After watching the first trailer for Insomniac's upcoming Wolverine game, fans of Marvel's ol' "canucklehead" have been clicking the replay button faster than Logan's healing factor popping off.
Obsessing over the details of game trailers is a time-honored tradition on the internet. However, with a character like Wolverine, who comes equipped with decades of source material, the hunt for easter eggs becomes infinitely more intense.
Anything from a supporting character's name to an obscure logo tucked in the background of a shot provides fans with ample information to debate and theorize for hours.
Yes, the trailer featured the likes of Omega Red and Mystique. But what about the classic characters that didn't show up in the teaser? If Marvel's Spider-Man 1 & 2 were any indication, you know Insomniac is bound to reference and cameo some of your favorite mutants in the finished game. So, here's Complex's list of 10 Mutants who need to be in Marvel's Wolverine Game.
10.Sabretooth
Starting with the most obvious inclusion, the villainous Victor Creed, also known as Sabretooth, is a required character for any Wolverine-centric media. As Logan's most persistent adversary, Sabretooth is the Joker to Wolverine's proverbial Batman. Despite their combative relationship, Sabretooth and Wolverine's dynamic wasn't always antagonistic, as the two were formerly teammates. In a handful of their earliest encounters, comic writers portrayed Sabretooth as one of the few individuals aware of Wolverine's mysterious origins. On the off chance that Sabretooth doesn't appear in this game, it's presumably because Insomniac plans to save Wolverine's most iconic villain for an inevitable sequel.
9.Jean Grey
Despite being one of Marvel's most violent characters, tragic romance and unrequited love define Wolverine as vividly as any of his brutal battles. Although Wolverine and Jean Grey's relationship never truly evolved beyond the flirtatious phase, few women are as integral to Logan's love life as the mighty Marvel Girl. Aside from the obvious nod to the broader X-Men franchise, including Jean Grey could provide Insomniac with a host of storytelling avenues to explore in future games. An exciting and mandatory Jean Grey cameo could set up the powerful Phoenix force, which could furnish the basis for an entire sequel.
8.Laura "X-23" Kinney
Even though Laura "X-23" Kinney was immensely popular in the comics before James Mangold's 2017 masterpiece Logan, the character reached an unfathomable level of fame after the film hit theaters. Coupled with the recent, towering success of 2024's Deadpool & Wolverine, which featured the absurdly talented Dafne Keen reprising her role as X-23, the character has never been more mainstream. As Wolverine's biological clone daughter (comics are incredibly complicated, folks), X-23 possesses all of her father's mutant abilities. In a similar fashion to how Insomniac's Spider-Man games introduced Miles Morales before giving the character a spin-off, X-23 could receive identical treatment.
7.Silver Fox
Despite being one of Marvel's most violent characters, tragic romance and unrequited love define Wolverine as vividly as any of his brutal battles. Although Wolverine and Jean Grey's relationship never truly evolved beyond the flirtatious phase, few women are as integral to Logan's love life as the mighty Marvel Girl. Aside from the obvious nod to the broader X-Men franchise, including Jean Grey could provide Insomniac with a host of storytelling avenues to explore in future games. An exciting and mandatory Jean Grey cameo could set up the powerful Phoenix force, which could furnish the basis for an entire sequel.
6.Colossus
Unlike Shōnen manga, the sister genre to American comics, superheroes aren't synonymous with special moves. Superheroes typically use their abilities when the situation merits it without any of the shonen genre's trademark showmanship. And then there's the Fastball Special: a joint move between Wolverine and his fellow X-Men teammate Colossus, where the steel-skinned mutant hurls Logan headlong into enemies. While Colossus, also known as Piotr Rasputin, could help flesh out the game's narrative in several compelling ways, enabling gamers to use the Fastball Special would be the main reason for Insomniac to put the X-Men's resident Russian in the game.
5.Silver Samurai
One of the most intriguing aspects of Wolverine's character is his complex backstory that spans countries and centuries. Similar to the crucial role that Canada plays in Wolverine's life, Japan is equally important to Logan's history. Through his relationship to Mariko Yashida, Wolverine ran afoul of his lover's half-brother, the Silver Samurai. Armed with his traditional samurai weaponry and training, as well as the mutant ability that enables his katana to cleave through all manner of objects, Silver Samurai is one of Logan's most memorable villains. Depending on the game's storyline, Silver Samurai could be a minor or major antagonist.
4.Cyber
Every superhero has a villain that possesses a variant of their abilities. Although Sabertooth, with his razor-sharp claws, animal senses, and healing factor, already fits in this category, Wolverine's longtime foe, Cyber, is another interesting opponent who also employs hero's formidable Adamantium. In addition to his super strength, Cyber's Adamantium skin enables him to go toe-to-toe with Wolverine's legendary claws. If executed properly, Cyber could be an impossibly difficult level boss for a pivotal point in the narrative. Also, tossing Cyber into the game would expose the casual audience to one of the most underrated characters in Wolverine's rogues gallery.
3.Kitty Pryde
For a guy with "knife hands," Wolverine is a surprisingly layered and complex character. Although his relationships with women are marked by tragedy, when Logan finds himself in a mentor role to a female character, it brings out the best in him. Throughout the years, Wolverine has mentored several young women in the X-Men, but one name stands above the rest: Kitty Pryde. In the role that Jubilee would later occupy in the 90s, Kitty Pryde helped expose the softness and humanity lurking behind Wolverine's scowl. Including Kitty Pryde in the game would help balance out the game's inherent carnage.
2.Nightcrawler
Like Kitty Pryde, no X-Man can access the hidden depths in Wolverine's character like Nightcrawler. Through his disarming personality and optimism, Kurt "Nightcrawler" Wagner knows precisely how to communicate with Logan and make him laugh. Despite seeming like polar opposites, Nightcrawler and Wolverine have one of the best brotherly dynamics in all of comic books. If Insomniac so decides, Nightcrawler could assist Wolverine with combat in a series of dynamic sequences utilizing his iconic teleportation. Even if he only appears in the game's epilogue to chat with Logan at a bar, Nightcrawler's inclusion in the game would be a godsend.
1.Cyclops
Wolverine may be the most popular member of the group, but Cyclops is arguably the most important mutant in the X-Men franchise. From leading the team to being the epicenter of several classic moments and events, Scott "Cyclops" Summers is the X-Men's equivalent of Captain America. With their memorable rivalry in mind, Cyclops is the character best suited to be Logan's foil in every storytelling medium. Cyclops can show up for a cut scene or be an introductory opponent in the Danger Room who helps players learn the game's combat system. Either way, a Scott Summers cameo is absolutely mandatory.