After a tour of New York in several Spider-Man adventures, Insomniac Games is turning its eye to Marvel’s Wolverine. Compared to its Spider-Man projects, Wolverine looks like an ultraviolent tour through the seedier side of the Marvel Universe that’s in tune with the savage nature of its protagonist. It’s also a game that looks to be full of Easter eggs, something which Insomniac excelled at hiding in its three Spider-Man games. This week’s deep-dive into the game during the State of Play livestream had quite a few references to the comic, TV, and film history of Wolverine, and if you missed them, we’ve rounded up all the ones we could find inside that brutal preview.
Taking flight in Madripoor
Bookended by sizzle reels, Marvel’s Wolverine showed off a quick look at Logan’s favorite stomping grounds, Madripoor. The fictional island is located between Singapore and Indonesia, and it has a long history as a haven for pirates, criminals, and anyone else looking to disappear from the world. Logan often visits the island under his alter ego of Patch.
Attack of the Sentinel
Is an army of titan-sized mutant-hunting robots overkill for keeping the next wave of human evolution in check? Probably, but when you’re armed with a set of adamantium blades in each arm, you can quickly cut them down to size. The Sentinel program has undergone many changes and adaptations over the years, but in Marvel’s Wolverine, players can expect to throw down with an old-school mechanical giant that looks inspired by the machines seen in the ’90s X-Men: The Animated Series cartoon.
Trask-ing for trouble
Speaking of Sentinels, it looks like this incarnation is once again a product of Trask Industries. Run by genius scientist Bolivar Trask, the company has popped up in several Marvel productions over the decades.
Hair to the throne
Recent versions of Wolverine in pop culture have kept his body hair more manageable, but it looks like Insomniac is embracing another iconic part of Logan’s hair-itage.
The best there is what he does, bub
Fun fact: You know you’ve messed up when Wolverine starts calling you “bub” and you can spot that phrase in some artistic graffiti in Marvel’s Wolverine.
Don’t get too close to Leech
One of the Morlocks–more on them next–Leech is a green-skinned mutant who can shut down the powers of any mutant within his close proximity. Usually a good kid, he has a tragic backstory and spent most of his youth living in the sewers of New York alongside his fellow outcasts.
Morlock and key
Other members of the Morlocks glimpsed in the preview include their leader, Callisto, Toad, and Caliban. In the video, they’ve been rounded up by Trask’s hired guns, the Reavers.
Don’t fear the Reaver
Criminal cyborgs who aren’t afraid to get the metal hands dirty, the Reavers are hellbent on exterminating mutants and the X-Men in particular. Usually led by Donald Pierce, they’ll replace as many of their organic body parts as possible to turn themselves into the perfect killing machines.
Ahhh, Jean!
We were hoping for Gene Parmesan, but Jean Grey is the next best person to see in Marvel’s Wolverine. While we know the X-Men don’t exist yet, the new trailer did show Jean Grey in action. One of the first members of the group in the original Marvel comics, Jean wields powerful telekinetic and psychic skills. One of Logan’s greatest loves, she has also served as the host for the Phoenix Force, a cosmic entity of life and rebirth.
Berserker rage
When Wolverine sees red, all bets are off. Insomniac Games will allow players to tap into Logan’s inner rage, and once he enters his Berserker state, he can activate stronger attacks and use his mutant healing factor. At Tier 3 of his rage, Logan explodes with anger, and the screen adopts an aesthetic inspired by Marvel Comics’ Black, White, and Blood series.
Wild hog
It just wouldn’t be a Wolverine game without a motorcycle, would it? While Logan has driven all kinds of vehicles across the decades, he has a particular fondness for motorcycles, and that has been reflected in TV series and movies featuring him.
Adamantium, good for what ails ya
If Wolverine takes too much damage, you’ll get a look at all of that wonderful adamantium metal that is bonded to his skeleton. Virtually indestructible, it allows Wolverine to shrug off all kinds of damage and keep fighting. The only downside is that if Logan’s healing factor is incapacitated, he’ll start to succumb to adamantium poisoning, and the weight of the material also makes it really difficult for him to swim.
Patch ’em up
At the end of the preview, we got a few quick shots of Marvel’s Wolverine in even more action. It looks like one scene will see Wolverine–in his Madripoor disguise of Patch–attacked. We’re expecting that white tuxedo to look very red by the time that level is finished.
X marks the spot
Whether it’s being crucified alive in the Australian outback or used as a marker for his grave in the saddest Wolverine movie, Logan just can’t seem to escape the ever-present “X” symbol of destiny.
Omega Red dawn
Logan has built up quite the rogue’s gallery over the years, and one of his deadliest adversaries is Omega Red. A former Soviet soldier and a serial killer in the comics, Omega Red is also a mutant with the power to secrete “Death Spore” pheromones that can kill people within seconds. He was later upgraded with carbonadium coils in his wrists, allowing him to drain the life from anyone he catches.
Pardon me, my Mystique
Sometimes an ally, sometimes an enemy, the shape-shifting Mystique is a lethal mutant who is usually only interested in her own self-preservation.
Is that Deadpool?
One enemy that Logan eviscerates certainly looks a lot like the infamous Merc with a Mouth. Unfortunately, it’s not Wade Wilson, and it’s most likely a member of The Hand, Marvel’s ultra-secretive Ninja death-cult. Look at the one pauldron, and you’ll spot a symbol that appears similar to the one used by the group. Insomniac has also poured water on this theory, confirming that Logan isn’t mutilating Deadpool in that short fight scene.
Sabretooth and claw
Just who is Wolverine’s greatest enemy? That (dis)honor goes to Sabretooth, a mutant with similar powers to Logan who also happens to be a vicious serial killer. Completely irredeemable–and with a laundry list of crimes too gnarly to mention–Sabretooth has been a thorn in Logan’s side for decades.
Team X-cellent
Interestingly, Sabretooth isn’t dressed in his signature outfit. The preview showed him off in military-inspired gear that looks very similar to the outfit he wore in Team X, a black-ops group of mutant soldiers that also included Logan and Maverick.
Classic John Byrne brown and tan
In case Wolverine’s new yellow-and-black costume doesn’t appeal to you, Insomniac has lined up some more killer fashion for Logan. The Digital Deluxe Edition includes five exclusive suits inspired by his comic book outfits, including his bare-chested leather ensemble from Grant Morrison’s X-Men run, his apocalyptic suit from the Age of Apocalypse saga, and the original yellow-and-blue costume he wore when he first debuted in the pages of The Incredible Hulk.
