Marvel’s Wolverine: Other X-Men More Deserving Of A Solo Game

Marvel’s Wolverine is set to once again put players behind the claws of the popular X-Men hero Wolverine, but there are several X-Men heroes who may be far more deserving of their own solo game. Marvel’s Wolverine is one of the few upcoming announced Marvel video games coming after 2022, and the sole one to be centered around a hero from the X-Men comics. Interestingly, the only other upcoming game to feature the X-Men at all is Marvel’s Midnight Suns, which only features two heroes from the team, one being Wolverine. This means that while Wolverine is getting two chances to shine in the spotlight, other overlooked X-Men heroes haven’t had the chance to shine at all.

Despite being a somewhat late addition to the team (joining them a whole 12 years after their debut in 1963), Wolverine has grown to become one of the X-Men’s most popular characters, far outnumbering nearly all of his teammates in media appearances. Wolverine first joined the X-Men in 1975’s Giant-Size X-Men #1, which also introduced other popular X-Men heroes such as Storm and Nightcrawler. While Marvel’s Wolverine could pull from Logan’s popular comics storylines for inspiration, it is likely that his numerous appearances in the X-Men film series and the 90s animated show will help to paint the character’s portrayal in the upcoming game. Insomniac has many interpretations to pull from, just as it did when crafting 2018’s Marvel’s Spider-Man game, but the sheer number of portrayals of Wolverine maybe illustrates that the studio could’ve put its X-Men opportunity to better use, and adapted a different character instead.

Since many of these heroes have starred in Marvel Comics stories that have given them just as much rich character depth and growth as Wolverine, it might be time to let the focus shift from Logan and allow another character to get the spotlight. In addition, Wolverine has always been his best when he’s with his fellow teammates (which is why more X-Men should appear in Marvel’s Wolverine), but other X-Men heroes have fared quite well without their team behind them. Despite being the best at what he does, Wolverine might not be the best choice for a solo story game. Here are some X-Men heroes far more deserving of their own game.

Gambit Could Bring His Roguish Charm To A Marvel Solo Game

Remy LeBeau, better known as Gambit, is a superhero beloved by many fans of the 90s X-Men animated series. As a gambler, thief, and all-around scoundrel, Gambit led a somewhat sketchy life before joining the X-Men in 1990. Since his first appearance in Uncanny X-Men Annual #14, Gambit has captured the attention of X-Men readers everywhere. Unlike Marvel’s Wolverine, who benefited from an iconic Hugh Jackman portrayal in Fox’s X-Men movies, Gambit hasn’t been so fortunate. At one point, there was discussion of a Gambit solo film starring Channing Tatum in the works, but the film’s cancellation left Gambit’s brief appearance in X-Men Origins: Wolverine as his mark on the live-action films. Even without a major presence in the films, Gambit remains a fan favorite among X-Men readers. The love the character has received has even led to several playable appearances in Marvel video games, including Marvel Ultimate Alliance 2 & 3, as well as being playable in Marvel Vs Capcom 2, X-Men Legends, and more.

Gambit would make the perfect hero to center a solo game around not only because of his dynamic personality and interesting history, but also because his powers and skillset could bring a lot to the table in an Insomniac style action game. Not only would his acrobatic combat style allow a potential game to translate combat mechanics from Marvel’s Spider-Man, it could also make use of Gambit’s mutant power to create a wide range of unlockable and upgradeable skills. Gambit has the ability to convert potential energy stored in objects into kinetic energy, which charges the object and makes it explode. These powers, along with Gambit’s Han Solo-like personality and history with the Thieves Guild could make for a fascinating story game.

Psylocke Could Lead A Solo Game In A Way Wolverine Couldn’t

Psylocke is a name that many fans of Marvel and X-Men have likely heard, but the character (and both women that have used the codename) has continued to be overlooked in media. This may, in part, be due to the confusion over the character’s identity. Two women, namely Betsy Braddock and the far more mysterious Kwannon, have used the codename, and for a time, had their bodies and minds merged. While both characters are interesting enough to lead a solo game, Kwannon in particular would make for an interesting protagonist. There have been rumors that Marvel’s Wolverine might take place in Madripoor, but Kwannon’s Psylocke would make for a much more interesting protagonist in a Madripoor set action/adventure title.

Kwannon’s Psylocke first appeared in X-Men #14 in 1993, at the time working as a ninja for the criminal organization, the Hand. Though she was already a skilled combatant and deadly assassin prior to her merge with Betsy Braddock, after the merge she gained telepathy and the ability to generate weapons with psionic energy. Her ability to generate psionic weapons could lead to some interesting melee combat mechanics, allowing her to morph her weapons throughout the fight, giving her different stances, abilities, and combos. A Psylocke game, also like Marvel’s Wolverine, could learn from Ghost of Tsushima and utilize her training as a ninja to craft equally thrilling stealth sections. As a telepath, Psylocke could potentially see enemy paths before they walk them, giving her an edge while staying under the radar. In addition, Psylocke’s conditioning from the Hand as a killer has often led her to struggle with knowing when she’s taking things too far, making her a compelling protagonist for a game that emphasizes story.

Cable Could Lead A Time-Travelling Marvel Shooter Game

Cable is another fan-favorite hero that many fans have wanted to see lead his own solo game. The son of Cyclops and Madelyne Pryor (a clone of Jean Grey), Nathan Summers had to be sent into the future after contracting a deadly techno-organic virus. Growing up in a dystopian future, Cable became a grizzled warrior with multiple cybernetic enhancements giving him superhuman strength, durability, and vision. One of the reasons a Cable game would be so interesting is in how much it could, even more so than Marvel’s Wolverine, differ stylistically from Marvel’s Spider-Man. As an expert marksman typically seen wielding a massive rifle, a Cable game could shift the game’s genre from action/brawler to first or third-person shooter. The extensive powers Cable receives from his mutant abilities (which grant him telekinesis and telepathy) paired with the many abilities from his cybernetic modifications would work perfectly in a shooter-style game. In addition, Cable’s history as a time traveler would allow the game to explore alternate timelines and futures, giving the game’s narrative room to creatively expand and subvert gamers’ expectations.

While Wolverine’s continuing popularity may be a testament to the strength of the character, his many appearances in films, television shows, and video games have left the character feeling a bit used up. However, Marvel’s Wolverine could lead to more X-Men games if the game introduces other heroes, such as Cable, Gambit, and Psylocke, finally giving them the spotlight they deserve. While Marvel’s Wolverine will no doubt take the character in new and interesting directions, it will be even more interesting to see if any other X heroes are given a chance to shine in future games.

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