Between Marvel vs. Capcom, Marvel Ultimate Alliance, and Fortnite, Wolverine is easily the centerpiece figure for the X-Men, and arguably even all of Marvel for some fans. If the X-Men are ever a part of gaming, it is dependable to assume that Wolverine will be included, whether in fighting games such as X-Men: Mutant Academy and Marvel Nemesis: Rise of the Imperfects, or in RPGs such as Marvel’s Midnight Suns and X-Men Legends. Likewise, the character has had multiple games developed as licensed movie adaptations where he stars firmly as the main protagonist.
Wolverine’s prominence in modern-day media is no doubt emboldened by the fact that he was the lead character in several X-Men movies and spin-offs, with Hugh Jackman being synonymous and inseparable from the role since. It is no surprise then that Insomniac is singling the mutant out in Marvel’s Wolverine, a standalone game with basically no details shared about it since its announcement. It will be interesting to see what Insomniac is able to achieve with the character in an original continuity and narrative, but it will surely have a lot on its plate when determining how to make Logan stand apart from all his other abundant interpretations.
Hugh Jackman’s Wolverine Portrayal is Ubiquitously Popular
Especially with Deadpool 3 bringing back Hugh Jackman’s Wolverine in some capacity, it is clear that one of the most definitive iterations of the character has been the Australian actor’s live-action performance. These appearances, coupled with the widely appreciated X-Men Origins: Wolverine adaptation, demonstrate that the character has had a particular aesthetic and behavior about him for well over a couple of decades.
Jackman was then able to make the performance even more nuanced in Logan, which has since become many fans’ favorite take on the character and some fans’ favorite comic book movie to date. Interestingly, Jackman is fairly different from the original depiction of the character in terms of his ~6’3 stature, compared to the character’s relatively short 5’3 stature.
Jackman has certainly bulked up enough to create a hulking musculature that is emblematic of the character, but his height is perhaps the only part of him that was ever questionable in terms of creating that one-to-one adaptation. It could be argued that Wolverine is not terribly difficult to portray due to how stoic and gruff he usually is.
Plus, in scenarios where the X-Men are assembled together, Wolverine is often the reserved character who can stick to one-liners while he barrels his way through enemies. Therefore, while he appears as a protagonist in the standalone Marvel’s Wolverine, Insomniac will need to tread carefully with its depiction of Logan for a game that could easily last around 20 hours if Marvel’s Spider-Man is anything to go by.
Marvel’s Wolverine Needs to Be Wholly Unique and Distinguishable
Marvel’s Wolverine obviously shouldn’t need to make egregiously stark decisions with the titular character in order for him to be unique, but it will take a degree of emotionality and moment-to-moment interaction to make Wolverine not seem like a disgruntled or out-of-touch brute. Of course, not every Wolverine interpretation has been that, though it is certainly a tired approach that has been seen in many of the supplementary appearances he has made.
Ultimate Spider-Man and Spider-Man: Web of Shadows’ iterations of Wolverine are different, for example, but identical enough based on how predictable his behavior normally is. Many Marvel characters have a foundational framework for their personalities, such as Tony Stark needing to have a punchline associated with almost everything he says.
Insomniac will hopefully be able to define its Wolverine with much more authenticity, though, particularly when it comes to how he is traditionally stereotyped. Otherwise, the adamantium-coated and self-regenerating Canadian might be as commonplace as every other take on the character.
Marvel’s Wolverine is currently in development.