‘Marvel’s Wolverine’ Video Game Star Liam McIntyre On Adding Vulnerability To Logan’s “Bottomless Rage”
Developed over time first seen 2 months ago
Liam McIntyre, who plays Logan/Wolverine through voice and performance capture in Insomniac Games’ Marvel’s Wolverine, said his approach was to balance the character’s violence and anger with emotional exposure. Speaking to Deadline, McIntyre described Logan’s rage as seemingly inexhaustible, but argued that the character is more compelling when audiences can also see the pain, shame and compassion beneath it. He said he did not aim to imitate previous portrayals, including Hugh Jackman’s, instead working with the developers to establish a version suited to the game’s original story.
The interview arrived ahead of the game’s 15 September 2026 PlayStation 5 release. Supporting interviews and official material describe the title as a single-player action game centred on Logan’s return to the mutant group Team X and on unresolved questions about his past. McIntyre has said he studied animal movement for Logan’s more feral scenes and contributed ideas during development, while Insomniac’s narrative team has framed the story as one intended to reveal the human being behind the character’s reputation as a weapon. The project therefore presents combat and brutality alongside a character-led account of Wolverine’s history and relationships.
- Liam McIntyre says his Wolverine combines extreme rage with vulnerability and empathy.
- He sought an original interpretation of Logan rather than copying earlier performances.
- Marvel’s Wolverine is due for PlayStation 5 on 15 September 2026.
Full account
Insomniac Games' upcoming PlayStation 5 title Marvel's Wolverine, due for release on 15 September, is bringing a new performer into one of Marvel's most recognisable roles. Australian actor Liam McIntyre, best known for his lead turn in Spartacus, has taken on Logan both as voice and through full performance capture, stepping into a part that has been shaped in the public imagination by Hugh Jackman's screen portrayals for more than two decades. Alongside the game, Insomniac has also released an official prequel comic, scripted by the studio's narrative director Walt Williams with art by Luke Ross, which lays the groundwork for Logan's fraught alliance with Team X ahead of the main story.
McIntyre has spoken candidly about the challenge of following such a well-established screen legacy, admitting that performers such as Jackman and veteran voice actor Steve Blum inevitably come to mind when approaching the character. However, he has been clear that mimicry was never the intention, and says Insomniac was equally uninterested in simply recreating a familiar take on Wolverine. Instead, he and the studio spent considerable time experimenting with different vocal registers and interpretations before settling on a portrayal tailored specifically to this story: a hardened, reluctant hero shaped by stoicism rather than swagger.
At the heart of McIntyre's performance is the tension between two competing instincts within Logan: a capacity for savage, near-uncontrollable violence, and a persistent, almost stubborn effort to hold on to his better nature. McIntyre describes a character who is embarrassed by his own fury yet incapable of standing by when someone weaker is being hurt, summing up Logan's outlook simply as a hatred of bullies. For a man who has endured extraordinary suffering, he argues, there is a surprising amount of hope buried underneath the anger — and it is this softer, more exposed side of Logan that McIntyre says he has most enjoyed bringing to the role, in contrast to the character's more feral, animalistic outbursts.
Portraying those animalistic moments required a different kind of preparation. For a pivotal scene in which Logan tips fully into a feral state, McIntyre studied footage of wild dogs to absorb their movement patterns and predatory instincts, aiming to translate something authentically bestial into his physical performance. He has described the experience of performance capture as demanding total commitment and a willingness to be bold in front of a full production crew, trusting his collaborators as he pushed the physicality of the role to its limits.
Where outlets differ
The two source reports cover largely separate interviews with different subjects: the D23.com piece is an exclusive Q&A with Walt Williams, Insomniac's narrative director, focused on his personal path into games writing and his work on the official prequel comic (illustrated by Luke Ross, coloured by Fer Sifuentes-Sujo, lettered by Cory Petit) rather than on Liam McIntyre's performance.
The German-language outlet's report is the one that actually addresses the headline topic, centring on McIntyre's acting process, his conscious decision not to imitate Hugh Jackman or Steve Blum, and his description of Logan's internal conflict between rage and vulnerability.
Only the German piece includes the detail about McIntyre studying wild dog footage to prepare for Logan's feral transformation and his reflections on the demands of performance capture.
The D23.com source provides production and release context (PS5 launch date of 15 September, the prequel comic's creative team) that the German source does not cover in the provided excerpt.
More coverage
- D23 — D23 Exclusive: Marvel’s Wolverine Prequel Comic Author Q&A
- TV Movie — ‘Marvel’s Wolverine’: Liam McIntyre on Hugh Jackman and his own Logan