Weapon 0 / John Steele
Yes, before Cap we had John Steele! He is what I would call an indestructible Captain America. Scientists from the United States, Germany, and England started researching how to manipulate genes and change them to create a Homo Superior species. The very first test subject was John Steele. He was an operative during WWI and WWII, motivated in taking out as many Nazis as possible. He possessed super strength, agility, and durability. Even bullets could not penetrate him!
Weapon I / Captain America & Isaiah Bradley
From the research gathered from John Steele, the scientists were able to create the Super Soldier Serum and change Steve Rogers into Captain America. But wait! There’s more! Once the serum was used and lost after the death of Scientist Abraham Erskine, there were many experiments conducted on African Americans with Isaiah Bradley being the lone survivor. Bradley was then called the “Black Captain America” even supporting a suit and shield like the original.
Weapon II / Brute Force
Created in conjunction with Multicorp they started to experiment with animals. You know like Dr. Evil and his sharks with “Lasers” hahaha. Adam Frost, owner of Multicorp wanted to create cybernetically advanced soldiers using animals. This was to become his private attack force, but this was just part of it. An enhanced squirrel with Wolverine-like claws was also designated as Weapon II. I guess who would suspect a cute little squirrel of being a deadly killer?
Weapon III / Harry Pizer a.k.a. Skinless Man
A barrister named Harry Pizer was recruited by the program due to his mutant powers. Harry was able to elongate and control his skin on a molecular level giving him the chance to become a spy during the Cold War. While trying to obtain an item in Otherworld, the Captain Britain Corps caught him and flayed him alive. Down the line, Fantomex would use this skin to create special bullets that could be manipulated. Of course, Harry was not happy with this and ended up killing Fantomex.
Weapon IV / Dr. Theodore Sallis a.k.a. Man-Thing
Under code-name “Project Sulfur”, Dr. Sallis created a serum called SO-2 which converted him into Man-Thing. The original reason for the serum was to help soldiers combat bio-warfare, however, it had on huge side effect, it created monsters.
Weapon V / Project Venom
Spearheaded by the one and only Nick Fury, Project Venom was part of the Sym-Soldier Program within the Weapon Plus Program. This all took place during the Vietnam war and involved bonding soldiers to symbiotes. However, it was all destroyed by Carnage who attacked the Headquarters, slaughtering the majority of the people present.
Weapon VI / Project Power – Luke Cage
This is the project that granted Luke Cage with his amazing powers, bringing us an amazing comic run as well as a great Netflix show. Years later, a Weapon VI upgrade possessing Wolverine's healing factor, codenamed "Adam", was produced.
Weapon VII / Project: Homegrown / Frank Simpson a.k.a. Nuke
This program focused on experimenting on soldiers during the Vietnam War. Not many survived the experiments except for Frank Simpson, known as Nuke. Nuke was simply a savage who loved brutal violence. He had armored implants underneath his skin and was given mood-altering “adrenaline pills” to enhance his abilities. This caused him to become addicted to narcotics and become very unstable. However, as far as face tattoos go, this man wore the crown with an American Flag on his face.
Side note: It is also said, that this is the first time that Adamantium was experimented with
Weapon VIII / IX
These two projects used drugs and hypnosis to create assassins and sleeper agents. Weapon IX was better known as Project Psyche which led to the creation of Typhoid Mary. We might be seeing more of her if they ever bring back the Daredevil series.
Weapon X / Wolverine – Deadpool
Weapon X was the most famous and predominant phase of the Weapon Plus program. They exclusively used mutants for all of their experiments. Of course, the most famous one is the living killing machine, Wolverine whose bones were fused with Adamantium. Even though they were very successful it was shut down and absorbed into the Canadian Government. This section known as Department K would go on to create our favorite mutant Deadpool. They also tried to recreate Wolverine but failed, resulting in his “offspring” X-23.
Weapon XI – ?
Although no one has ever officially been named Weapon XI it has been mentioned before. It is believed that it might have been one of the Hounds, the mutant group used by the Sentinel Group to hunt other mutants. According to Rob Liefeld, Garrison Kane was initially meant to be Weapon XI, until it was established that Kane was actually a product of Weapon X. Hence his name afterward, Weapon X.
Weapon XII – The Huntsman
Using their resources they created a facility in England called The World. The first creation they made was The Huntsman who was seen as a “Super Sentinel”. Using a hive mind he was able to control others through touch.
Weapon XIII – Fantomex
Fantomex was born inside The World and created through the integration of mutant genes and technology. He was part of a mutant kill squad that was to be loved by the public. This allowed him to systematically kill mutants without the backlash. He didn’t like this and after some time joined the legendary X-Men.
Weapon XIV – Stepford Cuckoos
Using ova taken from Emma Frost, The World created clones that numbered in the thousands, who were able to link their minds and magnify their powers. Five of these sisters were known as the Stepford Cuckoos who became students of Xavier. However, their true purpose was to spy on the Institute and gather as much information as possible was not known to them. Being hosts to the Phoenix they tried to free all of the clones only to kill their sisters. This caused them to trap the Phoenix in their hearts, never feeling emotion ever again.
Weapon XV – Ultimaton
Also made by The World and also created to kill mutants, this weapon was highly advanced. It was a hybrid that was tasked with eliminating the entire mutant race. After an epic battle with Wolverine, Fantomex, and Cyclops he was left thinking of what he would do if he didn’t kill. So of course, like every other killing machine, he turned to painting. I know, go figure.
Weapon XVI – All God
Finally, at the end of this journey, we have a virus named All God that targeted a person’s faith to make them into slaves. Atheists were spared from this since they had no belief in a higher power. Unfortunately, there isn’t much more information on this project.
Bottom Line
Personally down the line, I would love to see a movie or TV series that touches upon the Weapon Plus program. They could even incorporate them into the various new mutant movies that should be coming down the pipeline. Hope I was able to bring some Marvel knowledge into your lives. If you have any questions or comments please feel free to leave them below!
Till Next Time, Happy Hunting!
