Marvel Comics has been always been the home of the most famous divine weapons. Mjolnir and the Infinity Gauntlet are two of the most well-known, having escaped containment from the comic fandom thanks to the MCU, but they are just the beginning. One of the best, and least known, is the Golden Mace of Hercules. Forged by the gods themselves to give him a weapon that fit the son of Zeus, the demigod has carried it into battle for millennia. While it’s not as powerful as something like Mjolnir, it’s still an important part of Herc’s repertoire and has helped defeat many dangerous threats over the years.

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Of course, this being comics, every great weapon has to be destroyed at some point. Over the decades, we’ve seen Captain America’s vaunted shield broken numerous times. Mjolnir has been destroyed more than once. Even the vaunted Infinity Gauntlet and its Stones (I’d rather call them Gems, like they used to be, but MCU synergy rules the Marvel Universe) have been destroyed. Hercules’s Golden Mace has yet to be destroyed, and was often proclaimed to be indestructible. So, obviously, it’s been destroyed. However, who destroyed it and why are what makes its destruction so interesting: Wolverine. Logan and Hercules clashed in Wolverine (Vol. 8) #18, and the Golden Mace was the latest casualty in a war bigger than both of them.

The Origin of the Golden Mace Held the Key to Its Destruction

Wolverine (Vol. 8) hasn’t been great, but that’s endemic of the X-Men books right now. “From the Ashes” began a new era for the X-Men in 2024, taking ideas from across X-history and recycling them because Tom Brevoort doesn’t respect X-fans (sorry, it’s true) but Wolverine (Vol. 8) went in a different direction. It introduced the Adamantine, a magical metal that was conscious and has been used by the gods for millennia in order to create some of the most powerful weapons ever, including the Golden Mace. Adamantium is a derivative of it, created by humans to mimic the properties of the Adamantine, and the magic metal hates it.

The Adamantine was able to take control of people who had adamantium in their bodies and clashed with the ol’Canucklehead through Cyber, Lady Deathstrike, Constrictor, and Donald Pierce, working with one of Wolverine’s most dangerous foes, Romulus. At one point the Adamantine told Wolverine about its long history, including the fact that the Golden Mace was made from it. It was pretty blatant foreshadowing, and Wolverine (Vol. 8) #18 paid that off. The villainous metal took control of Hercules, and the two heroes clashed.

Hercules is basically a Hulk level opponent, one of the few characters in the Marvel Universe who has infinite strength. However, Wolverine has battled the Jade Giant many times over the years, his healing factor and adamantium skeleton allowing him to survive even the most grievous blows. Logan and the lion of Mount Olympus go hard against each other, the fight becoming a stalemate. Eventually, Wolvie targeted the Mace itself, knowing that was how the Adamantine was controlling Herc, and his adamantium claws were able to actually cut through it.

The Adamantine has been saying that it was stronger than adamantium, saying that it is a “false metal”. However, Wolverine being able to destroy the Golden Mace, a weapon that has existed for millennia and never been scratched before, shows that maybe it’s not been telling the truth. The Adamantine is certainly powerful, but it seems to be over-estimating its own power. Wolverine has been able to break its control over him, so it seems to be targeting him because he’s the only way who can stop its mission (whatever that is; it’s not exactly a well-told story so far and the fact this issue is actually good is a big surprise).

The Destruction of the Golden Mace Kicks Off the Next Phase of the Battle Against the Adamantine

I’m not going to mince words: Wolverine (Vol. 8) has mostly been a disappointment for numerous reasons. The Adamantine storyline has been one of the few saving graces of the book (even then it’s not perfect), and this issue’s big fight helps it stand above the rest of the book’s stories. Wolverine versus Hercules is an excellent fight, and Logan being able to destroy the Golden Mace is both a huge shock and a turning point in his war against the Adamantine.

Hercules’s Golden Mace isn’t as famous as Mjolnir, but destroying it is still a very big deal. The Adamantine using it to control Hercules shows just how powerful the living metal is, and it seems to have gotten some attention, as Athena shows up at the end of the battle. The gods themselves have noticed the Adamantine, and this story has suddenly gotten much bigger.

Wolverine #18 is on sale now.

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