With Marvel’s Wolverine releasing on PlayStation 5 on September 15, fans can get up to speed on the narrative events leading up to the game’s main story by reading the official prequel comic!
For D23.com, we spoke exclusively with Williams to learn more about the prequel comic.
Q: We understand you’re a lifelong fan of Marvel Comics and have always wanted to work with them. How did you wind up working on Marvel titles at Insomniac Games… did you “fall into” working in game development, or was it a career shift you made consciously?
Walt Williams (WW):It’s true! I originally moved from Louisiana to NYC about 20 years ago, with the dream of working for Marvel Comics. After hoping initially to secure a role with Marvel Comics, it was only a week or two later when I met the hiring manager for the relatively new video game publisher, 2K Games—who mentioned they had a number of entry-level positions to fill, and that seemed like a viable way to kill time until my writing career took off. Little did I know that taking a job in video games would becomemy writing career, and I’d end up where I started, as Narrative Director at Insomniac Games on Marvel’s Wolverineand the writer of the prequel comic!
Q: So this is your first time as the writer of a comic book, yes? What was that experience like as a whole?
WW:Yes! This is my first published comic. I admit, I was a little nervous, because writing video games is very different from writing in other mediums. Luckily, my editors on the project—Annalise Bissa and Sidney Stubbs—were very patient and helpful with their advice and notes, making it a dream of a project to work on. As a lifelong reader of Marvel Comics, it really was a dream come true to be part of the process and experience first-hand just how these beloved books come together. Without a doubt, my favorite part was page reviews. We had the fantastic artist, Luke Ross, bringing the story to life, along with amazing work of colorist Fer Sifuentes-Sujo and letterer Cory Petit. Any day new pages showed up in my inbox was basically like Christmas for me.
Q: So, what can you tell us about Marvel’s Wolverine—both about the game itself, and about the comic?
WW:Marvel’s Wolverine is brand new, single-player action-driven experience for the PlayStation 5. When we set out to make this game, we knew that players and fans would expect nothing less than the ultimate Wolverine experience. In order to pull that off, we knew it needed to be authentic to the character we all know and love while at the same time delivering a wholly original story that would surprise even the most hardcore Wolverine fan. I’ve been a fan of Wolverine since 1991 when he appeared in Spider-Man #8(purchased for me by my parents while I was sick in bed with the flu). Having followed the character ever since, I knew that part of a great Wolverine story is that sense of mystery, uncertainty, and revelation. With that in mind, the Insomniac story team and I worked tirelessly to craft a story that we knew would leave fans with their jaws on the floor.
Q: And it’s a prequel story, correct? Was this a story that you’d already been working on as “backstory”/groundwork for the game, or was it created whole-cloth for the comic?
WW:In Marvel’s Wolverine, there are no X-Men. Most people in the world don’t even know mutants exist. But there are a few people, like billionaire industrialist Bolivar Trask, who see the existence of mutants as an emerging threat to humanity that needs to be wiped out. That’s where Team X comes in—they are a mutant strike force founded by Nathaniel Essex, and they serve as the first, last, and only line of defense for mutants all over the world.
Wolverine has been a member of Team X as far back as he can remember—literally. Essex found him feral in the woods, helped him recover the man inside, and gave him a place on Team X. But when the game opens, we find Wolverine returning to Team X after quitting 3 years prior, without so much as an explanation or goodbye. The only reason Wolverine came back is because Essex has been captured by Bolivar Trask. Needless to say, the rest of Team X harbors a fair amount of ill-will and resentment over being abandoned by their former teammate—and Wolverine isn’t helping the situation by refusing to discuss his sudden departure.
When crafting the story, we knew early on why Wolverine left Team X. It’s a mystery that players will piece together over the course of the game, but only in retrospect. So, when Eric Monacelli, Executive Producer at Marvel Games reached out and asked if we had one more story in us that we’d like to publish as a prequel comic, we knew exactly what story to tell.
Without spoiling anything, the story of the prequel comic is the moment in which everything changes for Wolverine and Team X, setting everyone on path that carries forward to when players first pick up the controller all the way to the moment they roll credits on Marvel’s Wolverine.
Q: What do you hope fans of the character take away from both the comic and from the game?
WW:Wolverine is so much more than a living weapon, the ultimate predator, or even the quintessential mutant. In many ways, he is arguably the most human character in all of Marvel. So, in crafting what we believe to be the ultimate Wolverine experience, we knew we had to get to the heart of the man behind the mask—Logan. No one suffers or cares as deeply as Logan. Obviously, players can’t wait to experience the visceral rush of popping adamantium claws and charging into combat – and I can tell you right, it’s going to blow their minds. But if players also walk away with empathy for Logan, and all he’s experienced, the other writers and I will be very happy indeed.
Q: Anything else you’d like to tell D23.com readers about your work on the project, the comic itself, etc…?
WW:I’ve been making video games for about 20 years and have had the honor of working with some of the best casts in the businesses. But what the cast of Marvel’s Wolverine has brought to the screen might well be the most raw and honest performance I’ve ever seen in a video game. Every time I play it, I’m left stunned. Our leads, Liam McIntyre (Wolverine/Logan) and Krizia Bajos (Jean Grey) make these beloved characters their own from the moment they step on screen. And honestly, that goes for the entire cast. Forget the fact that I’m narrative director—just as a fan, these are my favorite versions of these characters. I can’t wait for September 15 so everyone can finally experience the amazing work of our cast, writers, and everyone else at Insomniac Games!
The prequel Marvel’s Wolverine comic is now available on Marvel Unlimited—and don’t forget: D23 Members can get yourfirst month of Marvel Unlimitedfor only $0.23! Need a soundtrack to listen to as you read? Look for the soundtrack to the game, available beginning August 28.
And look for Marvel’s Wolverine releasing exclusively on PlayStation 5 on September 15!
