Marvel's Wolverine Goes Brutal: Darker Than Insomniac Fans Expect, With Face-Piercing Claws That Even Shook the Director

Insomniac just dropped a new Marvel's Wolverine gameplay trailer and, wow, they are not shy about what those claws can do. If you expected Spider-Man with sideburns, adjust expectations now.

The opener is a clear mission statement: a blood-soaked Logan hoists a human-like cyborg into the air and runs it through with his claws. Later, he literally uses those claws like a fork on another cyborg's face, driving them up through the jaw and out the top of the head. There is a lot of blood. The studio knows exactly what it is making here.

'Sometimes darker and more brutal than you might expect from Insomniac.'

That line is from Insomniac senior community manager Aaron Jason Espinoza on the PlayStation Blog, and, yeah, no kidding. At the same time, you can feel the studio's Spider-Man DNA in there: fast, fluid, ferocious combat, big cinematic set pieces, and the kind of accessibility support Insomniac is known for. They keep saying the story digs into who Logan is at his core, not just the slashy bits, which sounds promising.

• Trailer highlights: a claws-through-the-gut opener; a grisly face-stab that exits out the top of a cyborg's head; and plenty of meat-grinder melee finishers. The enemies are cyborgs that look uncomfortably human, which makes the violence land harder.
• Insomniac says expect the studio's usual speed and slickness in combat and traversal, plus robust accessibility features. Think Spider-Man energy, but with a much sharper edge.
• Behind the scenes, even the team debated how far to push it. Project director Jess Reiner-Reed admits the now-infamous face stab gave them pause.

'There is a part where Logan jumps down and drives the claws up through the face. I thought that might be too far, but I am so glad we kept it. It looks fantastic.'

Inside baseball moment: creative director Marcus Smith says the question they hear most is whether Wolverine will be as violent and visceral as the comics. Then the trailer cuts to a montage of brutal finishers that basically answers for him.

'Are you going to make a Wolverine game that is as violent, as visceral, as the character in the comics?'

The footage replies: yes. Loudly.

Marvel's Wolverine is set for PS5 in 2026. Plenty of time to sharpen those blades — and maybe your stomach.