Sulfur polymers, synthesized by inverse vulcanisation from the industrial by-product elemental sulfur, are emerging polymeric materials with diverse applications. Incorporation of new comonomers has provided a significant boost to diversify sulfur polymer applications in recent years. However, reports on hydrophilic sulfur polymers are rare, despite the theoretical advantage of water-wetting behaviour, which enhances aqueous metal sorption by increasing the contact area. Here, we report the inverse vulcanisation of hydrophilic sulfur polymers from acids, pyrrolidone, acrylates, and amides. Structural determination of obtained sulfur polymers was investigated using nuclear magnetic resonance, and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry on the degraded polymers. The introduction of polar comonomers significantly improves polymers wettability (a minimum water contact angle of 16.4°), enabling the polymers to provide adequate contact with aqueous mercury ions. When coated onto alumina beads as adsorbents, the sulfur polymer formed from methacrylic acid (S-MAA) stands out for mercury sorption. Additionally, supporting materials were extended to silica powders, carbon black (CB) powders, and activated carbon (AC) granules for further sorption assessment. S-MAA endows the hydrophobic CB powders with hydrophilicity, showing high mercury uptake capacity (362 mg g⁻¹). Comprehensive research on hydrophilic sulfur polymers, and their applications as adsorbents, provides valuable insights for practical metal remediation.