Warning: Contains SPOILERS for Wolverine #7! Wolverine is one of the deadliest heroes in the Marvel Universe, which means it should come as no surprise that he has a fair number of enemies. From people who want Wolverine dead to keep him from interfering with their nefarious schemes, to those who just want to test their own strength by challenging him, there’s certainly no shortage of villains who want to see Wolverine dead. And now, Wolverine’s most underrated nemesis has become the most dangerous of them all.

In a preview for Wolverine #7 by Saladin Ahmed and Martín Cóccolo, Logan and his daughter Laura are standing face-to-face with arguably the most significant super-villain in Wolverine’s life: Romulus. Except, this isn’t exactly the same Romulus Wolverine faced in the past, as the villain has had an unprecedented upgrade courtesy of the driving antagonistic force of this entire Wolverine story arc: Adamantine.

Adamantine is the cosmic embodiment of metal, a sentient entity older than gods that has manifested as a golden, mind-controlling infection. Throughout this story arc, the Adamantine has infected those with adamantium. Lady Deathstrike, Cyber, and Constrictor are a few who have fallen to the influence of the Adamantine. Now, Romulus is the latest to be infected by the divine metal, but unlike the others, Romulus perfectly bonded with the Adamantine rather than simply being taken over by it.

As Romulus says in this preview, he’s become the Adamantine’s champion, elevated by its ancient power into something else entirely. Indeed, the preview ends with Romulus exploding into a being of pure golden light, further teasing his divine ascension. Interestingly enough, while Romulus has never been a literal god before, he might as well have, as he was literally Logan’s creator who guided Wolverine’s life along a predetermined destiny that Romulus charted for him. Romulus is essentially Wolverine’s ‘god’ - now he just finally looks the part.

Who Is Romulus? The History of Wolverine’s Underrated Nemesis, Explained

Romulus is the ‘Man Behind the Curtain’ of Wolverine’s Entire Life

Romulus’ origin remains a mystery to this day, but he claims he’s the first of the ‘Lupus Sapiens’, which is a species that evolved from canines rather than apes, and he also claims that Logan is his descendant (which would mean Wolverine isn’t a mutant at all, but a ‘Lupus Sapien’). These claims have been greatly debunked, but Romulus hasn’t offered an alternative to them regarding his earliest origin, so it’s kind of up in the air.

What is known about Romulus' history is that he was, indeed, the founder and ruler of Ancient Rome, which was just the beginning of his global conquest. Throughout history, Romulus put himself in positions of power. From aligning himself with the Nazis during World War II to working with the Hand, Romulus had been angling for world domination from the shadows for centuries. However, it wasn’t until Romulus became the mastermind behind the Weapon X Program that he really played a role in Logan’s life.

Romulus became aware of Logan’s existence in 1910 on Madripoor, and since then, he has never let Wolverine out of his sight. Romulus decided that Wolverine would become his own personal living weapon. That is why he created the Weapon X Program, why he put Logan through that torturous metamorphosis, and why he subtly guided Logan’s life from that point forward. Eventually, Wolverine learned the truth about Romulus, and their final confrontation ended with Romulus locked up in the Raft. But now, Romulus is free, and his latest upgrade could finally put Wolverine under his control permanently.

How Romulus’ Adamantine Upgrade Can Finally Make Him Wolverine’s True Master

Romulus Bonded with the Adamantine, Which Has the Power to Control Those with Adamantium

At the end of the preview for Wolverine #7, Romulus didn’t just bond with the Adamantine, he seemingly became the Adamantine after shedding his flesh to become an entity of pure golden light. At the moment, the specifics of the entire scene remain unclear. However, it could mean exactly what it looks like, that Romulus and the Adamantine are truly one. That means, when someone with adamantium gets infected by the Adamantine, they’re also getting infected by Romulus himself, making them his own personal slaves.

Wolverine has yet to be infected by the Adamantine, but that doesn’t mean he’s immune to it. If he gets sliced by the golden adamantium of the infected, Logan will become infected himself. So, if Romulus has truly bonded with the Adamantine as this preview seems to imply, then Romulus finally has the chance to turn Wolverine into his slave, just as he’s been trying to do for roughly two hundred years.

Right now, it remains to be seen if Romulus will be able to finally take full control over Wolverine’s life, or even if he has the ability to do so. But, what fans do know is that Romulus is closer than ever to accomplishing that goal, making Wolverine’s most underrated nemesis his most powerful foe.

Wolverine #7 by Marvel Comics is available now.