For nearly four years, Marvel Comics fans have been waiting for more information about Insomniac Games’ upcoming PlayStation-exclusive game Marvel’s Wolverine. First announced during the PlayStation Showcase 2021 event, Marvel’s Wolverine is set in the same universe as the Marvel’s Spider-Man series of games, and it stars Marvel’s most famous, near-invulnerable mutant, James “Logan” Howlett. However, little to no news about the game’s story and gameplay has been officially revealed since the game’s announcement, and development may have encountered setbacks following hacks and staff departures. Despite these potential setbacks, there’s one aspect of Wolverine’s over-50-year-long history that many fans would like to see referenced in some form in the game: Old Man Logan.
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Marvels’ Old Man Logan Explained
In 2008 and 2009, writer Mark Millar and artist Steve McNiven surprised readers of the ongoing Wolverine series with issues 66–72, which diverted from the main universe to tell a rather dark and twisted story called Old Man Logan. Set on Earth-807128, this alternate universe’s United States saw all the supervillains coordinate to take over the country and destroy most of the superheroes, with the most powerful villains later dividing the country into six territories. The Spider-Man villain Mysterio was sent to the Xavier Institute to deal with the X-Men, and there he tricked Wolverine into killing every single member of a superhero team. Wrought with grief, Wolverine attempted to take his own life by having a train run over his neck, but he survived due to his healing factor.
Decades later, Wolverine started a peaceful life in the western United States, marrying a woman, having two children, and swearing to never use his claws ever again. However, his family was constantly abused by members of the Hulk Gang, superpowered children who are the offspring of the Hulk and his cousin She-Hulk. Unable to pay rent, an old friend, a blind Hawkeye, appears and recruits Logan to drive him across the country to deliver a package, assuring Wolverine that the money he’ll pay will be enough to settle his debts. Along the journey, the two encounter bizarre versions of popular heroes and villains, such as a Venomized T-Rex, a loving Ultron, a Spider-Girl Kingpin, a gang of Ghost Riders, Ant-Man’s giant skeleton, and more.
Old Man Logan Impact and Legacy
Towards the end of the series, it’s revealed that the aforementioned package was a case of supersoldier serums intended to create a new team of superheroes. However, Hawkeye is immediately killed and Wolverine is taken by the new President, Red Skull, who is subsequently dispatched by Logan with Captain America’s shield. Wolverine returns home to find his family murdered and finally pops his claws as he kills Hulk and most of his children, save for a baby who Logan plans to use in saving the world. Old Man Logan turned out to be extremely popular, with the titular character appearing in the main Marvel universe for several years. Its narrative also directly inspired the 2017 Logan film.
Due to Old Man Logan’s success, Marvel Comics published several prequels, sequels, and spinoffs to the story, such as Dead Man Logan, Old Man Hawkeye, Old Man Starlord, and Avengers of the Wasteland.
How Old Man Logan Could Appear in Marvel’s Wolverine
Given the wild nature of Old Man Logan’s story, it likely won’t form the basis for Marvel’s Wolverine’s narrative, unless Insomniac suddenly shifts Earth-1048 in a new direction. However, aspects of Old Man Logan could still appear in the game. The easiest and most likely way that Old Man Logan could appear in Marvel’s Wolverine is in the form of alternate skins. Insomniac’s Spider-Man series of games are famous for giving both Peter Parker and Miles Morales a wide variety of alternate skins based on their appearances in all forms of media. In Marvel’s Spider-Man 2, Miles even gets a skin based on Wolverine’s iconic yellow suit called the “Best There is Suit.”
Marvel’s Wolverine could reference Old Man Logan by featuring two suits: one based on Logan’s farmer appearance and the other based on his hat and duster appearance from the end of the comic, white hair, white beard, and all. Insomniac could also include a brief nightmare sequence wherein Wolverine is plagued by dreams of murdering heroes from Destiny or other X-Men villains to mirror Old Man Logan. Additionally, Insomniac could add a brief alternate version of Old Man Logan’s story as a non-canon DLC to truly let players unleash Wolverine’s brutality. Old Man Logan is one of the most popular and transformative stories Wolverine’s had in the 21st century, so it’d only make sense for Insomniac to reference it in some way, whether that be in the game’s campaign or through simple cosmetics.
