Marvel Just Upgraded Wolverine's Adamantium, And a Claw Upgrade Is Now On the Horizon
Wolverine is by far one of the most recognizable mutants in the Marvel Universe, and that's partly due to his Adamantium-laced skeleton and his iconic claws. While his skeleton has been upgraded recently, the next planned update to his claws might just be his biggest yet.
Considering just how old Wolverine is, it shouldn't surprise anyone that Marvel has played with his looks and abilities a lot over the years. Recently, the upgraded Wolverine's Adamantium skeleton with a new metal known as Adamantine, also known as the Metal of the Gods. As of Wolverine #5 by Saladin Ahmed and Martin Coccolo, it seems that Adamantine will bond itself to Wolverine's claws and skeleton, completely changing and empowering the character. Even worse, the synopsis implies that Adamantine isn't just a metal.
Most recently, readers saw Wolverine battle against Lady Deathstrike and Constrictor, both seemingly possessed by Adamantine, with glowing yellow eyes... the exact same eyes that Wolverine sports on the cover of Wolverine #5. It seems very likely that Wolverine's difficult relationship with his metal skeleton is taking an especially dark turn, as Wolverine becomes a literal puppet for this new divine metal that seems to take over the minds of anyone who becomes bonded to it.
Adamantine Is Wolverine's Darkest Upgrade
Wolverine #5 by Saladin Ahmed, Martin Coccolo, Bryan Valenza, and Cory Petit.
Wolverine has always had a difficult relationship with the Adamantium in his body. One of the core aspects of Wolverine's character is the struggle over whether he's a man or a beast. Weapon-X tried to transform Wolverine into a beast. It took this man and tried to make him into a horrific weapon, one that had no mind or will of its own. To do this, they cut him open and poured Adamantium inside of him, coating his skeleton and his claws, transforming him. Naturally, even after he has long escaped Weapon-X, the very reminder of his biggest trauma lurks beneath his bones. As horrific as this is, it seems it's going to only get worse with this new Adamantine upgrade that seems to have a will and goals of its own.
Surprisingly, this isn't the first time that readers have seen a version of Wolverine bonded with Adamantine. Long-time fans actually saw it way back in Astonishing X-Men #44 by Greg Pak and Mike McKone. This version of Wolverine was from Earth-12025 and was in a loving relationship with Hercules. Due to their love, Hercules gifted Wolverine with the divine metal Adamantine, bonding it to his skeleton and claws. This didn't seem to grant Wolverine that many benefits, as it only provided him with resistance to mind control or psychic assault. It's unclear exactly why 616's version of Adamantine seems nefarious and seems to actively want to bond itself to Wolverine.
Adamantine Doesn't Seem As Dangerous In Other Universes
Wolverine Of Earth-12025 Had No Issues With It
There have been tons of times that Wolverine's claws have been changed. They weren't even Adamantium originally. At first, Wolverine's claws were part of his skeletal structure and were bone-like in nature. It was only after the traumatic Weapon-X program that they became coated in Adamantium. This also isn't the first time that Marvel has tried to change how Wolverine's claws work. Fairly recently, Wolverine was able to route his healing factor through his claws, causing them to become superheated. Marvel has always been open to playing with how Wolverine's most iconic abilities look and function.
This next chapter in Wolverine's life could be a major one for him. While he's tried to remove his Adamantium in the past, it's never worked out. In a twisted way, his Adamantium keeps his mutation in check, and without it, he transforms into a rabid animal. This new Adamantine seems to pose a different threat, as it seems to be able to control its hosts. If Wolverine is able to resist this control, as alternate universe versions of him have seemingly done, then he might finally be able to move past the trauma that his Adamantium skeleton represents and instead become something stronger.
Wolverine's Claws Have Changed A Lot Over The Decades
With a character as old and as popular as Wolverine, it's expected that Marvel would play with his looks and powers a little bit. He's had bone claws, Adamantium claws, superheated claws, and even flaming claws as Ghost-Rider. Now it seems that Marvel is taking Wolverine in a different direction as his next pair of clothes are coated in the divine metal of the Gods, and it might just be driving Wolverine insane. Readers will just have to tune in to see just how much these new golden claws change Wolverine and if it's a change that's for better or worse.
Wolverine #5 is on sale from Marvel Comics on January 8th, 2025!
- NAME
- James "Logan" Howlett
- Alias
- James "Logan" Howlett
- Created By
- Roy Thomas, Len Wein, John Romita Sr.
- POWERS
- Retractible claws and Adamantium skeleton. Superhuman senses, stamina, and strength. Healing factor and longevity.
- Franchise
- X-Men, Marvel
- Age
- 197 (in the MCU)
The human mutant Wolverine (a.k.a. Logan) was born James Howlett, blessed with a superhuman healing factor, senses, and physiology. Subjecting himself to experimentation to augment his skeleton and claws with adamantium, Logan is as deadly as he is reckless, impulsive, and short-tempered. Making him the X-Men's wildest and deadliest member, and one of Marvel Comics' biggest stars. He's played in Fox and Marvel's movie franchises by Hugh Jackman.
