Insomniac’s new game is set in its own Marvel universe, and in that universe, Wolverine isn’t part of the famous X-Men.
Although Wolverine seems like a complete loner, he is actually the most famous member of one of Marvel’s biggest superhero groups: the X-Men! This alliance of mutants has existed for a very long time in the Marvel universe, and Wolverine has always been a part of it—at least in theory.
Wolverine without the X-Men? That just seems impossible. But that’s exactly what Insomniac is trying to do in their new PS5 blockbusterMarvel’s WolverineThe superhero group of mutants doesn’t even exist in the game’s universe. Creative Director Marcus Smith in an interview with Eurogamerhas now confirmed:
“The most important thing is probably that the X-Men don’t exist in our game.”
A Universe Without the X-Men
With its two Spider-Man games, Insomniac has already established its own distinct universe, where some things unfold quite differently than what Marvel fans are used to. For example, in Spider-Man 2, it wasn’t Peter Parker’s annoying classmate Brock who became Venom, but Peter’s best friend Harry Osborne.
Wolverine takes place in the same universe as Spider-Man, and here the team has decided that mutants should not be known to the general public. A team as large and famous as the X-Men apparently doesn’t fit into this concept:
“We wanted to focus on a Wolverine storyline and really develop it from this character’s perspective, as well as create a world where mutants aren’t very well known yet. People know of their existence, but they fall victim to those who know about them and want to destroy them.”
Presumably, the team is attempting to resolve the often somewhat illogical contradiction in the Marvel Universe that exists between heroes and mutants. After all, in the Marvel Universe, mutants are a persecuted minority, while the Avengers are celebrated by society.
By pushing the phenomenon of mutants further into the background, these two versions no longer clash as strongly.
Many Other Mutants
But even though the X-Men as an organization do not (yet) exist in this universe, Wolverine is not always on his own—and certainly not the only mutant. The gameplay presentation and the first trailers have already featured plenty of familiar faces.
Among them are well-known adversaries like Sabretooth, occasional allies like Mystique, and other X-Men members like Jean Grey. Wolverine even fights alongside the latter. You can read more about all the familiar characters in Wolverine in the article linked above.
Even though the X-Men aren’t present, a similar team is set to appear, at least at the beginning of the game. Marcus Smith says:
“At the start of the game, Logan actually belongs to a group called Team X and has teamed up with Sabretooth, whom you see in the gameplay trailer. But there are no X-Men; nevertheless, many Marvel characters will be woven into the plot.”
It will be exciting to find out what this means for Professor X and his school for mutants. After all, the two are closely intertwined and also hugely important for Wolverine’s personal development. His relationship with Professor Xavier, in particular, is always a compelling aspect of his story. Presumably, neither will be completely left out, and we wouldn’t rule out the possibility that the X-Men will emerge later in the game.
