I’m Not a Logan Fan, But I Can’t Wait to Play Marvel’s Wolverine

With Marvel’s Wolverine right around the corner this September, I find myself in a slightly weird position as a lifelong X-Men fan: I’m counting down the days until launch, even though Wolverine has never actually been my guy.

Marvel's Wolverine

Growing up with the X-Men, Logan was always the character who was shoved into the center frame whether he fit there or not. He was the brooding, lone-wolf poster boy of the franchise. But for me, the magic of the X-Men was never about the guy with the leather jacket and the lone-wolf attitude slicing through Sentinels.

I always found myself far more connected to the mutant heroines who gave the team its heart, gravity, and scale.

I cared about Storm, her overwhelming elemental power, and the burden of leadership she carried so gracefully. I cared about Kitty Pryde, who felt like the ultimate audience surrogate as she navigated the absurdities of Xavier’s school with wit and vulnerability. And Jean Grey, whose tragic, cosmic arc with the Phoenix force gave the whole X-Men mythos its emotional weight and highest stakes. And let’s not forget the brutal backstory of Magik, one of my favorite superheroes of all time, who conquered the demons of Limbo to become one of the greatest mutants and magic-users in Marvel comics.

Compared to them, Logan’s gritty, cigarette-chewing machismo never fully connected.

So why am I pre-ordering the Wolverine game the second it drops?

Because I love the X-Men. Always have. And this game looks like it’s going to give any player the feeling of really being Logan, with a god-like healing factor, adamantium claws, and an uncontrollable rage.

I might still prefer weather control, phasing through walls, telekinesis, or anime-sized soul-sword over claws and a healing factor. But when a developer at the top of their game decides to build a focused, mature story around one of Marvel’s most iconic figures, I’m more than ready to step into Logan's boots for a weekend.