Video games have become much more prominent at this yearâs San Diego Comic-Con than they were at previous shows, with dozens of panels to attend, booths to visit, and cosplayers to admire as you wander the show floor. A panel called Marvelâs Wolverine: Deep Cuts took place on Thursday in the infamous Hall H, and I was in the room to learn everything the team at Insomniac had to share about its upcoming PS5 exclusive, Marvel’s Wolverine. Hosted by Naomi Kyle, the panel had creative director Marcus Smith, Wolverine director Mike Daly, narrative director Walt Williams, project director Jess Reiner-Reed, and executive producer Eric Monacelli, as well as Liam McIntyre and Krizia Bajos, the actors playing Wolverine and Jean Grey, all on hand to discuss the game ahead of its September 24 release. 

The show kicked off with the debut of the new story trailer, which gives us a much deeper look into how Insomniac games is handling their characterization of the iconic mutant than weâd previously seen. âOur Wolverine is cynical, heâs candid, he keeps people at a distance,â explains Mike Daly. âNot just because he knows heâs dangerous, but also because he doesnât want to get hurt again. Heâs got a big heart and that gets him into trouble,â he added, likely referring to the tumultuous relationship he shares with Jean Grey in the comics and movies.Â

A different side of Earth-1048

Daly also explains that while this game isnât an origin story, mutants operate in secret and are still not widely known; the X-Men arenât around quite yet, either. Still, the story trailer shows off a heavy handful of familiar mutants and characters from lore that fans will surely recognize, like Sabretooth, Mystique, Omega Red, and even Bolivar Trask, who serves as one of the gameâs antagonists. We also got confirmation that Wolverine takes place on Earth-1048, the same Earth as Insomniacâs Spider-Man games, but it remains to be seen if characters from those games will make any cameos.

The game starts three years after Loganâs taken on the mantle of Wolverine and was part of Team X, a special ops team put together by Nathaniel Essex (otherwise known as Mister Sinister in the comics), but heâs lost his memory. Daly explained that Logan will spend much of the game unraveling his recent past, and thereâs even an official prequel comic book available at SDCC, published by Marvel and penned by the gameâs narrative director Walt Williams, that details the traumatic events that led to his place in the gameâs story.

It isnât required reading, but I was able to snag one and read through it. It details an early mission by Team X, made up of Wolverine, Sabretooth, Mystique, and Sunfire, investigating one of Traskâs hideouts. Here they find Traskâs wife and mutant daughter sequestered away from the world thanks to Traskâs disdain for mutants. I wonât delve too deep into the comicâs story to avoid spoilers, but Logan experiences his first bout of Berserker Rage, leading directly into the start of the game.

Combat has been described by the team as animalistic, and thatâs very evident in all the brutal gameplay weâve seen since the gameâs reveal. Liam McIntyre, who plays Logan, told Entertainment Weekly that he was initially scared to go all out with his performance. He reluctantly searched for video footage of how rabid dogs behave to get a feel for Loganâs âferalâ and animalistic qualities, and praised the work and dedication of the gameâs motion capture team to help him feel safe in his performance, explaining that the team gave their full support.

Romance with Jean Grey

Jean Grey and Logan have a storied past, and thatâs a focal point in Insomniacâs story. Since the X-Men donât exist in this world yet, sheâs been out on her own searching for other mutants to help and take care of. This leads her to cross paths with Logan, leading to a âcosmic connection,â according to Jean Grey voice actress Krizia Bajos. It remains to be seen just how deep their relationship will become in the game, but we can likely expect the dynamic between them to be a main focus.

Music also plays a big role in Wolverine, and Insomniac and Marvel Games have enlisted the talents of Emmy Award-winning composer David Fleming, recently of Widowâs Bay fame. We were treated to a sample of the gameâs main theme, aptly titled âLogan.â The panel also showed off a Marvel TÅkon Fighting Souls Wolverine skin you can use in-game on day one, and teased that the fighting game will get an Insomniac Wolverine skin in the near future to celebrate both gamesâ releases. 

The presentation concluded with each panelist giving their closing thoughts about the game. Creative director Marcus Smith mentioned that he hopes players feel powerful when taking control of Logan throughout their time with him, and if what I saw is anything to go on, âpowerfulâ may be a bit of an understatement.Â