Marvel’s Wolverine better sharpen it’s claws for a long climb
Wolverine isn't the main guy for Marvel any more but the latest game from Insomniac may prove that he's still a top draw.
There are so many video games coming in the next few months that it is easy to find people with different titles at the top of their most anticipated list. One that nobody would be surprised to see is Marvel’s Wolverine. Insomniac Games hops back into the superhero world, this time leveraging perhaps the second most popular character in Marvel’s catalog. That second place, along with the current landscape in gaming, set the stage for Wolverine to have a steep climb up if it’s going to be considered a top hit this cycle.
There was probably a time Wolverine could have been considered the top character in Marvel’s resume. Wizard Magazine once ranked him the number one character in its list of the greatest comic book characters of all time. Decades ago, he was tired with Spider-Man as the company’s most licensed property. They were the 1A and 1B of the company, but that is far from the case now.
Spider-Man is coming off an earth-shattering launch of Brand New Day, and Spider-Man one and two by Insomniac are two of the best titles in recent gaming. While that’s happening, Wolverine is being deemphasized in a way that fans are appreciating. Take X-Men 97, the continuation of the popular 1997 television show. The series on Disney Plus has put a spotlight on other characters like Rogue, Cyclops, Storm, and Nightcrawler, while leaving Wolverine in the background for the most part. He has a big moment in the first season when Magneto ripped the adamantium from his bones, but that was it. In season 2 he had an episode that featured Sabertooth, Lady Deathstrike, Maverick and Garrison Kane, but it didn’t land well with fans. Wolverine is firmly a supporting character in the other stories being told and it seems like that’s where fans want him to be right now.
The More They Show, The More Skepticism Grows
This issue is seemingly following Wolverine over to the gaming space. Now, it is important when talking about gaming criticism to point out that much of what is seen online is pointless engagement farming. It is near impossible for any big title to avoid negative blowback in a world where negativity generates dollars for grifters. But something different is happening with Wolverine and it s not superhero fatigue.
Everything about the Spider-Man games felt more alluring. The web swinging, Spider-Man’s cast of supporting characters, the city of New York - all of those offered bigger attractions than what it seems like Wolverine can bring. The five-foot, nothing Canadian-killing machine doesn’t have as strong of a set of villains and side characters (expect for Sabertooth because he can be intriguing if presented right). Wolverine doesn’t have the same mobility as well, which takes out the excellent traversal. What we’ve seen of the combat is certainly gory, but outside of that the combat doesn’t look like it moves the bar forward like Spider-Man did in a post Batman Arkham Asylum world.
Listen to the respectable commentary around Wolverine and you’ll find concern from some and outright apathy from others. That doesn’t bode well for a title that could be expected to meet similar sales numbers that the Spider-Man series has hit. According to VG Chartz, the 2028 title hit nearly 23 million titles sold, the smaller Miles Morales hit 14 million and the latest title, Spider-Man 2 has surpassed 11 million. Can Wolverine hit similar numbers? Of course it can, but will it while facing a tepid interest level just a month before release? Couple that with the looming drop of Grand Theft Auto VI and there is even more room for concern.
Marvel’s Wolverine is going to be a fun game packed full of cameos. We’ve already seen Sabertooth, Mystique, Lady Deathstrike, The Hand, and The Reavers are all present. We can expect to see more X-Men, even though the team doesn’t exist in this universe, and other characters. But we’ll have to wait and see if players jump on it as quickly as they did Spider-Man, or will Wolverine get a strong reminder that he’s not the guy carrying the company any longer.