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Romulus is a fictional supervillain appearing in
American comic book An American comic book is a thin periodical literature originating in the United States, commonly between 24 and 64 pages, containing comics. While the form originated in 1933, American comic books first gained popularity after the 1938 publ ...
s published by
Marvel Comics Marvel Comics is a New York City–based comic book publishing, publisher, a property of the Walt Disney Company since December 31, 2009, and a subsidiary of Disney Publishing Worldwide since March 2023. Marvel was founded in 1939 by Martin G ...
. The character is featured in particular in those titles featuring
Wolverine The wolverine ( , ; ''Gulo gulo''), also called the carcajou or quickhatch (from East Cree, ''kwiihkwahaacheew''), is the largest land-dwelling species, member of the family Mustelidae. It is a muscular carnivore and a solitary animal. The w ...
. He is the leader of the Lupines, a species resembling humans that he claims evolved from canines instead of
primate Primates is an order (biology), order of mammals, which is further divided into the Strepsirrhini, strepsirrhines, which include lemurs, galagos, and Lorisidae, lorisids; and the Haplorhini, haplorhines, which include Tarsiiformes, tarsiers a ...
s through
convergent evolution Convergent evolution is the independent evolution of similar features in species of different periods or epochs in time. Convergent evolution creates analogous structures that have similar form or function but were not present in the last comm ...
. A shadowy character whose origin and motives remain a mystery, he is shown to have orchestrated most major events in the life of Wolverine, manipulating and controlling him for most of his life.


Publication history

Created by writer
Jeph Loeb Joseph "Jeph" Loeb III () is an American film and television writer, producer and comic book writer. Loeb was a producer/writer on the TV series ''Smallville (TV series), Smallville'' and ''Lost (2004 TV series), Lost'', writer for the films ''C ...
and artist Simone Bianchi, the character first appeared obscured by shadow in ''Wolverine'' (vol. 3) #50 (March 2007), and made his first full appearance in '' Wolverine: Origins'' #39 (August 2009).


Fictional character biography

Romulus is first seen in several flashbacks that
Wolverine The wolverine ( , ; ''Gulo gulo''), also called the carcajou or quickhatch (from East Cree, ''kwiihkwahaacheew''), is the largest land-dwelling species, member of the family Mustelidae. It is a muscular carnivore and a solitary animal. The w ...
experiences, later explained by Wild Child to have been induced by Romulus himself. He is shown leading the Lupines in prehistoric and barbaric times, being an emperor in
Ancient Rome In modern historiography, ancient Rome is the Roman people, Roman civilisation from the founding of Rome, founding of the Italian city of Rome in the 8th century BC to the Fall of the Western Roman Empire, collapse of the Western Roman Em ...
, as well as being the main force behind
Weapon X Weapon X is a fictional government genetic research facility project appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. They were conducted by Department K, which turned willing and unwilling beings into living weapons to carry out c ...
. In the present, Romulus restored
Feral A feral (; ) animal or plant is one that lives in the wild but is descended from domesticated individuals. As with an introduced species, the introduction of feral animals or plants to non-native regions may disrupt ecosystems and has, in som ...
and
Thornn T-Ray Taegukgi Taegukgi (Tae-Won) is a character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character, created by Jed MacKay and Alessandro Vitti, first appeared in ''Taskmaster'' (vol. 3) #3 (February 2021). Taegukgi ...
's feline look after their depowerment on M-Day, augmented Wild Child's powers greatly, and seemed to have erased all humanity from Sabretooth causing the latter's death at the hands of Wolverine (later it was revealed Sabretooth was a clone). Romulus did all of this to reveal himself to Wolverine. Romulus was also the one who took
Daken Akihiro is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Akihiro was created by writer Daniel Way and artist Steve Dillon and first appeared in ''Wolverine: Origins'' #5 (August 2006). Akihiro is the Mutant ...
from his dead mother's womb and raised him as a ruthless killer.
Nick Fury Colonel (United States), Colonel Nicholas Joseph "Nick" Fury Sr. is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer/artist Jack Kirby and writer Stan Lee, he first appeared in ''Sgt. Fury and ...
revealed to Wolverine that Romulus has been manipulating people from his family's bloodline for centuries, and that he plans for Daken to become the next-generation Weapon X.''Wolverine: Origins'' #33 This was achieved through
Tinkerer Tinker or tinkerer is an archaic term for an itinerant tinsmith who mends household utensils. Description ''Tinker'' for metal-worker is attested from the thirteenth century as ''tyckner'' or ''tinkler''. Some travelling groups and Romani pe ...
who bonded the metal from the Muramasa blade to Daken's inner claws. Daken hinted he complied with the process because of his own agenda. Romulus told Daken to kill all the Weapon X experiments that gave them a healing factor with his Muramasa claws. He killed every one except
Deadpool Deadpool is a character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by Fabian Nicieza and Rob Liefeld, the character first appeared in ''New Mutants'' #98 (December 1990). In his comic book appearances, Deadpool is ...
. He appears to have ties with
Russia Russia, or the Russian Federation, is a country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia. It is the list of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the world, and extends across Time in Russia, eleven time zones, sharing Borders ...
n authorities, arranging
Omega Red Omega Red (Arkady Rossovich) is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics, most commonly in association with the X-Men. In 2009, Omega Red was ranked as IGN's 95th-greatest comic book villain of all time. ...
's transfer to a regular Russian prison to set a trap for Wolverine. After Wolverine temporarily subdues Omega Red, he is captured by Wild Child, who reveals that Romulus made Logan and several villains battle each other, his agenda being vaguely described as him needing a successor. Moments after Wolverine uses the Muramasa blade to kill Omega Red, Romulus reveals himself in front of him, prepared for battle with four claws already extended (the three between the knuckles of his fingers and one extending from behind his thumb). Wolverine attacks Romulus but is easily overpowered since he is only using the sword at this point. Romulus slashes and attacks Wolverine from the shadows as he reveals his plans. Telling Wolverine that everything has led up to this moment. Romulus is what Wolverine will become. Pushing Wolverine to the breaking point, he drops the sword and pops his claws, much to Romulus' amusement. However, Wolverine fights back and gains the upper hand and slashes at Romulus' hand, shattering what turned out to be a clawed gauntlet. Seeing that Romulus' claws are fake, Wolverine taunts him saying, "You're not what I'm gonna become... I'm what you've always wanted to be". Hearing this, Romulus blindly attacks Wolverine with his remaining claws only to be slashed open by Wolverine. Seemingly beaten, Romulus tells Wolverine that although he is at the top of the food chain, by making Daken in his own image, he has set the stage for a confrontation between Wolverine and his son. Only the most ruthless will survive. Only the one most like Romulus. Wolverine defeats Romulus, but leaves him alive saying that he will return when he is ready to finish the job.''Wolverine: Origins'' #40 As Wolverine turns his back, Romulus seizes the opportunity to knock Wolverine unconscious with his own sword. Romulus then leaves, but not before telling Wolverine to keep the Muramasa blade: he will need it. After his confrontation with Wolverine he coordinates a successful assassination in
Tokyo Tokyo, officially the Tokyo Metropolis, is the capital of Japan, capital and List of cities in Japan, most populous city in Japan. With a population of over 14 million in the city proper in 2023, it is List of largest cities, one of the most ...
from what seems to be his base of operations, a European-style castle. It is here that Romulus first begins to doubt his own understanding of Wolverine's actions. Wolverine decides to confront Romulus one last time, using the help of various other heroes and his son Daken. In the end, as Daken is about to kill Romulus, Logan has
Cloak A cloak is a type of loose garment worn over clothing, mostly but not always as outerwear for outdoor wear, which serves the same purpose as an overcoat and protects the wearer from the weather. It may form part of a uniform. People in many d ...
teleport him into the Dark Force dimension. For a second Wolverine thinks he should behead Romulus, just like he did with Creed, but in the end he decides to leave him stranded in the Dark Force dimension.''Wolverine: Origins'' #48 However, thanks to Sabretooth's blackmailing life of Dagger, Romulus gets free from his prison. After a losing fight against Romulus, a mysterious woman with long red hair appears and tells Wolverine that the answers that he seeks are at the Weapon X facility. Following his fight with the Sabretooth clones, the mysterious woman appears to Wolverine again. She calls herself Remus and informs him that Romulus is her twin brother. She aids Wolverine in his struggle against Romulus and Sabretooth all while providing Wolverine with information about Romulus. She reveals to Wolverine that Romulus' claim about certain mutants evolving from canines rather than apes (referring to the Lupine) is untrue which Wolverine had long since guessed. She further reveals that the whole "Lupine Sapiens" story was all just an elaborate hoax by her brother intended to be a ruse for his real goal of creating a master race of natural mutants artificially enhanced by a new type of adamantium created using vibranium illegally mined from Wakanda, using Wolverine as a template. After tracking Romulus to his stronghold somewhere in Italy, Wolverine brutally attacks and incapacitates Sabretooth before confronting Romulus. Wolverine finds Romulus immersed within a tank very similar to the one Wolverine was held in during the days of the Weapon X Program. Wolverine breaks open the tank and savagely assaults Romulus with his claws. He gouges away much of the right side of Romulus' face, revealing that the bones beneath have been bonded with adamantium. As Romulus heals, Wolverine asks what the purpose is of becoming an imitation of him. Romulus declares that he is not as he once was, as he has "taken the best from both Wolverine and Sabretooth", implying that his animal-like powers were artificially copied from Sabretooth (as his twin sister has none of those traits and her only powers shown is a healing-factor). He reveals that he now has four adamantium claws from both his hands in exactly the same configuration he used on the gauntlets he wore. As he launches into his attack, Romulus says to Wolverine that having Romulus erase his memory and bond the adamantium to his skeleton was actually his idea rather than something that he was forced to endure as he's believed for so long (however, this assertion remains ambiguous). Romulus and Wolverine resume their battle with Wolverine ultimately proving victorious, resulting in Romulus being remanded to the Raft.''Wolverine'' (vol. 2) #313


Powers and abilities

Little is known about the full extent of Romulus's powers. Like Wolverine, Romulus' primary power is an accelerated healing factor that allows him to rapidly regenerate from injury. Romulus' healing factor grants him virtual immunity to known diseases and renders him highly resistant to most forms of drugs. It also affords him greatly extended longevity by slowing his natural aging process to an extraordinary degree as he claims to be tens of thousands of years old. However, Romulus is known to mix exaggeration and half truths in order to perpetuate the mystique surrounding him, though Romulus is ancient. Since the appearance of Remus, she has confirmed that Romulus is at least several thousand years old. While he shows signs of aging - most of his hair has gone white, he still has the physical vitality and overall appearance of his prime. Romulus' senses of sight, smell and hearing are also enhanced to unknown superhuman levels. While they constitute a separate power, their efficiency is still somewhat linked to his healing factor. He is strong enough to lift Wolverine by the arm over his head with one hand and hurl him across a room. Romulus' speed, agility, and reflexes are similarly enhanced. His healing factor grants him partial immunity to the fatigue toxins generated by his muscles during physical activity, so he has much greater stamina and endurance than an ordinary human. He can exert himself physically for at least several hours before the buildup of fatigue toxins in his blood begins to impair him. He also possesses a single, retractable claw at the tip of each finger as well as elongated canine teeth. Romulus' claws are extremely sharp and are capable of cutting most known conventional materials and flesh. Romulus displayed telepathic abilities during his encounters with Wolverine. He was able to enter Wolverine's mind and manipulate his memories - either creating false memories or to awakening suppressed ones. However, his telepathic powers are nowhere near the level of
Charles Xavier Professor X (Prof. Charles Francis Xavier) is a character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer Stan Lee and artist/co-writer Jack Kirby, the character first appeared in Uncanny X-Men, ''The X-Men'' #1 ( ...
, as Xavier used his powers to shield Wolverine's mind from Romulus' influence for years. After his return from the Dark Dimension, Romulus underwent the process of bonding adamantium to his skeleton. As a result, his bones are now virtually indestructible. Romulus has also had four adamantium claws implanted into each arm that have the same configuration as the claws mounted onto his gloves. As with his skeleton, these claws are virtually unbreakable and can cut nearly any known substance. Romulus is consistently depicted as being of exceptional stature, surpassing even Sabretooth in size. The
font In metal typesetting, a font is a particular size, weight and style of a ''typeface'', defined as the set of fonts that share an overall design. For instance, the typeface Bauer Bodoni (shown in the figure) includes fonts " Roman" (or "regul ...
used for his words is unique, having a more ancient appearance than those of other characters. Although he often appears naked, he has been shown to wear clothes on several occasions, possibly making use of the fact that only a few living people can recognize him. Romulus has been seen wearing armor over his right knee which has a faint reminder of the adamantium armor worn by Cyber. His facial features are very similar to both Sabretooth and Wolverine. This is seen in his sideburns, canine fangs, pointy ears, and white eyes. His hair is almost solid white with the exception of his bangs, which are black. Romulus has been seen wearing his hair in a long pony tail in a way similar to Omega Red. Romulus also speaks with a unique accent. According to Wolverine, it sounds part Italian and part Japanese.


Skills

Romulus is extremely intelligent with detailed knowledge of genetics and other areas of science. Romulus also controls a vast criminal empire spread throughout the world and has contacts throughout the criminal underworld. Romulus is also a master manipulator that prefers to work behind the scenes. He is also a formidable hand-to-hand combatant with many thousands of years of experience and knowledge. He also has extensive knowledge of many foreign and ancient cultures as he has alleged to have participated in the rise and fall of many civilizations throughout his existence.


References


External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Romulus (Comics) Comics characters introduced in 2007 Marvel Comics characters with superhuman durability or invulnerability Marvel Comics characters with superhuman strength Marvel Comics characters with accelerated healing Fictional crime bosses Marvel Comics scientists Marvel Comics characters who can move at superhuman speeds Marvel Comics mutants Marvel Comics supervillains Marvel Comics telepaths Characters created by Jeph Loeb Wolverine (comics) characters Cultural depictions of Romulus and Remus