History[]
Romulus took Daken from his dead mother's womb and raised him as a ruthless killer. Nick Fury revealed to Wolverine that Romulus has been manipulating people from his family's bloodline for centuries, and that he planned for Daken to become the next-generation Weapon X. This was achieved through The Tinkerer, who bonded the metal from the Muramasa blade to Daken's inner claws. Daken hinted he complied to the process because of his own agenda. In present day, Romulus restored Feral and Thornn's feline look after their depowerment, augmented Wild Child's powers greatly, ordered the bonding of Cyber's skin with adamantium and erased all humanity from Sabretooth, causing the latter's death at the hands of Wolverine. The exact reasons for these acts remain unknown. He appears to have ties with Russian authorities, arranging Omega Red's transfer to a regular Russian prison to set a trap for Wolverine. After Wolverine temporarily subdued Omega Red, he was captured by Wild Child, who revealed that Romulus had made several villains battle each other, his agenda being vaguely described as him needing a successor. Then Wild Child encountered Omega Red. Wolverine escaped and a shocked Wild Child was then killed by Omega Red. Moments after Wolverine used the Muramasa Blade to kill Omega Red, Romulus revealed himself in front of Logan, seemingly prepared for battle. Wolverine attacked Romulus but was easily overpowered since he was only using the sword at this point. Romulus slashed and attacked Wolverine from the shadows as he revealed his plans. Telling Wolverine that everything had led up to this moment. Romulus was what Wolverine would become. Pushing Wolverine to the breaking point, he dropped the sword and popped his claws, much to Romulus' amusement. However, Wolverine fought back and gained the upper hand and slashed at Romulus' hand, shattering what turned out to be a clawed gauntlet. Seeing that Romulus' claws were fake, Wolverine taunted him saying: "You're not what I'm gonna become...I'm what you've always wanted to be." Hearing this, Romulus blindly attacked Wolverine with his remaining claws only to be slashed open by Wolverine. Romulus fell to his knees, the deep slashes across his chest and stomach bleeding heavily. Seamingly beaten, Romulus told Wolverine that although he was at the top of the food chain, by making Daken in his own image, he had set the stage for a confrontation between Wolverine and his son. Only the most ruthless would survive. Only the one most like Romulus. With Romulus at his mercy, Wolverine decided to let him live for the time being, stating he would finish the job on his own terms. As Wolverine walked away, Romulus was able to use his mental abilities to enter Wolverine's mind, creating a vivid illusion of his wife Itsu as a distraction. Romulus called out to him while tossing the Muramasa blade at him. As Wolverine turned, the handle of the sword hit him in the head and rendered him unconscious. Romulus staggered to his feet and dropped the blade across Wolverine's chest, stating that he would need it. Wolverine with the help of Deadpool came up with a plan to draw Romulus out in the open. Wolverine stabbed Daken with a fake Muramasa blade. This made Romulus come out of hiding to see if Daken was dead. A fight breaks out in the street with Wolverine and Skaar vs Romulus and Daken. Romulus escapes with Daken, the next day Romulus thinks he is safe but Daken has other plans and tries to kill him. Just as he is about to deliver the killing blow with his Muramasa claw. Romulus is teleported away. Now Romulus is trapped in the Darkforce Dimension by Wolverine and Cloak with no hope of escape.
Paraphernalia[]
Powers[]
Romulus possesses various superhuman attributes, the full number of which are currently unknown.
Regenerative Healing Factor: Romulus possesses an accelerated healing factor that lets allows him to fully heal damaged tissue. The full limits of Romulus' healing powers aren't known, but the overall speed and efficiency in which he heals appears to be based upon the severity of the injury. He heals from slashes across his face from Wolverine's claws within a matter of moments. However, from the deep slashes across his upper body that ends the fight, Romulus leaves still holding his side as the wounds continue to heal minutes after they've been inflicted. Romulus' healing powers also afford him great resistance to drugs and toxins as well as immunity to conventional diseases.
Superhuman Strength: Romulus possesses some degree of superhuman strength. As with much of his powers, the full limits of his powers aren't known. However, he has demonstrated sufficient strength easily lift Wolverine by the wrist off the ground and hurl him repeatedly across a room with no discernable effort.
Superhuman Longevity: While most of his past is unknown, Romulus has been alive since prehistoric times. Hence, he is tens of thousands of years old. In spite of his age, however, he has the physical appearance and vitality of a powerful man. However, Romulus appears to be showing some signs of aging. The original color of his hair was black but now, it's mostly white with only a few areas retaining his hair's original color.
Retractable Claws: Romulus possesses a single, retractable claw at the tip of each finger. The claws have a razor sharp edge and are capable of cutting material as durable as bone. It is possible that his claws can cut much tougher material as well, but it's unknown at present.
Psionics: Romulus has demonstrated certain telepathic abilities of undefined limits. Wolverine himself has learned that many of his memories at various points in his life have been removed by Romulus via telepathic means in order to manipulate Wolverine in various situations for various purposes. In his recent battle with Wolverine, he was able to create a vivid telepathic illusion of Wolverine's deceased wife Itsu. However, Romulus' psionic powers are substantially inferior to those of Professor Xavier as Xavier used his powers to help shield the minds of Wolverine and his other X-Men from intrusion during their association with them. Furthermore, Wolverine has also learned to shield his mind greatly against telepathic intrusion, limiting Romulus' powers over him even more.
Abilities[]
Little is known about Romulus or the full extent of his capabilities. He has been shown, however, to be extremely intelligent with numerous connections with various governments and government programs. It's been said that Romulus was ultimately behind the Weapon X Program. Given his great lifespan, and the few instances revealed about his past, Romulus is an exceptional warrior, planner and tactician.
Weaknesses[]
Muramasa blade: As has been stated and shown against others, Romulus is vulnerable to the Muramasa blade. The blade itself inflicts injuries that greatly nulifies the effects of superhuman healing abilities. If Romulus were to sustain injuries to a vital area of his body, depending upon the exact area, his healing powers would be reduced to a slow crawl and would need to receive immediate and extensive medical treatment in order to keep from dying. Even those with powerful healing factors require several days to fully heal even from minor wounds inflicted by the sword.
Paraphernalia[]
Equipment[]
Gauntlet: During his initial battle with Wolverine, Romulus wears black gloves in which four blades are attached to. Three of the blades are similar in shape and overall appearance to Wolverine's Adamantium claws. A fourth, and smaller one, appears near the thumb area on each of the gloves. These blades have shown to be able to easily slice through flesh. The blades are presumed to be made of Adamantium as well, though this isn't known for certain. They have proven able, however, to withstand numerous strikes from Wolverine's claws without sustaining any damage.
Transportation[]
"Romulus seems to have a thing for trains." Wolverine: Origins #37
Notes[]
- Romulus is first seen in several flashbacks Wolverine 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, as well as being the main force behind Weapon X.
- He is the leader of the Lupine, a human looking species who, through parallel evolution, evolved from canines instead of primates.
- It is possible that Romulus also possesses more superhuman abilities aside from those demonstrated already. For instance, it is likely that he also possesses some degree of superhuman senses as well as other superhuman physical capabilities as these powers are common among beings descended from the Lupine race like Wolverine, Sabretooth and Wild Child.