Insomniac Games is currently working on Marvel’s Wolverine, the next big title that will let players experience a world through the eyes (and claws) of another complex character. And, if the speculations are true, players will dive into the exotic location of Madripoor, a fictional island home to many of Marvel’s unique stories.
After wrapping up the development of the much-popular Marvel’s Spider-Man 2, the developers are focused on bringing players the next big Insomniac adventure. With a character like Wolverine and an enigmatic location like Mardipoor, the narrative will likely be much darker and grittier compared to previous games from the studio.
Madripoor Is an Island Full of Contrasting Themes
The fictional island of Madripoor is located in Southeast Asia and is home to people from all walks of life. The island hosts a socially elite and wealthy group of people, as well as criminals with a not-so-nice upbringing. As expected, this kind of disparity leads to a broken socio-political backdrop, which perfectly adds to Marvel’s Wolverine’s realistic themes and motivations.
The wealthy find a home in the island’s locality, called Hightown. This includes famous and influential people. Meanwhile, Lowtown is an area that has a criminally motivated demographic. The contrasting themes have the potential to create some powerful stories and characters that give players the chance to explore decision-making within the game and how the protagonist’s personality plays a part in the overarching narrative.
Lore also suggests that the place was built on the back of a dragon. It used to be an abode for pirates, and parts of that culture are still evident today. The ports in Madripoor are often a target for smugglers, warlords, and secret societies.
Interestingly, the most common religion practiced on the island is Hinduism. Worshippers believe in the philosophy that there is life after death, where the physical body must be returned to the Pancamabhuta. It roughly translates to the five sacred elements before the body’s soul can meet the Supreme Being.
Beliefs like this can set a powerful origin point for many characters that Insomniac will presumably bring to life through Marvel’s Wolverine. And according to industry insider Daniel Richtman, the game will potentially feature Madripoor when it seemingly comes out in 2025.
Wolverine’s Alter-Ego ‘Patch’ and Madripoor’s Role in His Story
Throughout the many different storylines in comic books, Wolverine often adopts an alter-ego like Logan or Patch. In the context of Madripoor, James Howlett adopts the persona of Patch, a reputable man residing on the island of Madripoor. According to the gist of Wolverine: Patch (2022):
The mutant known as LOGAN has made a name for himself on the mysterious island of MADRIPOOR, where the locals know him as PATCH. From their haunt at the PRINCESS BAR, what starts as a simple recon mission lands PATCH and ARCHIE knee-deep in a paramilitary struggle that will surface some SURPRISE REVELATIONS and characters!
As featured in the reveal trailer, we can spot Princess Bar in the background. In the comics, this bar in Lowtown belongs to a man called O’Donnell and is frequented by no one other than Patch. At some point, the bar alone belonged to a crime overlord called Tyger Tiger (Jessán Hoan).
These characters have been part of complicated storylines where Wolverine was involved, too. There’s a chance we might see them in the game, though there’s no official word about it from Insomniac so far.
Originally, Patch’s character has been shaped by several traumatic events that give him unstoppable healing powers with adamantium metal claws and an attitude that doesn’t have time for futile matters. However, this doesn’t stop the powerful man (often considered to be an anti-hero by many) from being someone who fights for the right cause and helps those in need.
While we’re not sure if Insomniac will accurately adapt Patch’s character into the game, we can predict that the character will be darker and gritter compared to all that we’ve seen before in previous games.
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