As acclaimed as Insomniac’s Marvel titles have been, particularly in the Spider-Man series, they’ve received some criticism for straying away from the hero. Perhaps most notable are the segments where you control Mary Jane Watson, especially since they focus more on stealth.
But you won’t see that in Marvel’s Wolverine. Senior project director Jess Reiner-Reed and head of technology Mike Fitzgerald confirmed to GamesRadar that “Wolverine is our only playable character.” That segment in the latest story trailer did not, in fact, show the player controlling Jean Grey, even if temporarily.
Instead, they’re relegated to helping Logan out during combat, especially in slick team-up attacks. “There’s definitely the team vibe in that sense,” said Fitzgerald. “But we were really focusing on Wolverine as a playable character and making sure we nailed that.”
And while some fans will doubtless like that, there is some pushback. In a Reddit thread about the same, one user said, “Comparing MJ playability to Jean Grey playability is insane.” Another likened her to Control’s Jesse Faden without a gun. “The blueprint is there.”
Of course, as others noted, it’s possible that designing and animating a separate playstyle for Jean would have tacked on extra development time, especially if she’s only in a short section. There would also be expectations for similar sections for Mystique and Sabertooth, which would further detract from the focus on Logan.
Regardless, he’s the only killer that you’ll control when Marvel’s Wolverine launches on September 15th for PS5. As for why the X-Men don’t exist, narrative director Walt Williams offered a good explanation here.
