No More Adamantium: Is Marvel Teasing the Return of Feral Wolverine?

When the Weapon X program laced Logan’s skeleton and claws with near-indestructible adamantium, it turned the Wolverine into an unbreakable killing machine. But someone — or something — has been trying to break the metal-clawed mutant in Marvel’s ongoing Wolverine comic run by writer Saladin Ahmed and artist Martin Coccolo. As the X-Men’s Krakoan Age came to an end, Wolverine was living among wolves in the frozen Canadian wilderness until his old enemy, Cyber, killed his pack while looking to settle an old score. But then an elemental force sought out the “false metal” in his bones: adamantium.

Recent issues of Wolverine saw this unknown force overtake Cyber’s adamantium arms, Lady Deathstrike’s adamantium talons, and the Constrictor’s adamantium-laced coils. By purging and purifying Wolverine’s enemies of the “false metal,” it has grown stronger, and it will soon be strong enough to rid the Earth of all adamantium.

“You are deafened by the screeching of the false metal within you,” the possessed Lady Deathstrike told Wolverine. “You have not yet heard the call of the Adamantine.” She then exposed him to a primal presence that Wolverine could feel in his bones.

In Wednesday’s Wolverine #5, the gold Adamantine that spread like a virus from Cyber to Lady Deathstrike to Constrictor nearly possessed Wolverine, who realized the primal voice calling out to the metal that coats his bones wanes with distance. The X-Man Nightcrawler arrived in the Blackbird to help Wolverine escape, only for the golden-armed Cyber to lure Wolverine to a factory where he picks up a scent he recognizes: one of the chemical resins used to synthesize adamantium.

Wolverine finds Cyber and a message scrawled in blood: NO MORE ADAMANTIUM. The possessed Cyber repeats the words of Lady Deathstrike, telling him:

“You are deafened by the screeching of the false metal within you. You have not yet heard the call of the Adamantine.”

When Wolverine hears the call of the ancient metal twisting within his adamantium skeleton, the primal presence says he’s not as easily seized as the other screeching wielders of the first metal. He is stronger, purer, and can serve a purpose in purging the Earth of adamantium. But first he must be broken.

The False Metal: Adamantium vs. Adamantine

Adamantium gets its name from Adamantine of Greek mythology. In the Marvel Universe, Adamantine is the “Metal of the Gods” and comprises the Golden Mace of Hercules that is able to withstand mighty blows from Thor’s enchanted hammer, Mjolnir.

2011’s Astonishing X-Men #45 introduced a version of Wolverine who was a member of the cross-dimensional X-Men, Captain James Howlett, whose Adamantine-laced claws and skeleton made him impervious to psychic attacks and practically indestructible.

December’s Timeslide #1 revealed that The False Metal is one of the most consequential stories that will unfold throughout the Marvel Universe in 2025. Marvel has also teased that March’s Wolverine #7 — legacy number #399 — contains a shocking return and a key appearance ahead of the milestone Wolverine #400 in April.

Wolverine: No More Adamantium?

During the “Fatal Attractions” storyline in 1993’s X-Men #25, Magneto, mutant master of magnetism, nearly killed Wolverine when he ripped the adamantium from his bones on the molecular level, pushing his mutant healing factor to its limit. Wolverine survived, and his bone claws re-emerged (in 1993’s Wolverine #75). With his healing factor weakened and now without his adamantium-laced skeleton, Wolverine left the X-Men that same issue.

Shortly afterward, the bone-clawed Wolverine battled Lady Deathstrike (in Wolverine #77-78) and Cyber (Wolverine #79). After the villain Genesis attempted to re-bond the adamantium to Wolverine’s skeleton and turn him into Death — one of the Horsemen of Apocalypse — Wolverine was left in a feral, animalistic state (Wolverine #100).

The savage Wolverine spent some time in this more primal state until 1999’s Wolverine #145, when Apocalypse stripped Sabretooth of his adamantium and subjected Wolverine to the re-bonding process. “You are good, perhaps,” Apocalypse told Sabretooth, “but Wolverine… he is the best there is at what he does.”

Wolverine #5 is on sale now from Marvel Comics. Next:

Wolverine #6

HEAVY METAL CLASH! Two WOLVERINEs and a NIGHTCRAWER versus CONSTRICTOR, CYBER and DEATHSTRIKE in a clash of the adamantium titans! United by a mysterious power, if LOGAN can’t beat them…will he join them? Come for the battle – stay for the jaw-dropping surprise!

On sale: Feb. 5

Wolverine #7

GO FOR THE GOLD METAL! The ADAMANTINE saga reaches new heights, with a shock twist and surprising return you’ll have to read to believe! The GOLDEN metal means death for WOLVERINE…but is it also the world’s salvation? Collectors’ note: A key appearance is contained in this issue.

On sale: March 5