Marvel Officially Unveils New X-Men Replacement And Team Lineup
Marvel’s Wolverine is introducing us to a brand-new Marvel continuity for mutantkind this fall, where there are no X-Men. Bolivar Trask and the Reavers appear to be Marvel’s Wolverine’s main antagonists, at least for the first half or three-quarters of the story before the true main villain arrives, with mutants like Wolverine and Jean Grey on the back foot as they struggle to survive. It wouldn’t be a Marvel Insomniac game without multiple enemy factions, however, and it’ll be neat to see how Lady Deathstrike and the Hand fit into Marvel’s Wolverine’s original narrative.
Likewise, while the world doesn’t have the X-Men, it does—or did—have Team X. Marvel’s Wolverine’s lore is novel, meaning that it’s not beholden to faithfully adapting anything it takes inspiration from in comic books, TV shows, movies, and other video games. Consequently, we may already be looking at this canon’s X-Men lineup.
Where Are The X-Men In Marvel’s Wolverine?
At San Diego Comic-Con 2026, as shared on X, Insomniac has unveiled a story trailer for Marvel’s Wolverine, giving us our clearest look yet at what the narrative will entail in Wolverine’s globe-trotting and mutant-rescuing adventure. Things are clearly dire, with Wolverine and his companions’ efforts essentially making them resistance/rebellion fighters, and there seems to be far more enemies than there are allies, even among mutants.
It’s potentially quite telling that there are no X-Men in Marvel’s Wolverine’s universe, as it implies there is also no Professor Charles Xavier or Magneto, who would presumably be out fighting for mutantkind and gathering mutants to aid in their plights if the state of the world is so bad that mutants are being hunted. Regardless, Marvel’s Wolverine dedicating its story to Team X could make it much more unique, diving into Wolverine’s history with the Weapon X program.
Team X Is A Very Different Superhero Squad
Marvel’s Wolverine’s Team X have been given their own prequel comic, SDCC 2026 Wolverine Prequel Infinity Comic (2026) #1. In it, Team X leader Nathaniel Essex (better known in traditional comic lore as the iconic Marvel supervillain Mister Sinister) describes the squad as “the first, last and only line of defense for mutants.” It’s possible that there are others, but the Team X lineup that’s been revealed includes:
- Mystique
- Nathaniel Essex
- Sabretooth
- Sunfire
- Wolverine
Based on the characters we’ve seen on the team thus far, it wouldn’t be a stretch to imagine that Team X disbanding will eventually result in wayward mutants like Sabretooth and Mystique forming the Brotherhood, with Wolverine, Jean, and other good-aligned mutants forming the X-Men. That said, it would be disappointing if Marvel’s Wolverine moves on too quickly from Team X, as it’s one of the most intriguing parts of the game’s narrative.
Marvel’s Wolverine’s Sabretooth, for example, could quickly go from friend to foe during the events of the game, though we’ll be getting at least one prologue or flashback sequence when Wolverine and Sabretooth are wearing their Team X uniforms and teaming up in combat. Insomniac is marvelously adapting Marvel’s Spider-Man 2’s tag-team finisher animations in Marvel’s Wolverine, and we can see in this new trailer that Wolverine can stab and hoist an enemy into the air for Sabretooth to unleash a flurry of swipes on, whether it's a gameplay sequence or simply a cutscene animation.
Because of the ransomware hack Insomniac suffered, details about Marvel’s Wolverine that Insomniac might have liked to keep a secret until launch were ultimately shared early. Still, we don’t know with 100% certainty what will become of Team X, or how soon the X-Men may be assembled. Marvel’s Wolverine could learn from Marvel’s Spider-Man by not being too eager to rush forward beyond the lore of its characters’ origins and backstories.
Marvel’s Wolverine is scheduled to be released for PS5 on September 15, 2026.