast
• Wolverine's claws and skeleton
• Battlestar's shield
• Bullseye's spinal column/partial skeleton
• "The Captain's" shield, used by Steve Rogers and provided by Tony Stark
• Ultimate Captain America's shield
• The Constrictor's coils
• Cyber's skin and claws, later harvested by Genesis
• A set of Doctor Octopus's arms (destroyed by molecular rearrangement)
• Gambit's telescopic staff
• Lady Deathstrike's claws and skeleton
• Outer plating of several Ultron bodies
• Tess-One
• X-23's claws

References

• Avengers, volume 1, #66 -- first appearance
• Adamantium at Wikipedia