In The Wolverine there is a scene in which
Wolverine's Adamantium claws get sliced off by the Silver Samurai.
I know about the Silver Samurai's ability of generating a tachyon field surrounding (usually) his sword, but I thought this couldn't cut through Adamantium.
So, how could this happen?
Given the premise that the Silver Samurai was supposedly capable of generating a tachyon field (read that as a rare high-energy field) surrounding an already super-sharp blade forged of True Adamantium and wielded with superhuman strength and precision, this might be capable of being part of the TVtrope "Crowning Moment of Awesome" allowing the claw to be broken.
Adamantium comes in a variety of flavors and capacities for absorbing or resisting damage. The original premise of Adamantium was that once it was set, it could not be broken by anything less than a force of cosmic origin (beings such as Galactus, the Silver Surfer, Odin, Zeus or other such senior deities) or that of an Omega level mutant (including Franklin Richards, Jean Grey as the Phoenix or Magneto).
Primary Adamantium: Made only once mixing Adamantium and Vibranium together. Never duplicated, and considered one of the most indestructible materials in the Marvel Universe. Only found in Captain America's (Earth-616) shield.
True Adamantium: When Primary Adamantium couldn't be made, they created the next best thing, called True Adamantium. Nearly indestructible only beings of incredible capacity, capable of manipulating cosmic forces, altering reality, or using the very rare molecular re-arranger technology. Found in places like Ultron's nigh-indestructible body.
Adamantium Beta: After Wolverine was exposed to Adamantium during the bonding process, his regenerative powers altered the nature of the Adamantium allowing it to be regenerated like his normal skeleton. (Don't ask because this makes no sense to me either.) This Beta Adamantium is supposedly as strong as True Adamantium but that is unlikely since his bone structure would be as porous as his bones were originally.
This would make his bones almost completely unbreakable except by forces capable of doing incredible damage dealing or by being able to bring an incredible amount of force on a tiny segment of his bone structure.
Wolverine's Adamantium-laced bones and claws (which were also bones) are made of "Adamantium Beta" which is supposedly as indestructible as True Adamantium but can be affected by incredibly powerful force weapons (like Cyclops' optic blast), Vibranium (the anti-metal variety) weaponry and other Adamantium weapons.
The limitation of Adamantium Beta is that it is still more vulnerable to destruction than the hardest versions of Adamantium and therefore it is theoretically possible for it to be damaged or broken.
Marvel has never truly explained how the bonding process allows Wolverine to repair his broken bones that are laced with Adamantium. The wiki at Comicvine also lists this information without a reference.
Adamantium Beta: The only known occurrence of Adamantium Beta was during the Weapon X Project. By the second part of the procedure when they laced his bones with Adamantium there was a reaction with his healing factor that bonded metal and bone. As a result the Adamantium "heals" just as his bones do.
The Silver Samurai's sword was made of adamantium. It had a heating mechanism built in. Super-heated adamantium can cut through adamantium. This was established as canon on the previous Wolverine movie where Deadpool uses heat vision on Wolverine's claws and then Wolverine decapitates Deadpool, whose body was laced with adamantium. This was confirmed by Gavin Hood on the DVD commentary.
This is basically a "It looks cool in the move so lets do it." thing. Based on everything in the comics, Adamantium once hardened is pretty much indestructible, even by something made of adamantium or similarly invincible metal (Uru (Thor's Hammer), Adamantite (Hercule's Mace)) They did a test in the Avengers where Thor, one of the physically strongest beings in the Marvel Universe, hurled his hammer at a tube made of adamantium with everything he had. It put a small, almost unperceived dent in the tube, that was it. So, by comics standards, the Samuri's sword and Wolverines claws shouldn't have been able to cut through each other, even when super-heated. But as its been noted, the films often don't follow cannon.
But I wouldn't worry too much, I doubt He'll be without his adamantium claws for long, especially with Magneto back in the picture and Brian Singer at the helm.
As a side note, there is a metal called Antarctic Vibranium, also know as anti-metal, that can pierce adamantium. if they had made the Samuri's sword out of that, there wouldn't have been any argument at all....just another indication that most filmmakers just don't care enough to do a little research. But, that's just how it is I guess.
Adamantium was said that once it was set it could not be re melted so if the sword is red hot then it will not be softened resulting in heated adamantium striking cool adamantium, if this is true then the heated adamantium would crack the cooled adamantium much like a glass cup warm from the dishwasher and pouring cold water in, it would shatter, only in this case it is backwards
I read somewhere that the Silver Samurai could not cut through Wolverine's claws...
His(Silver Samurai) mutant ability allows him to generate a field of tachyonic energy around his katana that allows it to cut through almost any material on earth except for adamantium.
http://www.comicvine.com/silver-samurai/4005-3174/ (Powers and Abilities section
It's Cannon in the comics wolverine fully regenerates from 1 drop of blood! that includes the adamantium.
The silver samurai never could break or cut through adamantium.... I couldn't believe it when the silver samurai in the movie cuts through wolverines claws and they regrow as bone. No one out side of cosmic level powers and the hulk can break them, even then the hulk is usually only able to bend them.
And the hulks just a few steps below cosmic level powers when hes at his strongest. magneto (one of the strongest mutants) cant even break adamantium and he can literally control magnetic fields, although again often bends the claws and such..
the actual silver samurai doesn't have adamantium anything... he has the power to encase his weapons and self in a kind of telekinetic energy field.
This is the cannon set in place in the comics universe.
"The first Silver Samurai is a mutant with the ability to generate a tachyon field, with which he can surround anything[citation needed]. He commonly uses his power on his sword, enabling it to cut through nearly anything, except substances as hard as adamantium."
"The second Silver Samurai possesses a technologically-advanced suit of armor, which grants him the ability of flight and protection from many conventional attacks. In addition to carrying two katana blades, Shingen possesses a number of armaments and gadgets, such as an energy cannon built into the right wrist of the suit"
If I put it this way, I take two knives of the same material, heat one up really hot, and then slice together I'm sure the warm one will have a bigger dent than the cold one. It's not like metal vs butter, both metals can withstand the same temperature meaning if the heat doesn't melt one why would it melt the other enough to cut through.
There's a scene in X-Men Origins: Wolverine where Stryker is talking to Agent Zero about Logan's indestructibility. I don't remember the exact words, but they go along the lines of "The only think that can pierce his adamantium skeleton as an adamantium bullet." Based on the logic set by this in universe canon movie, the only thing that can damage Logan's adamantium skeleton is something else made of adamantium. Silver Samurai's swords are, not only energized, but also made of adamantium.
