Weapon Plus
Encyclopedia
Weapon Plus is a fictional clandestine program that appears in books published by Marvel Comics
. It was created by Grant Morrison
during his run in New X-Men
. The program's purpose is the creation of supersoldiers intended to fight the wars of the future, especially a Mutant-Human war. Weapon X
, the organization's most well-known program, was originally the tenth installation, but eventually it branched off and became an independent program with similar purposes. Morrison's introduction of Weapon Plus also shed new information about the origins of Weapon X, Captain America and other Marvel Comics supersoldier
s.
The first nine installments of Weapon Plus were partially successful. Weapon X produced a number of agents, though it branched off and even became opposed to Weapon Plus's interests. To prevent subsidiary programs from going rogue, Weapon Plus directly oversaw the creation of the last living weapons operating in the clandestine facilities of The World, employing Bolivar Trask
's Sentinel
technology.
Throughout the decades, Weapon Plus has used increasingly more extreme methods to create its supersoldiers. Captain America was enhanced to peak human levels. Weapon X employed genetic alteration, brainwashing and memory implants. The latest creations were bred specifically to become mutant-hunting weapons much deadlier than Sentinels.
led by Doctors Reinstein and Koch. When World War II began, Koch took over the German program, and Josef Reinstein (Erskine) moved to the American program.
(Steve Rogers). However, Erskine was murdered moments after Rogers was successfully empowered, the refinements he introduced which made the process successful lost with his death. With his demise, Koch took over the American program.
Two other subjects, Clinton McIntyre, a.k.a. Protocide
, a failed experiment who was placed in suspended animation
and was revived in the modern era by AIM
, and the first mutant experiment designated Queen seem to have occurred prior to the Super Soldier Serum being tested on Steve Rogers.
Early attempts to recreate the formula resulted in African American
super soldiers (most prominently Isaiah Bradley
). Three hundred African-American soldiers were taken from Camp Cathcart and subjected to potentially fatal experiments at an undisclosed location, as seen in Truth: Red, White & Black
in an attempt to recreate the Super Soldier formula. Only five men survived the original trials; hundreds of test subjects left behind at Camp Cathcart and the camp's commander were executed by US soldiers in the name of secrecy, the families of the three hundred were told that they had died in battle. Isaiah Bradley was the lone survivor.
Although there were many later attempts to recreate or reverse-engineer Project: Rebirth's Super-Soldier Serum, none are known to have been involved with Weapon Plus except for the attempt that resulted in the creation of Isaiah Bradley's son Josiah X
. Weapon Plus considers Captain America as its most successful creation, despite the fact that Rogers has been at odds with the United States government a number of times. It should be noted that Project: Rebirth was retroactively made a part of the Weapon Plus after WWII when Weapon Plus was actually formed.
that these animal weapons were the animal cyborgs in the comic We3
.
.
. Some of the known participants who died in Project: Homegrown included Andrew Perlmutter, Michael Labash, John Walsh, James MacPherson and fourteen other unknown recruits. The only known successful subject of Project: Homegrown was Nuke, who had armored implants under his epidermis and was addicted to powerful narcotics. Logan, who would later become one of Weapon Plus' victims, kidnapped Nuke as a child, and oversaw his conditioning.
Weapon VII also experimented with adamantium bonding, which helped create Cyber
.
The United Kingdom
also had its own version of Project: Homegrown, aka the Black Budget, which managed to create the team known as the Super Soldiers
: Dauntless, Gog, Dreadnaught, Revenge, Victory, Invincible, Challenger, and some unnamed super-soldiers.
The Mercy Corporation, an off-shoot of S.H.I.E.L.D.
that worked on super-soldiers and eventually broke off, also had its own unit of super-soldiers, using a serum similar to previous derivatives of the Super-Soldier Serum from Weapon I. Their agents included Jack Reno, Keel, Kyle, Agent Villarosa, Agent Davis and Agent Milo.
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The Weapon X Program experimented on mutants
, most notably Wolverine
. Later, however, the Weapon X Program branched off into other fields, employing and/or experimenting on a number of test subjects such as Deadpool and Sabertooth
. Eventually the program was shut down and became a part of the Canadian government known as Department K.
, real name Zona Cluster 6) at the England
-based facilities of The World. He was the first living weapon created employing artificial evolution and nanosentinel technology. Weapon XII was "accidentally" unleashed on the Channel Tunnel
and fought X-Corporation
members Cannonball
, M
, Darkstar
, Rictor
, Siryn
and Multiple Man
. Weapon XII was eliminated by Fantomex
with the aid of Jean Grey
and Professor X
, but at the cost of Darkstar's life. Huntsman was created to be part of the Super-Sentinels, a mutant-hunting team of superheroes with a base in a Weapon Plus space station. This team, a brainchild of John Sublime, was intended to be a publicity stunt to make the genocide of mutants much more acceptable to the public.
, also at The World. However, Fantomex rebelled against his creators. As in the case of Weapon XII, Fantomex's powers derive from Nanosentinel technology.
's last issue of New X-Men, the telepathic quintuplets called the Stepford Cuckoos
were identified as Weapon XIV.
The Stepford Cuckoos' link to Weapon Plus has finally been addressed in the Phoenix: Warsong
miniseries, written by Greg Pak, which explores unresolved storylines from Morrison's New X-Men and Pak's Phoenix: Endsong
.
, was designed to be the Super-Sentinels' grand powerhouse. He was killed after Wolverine destroyed the Weapon Plus space station that was designed as the Super-Sentinels HQ.
team up to make the World, which has now become sentient, shut down its weapons production, and Allgod along with it.
. A low level of gamma radiation is constantly present to produce mutations in the population.
The human DNA of the inhabitants' ancestors in this artificial environment was spliced with sentinel microtechnology, meaning they are no longer humans in the traditional meaning of the word, as they have evolved into a race of mutated and naturally born cyborgs refined through eugenics.
Because the scientists have absolute control over the time inside The World (according to Fantomex the time is "liquid"), both freezing it and speed it up so that decades and centuries can pass within it while time runs normally in the real world, this opens up for new possibilities within the areas of eugenics and genetic engineering. The most promising individuals in each generation are selected while the others are terminated. Also natural selection in the form of the survival of the fittest is possible by exposing the population to different forms of selective pressure. This way, new breeds of superhumans can be evolved within a few months, instead of hundreds or thousands of years. Half a million years inside The World represents only eighteen months on the outside.
The World's facilities contains a population (with its own religion, history and culture) that is led to believe that beyond the World's limits there's nothing else than endless rock and that mutants are coming to destroy them. Like in Logan's Run
, those who are selected for termination believe there is a reward awaiting them at the other side. The World is also filled with numerous experiments and prototypes of Weapon Plus, such as car-cops.
The World was partially destroyed when agents of AIM attacked the facilities in order to recover the technology Weapon Plus stole from them. They are soon killed by Weapon XV.
After years of being uninhabited the World itself, still operational though abandoned, has itself became sentient, and is continuing to make super advanced Weapons. Wolverine and Noh-Varr head to the World to try and stop Norman Osborn from claiming it and its creations as part of H.A.M.M.E.R.
While there they are attacked by a large army of mutant zombies, soon revealed to be infected by Weapon XVI, "Allgod". Noh-Varr is rescued by Fantomex, who is there to retrieve the World's brain to help reprogram it into becoming a more benevolent and peaceful being. The two make their way to the World's brain, where they are confronted by the Allgod zombies, which now include Wolverine. Noh-Varr is able to disarm Allgod by kissing the World's brain, showing it some compassion. Immediately after this, Osborn's agent, a remote controlled robot zombie, plunges its fist into the World's brain, removing part of the brain, only for Wolverine to slice the robot zombie's arm off. Fantomex then uses a shrink-ray he stole from Doctor Doom
to shrink the brain, and he takes the brain for his own currently unrevealed purposes.
, most of mutantkind has been rendered powerless, and mutants as a race are on the brink of extinction. Weapon Plus appears again as Sublime attempts to use the Stepford Cuckoos to wipe out the surviving mutants.
Marvel Comics
Marvel Worldwide, Inc., commonly referred to as Marvel Comics and formerly Marvel Publishing, Inc. and Marvel Comics Group, is an American company that publishes comic books and related media...
. It was created by Grant Morrison
Grant Morrison
Grant Morrison is a Scottish comic book writer, playwright and occultist. He is known for his nonlinear narratives and counter-cultural leanings, as well as his successful runs on titles like Animal Man, Doom Patrol, JLA, The Invisibles, New X-Men, Fantastic Four, All-Star Superman, and...
during his run in New X-Men
New X-Men
New X-Men was a superhero comic book series published by Marvel Comics within the X-Men franchise. After the end of Grant Morrison's run on X-Men , titled New X-Men, the title was used for a new series, New X-Men: Academy X, serving as a continuation of the second volume of New Mutants...
. The program's purpose is the creation of supersoldiers intended to fight the wars of the future, especially a Mutant-Human war. Weapon X
Weapon X
Weapon X is a fictional clandestine government genetic research facility project in the Marvel Universe conducted by the Canadian Government's Department K, which turns willing and unwilling beings into living weapons. The project often captures mutants and experiments on them to enhance their...
, the organization's most well-known program, was originally the tenth installation, but eventually it branched off and became an independent program with similar purposes. Morrison's introduction of Weapon Plus also shed new information about the origins of Weapon X, Captain America and other Marvel Comics supersoldier
Supersoldier
Supersoldier is a term often used to describe a soldier that operates beyond normal human limits or abilities. Supersoldiers are common in science fiction literature, films, TV programs, computer, conspiracy theories, and video games, but have also made appearances in other related genres, such as...
s.
Weapon Plus History
During the 1940s the existence of mutants was not yet known to the general public. A few individuals were aware of the coming of Homo superior and the fact that they had the potential to replace baseline humans as the dominant species of Earth. Thus Weapon Plus was created to address the so-called mutant problem. What was unknown by everyone involved in Weapon Plus is that its mastermind, John Sublime, was actually the host body for a sentient bacteria present in every living creature on the planet, save for mutants, who were genetically immune to the Sublime infection.The first nine installments of Weapon Plus were partially successful. Weapon X produced a number of agents, though it branched off and even became opposed to Weapon Plus's interests. To prevent subsidiary programs from going rogue, Weapon Plus directly oversaw the creation of the last living weapons operating in the clandestine facilities of The World, employing Bolivar Trask
Bolivar Trask
Bolivar Trask is a fictional character and a military scientist in the Marvel Comics universe. He first appeared in Uncanny X-Men #14 . He is the creator of the Sentinels.-Fictional character biography:...
's Sentinel
Sentinel (comics)
Sentinels are a fictional variety of mutant-hunting robots, appearing in the Marvel Comics Universe. They are usually portrayed as antagonists to the X-Men. Created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, they first appeared in The X-Men #14 .According to Marvel canon, Sentinels are programmed to locate...
technology.
Throughout the decades, Weapon Plus has used increasingly more extreme methods to create its supersoldiers. Captain America was enhanced to peak human levels. Weapon X employed genetic alteration, brainwashing and memory implants. The latest creations were bred specifically to become mutant-hunting weapons much deadlier than Sentinels.
Weapon 0
Project: Rebirth began as a collaboration between the American, British and German eugenicistsEugenics
Eugenics is the "applied science or the bio-social movement which advocates the use of practices aimed at improving the genetic composition of a population", usually referring to human populations. The origins of the concept of eugenics began with certain interpretations of Mendelian inheritance,...
led by Doctors Reinstein and Koch. When World War II began, Koch took over the German program, and Josef Reinstein (Erskine) moved to the American program.
Weapon I
Project: Rebirth, headed by Professor Abraham Erskine (given Reinstein's name as a cover identity) managed to produce Captain AmericaCaptain America
Captain America is a fictional character, a superhero that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appeared in Captain America Comics #1 , from Marvel Comics' 1940s predecessor, Timely Comics, and was created by Joe Simon and Jack Kirby...
(Steve Rogers). However, Erskine was murdered moments after Rogers was successfully empowered, the refinements he introduced which made the process successful lost with his death. With his demise, Koch took over the American program.
Two other subjects, Clinton McIntyre, a.k.a. Protocide
Protocide
Protocide is a fictional super-soldier from the Marvel Comic's universe. He originally appears in stories written and illustrated by Dan Jurgens.-Fictional character biography:...
, a failed experiment who was placed in suspended animation
Suspended animation
Suspended animation is the slowing of life processes by external means without termination. Breathing, heartbeat, and other involuntary functions may still occur, but they can only be detected by artificial means. Extreme cold can be used to precipitate the slowing of an individual's functions; use...
and was revived in the modern era by AIM
Advanced Idea Mechanics
A.I.M. is a fictional terrorist organization in the . The organization first appeared in Strange Tales #146 and was created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby.-Publication history:...
, and the first mutant experiment designated Queen seem to have occurred prior to the Super Soldier Serum being tested on Steve Rogers.
Early attempts to recreate the formula resulted in African American
African American
African Americans are citizens or residents of the United States who have at least partial ancestry from any of the native populations of Sub-Saharan Africa and are the direct descendants of enslaved Africans within the boundaries of the present United States...
super soldiers (most prominently Isaiah Bradley
Isaiah Bradley
Isaiah Bradley is a fictional character in the Marvel Comics universe, an early product of the United States' Super-Soldier program during World War II.-Publication history:...
). Three hundred African-American soldiers were taken from Camp Cathcart and subjected to potentially fatal experiments at an undisclosed location, as seen in Truth: Red, White & Black
Truth: Red, White & Black
Truth: Red, White & Black is a seven-issue comic book limited series written by Robert Morales and drawn by Kyle Baker, published by Marvel Comics.- Synopsis :...
in an attempt to recreate the Super Soldier formula. Only five men survived the original trials; hundreds of test subjects left behind at Camp Cathcart and the camp's commander were executed by US soldiers in the name of secrecy, the families of the three hundred were told that they had died in battle. Isaiah Bradley was the lone survivor.
Although there were many later attempts to recreate or reverse-engineer Project: Rebirth's Super-Soldier Serum, none are known to have been involved with Weapon Plus except for the attempt that resulted in the creation of Isaiah Bradley's son Josiah X
Josiah X
Josiah X is a fictional character who exists in Marvel Comics' shared universe, the Marvel Universe. He is the son of Isaiah Bradley, the black Captain America and the father of Elijah Bradley, the Patriot...
. Weapon Plus considers Captain America as its most successful creation, despite the fact that Rogers has been at odds with the United States government a number of times. It should be noted that Project: Rebirth was retroactively made a part of the Weapon Plus after WWII when Weapon Plus was actually formed.
Weapon II-IV
Weapons II-IV experimented on animals. It has been implied by Grant MorrisonGrant Morrison
Grant Morrison is a Scottish comic book writer, playwright and occultist. He is known for his nonlinear narratives and counter-cultural leanings, as well as his successful runs on titles like Animal Man, Doom Patrol, JLA, The Invisibles, New X-Men, Fantastic Four, All-Star Superman, and...
that these animal weapons were the animal cyborgs in the comic We3
We3
We3 is a three-issue American comic book mini-series by writer Grant Morrison and artist Frank Quitely, who describe its kinetic style as "Western Manga". It was published in 2004 by the Vertigo imprint of DC Comics, with a trade paperback released in 2005....
.
Weapons V and VI
Weapons V and VI employed various ethnic minorities as test subjectsHuman experimentation
Human subject research includes experiments and observational studies. Human subjects are commonly participants in research on basic biology, clinical medicine, nursing, psychology, and all other social sciences. Humans have been participants in research since the earliest studies...
.
Weapon VII
Weapon VII, aka Project: Homegrown, experimented on human soldiers during the Vietnam WarVietnam War
The Vietnam War was a Cold War-era military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. This war followed the First Indochina War and was fought between North Vietnam, supported by its communist allies, and the government of...
. Some of the known participants who died in Project: Homegrown included Andrew Perlmutter, Michael Labash, John Walsh, James MacPherson and fourteen other unknown recruits. The only known successful subject of Project: Homegrown was Nuke, who had armored implants under his epidermis and was addicted to powerful narcotics. Logan, who would later become one of Weapon Plus' victims, kidnapped Nuke as a child, and oversaw his conditioning.
Weapon VII also experimented with adamantium bonding, which helped create Cyber
Cyber (comics)
Cyber is a fictional comic book supervillain appearing in books published by Marvel Comics, usually as an enemy of Wolverine of the X-Men. Created by writer Peter David and artist Sam Kieth, he first appeared in Marvel Comics Presents #85 , though his appearance was obscured by a trench coat and hat...
.
The United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
also had its own version of Project: Homegrown, aka the Black Budget, which managed to create the team known as the Super Soldiers
Super Soldiers
Super Soldiers was a comic book published by the Marvel UK imprint of Marvel Comics in 1993. Part of the shared Marvel Universe setting, it centered around a team of superhuman British soldiers, with some plot aspects drawing on the background of Marvel's successful Captain America...
: Dauntless, Gog, Dreadnaught, Revenge, Victory, Invincible, Challenger, and some unnamed super-soldiers.
The Mercy Corporation, an off-shoot of S.H.I.E.L.D.
S.H.I.E.L.D.
S.H.I.E.L.D. is a fictional espionage and a secret military law-enforcement agency in the Marvel Comics Universe. Created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby in Strange Tales #135 , it often deals with superhuman threats....
that worked on super-soldiers and eventually broke off, also had its own unit of super-soldiers, using a serum similar to previous derivatives of the Super-Soldier Serum from Weapon I. Their agents included Jack Reno, Keel, Kyle, Agent Villarosa, Agent Davis and Agent Milo.
Weapon X
Mutant (Marvel Comics)
In comic books published by Marvel Comics, a mutant is an organism who possesses a genetic trait called an X-gene that allows the mutant to naturally develop superhuman powers and abilities...
, most notably Wolverine
Wolverine (comics)
Wolverine is a fictional character, a superhero that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. Born as James Howlett and commonly known as Logan, Wolverine is a mutant, possessing animal-keen senses, enhanced physical capabilities, three retracting bone claws on each hand and a healing...
. Later, however, the Weapon X Program branched off into other fields, employing and/or experimenting on a number of test subjects such as Deadpool and Sabertooth
Sabretooth (comics)
Sabretooth is a fictional character, a Marvel Comics supervillain created by writer Chris Claremont and artist/co-writer John Byrne. The character first appeared in Iron Fist #14...
. Eventually the program was shut down and became a part of the Canadian government known as Department K.
Weapon XII
Weapon Plus created Weapon XII (aka HuntsmanHuntsman (comics)
Huntsman, also known as Weapon XII, is a supervillain in the Marvel Universe and enemy of the X-Men. Huntsman first appeared in New X-Men #128 and was created by Grant Morrison and Igor Kordey.-Fictional character biography:...
, real name Zona Cluster 6) at the England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
-based facilities of The World. He was the first living weapon created employing artificial evolution and nanosentinel technology. Weapon XII was "accidentally" unleashed on the Channel Tunnel
Channel Tunnel
The Channel Tunnel is a undersea rail tunnel linking Folkestone, Kent in the United Kingdom with Coquelles, Pas-de-Calais near Calais in northern France beneath the English Channel at the Strait of Dover. At its lowest point, it is deep...
and fought X-Corporation
X-Corporation
The X-Corporation is a fictional institution from the X-Men comic book series by Marvel Comics. This organization was created to ensure the protection of mutant rights throughout the world due to the increasing number of mutants....
members Cannonball
Cannonball (comics)
Cannonball is a fictional Marvel Comics superhero, associated with the X-Men. Created by writer Chris Claremont and artist Bob McLeod, Cannonball first appeared in Marvel Graphic Novel #4: The New Mutants ....
, M
M (comics)
M is a fictional comic book superheroine, a mutant who appears in the X-Men family of books published by Marvel Comics...
, Darkstar
Darkstar (comics)
Darkstar is a fictional character, a mutant superheroine in the Marvel Comics universe. She has been a member of various super-teams in her career, including X-Corporation and Champions of Los Angeles.-Fictional character biography:...
, Rictor
Rictor
Rictor is a fictional comic book superhero in the Marvel Universe, who appears in the X-Men family of books published by Marvel Comics. He was created by writer Louise Simonson and artist Walt Simonson and first appeared in X-Factor vol.1 #17...
, Siryn
Siryn
Theresa Maeve Rourke Cassidy is a fictional comic book superhero appearing in books published by Marvel Comics, usually those belonging to the X-Men family of titles...
and Multiple Man
Jamie Madrox
James Arthur "Jamie" Madrox, also called the Multiple Man, is a fictional character, a Marvel Comics superhero, associated with the X-Men...
. Weapon XII was eliminated by Fantomex
Fantomex
Fantomex is a fictional superhero associated with the X-Men in titles published by Marvel Comics. Fantomex first appeared in New X-Men #128 and was created by Grant Morrison and Igor Kordey....
with the aid of Jean Grey
Jean Grey
Jean Grey-Summers is a fictional comic book superheroine appearing in comic books published by Marvel Comics. She has been known under the aliases Marvel Girl, Phoenix, and Dark Phoenix and is best known as one of five original members of the X-Men, for her relationship with Cyclops, and for her...
and Professor X
Professor X
Professor Charles Francis Xavier, also known as Professor X, is a fictional character, a Marvel Comics superhero known as the leader and founder of the X-Men....
, but at the cost of Darkstar's life. Huntsman was created to be part of the Super-Sentinels, a mutant-hunting team of superheroes with a base in a Weapon Plus space station. This team, a brainchild of John Sublime, was intended to be a publicity stunt to make the genocide of mutants much more acceptable to the public.
Weapon XIII
Weapon Plus created Weapon XIII, also known as FantomexFantomex
Fantomex is a fictional superhero associated with the X-Men in titles published by Marvel Comics. Fantomex first appeared in New X-Men #128 and was created by Grant Morrison and Igor Kordey....
, also at The World. However, Fantomex rebelled against his creators. As in the case of Weapon XII, Fantomex's powers derive from Nanosentinel technology.
Weapon XIV
In New X-Men #154 (May 2004), Grant MorrisonGrant Morrison
Grant Morrison is a Scottish comic book writer, playwright and occultist. He is known for his nonlinear narratives and counter-cultural leanings, as well as his successful runs on titles like Animal Man, Doom Patrol, JLA, The Invisibles, New X-Men, Fantastic Four, All-Star Superman, and...
's last issue of New X-Men, the telepathic quintuplets called the Stepford Cuckoos
Stepford Cuckoos
The Stepford Cuckoos are a set of fictional mutant psychically linked quintuplets . They are students at the Xavier Institute for Higher Learning and appear in comic books published by Marvel Comics...
were identified as Weapon XIV.
The Stepford Cuckoos' link to Weapon Plus has finally been addressed in the Phoenix: Warsong
X-Men: Phoenix - Warsong
X-Men: Phoenix – Warsong is an American five-issue comic book limited series released in 2006, beginning in September. The series is a sequel to X-Men: Phoenix - Endsong...
miniseries, written by Greg Pak, which explores unresolved storylines from Morrison's New X-Men and Pak's Phoenix: Endsong
X-Men: Phoenix - Endsong
X-Men: Phoenix - Endsong is an American five-issue comic book limited series published by Marvel Comics in 2005. It was written by Greg Pak with art by Greg Land....
.
Weapon XV
Weapon XV, aka UltimatonUltimaton
Ultimaton, also known as Weapon XV, is a supervillain in the Marvel Universe and enemy of the X-Men. Ultimaton first appeared in New X-Men #143 and was created by Grant Morrison and Chris Bachalo.-Fictional character biography:...
, was designed to be the Super-Sentinels' grand powerhouse. He was killed after Wolverine destroyed the Weapon Plus space station that was designed as the Super-Sentinels HQ.
Weapon XVI
Weapon XVI, aka Allgod, is a "living religion", a virus that "attacks the faith reserves". People infected by Allgod worship the World, and become fanatically devoted slaves to it. Wolverine, Fantomex, and Noh-VarrNoh-Varr
Noh-Varr is a fictional character created by Grant Morrison and J.G. Jones and appearing in comic books published by Marvel Comics. He first appears in Marvel Boy #1 . He appeared in the Civil War: Young Avengers/Runaways and the New Avengers: Illuminati limited series...
team up to make the World, which has now become sentient, shut down its weapons production, and Allgod along with it.
The World
The World is a secret lab owned by the Weapon Plus Project, in which the program scientists intend to create superior humans employing eugenics, nanotechnology and artificial evolution technology (time is "artificial" at the World and it can be frozen or altered in any way the Program Scientists desire). The artificial time technology employed by Weapon Plus was stolen from AIMAdvanced Idea Mechanics
A.I.M. is a fictional terrorist organization in the . The organization first appeared in Strange Tales #146 and was created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby.-Publication history:...
. A low level of gamma radiation is constantly present to produce mutations in the population.
The human DNA of the inhabitants' ancestors in this artificial environment was spliced with sentinel microtechnology, meaning they are no longer humans in the traditional meaning of the word, as they have evolved into a race of mutated and naturally born cyborgs refined through eugenics.
Because the scientists have absolute control over the time inside The World (according to Fantomex the time is "liquid"), both freezing it and speed it up so that decades and centuries can pass within it while time runs normally in the real world, this opens up for new possibilities within the areas of eugenics and genetic engineering. The most promising individuals in each generation are selected while the others are terminated. Also natural selection in the form of the survival of the fittest is possible by exposing the population to different forms of selective pressure. This way, new breeds of superhumans can be evolved within a few months, instead of hundreds or thousands of years. Half a million years inside The World represents only eighteen months on the outside.
The World's facilities contains a population (with its own religion, history and culture) that is led to believe that beyond the World's limits there's nothing else than endless rock and that mutants are coming to destroy them. Like in Logan's Run
Logan's Run
Logan's Run is a novel by William F. Nolan and George Clayton Johnson. Published in 1967, it depicts a dystopic ageist future society in which both population and the consumption of resources are maintained in equilibrium by requiring the death of everyone reaching a particular age...
, those who are selected for termination believe there is a reward awaiting them at the other side. The World is also filled with numerous experiments and prototypes of Weapon Plus, such as car-cops.
The World was partially destroyed when agents of AIM attacked the facilities in order to recover the technology Weapon Plus stole from them. They are soon killed by Weapon XV.
After years of being uninhabited the World itself, still operational though abandoned, has itself became sentient, and is continuing to make super advanced Weapons. Wolverine and Noh-Varr head to the World to try and stop Norman Osborn from claiming it and its creations as part of H.A.M.M.E.R.
H.A.M.M.E.R.
H.A.M.M.E.R. is a fictional espionage and law-enforcement agency in the Marvel Comics Universe led by Norman Osborn. The organization is formed in Secret Invasion #8 to replace S.H.I.E.L.D.. The organization plays a large part in Marvel's "Dark Reign" and Siege events.What H.A.M.M.E.R. stands for,...
While there they are attacked by a large army of mutant zombies, soon revealed to be infected by Weapon XVI, "Allgod". Noh-Varr is rescued by Fantomex, who is there to retrieve the World's brain to help reprogram it into becoming a more benevolent and peaceful being. The two make their way to the World's brain, where they are confronted by the Allgod zombies, which now include Wolverine. Noh-Varr is able to disarm Allgod by kissing the World's brain, showing it some compassion. Immediately after this, Osborn's agent, a remote controlled robot zombie, plunges its fist into the World's brain, removing part of the brain, only for Wolverine to slice the robot zombie's arm off. Fantomex then uses a shrink-ray he stole from Doctor Doom
Doctor Doom
Victor von Doom is a fictional character who appears in Marvel Comics publications . Created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, the character first appeared in Fantastic Four #5 wearing his trademark metal mask and green cloak...
to shrink the brain, and he takes the brain for his own currently unrevealed purposes.
Post-M-Day
Following M-DayDecimation (comics)
Decimation is the late 2005 Marvel Comics storyline spinning off from the House of M limited series. It focuses on the ramifications of the Scarlet Witch stripping nearly all of the mutant population of their powers, thereby reducing a society of millions to one of scant hundreds.This event, which...
, most of mutantkind has been rendered powerless, and mutants as a race are on the brink of extinction. Weapon Plus appears again as Sublime attempts to use the Stepford Cuckoos to wipe out the surviving mutants.
Film
- In the films X-MenX-Men (film)X-Men is a 2000 superhero film based on the fictional Marvel Comics characters of the same name. Directed by Bryan Singer, the film stars Patrick Stewart, Hugh Jackman, Ian McKellen, Anna Paquin, Famke Janssen, Bruce Davison, James Marsden, Halle Berry, Rebecca Romijn, Ray Park and Tyler Mane...
and X2X2 (film)X2 is a 2003 superhero film based on the fictional characters the X-Men. Directed by Bryan Singer, it is the second film in the X-Men film series...
, the character WolverineWolverine (comics)Wolverine is a fictional character, a superhero that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. Born as James Howlett and commonly known as Logan, Wolverine is a mutant, possessing animal-keen senses, enhanced physical capabilities, three retracting bone claws on each hand and a healing...
has participated in the Weapon X program, but has no memory of it. The Weapon X facility is revealed to be in Alkali Lake.
- In the 2008 Marvel StudiosMarvel StudiosMarvel Studios, originally Marvel Films, is an American television and motion picture studio based in Manhattan Beach, California. Marvel Studios is a subsidiary of Marvel Entertainment, a self-contained part of the The Walt Disney Company conglomerate....
film The Incredible HulkThe Incredible Hulk (film)The Incredible Hulk is a 2008 superhero action film based on the Marvel Comics character the Hulk. It is directed by Louis Leterrier and stars Edward Norton as Dr. Bruce Banner. It is the second film to be released in the Marvel Cinematic Universe...
, General RossThunderbolt RossGeneral Thaddeus E. "Thunderbolt" Ross is a fictional character appearing in books published by Marvel Comics, usually as an adversary of the Hulk, sometimes as a supervillain. Ross is a United States military officer, the father of Betty Ross, ex-father in-law of Glenn Talbot and the father in-law...
can be seen extracting an experimental super-soldier serum created by Dr. Reinstein from a cold storage lab where the containers are marked "Weapons Plus".
- After the success of the three X-Men films, the studio produced a spin-off film X-Men Origins: WolverineX-Men Origins: WolverineX-Men Origins: Wolverine is a 2009 American action film based on the Marvel Comics' fictional character Wolverine. The fourth installment in the X-Men film series, it was released worldwide on May 1, 2009...
. This film explains and expands on the origins of Logan/Wolverine, including his time at the Weapon X facility. It explains that Weapon X is the tenth weapon created by the lab. Each weapon is a living mutant enhanced by technological means. Weapon X (Wolverine) is given adamantium bones to increase his durability, and razor-sharp metal claws to increase his offensive potential. Weapon XI was portrayed in the film as a genetically altered Wade Wilson played by both Scott AdkinsScott AdkinsScott Adkins is an English actor and martial artist who is perhaps best known for playing Yuri Boyka in Undisputed II: Last Man Standing and Undisputed III: Redemption and Bradley Hume in Holby City and Ed Russell in Mile High...
and Ryan ReynoldsRyan ReynoldsRyan Rodney Reynolds is a Canadian film and television actor, best known for his roles in such films as National Lampoon's Van Wilder, Waiting..., The Amityville Horror, Just Friends, Definitely, Maybe, The Proposal, Buried, X-Men Origins: Wolverine, and Green Lantern.One of his best known...
. Weapon XI is also referred to by Col. William StrykerWilliam StrykerCol. William "Bill" Stryker, M.D. is a fictional comic book supervillain in the Marvel Comics universe, and enemy of the X-Men. Created by writer Chris Claremont and artist Brent Anderson, he first appeared in the 1982 graphic novel X-Men: God Loves, Man Kills.Rev...
as "Deadpool", due to having powers "pooled" from many other mutants killed and/or kidnapped in the film, including Wolverine's healing factor, CyclopsCyclops (comics)Cyclops is a fictional character, the leader of the X-Men superhero team in the . A mutant, Cyclops emits a powerful energy beam from his eyes...
' optic blasts, Wraith's teleportation ability, and Chris Bradley's technopathy. He also has retractable blades extending from his arms. Weapon XI is the final antagonist of the film, having been genetically altered to be the ultimate mutant killer. His head is cut off by Wolverine while his back is turned battling Sabretooth. In a post-credits scenePost-credits sceneA post-credits scene is a short clip that appears after some or all of the closing credits of a film have run...
of some prints, his body looks for and finds his head in the rubble, which returns to life (and gains mouth, which he previously lacked). His role is the same in the game X-Men Origins: WolverineX-Men Origins: Wolverine (video game)X-Men Origins: Wolverine is a 2009 action-adventure game loosely based on the film of the same name. The game release coincided with the release of the film on May 1, 2009 for the PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Windows, Wii, PlayStation 2, Nintendo DS, and PlayStation Portable. The game was developed...
.
Novels
- In the non-canonical novel Wolverine: Violent Tendencies, Weapon 0 is referred to as "Weapon Null", and is an early and dismissed branch of a super-soldier program completely different to the Weapon Plus program of the comics. Weapon Null was focused on the utilisation of bioenhancement to upgrade soldiers into organic self-contained weapons; the grotesque creations require extensive and expensive maintenance and transportation conditions, so the program was shelved. During the course of the novel, Wolverine encounters four of Weapon Null's more successful creations: "Slammer", "Blowtorch", "Cypher" and "Bipolar".
External links
- Weapon Plus at Marvel.com
- weaponx.net.ru Alkali Lake