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Adam was once a human member of [[The Initiative (organization)|the Initiative]] who met his end at the hands of a [[demon]] corpse [[Possession|possessed]] by the [[ghost]] of [[Richard Wilkins|Mayor Wilkins]]<ref>''[[Haunted (Buffy comic)|Haunted]]''</ref>; having been one of her favorite agents, [[Maggie Walsh|Professor Walsh]] vowed to bring him back to life and placed his body in her [[314 Project]].
 
Adam was once a human member of [[The Initiative (organization)|the Initiative]] who met his end at the hands of a [[demon]] corpse [[Possession|possessed]] by the [[ghost]] of [[Richard Wilkins|Mayor Wilkins]]<ref>''[[Haunted (Buffy comic)|Haunted]]''</ref>; having been one of her favorite agents, [[Maggie Walsh|Professor Walsh]] vowed to bring him back to life and placed his body in her [[314 Project]].
   
According to [[Ethan Rayne]], his creation was very powerful that demons were frightened by his coming.
+
According to [[Ethan Rayne]], his creation was so powerful that demons were frightened by his coming.
 
===Creation===
 
===Creation===
 
Adam was part human, part [[demon]], and part robot, and was to be the perfect organism, combining the advancement of technology with the adaptability and intelligence of humanity and the superior strength and emotional detachment of demonkind. Adam was created in [[314 Project|Room 314]], and his first independent act was to kill Professor Walsh with a retractable skewer inside one of his arms. The three-foot-long skewer was salvaged from a Polgara Demon.
 
Adam was part human, part [[demon]], and part robot, and was to be the perfect organism, combining the advancement of technology with the adaptability and intelligence of humanity and the superior strength and emotional detachment of demonkind. Adam was created in [[314 Project|Room 314]], and his first independent act was to kill Professor Walsh with a retractable skewer inside one of his arms. The three-foot-long skewer was salvaged from a Polgara Demon.
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* Adam is the second and final Big Bad to be killed by Buffy, the first being [[The Master]]. The other Big Bads either survive or are killed by other characters such as Giles. (Although in the comics, Warren is re-killed by Buffy)
 
* Adam is the second and final Big Bad to be killed by Buffy, the first being [[The Master]]. The other Big Bads either survive or are killed by other characters such as Giles. (Although in the comics, Warren is re-killed by Buffy)
* Of the main Big Bads (aside from Angelus and Dark Willow) - The Master, Drusilla, Mayor Wilkins, Adam, Glory, Warren, and The First - Adam takes the role of Big Bad the latest in his season. The Master and The First appeared in their season premieres, Drusilla appeared in the third episode of Season 2, Warren appeared in the fourth episode of Season 6 (though he, as well as The First, appeared in previous seasons), and the mayor and Glory appear in the fifth episodes of their seasons. Adam appears in the thirteenth episode of Season 4, over halfway through the season.
+
* Of the main Big Bads (aside from Angelus and Dark Willow) - The Master, Drusilla, Mayor Wilkins, Adam, Glory, Warren, and The First - Adam takes the role of Big Bad the latest in his season. The Master and The First appeared in their season premieres, Drusilla appeared in the third episode of Season 2, Warren appeared in the fourth episode of Season 6 (though he, as well as The First, appeared in previous seasons), and the Mayor and Glory appear in the fifth episodes of their seasons. Adam appears in the thirteenth episode of Season 4, over halfway through the season.
* In the episode [[New Moon Rising]] Adam states that parts of his body(probably the human ones) belonged to a former boy-scout, which would explain why Adam made a scout's honor to remove Spike's brain-chip.
+
* In the episode, [[New Moon Rising]] Adam states that parts of his body (probably the human ones) belonged to a former boy-scout, which would explain why Adam made a scout's honor to remove Spike's brain-chip.
   
 
==Gallery==
 
==Gallery==

Revision as of 02:37, 14 February 2016

Note: This article is about the Bio-mechanical demonoid. For the Sunnydale High student, see Adam (student).

I am the end of all life, of all magic. I'm the war between man and demon, the war that no one can win.
―Adam[src]

Adam was an undead being, self-described as a Bio-mechanical demonoid, created by Initiative scientist Maggie Walsh as part of her super soldier program.

Biography

Demons cling to old ways and ancient feuds, but are hopeless with technology. Unworthy. Disappointed by demonkind, we turn to humans. Smart, adaptive, but emotional and weak. Blind. There is imperfection everywhere. Something must be done.
―Adam[src]
AdamHuman

The man who would become Adam appears to Buffy Summers in a dream.

Human Life

Adam was once a human member of the Initiative who met his end at the hands of a demon corpse possessed by the ghost of Mayor Wilkins[1]; having been one of her favorite agents, Professor Walsh vowed to bring him back to life and placed his body in her 314 Project.

According to Ethan Rayne, his creation was so powerful that demons were frightened by his coming.

Creation

Adam was part human, part demon, and part robot, and was to be the perfect organism, combining the advancement of technology with the adaptability and intelligence of humanity and the superior strength and emotional detachment of demonkind. Adam was created in Room 314, and his first independent act was to kill Professor Walsh with a retractable skewer inside one of his arms. The three-foot-long skewer was salvaged from a Polgara Demon.

Against the Slayer

As soon as he awakened, Adam began philosophizing about his existence before leaving the lab. He killed and dissected a human boy as well as demons, in order to get an understanding of biology. He soon returned to the lab to download every file relating to his creation. Adam linked himself up to computers, and with his considerable intelligence, he was able to set plans and traps for his targets with ease.

Spike worked for Adam for a short time, to extract the behavioral modification chip that the Initiative implanted to make the vampire docile. He decided to help Adam stop Buffy by exploiting existing rifts within the Scooby Gang. Fortunately, Buffy figured out the plan when Spike let too much information slip.

Adam did not need to eat, relying solely on his uranium-based power source in his chest for sustenance. He was aware of every aspect of himself, and was immune to universe-changing spells, such as the one cast by Jonathan Levinson. In fact, Adam dismissed the alternate reality as something not worth his intervention. Nevertheless, he was interested to see the full extant of the Augmentation Spell's chaotic result. He later upgraded himself to incorporate a minigun and grenade launcher.

He considered himself a brother to Riley Finn, because Professor Walsh experimented on both of them to make them "perfect" life-forms. Adam intended to make Riley just like him, so the two can command an army of other biomechanical demonoids. In order to obtain the large supplies of bodies required, Adam made himself known before the demons of Sunnydale, and persuaded them to join forces against the Initiative. Demons and vampires, known for rejecting each other, began to fight together, while others allowed themselves to be captured by Initiative agents. Adam's plan was to fill the Initiative facilities with demons and then unleash them on the soldiers by unlocking their cells from Professor Walsh's secret laboratory. Afterward, he and his minions will recover body parts from the slaughter and fashion a new race formed from man, demon, and machine (the implicit idea is that Adam will expand outward until he repopulates the planet). Adam wanted Buffy trapped within the installation when this occurs, because she will be able to even the casualties before being killed. Adam also mentioned that Buffy would have been transformed into a biomechanical demonoid as well, should the slayer have remained in service of the Initiative.

To assist himself in the creation of his army, Adam created a second biomechanical demonoid using the body of Forrest Gates, whom he had recently slain. He also reanimated the corpses of his other victims, Professor Walsh and Dr. Francis Angleman, though they possess little brain activity and function just a little more than drones.

Death

Adam was defeated when Buffy, Willow, Xander, and Giles combined their essences in Buffy's body via the enjoining spell. The collective in Buffy invoked the strength of the First Slayer and used magic to counter Adam's attacks. With the First Slayer's strength combined with her own, she managed to rip out Adam's power source and use a spell to destroy it, effectively deactivating the demonoid.

Legacy

Buffy, in a dream, sees Adam in his human form, before Professor Walsh's experiments. When Buffy asks for his name, the dream Adam replies "Before Adam? Not a man among us can remember."

Three years later, the First Evil took on the form of Adam, along with the other major enemies of the Scooby Gang, to taunt a now-ensouled Spike.

Powers and Abilities

I've been thinking. About vampires. You fear death. Being immortal, you fear it more than those to whom it comes naturally. Vampires are a paradox. Demon in a human body. You walk in both worlds and belong to neither. I can relate.
―Adam[src]

Superhuman physical attributes: Due to his cybernetic enhancements, as well as the numerous demon body parts that he was composed of, Adam possessed great physical strength and durability, sufficient enough to easily outmatch Buffy in their fights and rip off a vampire's head with his bare hands.

Near-Invulnerability: Due to the Uranium 235 core used to reanimate and power his body, Adam had no need for food, water, or sleep, and was virtually immortal, able to survive and rapidly regenerate from any wound, no matter how severe, as long as the core was active.

Electrical absorbance: Adam was able to absorb electrical energy to strengthen himself, thus making the Initiative's trademark taser blasters not only completely useless against him, but also dangerous to the user. Buffy described the initiative's tactic to hit Adam with multiple taser blasters as "giving him an all-you-can-eat buffet".

Technopathy: Adam appeared to possessed the ability to physically manipulate technology as he was able to mentally activate Behavior Modifiers and interface with computer networks and hard data storage such as floppy disks.

Arm weapons: Adam possessed the left arm of a polgara demon, giving him the power to release a sharp bone-skewer from under his palm which he used to kill multiple targets. His right arm, while initially possessing no special feature of its own, was later upgraded, implanted with a collapsible minigun and rocket launcher, both of which he used to great effect against Buffy in their final showdown.

Heightened Self-Awareness: He also possessed a heightened sense of self-awareness, making him immune to mind control and aware of reality alterations. According to Adam he was conscious of every individual molecule which comprised his body.

Superhuman Intelligence: In addition to all of his powers, Adam was a genius, often giving a scientific analysis on both human and demon psychology and nature. He also possessed extensive knowledge of the Initiative's personnel and facilities, and was a master of persuasion, easily convincing the vampires and demons of Sunnydale to team up against the Initiative.

Behind the Scenes

  • Like many characters, themes, or situations on Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Adam is inspired by other, earlier sources. His origin and nature can be traced both to Mary Shelley's Frankenstein and the cyborg in the film Terminator, starring Arnold Schwarzenegger.
  • Adam is unique among the Big Bads of the series in that he was killed off in the penultimate episode of the season as opposed to the finale. As the only season finale not written by Joss Whedon occurs in season 6, this gives Adam the distinction (depending on whether or not Dark Willow can really be considered a Big Bad) of being, arguably, the only Big Bad defeated in an episode not written by the show's creator.
    • Warren was killed in the third-to-last episode of Season 6, although the comics see him revived.
  • Joss Whedon personally described Adam as the series' "most boring Big Bad", a sentiment also taken by some of the fandom.
  • Adam shares many similarities with the Shadowfist Collectible Card Game (CCG) character Homo Omega. Both were created by mad scientists attempting to create super soldiers out of cybernetic human-demon hybrids. Both turned against their creators in order to destroy humanity and create a new race of hybrids. Both have magically morphing machinegun arms. Homo Omega was created in 1996.
  • Adam returns as a non-physical being in non-canon Note from the Underground comic story arc, due to having uploaded a backup of his consciousness into the Initiative's system. After allying with the like minded Scourge, Adam enacts a new plan to wipe out humanity using soul drop, a high addictive and self-destructive drug harvested from the remains of people captured and incinerated by the Scourge. Powering both Adam and the production of the soul drop is the negative energy created by forced demon gladiatorial fights held in the Initiative's remains, which Buffy is forced to participate in after being captured. Buffy successfully defeats Adam again when she drains the soul drop, and sparks a rebellion among the demon fighters, stopping the energy feed powering the Initiative and Adam.[2]
  • Adam is the second and final Big Bad to be killed by Buffy, the first being The Master. The other Big Bads either survive or are killed by other characters such as Giles. (Although in the comics, Warren is re-killed by Buffy)
  • Of the main Big Bads (aside from Angelus and Dark Willow) - The Master, Drusilla, Mayor Wilkins, Adam, Glory, Warren, and The First - Adam takes the role of Big Bad the latest in his season. The Master and The First appeared in their season premieres, Drusilla appeared in the third episode of Season 2, Warren appeared in the fourth episode of Season 6 (though he, as well as The First, appeared in previous seasons), and the Mayor and Glory appear in the fifth episodes of their seasons. Adam appears in the thirteenth episode of Season 4, over halfway through the season.
  • In the episode, New Moon Rising Adam states that parts of his body (probably the human ones) belonged to a former boy-scout, which would explain why Adam made a scout's honor to remove Spike's brain-chip.

Gallery

Appearances

Season Four:
The Freshman Living Conditions The Harsh Light of Day Fear, Itself Beer Bad Wild at Heart The Initiative Pangs Something Blue Hush Doomed
A New Man

(covered in sheets)

The I in Team

Appears

Goodbye Iowa

Appears

This Year's Girl

(mentioned)

Who Are You

Appears

Superstar

Appears

Where the Wild Things Are

(mentioned)

New Moon Rising

Appears

The Yoko Factor

Appears

Primeval

Appears (killed)

Restless

Appears (as a human in dream)

Season Five:
Buffy vs. Dracula Real Me The Replacement Out of My Mind No Place Like Home Family Fool for Love Shadow Listening to Fear Into the Woods Triangle
Checkpoint Blood Ties Crush I Was Made to Love You The Body Forever Intervention Tough Love

(mentioned)

Spiral The Weight of the World The Gift
Season Seven:
Lessons

Appears (only the First Evil)

Beneath You Same Time, Same Place Help Selfless Him Conversations with Dead People Sleeper Never Leave Me Bring on the Night Showtime
Potential The Killer in Me First Date Get It Done Storyteller Lies My Parents Told Me Dirty Girls Empty Places Touched End of Days Chosen

References