Yes, we know who Weapon X is. But have you ever wondered who the previous Wolverine-like Weapon X projects were? Although Wolverine is perhaps the most widely known among the Marvel comic book characters to have a secret connection to Weapon X, that is not the case. If you want to know who Weapons I-IX are, read on!
WEAPON I: AMERICA'S ASS
In Weapon X #23 by Frank Tieri and Tom Mandrake, it is made clear that the government's enthusiasm for the results of Project Rebirth, which gave Steve Rogers his superhuman abilities and transformed him into Captain America during World War II, was indeed the origin of the Weapon Plus program. The project's success encouraged more risk-taking as a result. So when the Weapon Plus program launched in earnest, Captain America was automatically promoted to the ranks of Weapon I.
WEAPON II: A BEAR, LION, KANGAROO, DOLPHIN, AND AN EAGLE
The goal of Weapon II was to create a cybernetically enhanced army of deadly animals. This led to the creation of Weapon II, which included a mechanically enhanced squirrel with sharp metal claws as well as the Brute Force, a group of hyper-intelligent animal soldiers who went into stagnation until Wolverine and Captain America discovered them in the present day in Wolverine and Captain America: Weapon Plus by Ethan Sacks and Diogenes Neves.
WEAPON III: THE SKINLESS MAN
Even though the New X-Men claimed that Weapon III's primary objective had been animal research subjects, the program eventually produced one successful graduate: Harry Pizer, aka the Skinless Man. Harry, who made his debut in Uncanny X-Force #21 and was created by Rick Remender and Greg Tocchini, possessing stretchy and flexible skin that was further improved by the Weapon Plus program. After being dismembered by the Captain Britain Corps, the villainous Pizer learned to use his muscle ligaments as tendrils. Fantomex's mortal enemy, the Skinless Man, met his end at the hands of Deadpool.
WEAPON IV: MAN-THING?
The link between Weapon IV and Project Sulfur was eventually revealed in Wolverine and Captain America: Weapon Plus. Ted Sallis, the program's head researcher, used the SO-2 serum in an effort to tame and weaponize terra-flora. As a result, he ended up mutating into the hideous Man-Thing. Despite Sallis' escape into the Marvel Comic Universe, his experiments culminated in the development of characters like Man-Slaughter, who has recently made a comeback in X-Force.
WEAPON V: PROJECT VENOM
It was revealed in Absolute Carnage: Weapon Plus #1 by Ethan Sacks, Jed MacKay, and Stefano Raffaele that a symbiote dragon was unearthed frozen in the Arctic in 1965. Weapon V, later renamed Weapon Venom, began with Nick Fury and his team's experimentation on the alien substance, codenamed Grendel, which led to the creation of the Sym-Soldiers for S.H.I.E.L.D. The sym-soldiers were employed throughout the Vietnam War, and their deployment led to unpredictability and violence. In Absolute Carnage and the subsequent King in Black storylines, a revived Grendel played a significant role in the program's termination.
WEAPON VI: CARL LUCAS
In Wolverine & Captain America: Weapon Plus, it was disclosed that Noah Burstein, a Vietnam War veteran, had joined Weapon Plus. Weapon Plus was pleased enough by his work to encourage more experiments after seeing what happened when he experimented on Mitchell Tanner, who would later become the racially motivated and mentally unstable villain Warhawk. His subsequent batch was tested on inmates at Seagate. His most well-known experimentee was Luke Cage, who became a major Marvel hero after being subjected to a more extensive version of the experiment that gave him superhuman strength and durability.
WEAPON VII: SARGEANT FRANK SIMPSON
The initiative was named "Project: Homegrown." Technically, Frank Miller and David Mazzucchelli's "Born Again" arc in Daredevil launched Weapon VII to the series. In the end, only Frank Simpson turned out to be a participant in the Weapon Plus program. His skin was implanted with armor, and he was fed a steady diet of adrenaline pills, turning him into a useful government agent known only by his codename, Nuke. After his fight with Daredevil in "Born Again," he was presumed dead and eventually discovered to be alive, so he hung with the Thunderbolts.
WEAPON VIII: THE SLEEPER AGENTS
Grant Morrison and Chris Bachalo's New X-Men #145 teases the existence of Weapon VIII, a team of superhuman killers and sleeper agents. Using substances and mind control, the soldiers are dispersed across the globe, ready to aid "Super Sentinels" like Fantomex and Ultimaton in their mission to exterminate the mutant race. Weapon VIII hasn't released its products yet, so there's a gap in the program's timeline (and a chance that these sleeper agents will wake up).
WEAPON IX: MARY WALKER A.K.A TYPHOID MARY
Although its existence was confirmed in Wolverine and Captain America: Weapon Plus, very little else about Weapon IX's backstory is known. It was codenamed "Project Psyche," and it was the final project before Wolverine, both of which are shrouded in mystery. Though Michael Hunt, a psychiatrist with ties to Daredevil's ex-girlfriend Typhoid Mary, appears to have been in charge of the project, the program's imagery and Hunt's background make it apparent that Weapon IX is somehow connected to her. Mary is a powerful mutant with different identities, and she is a strong choice for the program because of her training and the unpredictable nature of her abilities.
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