Marvel's Wolverine is set before the X-Men exist, Insomniac confirms

Insomniac has confirmed that Marvel's Wolverine, launching September 15 as a PS5 exclusive, takes place in a world where the X-Men haven't formed yet. Mutants exist, but they're living in the shadows — feared or hunted by those who do know about them.

In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, the developers explain that Logan operates as part of Team X, a black-ops unit fighting for mutant survival. That group has deep roots in the comics, and the game's confirmed villain roster — Sabretooth, Omega Red, Lady Deathstrike, and Mystique — are all classic Team X-adjacent characters. Whether they're Logan's allies who turn on him or outright enemies isn't clear yet, but the trailers strongly suggest he ends up fighting all of them at some point. Jean Grey also appears, though her relationship with Logan is deliberately kept vague, and she's not wearing anything close to an X-Men uniform. Voice actor Liam McIntyre, who plays Wolverine, told EW he studied footage of rabid dogs to tap into the character's feral side — a choice his collaborators described as "terrifying." McIntyre said the team's trust gave him room to "take some really huge swings" with the performance. Animation director Brian Wyser added that trust is exactly what makes the final result "look good."

Insomniac built its reputation on the Marvel's Spider-Man series, which established a cohesive PlayStation-exclusive Marvel universe. Wolverine is set in that same world — Spider-Man is already a known public figure here — but mutants occupy a very different social position. The X-Men-don't-exist-yet setup is a deliberate creative choice that lets Insomniac tell a grounded, brutal Logan story without needing to service a full team dynamic. It also leaves the door open for a future X-Men game, potentially built on the foundation this one lays.

For fans hoping for a full Xavier's Academy experience, this isn't that — but Insomniac seems to be playing a long game. Marvel's Wolverine hits PS5 on September 15.