The gaming community has been filled with anticipation for various comic book projects over the last couple of years. Marvel's Spider-Man 2 is on the horizon, Skydance is actively developing a game centered on Captain America and Black Panther, and Marvel's Wolverine is still shrouded in mystery after its 2021 reveal. Despite the minimal information surrounding it, anticipation is high for Marvel's Wolverine. Much of that has to do with its development under Insomniac Games, and it's helped further by the lack of any major Wolverine game in the last decade.
Wolverine's teaser trailer delivered very little in the way of any story information. The most players know is that Wolverine already has his adamantium claws, but other than that, there's no telling where the titular character is in his journey. There was no sign of any other mutants, nor were there any villains who regularly oppose Logan and the X-Men, but there's one Wolverine villain who is a must for Marvel's Wolverine. In order to deliver a narrative that touches on some of the more emotional beats of Logan's story, Marvel's Wolverine has to include Sabretooth as an antagonist in some capacity.
Why Marvel's Wolverine Needs Sabretooth
Wolverine has developed a substantial rogues' gallery over his long comic book history. From minor villains like the Blob to the always formidable Magneto, dozens of Marvel antagonists have been subject to Wolverine's claws. Few have been such a persistent rival as Sabretooth, however. A longstanding rival of Wolverine, Sabretooth is essential to the grizzled mutant's story. Just as Doc Ock or the Green Goblin are staples of any good Spider-Man story, some of the best Wolverine narratives follow his battles with Sabretooth. When it comes to Marvel's Wolverine, there are more than a few ways Insomniac can include him.
Sabretooth, whose real name is Victor Creed, has been in the comics for about as long as Wolverine. The two didn't become rivals until the 80s, but when they did, the two became irrevocably linked. Sabretooth's origin has varied over the years, but one that's most widely accepted is that he was part of the same Weapon X program that gave Wolverine his adamantium claws. Sabretooth saw Wolverine as competition in this program, antagonizing him as a result and beginning what would become a lifelong feud. Insomniac can take this sense of competition and leverage it into a reoccurring villain role in Marvel's Wolverine.
Determining a primary antagonist for Marvel's Wolverine may be a challenge, as the hero is so closely tied to the X-Men. The game's teaser trailer didn't give any indication of whether the X-Men would be included, and while they could be in some capacity, it seems unlikely that Insomniac would risk having the team outshine Logan. This makes Sabretooth all the more essential, as he can stand as his own antagonist to Wolverine without seeming like an X-Men-sized threat. The two characters' sense of rivalry can also give Insomniac an opportunity to create a down-to-earth narrative rich with emotion.
Insomniac has already demonstrated its talents in creating a captivating superhero game, and it plans to do so once again with the upcoming Marvel's Spider-Man 2. With Marvel's Wolverine, the developer has an opportunity to give the hero a deeply personal story akin to films like Logan, and Sabretooth could play an essential role in accomplishing that. There's no telling who in the vast world of Marvel is going to show up in the game, but there are few characters more integral to Wolverine's story than Victor Creed. Without him, the game runs the risk of wasting prime narrative and gameplay potential.
Marvel's Wolverine is currently in development for the PS5.