If Marvel’s Wolverine Is Following Madripoor Nights, There’s One Sub Plot It Should Skip From The Comics

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Marvel’s Wolverine is Insomniac Games’ next big superhero title, focusing on the iconic X-Men character with the adamantium claws and unstoppable healing factor. There are many comic runs from Marvel that focus on Wolverine’s various enemies, allies, and settings, but few are a better fit for a video game than Madripoor Nights. This location opens up many possibilities, but some aspects of its story can probably be left out.

Although Wolverine has a new comic run called Madripoor Knights from 2024, the original Madripoor Nights run was published in 1988. Lasting through 1989, this series was one of the first times Wolverine was featured separate from the X-Men, taking a stab at solo adventures involving the popular character. Written by Chris Claremont and Peter David, Madripoor Nights is rumored to inspire some aspects of Marvel’s Wolverine.

Madripoor Provides A Perfect Setting For Any Solo Wolverine Story

A Hive Of Scum And Villainy Gives Logan The Perfect Environment To Let Loose

In the 1988 Madripoor Nights run, Madripoor itself is a massive city with a dark underbelly, teeming with thugs, gangs, crimelords, and just about every type of criminal you could imagine. This comic run is a big departure from the cosmic epics that were usually associated with X-Men characters at the time. After different events that left many of the X-Men for dead, Logan found himself in Madripoor trying to find his place in the world beyond the mutant superhero team.

This created a gritty, crime-filled drama with Wolverine at center-stage, using his hundreds of years of experience to be the best at what he does. And since what he does isn’t very nice, he gets to lash out with full force against the waves of crime that have long overtaken Madripoor. Unlike a noble crusade to make a struggling city better, Wolverine is a brutal force that lives to protect innocent individuals against a sea of organized scum.

In Madripoor Nights, many of Wolverine’s conflicts take place in two districts of Madripoor – Hightown and Lowtown. Hightown was the land of the wealthy, while Lowtown was an impoverished location exploited by those in power and dominated by constant criminal activity. These areas, along with the wild jungles of the fictional island, could make for an interesting map for players to explore in Marvel’s Wolverine.

The fictional island of Madripoor sees Wolverine establish himself as a vigilante operating out of the city, becoming a hero with a “home” to protect. Similar to Batman being locked in Gotham City or Daredevil protecting Hell’s Kitchen, Logan makes Madripoor his own during the comic run. Even when he joins back up onto different super-powered teams, Madripoor is somewhere always associated with the six-clawed mutant.

Not Every Side Story Should Return From Madripoor Nights

Some Heroes Are Better Left Established To Keep Logan The Focus

With Madripoor Nights having many issues, there were multiple subplots that ran parralel to Wolverines during its run. Some of these include Logan’s run-in with Joe Fixit, one of the many personalities of the Hulk. While Joe Fixit in Marvel’s Wolverine would be an amazing fit to Madripoor’s seedy underground life, the character of Jessica Drew had a much messier storyline that should be scrapped.

When Jessica Drew, also known as Spider-Woman, was first introduced in Madripoor Nights, she had lost her spider-powers and could only use them sparingly. Instead, Jessica Drew acts as a detective, trying to unravel the chaos of Madripoor through her instincts rather than a set of web-slinging abilities. While this did work for the comic run, it would be difficult to translate into Insomniac’s game.

Unless it was a fully dedicated side quest, Jessica Drew’s story would draw a lot of attention away from Wolverine as the main character. It would be better to have Jessica Drew established as Spider-Woman with all of her powers, as it would allow her to drive a plot together with Logan with far less complexity. As Spider-Woman, she could have a greater impact if the story didn’t need to build her character from the ground-up.

Having Jessica Drew as Spider-Woman could also make for a great twist in Marvel’s Wolverine for those who don’t know the original comic run. For example, players could meet Jessica Drew as “Patch,” with Logan talking with her while she works as a detective. Later in the game, Wolverine could meet Spider-Woman to team up on a case Drew was working on, before it is revealed that Jessica is the spider-powered hero.

Jessica Drew Could Be An Excellent Ally For Wolverine

Detective And Hero Work In Madripoor Would Go Hand In Hand

As an intelligent detective, having Jessica Drew be capable right away could give players an extremely helpful ally in the game. Spider-Woman could act as a quest giver or guide to Wolverine, acting almost like the police detective Yuri seen in Insomniac’s Spider-Man games. While Peter Parker had Mary Jane, Yuri, and Harry Osbourne at times to help him, Jessica could be Logan’s informant around Madripoor.

If Wolverine is trying to keep a low profile in Madripoor similar to the comic run, Jessica Drew could also be someone with insight from law enforcement looking for Logan. Corrupt cops are fairly common in Madripoor, so having Spider-Woman alert Logan to police in the pockets of crimelords could make for some interesting gameplay elements.

With the rough exterior of Logan, Jessica would be a great foil for the character, creating conflicts and maybe helping drive the plot forward. While Wolverine may not want to get involved with any trouble in Madripoor, Jessica might be the character who convinces him to act. If Marvel’s Wolverine is anything like the original Madripoor Nights run, leaving Jessica Drew’s subplot out might create an even better dynamic between the two heroes.

“}]] One hero doesn’t need to have lost their powers.  Read More