Adamantium
 | This article is missing information about more real-world context. (August 2022) |
| Adamantium | |
|---|---|
| Publication information | |
| Publisher | Marvel Comics |
| First appearance | The 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, 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
[edit]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.[1] In the stories where it appears, the defining quality of adamantium is its indestructibility.[2]
Etymology
[edit]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, diamond-like hardness, or to describe a firm/resolute position. 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][4]
Prior to adamantium's introduction, the term was used as a brand for The Metallurgo Syndicate, Ltd., of Balfour House, and in the 1941 short story "Devil's Powder" by Malcolm Jameson.[4][5][6]
Fictional history and properties
[edit]The components of Adamantium are kept in separate batches before molding. Adamantium is prepared by melting the blocks together, mixing the components while the resin evaporates. Adamantium has a 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, adamantium is near-impossible to destroy or fracture, and when molded to a sharp edge, can penetrate most lesser materials with minimal force.[7]
Adamantium is used in Ultron's shell,[1] Wolverine's skeleton and claws,[8] Bullseye's skeleton,[9] Lady Deathstrike's skeleton and talons,[10] Cyber's skin and claws,[11] X-23's claws,[12] and Russian's body.[13]
Other versions
[edit]Secondary adamantium
[edit]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 forces.[14][15] Its resilience is described as far below that of "true" adamantium.[16][17]
Ultimate Marvel
[edit]In the Ultimate Marvel imprint, adamantium possesses the additional ability to protect against telepathic probing or attacks. Unlike its main universe counterpart, adamantium is not depicted as indestructible.[18]
Comparison with real materials
[edit]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".[19]
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ a b Walker, Karen (February 2010). "Ultron: The Black Sheep of the Avengers Family". Back Issue! (#38). TwoMorrows Publishing: 23–30.
- ^ 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.
- ^ "adamant - definition of adamant". Oxforddictionaries.com.
- ^ a b 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.
- ^ Fowler, William (1912). The Mechanical Engineer, Vol. XXX. The Scientific Publishing Company. p. 520.
- ^ Astounding Stories 1941-06: vol. 27 Iss #4. Penny Publications. June 1941.
- ^ X-Men #109 (February 1978)
- ^ X-Men #98 (April 1976)
- ^ Daredevil #197 (August 1983)
- ^ Uncanny X-Men #205 (May 1986)
- ^ Wolverine: Origins #27 (September 2008)
- ^ X-23: Target X
- ^ The Punisher (vol. 6) #4 (October 2001)
- ^ 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.
- ^ "Adamantium". Marvel.com. Retrieved June 3, 2020.
- ^ "Adamantium". Marvel Directory.com. Retrieved June 3, 2020.
- ^ The Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe Deluxe Edition #1 (August 1985)
- ^ Ultimate X-Men #12 (January 2002)
- ^ Evans, David (2015). "Wolverine: The Force Behind His Train Lunge" (PDF). Journal of Interdisciplinary Science Topics. 4: 90–92. Retrieved August 12, 2022.
