Abraham Cornelius (Earth-616)

Early Life[]

Dr. Abraham Cornelius, a disgraced medical professional, found himself pursued by the F.B.I. due to suspicions surrounding several patient fatalities. Seeking refuge from relentless media scrutiny, he retreated into seclusion. However, his solitude was interrupted by an unexpected proposition from Professor Andre Thorton. Thorton saw potential in Cornelius's expertise and envisioned his involvement in Weapon X, a clandestine program.^[1]

Weapon X[]

He moved to the Weapon X Facility in Alberta, Canada and was paired with the talented Dr. Carol Hines, Dr. Cornelius embarked on a ground-breaking mission: to perfect the process of infusing Adamantium, an virtually indestructible metal, into human subjects.^[1] Together they scoped out various candidates which included future prominent mutants Charles Xavier and Erik Lehnsherr. They found the perfect candidate Logan a member of Team X. He also took on a assistant named John Sublime, who the Professor did not like, but Dr. Cornelius dismissed seeing him as harmless not knowing his true intentions.^[2] A squad of soldiers was dispatched to tranquilize and capture Logan, their mission proving successful albeit requiring a high dosage of tranquilizer. Tasked with refining and implementing the technique, Cornelius was determined to succeed where others had faltered.^[1] The adamantium-bonding method, originally conceived by Dr. Kenji Oyama, remained dormant until Cornelius meticulously honed it to perfection.^[3] They also used the ground breaking work of famed geneticist Dr. Nathaniel Essex.^[4] When the began experimenting on him they was shocked to discover his remarkable healing ability, this only encouraged their plans to infuse the adamantium.^[5][6][7] During his experiments he used a Symbiote to test his healing factor.^[8] During a temporal incident, Omega Red took over his body to torment Wolverine. When he electrocuted Wolverine, it inadvertently allowed a symbiote to possess him, leading the symbiote to attack Dr. Cornelius, who was possessed by Omega Red at the time. However, just as Logan was about to kill Cornelius, he regained control, and Omega Red was expelled back into the time stream.^[9] Sometime later, by 1974 Billy Junger, began experimenting on himself using the program's facilities to enhance his chances of becoming a super-soldier but he was told that he'd long since aged out of being a viable candidate revealing Dr. Cornelius and Dr. Hines working on Logan.^[10]

Through his efforts, Logan's skeleton became fused with adamantium, marking a pivotal success. However when he woke up he produced claws out of the knuckles of his hands infused with the indestructible metal. He killed one of the scientists much to the shock of Dr. Cornelius.^[11][12] After Logan's assault, the Professor disclosed a startling revelation to Dr. Cornelius: Logan was a mutant, an immaculate killing instrument, coveted for his lethal potential. Though initially repulsed, Cornelius's insatiable intellectual intrigue eclipsed his aversion, leading him to consent to further experimentation.^[13] Despite sedation, Logan lashed out at the Professor after a mind-control experiment. In response, guards fired upon him. Despite this violent episode, both the Professor and Cornelius resolved to persist with their experimentation.^[14][15][16] They can manipulating his mind and viewing memories, witnessing the death of a Native American woman at the hand of Sabretooth, they was able to use this rage as a trigger for their new weapon.^[17] He worked with Psi-Borg one of the leading psi-manipulator to help control Logan's mind.^[18] Another temporal incident occurred in which Old Man Logan possessed his younger self landing in the tank. When Dr. Cornelius and the Professor noticed Asmodeus' Amulet, they shocked him but he was able to grab it and return to the time stream.^[19]

During this time, a teenaged Gambit infiltrated the facility with ease, he was sent there to 'Diary of Nathaniel Essex' who Cornelius had in his desk. Inside a bio storage room, he stumbles upon people in stasis, but his discovery triggers the attention of two guards. Before they can apprehend him, a formidable figure emerges: the newly liberated Wolverine. The rogue experiment swiftly neutralizes the guards, allowing Remy to escape with the diary returning it to Mister Sinister.^[4]

They later Logan was pitted against a pack of wolves as part of their experimentation. Despite the odds, he emerged victorious, decimating the wolves. Dr. Cornelius closely monitored his vital signs throughout the ordeal and found himself impressed by the remarkable readings.^[20] Dr. Cornelius successfully engineered a control helmet, enabling them to manipulate Logan's actions and movements as desired, utilizing the equipment with precision.^[21] The Professor and Dr. Cornelius required Logan's services, so they dispatched him on a mission to Roanoke, Alberta. Logan ruthlessly eliminated everyone in the town. Upon their arrival, Dr. Cornelius was appalled by the scene, but the Professor deemed it a triumph and ordered everything to be concealed with a fire.^[22] Afterward, he was pitted against a formidable bear, which he dispatched with lethal efficiency.^[23] They later escalated the experiment by pitting him against the monstrous Wendigo, yet he proved his prowess by triumphing over the formidable creature.^[24] Later Dr. Cornelius conducted an inspection, only for Logan to awaken abruptly and assail the doctor, stabbing him in the gut, much to the astonishment of the staff.^[23] The entire ordeal turned out to be a test orchestrated by the scientists to gauge Logan's loyalty. Despite their expectations, Logan did return, only to launch a ferocious assault on the scientists. In the chaos, he managed to really break free and flee into the wilderness, leaving Dr. Cornelius mortally wounded in the lab.^[25] He later reported everyone was dead except Dr. Hines, Malcolm Colcord, and himself.^[26]

U.S. Department of Agriculture[]

Weapon X Program was temporarily shut down by the U.S. Government, Dr. Cornelius and Dr. Hines started working for the Program's cover agency, the U.S. Department of Agriculture.^[27]

Omega Red[]

Years later, Japanese crimelord Matsu'o Tsurayaba and his cohorts, including former Weapon X scientist Doctor Cornelius, orchestrated the resurrection of the Russian super-soldier Omega Red.^[28] Omega Red sought the Carbonadium Synthesizer to stabilize his mutant abilities, a device previously stolen from him by Team X. Capturing Wolverine and some of his X-Men teammates, Omega Red aimed to extract the Synthesizer's location from Wolverine's memories. Maverick, hired by former Team X liaison Major Arthur Barrington, intervened to thwart Omega Red's plans. Tracking down Sabretooth, another ex-Team X member, Maverick joined forces with the X-Men to confront the villains. In the ensuing conflict, Maverick exacted revenge by ending Cornelius's life.^[29]

Resurfacing and Death[]

Dr. Cornelius, long thought to be dead, suddenly reappeared, drawing Wolverine's suspicion as he seemed to be linked to the resurrection of Weapon X. At the same time, the enigmatic allegiance of Major Sharp to the revamped Weapon X Program remained cloaked in uncertainty.^[30] Wolverine stumbled upon Cornelius's lab just as he was about to administer Adamantium to another subject. Their confrontation revealed Cornelius's pride in Sharp's enhancements, claiming superiority over even Wolverine himself. However, in a clever move, Wolverine tricked Cornelius into striking a glass barrier, giving him the opportunity to incapacitate Sharp, seemingly ending his threat. In a desperate bid to save the subject, Wolverine destroyed the liquid Adamantium injector, inadvertently covering himself in the metal. Meanwhile, Cornelius attempted to flee on a helicopter, only to realize he was mortally wounded from broken glass piercing his intestine. As the sun set, Wolverine emerged from the elevator, the liquid metal hardening around him, sealing both his and Cornelius's fates in the dying light.^[31][32]