Why Wolverine Isn’t In Marvel’s Spider-Man 2, Setting Up The Next Insomniac Game

Prior to Marvel’s Spider-Man 2‘s launch, many had speculated that the title would set up Insomniac Games’ other Marvel title, Marvel’s Wolverine, however, this was not the case. Despite both titles being announced at the same PlayStation Showcase back in 2021, Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 opted to focus solely on Peter Parker and Miles Morales’ stories, although there were references to other Marvel heroes within the game’s open world.

Marvel’s Wolverine‘s announcement trailer featured Logan sitting in a bar following a brawl, and had plenty of Easter eggs in the background for eagle-eyed Marvel fans, with ones referring to Logan’s alias Patch and certain locations in the Marvel Universe. However, outside that trailer, little has been confirmed about the game’s story other than that it will be M-rated – which is more in keeping with some of Logan’s more mature solo storylines – with Spec Ops: The Line‘s writer Walt Williams serving as Marvel’s Wolverine‘s narrative lead.

Insomniac’s Marvel Games Will Share The Same Universe

Previously, Marvel had stated that its games wouldn’t crossover, with EA’s Iron Man and Black Panther games and Skydance New Media’s untitled World War 2-set Black Panther and Captain America game taking place in their own individual universes. However, this was not the case for the titles being developed by Insomniac – who confirmed both Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 and Marvel’s Wolverine would exist within the same universe following the announcement of both games, suggesting that the Marvel game universes could be separated by studio instead.

During a recent episode of IGN‘s Beyond podcast, Marvel’s Spider-Man 2‘s Senior Creative Director, Brian Intihar reiterated that Insomniac is building a shared universe, with the Insomniac Marvel Universe being deemed “Earth-1048” in Marvel’s Multiverse. This had already been acknowledged in the comics and the Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse movie, where Insomniac’s version of Peter Parker had a cameo with the caption “Insomniac Spider-Man of Earth-1048” above his head.

Insomniac Decided Not To Include A Wolverine Crossover In Spider-Man 2

Despite this shared universe, Insomniac Games made the conscious decision not to have the characters crossing over in Marvel’s Spider-Man 2. In an interview with Kinda Funny, Intihar explained the thinking behind this decision, stating “I think I’m trying to make Spider-Man, like I’m just learning to try and how to make Spider-Man, get Spider-Man off the ground while there’s another Marvel thing I’m trying to get… I think for us it’s just like, ‘Hey, let’s just let that team cook. Let them cook. Let them make the game they want to make. And who knows what the future holds, but right now let’s let them do their thing, and that game is going to be great.“

While this may have disappointed those hoping to see the fan-favorite mutant interacting with his fellow heroes, or potentially having a showdown with Venom similar to the one in 2005’s Ultimate Spider-Man game, it does make sense why the Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 team chose to give those working on Marvel’s Wolverine some space. Insomniac is setting up its own take on Wolverine and is likely waiting to reveal that fully in a full storyline that will do it justice, rather than introducing him via a cameo or side-quest that may have been shoehorned in for fan service.

A Recently Discovered Easter Egg Could Tease Wolverine’s Enemies

Many have speculated that a recently uncovered Easter egg in Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 could be setting up the ninja clan, The Hand. While The Hand is primarily associated with Daredevil – who has also been teased in the Marvel’s Spider-Man games via dialogue and a sign for his law firm in the open world – the group also has a history with Wolverine in the comics, with the mutant even being brainwashed and serving as one of the group’s assassins at one point in Enemy of the State.

None of Logan’s enemies have been confirmed so far as there’s very little known about Marvel’s Wolverine‘s story following its teaser trailer. With the comics’ history and Logan’s tendency to travel the world with stories in Japan or Madrapoor it’s possible that neither Spider-Man nor Daredevil could be facing the dangerous international clan in New York, and that this Easter egg could be a set-up for its appearance in Marvel’s Wolverine instead.

Spider-Man 2 Still References Wolverine

Despite there being no Wolverine cameo or an in-world reference to him akin to those for The Avengers or Doctor Strange in Marvel’s Spider-Man 2, the game does still have a reference to him through Miles’ suit collection. Upon reaching Level 52, players can unlock the “The Best There Is” suit for Miles. This suit is clearly inspired by Wolverine with its name being a nod to one of the mutant’s most well-known catchphrases, and the mask distinctly resembling Wolverine’s cowl. While the main version of the suit uses Miles’ traditional red and black color palette, the variants are all inspired by Wolverine’s various costumes over the years.

There’s a yellow and tan brown look, an X-Force-esque gray and black design with red eyepieces, and the classic yellow and blue available to swap between. It’s yet to be confirmed whether Logan will sport his classic costume in Marvel’s Wolverine, or if the team will choose to have him in more civilian clothing like his flannel shirt – as seen in the game’s announcement trailer – and leather biker jacket, but “The Best There Is” suit combines the two with a leather jacket over a suit inspired more by his classic X-Men uniform.

With no confirmed release date for Marvel’s Wolverine in sight, and Intihar’s comments about giving the game’s development team some space suggesting that the character won’t appear in any Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 story DLC either, fans will have to wait to see exactly what Insomniac’s take has in store. It has been reported that many developers at Insomniac have moved on to developing Marvel’s Wolverine following Marvel’s Spider-Man 2‘s launch, however, so hopefully the wait won’t be too long.

Sources: IGN/YouTube, Kinda Funny/YouTube