Marvel's Wolverine Leaks: What Insomniac's Comments and the Trailer's Easter Eggs Suggest About Story and Release Date

Marvel's Wolverine is one of PlayStation's next big exclusives, and there is enough scattered information now, between a comment from Insomniac Games and the Easter eggs buried in the teaser trailer, to start piecing together a picture of when it might arrive and what story it could tell. I want to go over all of it, including where the next reveal might come from.

Wolverine is one of the most notorious characters in the Marvel Universe, with his entire bone structure replaced by the almost indestructible metal adamantium. He is known for taking out opponents with superhuman strength and his claws, which were a byproduct of the adamantium injections, and that combination is part of why he ranks among the strongest superheroes in Marvel's universe. He is also essentially unkillable thanks to his regeneration powers. The most recent video game featuring Wolverine or any X-Men character was the 2014 mobile game Uncanny X-Men: Days of Future Past, so Insomniac Games taking on the Wolverine brand marks a real return for the character after a long gap.

Wolverine and Spider-Man 2 Were Announced Together, Which Raises Timing Questions

Both Marvel's Wolverine and Spider-Man 2 were announced at the same PlayStation 5 Showcase last year, which has raised some eyebrows about exactly when Wolverine will actually release, especially since Insomniac is currently working on Spider-Man 2. As I said at the time the teaser trailer came out, Insomniac had likely been fully focused on the Spider-Man 2 sequel since the first game was such a hit.

As far as release date goes, it is full speculation at this point. The only real hint we have about the current state of the game comes from a statement by Ryan Schneider, head of franchise strategy and studio relations at Insomniac Games, who said the game is currently very early in development. That is pretty much all we have. This is to be expected since the game was only announced last year with an initial teaser trailer.

With that in mind, I would expect to see Wolverine sometime between mid to late 2024 or early 2025. In my opinion this is actually a good thing, because Insomniac's track record has produced some genuinely great games, so I say let them take all the time they need, especially for a character as respected and iconic as Wolverine, one who has been mishandled in the past. I would rather Insomniac just do what Insomniac does.

Easter Eggs Point to Wolverine's First Appearance in Incredible Hulk #184

Looking at the trailer and its Easter eggs, it would not be out of the question for this game to start from square one with Wolverine and take us all the way to current canon, given how many references point back to his first appearance in Incredible Hulk #184. Alternatively, Insomniac could bring the story forward and leave room for sequels afterward, the same approach currently playing out with Spider-Man 2.

If they do start from the beginning, the game could be built around a Wolverine versus Hulk adventure, which I think would be nostalgic for a lot of longtime fans and would make for an amazing game given that period of the Marvel universe. That said, it is completely possible all of this is just a handful of small references to that first appearance rather than a full retelling of it.

Could Wolverine Cross Over Into Spider-Man 2, and What Story Might His Own Game Tell

I have talked before, in my last Spider-Man 2 PS5 video, about whether Wolverine could appear in Spider-Man 2 itself. Insomniac is developing Wolverine alongside Spider-Man 2 and Miles Morales, essentially building a crossover universe with Marvel games, so it would make sense if Peter Parker and Miles Morales teamed up with Wolverine to help fight the villains in Spider-Man 2.

My own theory is that the Wolverine game will be set during his time with the X-Men, giving a more in depth view of his life during that era and how he progressed through the years alongside the X-Men and the villains they took down together. There are already plenty of games and movies covering Wolverine's origin story, so retreading that again would feel repetitive, and Spider-Man's first game did not tell Spider-Man's origin story either. Unless Insomniac has something up its sleeve, I would assume they have already ruled out another origin story.

Personally, I would love an arc that gets players as emotionally attached as the 2017 film Logan managed, something like the Brotherhood arc, where Wolverine goes on a quest to avenge the murder of a young girl who asked for his help. The villains in that arc are just regular humans, and I think the power on display against the Brotherhood in the comics would translate well into a game. There is also a reference in the trailer to an eye patch at a bar, which could point to Wolverine's Patch alias from when Logan flees to Madripoor after the X-Men are presumed dead, suggesting he might live as an outsider getting dragged into another adventure while dealing with his past.

What I Want From Wolverine's Combat: Less Hack and Slash, More Impact and Gore

There is no official information on gameplay yet, but if Insomniac approaches combat the way it did with Spider-Man, we can expect strong combos and upgrades that showcase Wolverine's raw power. What I hope for is not a generic hack and slash game, which would be the typical approach for Wolverine. I want the combos to feel like Spider-Man 2 but play more like Arkham Knight, up close and personal, with grit and hopefully gore, and I do not want it overly choreographed. I want some choice in what I do rather than just spamming a button, even though at the end of the day Wolverine's whole approach is to take down whoever is in the way and ask questions later.

Looking at other games with a hack and slash foundation that still land with impact, the Naughty Dog games are a good example of punches and attacks that the player can actually feel. Wolverine is not exactly a hand to hand combat expert, he is a gritty knuckle down fighter who throws himself at enemies and leans on his regeneration, strength, and claws that can cut through anything. Seeing him pull off moves that do not fit that character would throw off the whole feel of the game, so I want Insomniac to make his combat impactful as well as strong, and honestly I want this game to be gory, even if that means the ESRB rating goes up.

On regeneration specifically, Insomniac could go with the generic slow healing over time seen in most games, or keep Wolverine's fast regeneration but throw in enemies capable of enough damage to actually make players work for it. I am interested to see which direction they take, and I would like some enemies that take real convincing to put down rather than letting players walk over everyone they come across.

The Next Reveal Could Come at a PlayStation Showcase Rumored for September

Looking at the current PlayStation 5 lineup for 2023 and 2024, there is not much else revealed besides Spider-Man 2, so the next PlayStation Showcase, currently rumored for sometime that week or at least sometime in September as usual, would be a logical spot for Insomniac to show a bit more of Marvel's Wolverine, even just another cinematic or small gameplay tidbits. Then again, all the focus at that showcase will likely be on Spider-Man 2, so a Wolverine trailer there might be a bit of a stretch. Either way, I am excited to see how development progresses.

With the game still about two to three years out and only a teaser trailer revealed so far, I would expect more leaks and rumors to surface before any official news arrives, though the PlayStation Showcase does give a chance to get lucky.

Which direction would you rather see Wolverine's story take, a fresh start tied to Incredible Hulk #184 or a deeper look at his X-Men years?