Why Does Wolverine Need His Adamantium Claws In 'X-Men '97' (& How Does He Do It?)
X-Men ‘97 (2024) Season 2 is doing a great job of tying up loose threads introduced in the first season. But with Season 2, Episode 5, “Weapon X, Lies, and Video Tape,” we get to see a fun Wolverine plotline unfold that’s tied to his bone claws.
Working with old cohorts from his Weapon X days, as well as Morph, Logan returns to the source of his adamantium claws not to destroy them but instead to get new ones. But why does he need them again, and how is something like that even possible when no scientists can help him?
'X-Men '97's Wolverine Lost His Adamantium In A Violent Way
One thing that has helped X-Men ‘97 stand out has been its ability to stay mature even though the original series was geared toward children. This was pushed to the limit in Season 1 when Magneto ripped the adamantium out of Logan’s body while fighting the X-Men.
Not only was it a great homage to the comic panel that inspired it, but it also showed just how powerful Magneto was. The downside was that it almost killed Logan. By X-Men ‘97 Season 2, Logan has embraced his feral Wolverine persona, which is far more hunched and animalistic. Although he is still a hero, he isn’t as strong because his bone claws can now be easily broken.
Ironically, this is also the first reveal that Logan has bone claws under the metal, which wasn’t originally the case. But for all the times Logan went through painful experiences, this was easily one of his worst.
The Process To Get Wolverine's Claws Back Isn't Pretty
Unfortunately, the adamantium bonding process was already a very difficult one, and few, like Wolverine, could survive in the first place. The idea of trying again is something that no one in their right mind would consider, but Wolverine had no choice.
Ideally, he would’ve found the procedure, gone into the container and gotten the metal placed back into his body, but in Season 2, Episode 5, of X-Men ‘97, things got more complicated. While he and his crew fought off a Brood infestation, Logan was infected and turned into one of them.
Fighting Morph and others like Lady Deathstrike and Sabretooth, Wolverine was tossed into the tube while the others fought off Omega Red. Ultimately, the process worked, and not only was Logan cured, but he got his metal claws back. But the fight taking place outside was brutal and destroyed the facility.
There’s an indescribable pain that comes with adamantium bonding that includes heating up the metal and letting it cool on the bone. Even worse is that Wolverine’s claws could pop out of his palms if he’s not careful, as they’re no longer just natural bones. But it was something that Wolverine had to get done in the context of the show, which is different from what it does to him in the comics.
There's A Reason Why Wolverine Needed The Adamantium Back
In X-Men ‘97, Logan states that the adamantium is the only thing keeping him together. This likely explains why he’s hunched and acts more feral. It’s not that he can’t exist without it, but life is much harder for him when he doesn’t have it. However, in the comics, his life is far more complex when bonded to the metal.
For example, the adamantium makes him much heavier, which means his body has to lug around hundreds of pounds of extra metal, straining it. Beyond that, it’s an unnatural process that means his healing factor is consistently fighting off the metal’s toxicity in the same way Deadpool’s healing factor fights off his cancer.
Taking that logic to X-Men ‘97, it would make the most sense that the constant strain of the metal changed Logan’s body so much that he’s better off with it, or he’d likely fall apart or even die much sooner. Conversely, in Logan (2017), the adamantium was actually poisoning him and killing him.
In the end, adamantium is much more dangerous to Logan than not, but ultimately, in X-Men ‘97, he’s better off with it. Nevertheless, no matter what dangers come with it, it’s hard to deny how cool he looks when he gets his metal back and pops his claws.
