Wolverine seems to have exclusive rights to the alloy, he is merely the most famous superhero to benefit from its power. First introduced by Roy Thomas and Barry Winsdor-Smith in the summer of 1969 (cue the Bryan Adams), adamantium has survived through the decades just as much as the characters who wield it.
From Hugh Jackman’s Wolverine, it’s time to meet the other characters who have dabbled with adamantium. X-23 isn’t the only one, and even Donald Pierce has witnessed the alloy’s immutable strength.
Here are the 15 Characters Who Use Adamantium (Other Than Wolverine).
15. Romulus
In Roman mythology, Romulus and Remus were born of gods, raised by wolves, and nurtured to become the future founders of the Roman Empire. In the mythology of James Howlett Logan, Romulus is the puppeteer of his life. A villain of ancient origins, he is a world-class manipulator who not only ruled Rome but purportedly helped get the metal of the Murasma blade bonded to his claws.
Romulus is arguably the most dangerous supervillain that wields adamantium. This seven-foot-tall, 300-pound beast’s skeleton is laced with it, and his four oversized claws are fortified by the nigh-unbreakable alloy. Not only does Romulus use adamantium to his advantage, but he is responsible for giving it to a number of other villains who have made Wolverine’s life a living hell.
14. Ultron
Ultron is the first character in the Marvel Universe to display the almighty power of adamantium. Though Hank Pym’s mad science brought the robot into being, Dr. Myron MacLain is the granddaddy of the indestructible alloy. Having pioneered the substance during a moment of inspiration, MacLain proved so confident in his creation that he challenged the Avengers to try their best to destroy it. Though none of the heroes could break the adamantium, they were stunned when a mind-controlled Vision flew into the scene, stole the alloy, and swiftly delivered it to his boss, Ultron.
In Avengers #66-68, the robot gets the upgrade of a lifetime and becomes a virtually unbreakable machine. Thanks to the work of the Vision, Ultron gets his steel frame replaced with an entirely adamantium shell. To emphasize his newfound powers, he took on the new title “Ultimate Ultron” and set out to conquer the world.
13. Kraven the Hunter
Though he’s often preoccupied with bringing down Spider-Man, Kraven the Hunter would meet an even greater challenge in trying to track Wolverine. A hunter of the highest order, Kraven foregoes the rookie weapons of guns, crossbows, and arrows when bringing down his prey. Instead, he relies on his bare hands to do his dirty work -- unless he finds himself in a truly precarious situation.
Only then will Kraven turn to his arsenal of deadly gadgets, like the blow dart he used to poison Peter Parker or the shatterproof spear he carries on every adventure. Our favorite web-crawler has seldom encountered the adamantium spear, however. That honor was recently reserved for Rocket Raccoon, who laid eyes on the weapon in the least likely of circumstances. While he walked past a truck muttering sweet nothings to himself, the metal side of the vehicle gets torn open by a massive blade. Rocket asks Kraven how that’s even possible before the hunter replies, “It is an adamantium blade.” Though Rocket has no idea what that means, he knows it isn’t good, and he promptly flees the scene yelling, “I will not die in my underwear!”
12. Captain America
The famed shield of Captain America consists of three key ingredients: Vibranium, steel, and a mysterious third component that many call “proto-Adamantium.” While Dr. Myron MacLain was hard at work in hopes of recapturing the power of Hercules’ Golden Mace, he merged vibranium with an unnamed alloy that made for a truly unstoppable combination. When MacLain took a long nap from his toil, the vibranium and the proto-Adamantium did a mating dance and formed the shape of a shield, the very thing President Franklin Delano Roosevelt would later give to Captain America for his protection on the frontlines.
Though this interpretation of the shield’s special sauce may be apocryphal, Steve Rogers would later wield an entirely-adamantium shield under the title of “The Captain.” Tony Stark gifted the shield to his old friend, but when they fell into conflict during the Armor Wars, Cap relinquished the shield and went back to vibranium.
11. Bullseye
It’s one thing to create a revolutionary substance, but it’s another to do know how to exploit it. Though Dr. Myron MacLain deserves full credit for the accidental invention of adamantium, Lord Dark Wind patented the means of bonding it to the body. When Bullseye suffered a devastating loss to Daredevil and fell onto his back from a skyscraper, he was in need of drastic help. His spine was shattered, his back was broken, and his assassin career seemed to be dead in the water.
Lord Dark Wind approached the paralyzed killer with a devil’s deal. Should Bullseye agree to work under the command of the Japanese kingpin, Dark Wind promised to rebuild his spine with adamantium and make him stronger than ever. Though Bullseye initially agreed to the , he felt so good after the surgery that he bailed on the bargain and returned to New York City with a full head of steam.
10. Major Victory
There’s more adamantium in this big fella than anyone else. Not only does he have a suit forged with the unholy alloy, but he also carries Captain America’s shield exclusively for bragging rights. His name is Major Victory, after all, which is definitely the name Charlie Sheen would choose if he were in the Marvel Universe.
It wasn’t always smooth sailing for Major Victory, of course, and he started his career as Mr. Vance Astro. Though his desire to capture Captain America’s shield existed from the beginning, he fought alongside the Guardians of the Galaxy without the help of adamantium. After getting injured in a space fight (that caused his centuries of preserved aging to catch up), he required an adamantium cast to preserve his wound and survive. Later, after acquiring Captain America’s prized weapon, Vance got a full-body adamantium suit to match the shield. When he got shot by a Dragonite bullet, however, the adamantium containment suit shattered, forcing him to abandon it altogether. In his reemergence, Astro grabbed Cap’s shield and declared himself, “I am Major Victory of the Guardians of the Galaxy! Please, can somebody tell me when I am?” Sure, but we’re gonna need to get you a drink first.
9. Daken
However violent and reckless he may be, Daken doesn’t necessarily fight without principle. Though he benefits from his heightened animalistic senses, superhuman healing powers, and the same retractable claws as his father Wolverine, he draws the line at becoming an all-adamantium animal. Though he fights without an adamantium skeleton, Daken gets his hands on a shard of Logan’s shattered Murasma blade and employs The Tinkerer to fuse it with his claws. He even gets adamantium-coated sheaths to protect both his weapons and himself from the alloy’s toxicity, given the rest of his body doesn’t adamantium.
Thanks to the lighter minor amounts of the alloy in his system, Daken lighter on his feet and even faster than his father. Though he has proven capable of fighting Wolverine, he ultimately succumbs to his progenitor in the most gruesome of ways: slashing, stabbing, and ultimately, drowning in an inch-deep puddle of grimy water.
8. Sabretooth
For Sabretooth, it’s an on-again-off-again relationship with adamantium. He has fought through much of his career without the helpful alloy, but on the few occasions when his skeleton and claws were fortified with it, he became a nearly unstoppable killing machine. The team at Weapon X aren’t easily disturbed, but even they were revolted by Sabretooth’s relentless pursuit of vengeance. Though they had hired him to do their dirty work and given him an all-adamantium structure, they rejected his bloody approach to “business.”
Later, Sabretooth would temporarily lose his adamantium when Wolverine beat him in a duel. Apocalypse had arranged the grudge match to identify which of the beasts should become his next Horseman, and when Logan won the day, all of Sabretooth’s adamantium was ripped from his body. Wolverine has been victim to this same mode of torture (courtesy of Magneto), and it is said to be the most excruciating process imaginable. With or without the compound, however, Sabretooth remains a clear and present danger to virtually everyone around him.
7. Hammerhead
Like Kraven the Hunter, Hammerhead is best known for his attacks against Spider-Man. The top-heavy villain has perhaps the most barbaric fighting style all, relying on his Frankenstein-sized head to charge opponents like a battering ram. Though it’s unclear what substance comprised Hammerhead’s skull, most believe it’s an early model of adamantium.
While in prison for his mix-up in the mob, Hammerhead survived an assassination attempt by Underworld, who snuck into his cell at the behest of Wilson Fisk. Underworld blasted Hammerhead execution style, sending adamantium bullets right at his noggin. Though they didn’t lodge in his skull, the gunshot wounds required immediate surgery at the local hospital. Halfway through the operation, the regular doctors were replaced with Mr. Negative’s henchmen, who killed the emergency room staff, kidnapped Hammerhead, and had their own doctor (encouragingly named Doctor Tramma) give him an all-adamantium skeleton. Hammerhead quickly became the most fearsome-looking mobster in all of New York City.
6. Lady Deathstrike
As the daughter of Lord Dark Wind, the Einstein of adamantium-bonding, Yuriko Oyama was destined for a future of technological upgrades. Having despised her father for instigating the deaths of her brothers, she slaughtered Lord Dark Wind in an act of revenge.
It didn't take long for Yuriko to regret her actions and understand the twisted brilliance of her father’s ways. Adamantium was his legacy, and to reassemble his research, Yuriko dedicated herself to finding Wolverine’s superhuman skeleton. Though she failed to track down Logan, Yuriko wandered into Spiral’s body shop and turned herself into an alloy-assisted assassin. Yuriko then bade farewell to her old identity as she merged into the cyborg Lady Deathstrike, outfitted with five 12-inch-long adamantium claws on each hand (capable of extending up to two feet for special occasions). By teaming up with Donald Pierce, Lady Deathstrike would become an even more dangerous foe as she fought alongside the Reavers, aka the villains of Logan.