Marvel Wolverine Q&A with Art Director Gavin Goulden

Matthew Rondina
5 days ago
7 min read

After going claws-on with Marvel Wolverine, I spoke with Insomniac Games art director Gavin Goulden about the game and his lifelong connection to the character.

Wolverine in yellow suit lunges with claws amid masked fighters; poster reads Dapper Tux x Wolverine and Marvel.

During a recent hands-on preview event hosted by PlayStation Canada for Marvel’s Wolverine, I spent two hours with Insomniac Games’ latest superhero adventure. The combat was fast, ferocious and appropriately brutal, but what surprised me most was how much room the vertical slice of the game I played made for character and story.

"The combat was fast, ferocious and appropriately brutal, but what surprised me most was how much room the vertical slice of the game I played made for character and story."

After playing the demo, I sat down with Marvel’s Wolverine art director Gavin Goulden to learn more. In our conversation, Goulden discussed balancing Wolverine’s comic-book history with Insomniac’s original vision, working with legendary comic artist Adam Kubert, and including key details that Canadian players may notice immediately.

Gavin Goulden (Left) next to Matthew Rondina (Right)

A Canadian Wolverine fan’s dream project

Matthew Rondina: You grew up in Nova Scotia, now live in Vancouver and have been drawing characters like Wolverine since you were young. What has it meant to you personally to help shape a new interpretation of one of Marvel’s most iconic Canadian characters?

Gavin Goulden: People use the term “dream come true” a lot, and I don’t use it lightly. This really is a one-in-a-million opportunity for me.

I grew up in a small town in Nova Scotia reading Wolverine #88. I can still picture that cover in my head, along with all the issues that were such an important part of my childhood. Spider-Man was the hero of my childhood, while Wolverine became the hero of my adolescence.

Wolverine comic cover silhouette on blue background with yellow WOLVERINE title, Marvel/X-Men logos, and a crouching black-clad figure. — *Wolverine #88* - © Marvel Comics

To have the opportunity to work with both characters, bring them into our universe and give them our own design and spin is incredible. Not many people get an opportunity like this, and I am grateful for it. I hope I am doing the character justice and that people enjoy the game as much as I have enjoyed working on it.

Matthew Rondina: Sounds like we couldn’t ask for a better Canadian representative. You have lived on both coasts, and you are a lifelong Wolverine fan.

Wolverine lunges at an armoured soldier in a snowy forest, claws raised, with a tense battle scene in blue-gray tones.

Bringing Vancouver and the Sea-to-Sky Highway into the game

Matthew Rondina: As someone based in British Columbia, were there personal experiences you could bring to the game’s Canadian locations?

Gavin Goulden: Absolutely. We chose Vancouver because it fit the gameplay beats and the narrative we wanted. It’s a perfect location for mixing an urban environment with the natural landscape.

In our gameplay trailer, we showed Wolverine travelling from North Vancouver and up the Sea-to-Sky Highway. All of that is practically in my backyard; I live about 10 minutes away. So, I could draw on plenty of personal experience. Ultimately, though, we chose it because it made the most sense for the gameplay and the story we are telling.

Visually, I know those landmarks. I know the sulphur pile because you can see it from all over the city. It is an iconic location, even if we take some artistic liberties to make it fit our game.

The Sea-to-Sky drive toward Squamish and Whistler is beautiful. If you have never done it, you should make the trip. It takes you from the ocean all the way into the snowy mountains, so players get to see the range that the Vancouver area has to offer.

I can’t wait for someone to play the game, make that drive themselves and say, “This was in Wolverine.” We include Squamish and Whistler signage along the route, and it was important to get those details right. Some players may never have heard of Squamish, so hopefully the game raises awareness of it.

Wolverine in yellow armor snarls with claws out in a blurred neon city, tense and battle-ready.

Respecting Wolverine’s history while creating something new

Matthew Rondina: Wolverine has existed for decades, and every fan carries a particular image of the character. How did the team respect that history while making this version feel distinctly Insomniac’s?

Gavin Goulden: I have been a Wolverine fan since I was a kid. When we were designing the suit and developing the character, it was important to look at his history while keeping an eye on the future and deciding where we wanted to make our mark on the universe.

Every fan has a favourite suit and an image in their mind of what Wolverine should be. There are common elements we wanted to keep intact, including the colour blocking, cowl, fins and claws. Those are iconic Wolverine staples.

At the same time, we wanted to put our own twist on them. How do we make the design feel unique and fresh while still fitting naturally into this world? Our Wolverine is familiar enough to be immediately recognizable, but there are also elements players have never seen before. Real-world costume design and the practicality of what he wears also help make him our version of Wolverine.

That thinking extends to gameplay. We wanted a brutal, visceral combat experience because it is true to both the character and his world. Logan is not the “friendly neighbourhood Wolverine.” He is a globe-trotter who gets called into action, and we wanted that to feel authentic.

Capturing Logan’s speed, weight and ferocity

Matthew Rondina: That authenticity came through in the demo. Logan is surprisingly agile, and the levels still have verticality, but every claw strike lands with incredible weight. How did the team balance his speed and power?

Gavin Goulden: Everything in our game is handcrafted, so we have greater control over the flow, composition and routes players take. It’s not an open world where you can simply climb any building, but we know the paths available to players and the kind of Wolverine experience we want to create.

We want Logan to feel animalistic, ferocious and brutal. His attacks and movement need to feel heavy; he has a skeleton coated in adamantium, after all. Finding that feeling takes plenty of trial and error, playtesting and time. Our mission is to make playing as Wolverine feel as authentic as possible to the character we all know and love.

Cowboy in white hat talks with a blue-skinned woman with red hair at a dim bar, warm lantern glow and tense mood.

More than claws-to-the-walls action

Matthew Rondina: I expected intense action, and the demo delivered plenty of it. I was pleasantly surprised by its dramatic side, quieter character moments and stealth sections. How did the art direction balance Wolverine’s animalistic presence with Logan’s more vulnerable, human qualities?

Gavin Goulden: We want it to be a cinematic experience, but that does not mean only watching cinematics. When you are playing, you should feel the snappiness and impact. That cinematic approach carries through the combat, stealth and the rest of the gameplay.

We also have so much history and lore to draw from, and we incorporate it into gameplay and the cinematics. During the demo, you begin to see Logan’s relationship with Sabretooth and this uneasy alliance or friendship between them; it shows a very different side of Wolverine.

What is Logan running from? What secrets is he uncovering in his own mind? Wolverine is a complicated character. The brutal combat is enjoyable and is a major part of what people know him for, but he also has memories, history and a past that he is either trying to escape or understand.

Wolverine in yellow-and-black suit with glowing red eyes crouches in a smoky forest fire, claws out, another figure behind.

Designing new suits and working with Adam Kubert

Matthew Rondina: Without getting into spoilers, is there a costume you are especially proud to have helped bring into the game?

Gavin Goulden: There are definitely some suits I cannot discuss because of spoilers, but two stand out to me. First are the unique designs we created. Anytime you can add something new to the history of an iconic character, it is a huge milestone. It’s our own take and another addition to the history of a character people love.

The other is the Savage suit we created with Adam Kubert. Adam is an iconic comic artist and someone I looked up to as a kid. When I talk about Wolverine #88, he is the artist who drew that cover.

I got to work with the person who created the comic-book cover I still remember from childhood. It is a full-circle moment. As a lifelong fan and game developer, I never imagined I would have opportunities like this.

Matthew Rondina: I am a big Wolverine fan, but it is clear you may be the Wolverine fan. The character is in great hands, or claws, I should say.

Wolverine in yellow and black suit looks over a rundown industrial town with bridges and trees under a cloudy sky.

An authentic Canadian experience for a Canadian superhero

Matthew Rondina: Is there a smaller visual detail you are particularly excited for players to discover?

Gavin Goulden: There are Easter eggs I don’t want to spoil, but the small detail that stands out to me is the Squamish signage. The spelling and language used on those signs are authentic to the Vancouver area.

Since the 2010 Olympics, signage in the region has included Squamish-language spellings for locations. You see that in Squamish, Whistler and along the highway. Reflecting it in the game was very important to me. It is a small detail, but it was something we had to get right.

Matthew Rondina: Since we have covered so much Canadian ground, I have to ask: does Wolverine ever wear a full Canadian tuxedo?

Gavin Goulden: (Laughing) I can’t reveal that.

Matthew Rondina: So, there is still hope for a full-denim Logan moment. (laughs)

Wolverine battles a helmeted soldier amid sparks at a construction site, with a bridge overhead and mutants in back.

What Gavin hopes players take away from Marvel’s Wolverine

Matthew Rondina: When players finally experience the full game, what do you hope longtime Wolverine fans and newcomers take away from it?

Gavin Goulden: I have been working on this game with our team for years, and a great deal of effort has gone into it. I hope players enjoy the experience and feel we have delivered the brutal, visceral Wolverine combat they expect, along with a deep story that unfolds as they play.

Final thoughts on my Marvel Wolverine preview experience

My two-hour demo of Marvel’s Wolverine left a strong impression. Insomniac’s take on Logan feels fast, brutal and deeply personal, while my conversation with Gavin Goulden reinforced how much care the team is putting into the character and his Canadian roots.

There is still plenty I want to discover, from the evolving combat and suits to Logan’s relationships and emotional journey. More than anything, my hands-on time left me excited to play the full game, and I can’t wait to get back behind the claws.

Marvel’s Wolverine launches September 15, 2026, for PlayStation 5 and PlayStation 5 Pro.

About the Author - Matthew "Dapper Tux" Rondina

Matthew has been involved in all things gaming since the 8-bit era. He is a video game and tech industry veteran who has been passionate about technology and gaming for over 20 years. In addition to being the Managing Editor of dappertux.com, he has bylines with Best Buy, Cineplex Entertainment, Mobile Syrup and Walmart. Follow Matthew’s gaming + tech adventures on multiple social platforms with the handle @dapper_tux via X, Instagram, Threads, TikTok, and join in on the fun!

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