Weapon X is the codename for a secret United States government project intended to deliberately induce superpowers in people for military purposes, turning willing and unwilling individuals into living weapons.
The project often captures mutants and experiments on them to enhance their powers, and also triggers artificial mutations in humans who have the dormant X-Gene in their DNA. The successive projects had Roman numerals, so Weapon X and Weapon XI were the 10th and 11th such projects of the Weapon X program.
Biography
Original Timeline
Sabretooth, who is working for William Stryker, kills Wade Wilson so Stryker can use Wade's body in an experiment. He then hunts down Chris Bradley and kills him so that Stryker can use Bradley's DNA for the Weapon XI program. Stryker also has Sabretooth abduct mutant children for their abilities, including Scott Summers, so that he can experiment on them at the Weapon X facility on Three Mile Island and convinces Wolverine that he can "help" him kill Sabretooth by infusing him with adamantium. Although the process is successful, Wolverine is able to break free and escape before Stryker can sedate him and erase his memory so that his DNA can also be used for the Weapon XI program.
Despite having lost Logan, Stryker is undeterred and collects the DNA from several other mutants to be used collectively by Wade. He also seals Wade's mouth and infuses him with adamantium as well.
Revised Timeline
After capturing Moira MacTaggert, Beast, Mystique, and Quicksilver, William Stryker takes them to the Weapon X facility known as Alkali Lake. However, before he can do anything with him, Jean Grey, Cyclops, and Nightcrawler (who secretly followed Stryker to Alkali Lake) discover that Wolverine is a prisoner at facility and free him so that he can break them all out. After Stryker escapes via helicopter, Wolverine turns on Cyclops and Nightcrawler, but before he can harm them, Phoenix is able to calm him down and use her telepathic abilities to restore some of his memories, giving him back enough sanity to realize that they aren't enemies and escape into the wilderness.
Members
Original Timeline
- Agent Zero † - Assistant
- Kayla Silverfox † - Test Subject
- William Stryker † - Leader
- Abraham Cornelius † - Scientist
- Carol Frost - Scientist
- General Munson † - Sponsor
- Deadpool † - Test Subject
- Sabretooth - Subordinate
- Wolverine - Test Subject
- Lady Deathstrike † - Subordinate
Revised Timeline
- James Howlett/Wolverine † - Test Subject
Inmates
Original Timeline
- Cyclops †
- Emma Frost
- Mutant Twins
- Decibel
- Unnamed Ice-Powered Mutant
- Amphibious Mutant
- Quicksilver
- Whirlwind
Revised Timeline
Locations
- Alkali Lake
- Three Mile Island (original timeline)
Trivia
- In the comics, Weapon X was a code name for a secret U.S. Government project intended to deliberately induce superpowers for military purposes. It was the tenth installment of the Weapon Plus Program. In the case of Weapon X, the mechanism was genetic engineering, specifically creating mutations in normal humans and enhancing preexisting mutations.
- In the comics, The code-name Weapon X was originally mentioned in the first appearance of Wolverine in The Incredible Hulk #180, in 1974, since which, it had been implied that he was connected to a shady and malevolent government program.In the 1991 Marvel Comics Presents story arc Weapon X, the project was designated Experiment X, and it was revealed that it was responsible for bonding the adamantium to Wolverine's skeleton, making him indestructible. It also subjected him to brainwashing in order to bring out his most basic murderous instincts and to transform him into the perfect assassin. The scientists christened their new killing machine "Weapon X".
- In the comics, Weapon X operated through Canada's Department K and was directed by Professor Andre Thorton. At his side were Dr.Abraham Cornelius, Dr. Carol Hines, and Dr. Dale Rice. John Sublime, the director of Weapon Plus, was always behind the scenes. Some of the work of Weapon X was based on the experiments detailed on the journals of Nazi scientist Nathan Essex, which were obtained by Weapon Plus after the end of World War II.The project's original test subjects were the members of Team X, a covert ops CIA team (consisting of Wolverine/Logan, Sabretooth/Victor Creed, Maverick/Christoph Nord, Silver Fox, Mastodon, Major Arthur Barrington, Psi-Borg/Aldo Ferro, Wildcat/Noel Higgins and Kestrel/John Wraith). The telepath Psi-Borg was involved in the creation of the victims' memory implants, in exchange for being endowed with immortality. The test subjects were policed by an adaptive robot enforcer, called Shiva, should any of the agents go rogue.
