Summary
Following the success ofMarvel’s Spider-Man 2, Insomniac Games is hard at work on developing the highly-anticipatedMarvel’sWolverinegame. This will be the first standalone game featuring Wolverine in over a decade after 2009’sX-Men Origins: Wolverine. The journey hasn’t been smooth-sailing though, asInsomniac Games recently had to deal with a massive data breach.
The malicious cyberattack leaked information on future Insomniac Games, including thecast ofMarvel’s Wolverine. The reported cast includes Wolverine’s known rivals, like Sabretooth and Mystique, allies, and other characters that will add depth to the game’s story. One interesting villain that supposedly set to be added to the fray is Omega Red.
Who is Omega Red in the Marvel Universe?
Arkady Gregorivich Rossovich, better known as Omega Red, is a mutant with superhuman strength equipped with retractable tentacles made from radioactive Carbonadium. He served in the USSR’s Spetsnaz, also known as the border patrol commandos, where he committed many heinous crimes and was punished for them. His fellow soldiers failed to execute him after his mutant powers helped him survive a gunshot to the head. Rossovich was later drafted into the USSR’s super-soldier program, where he was transformed into a deadly cyborg named Omega Red. During this transformation, his skin turned pale white and his eyes turned red.
Both Omega Red and Wolverine are infused with metal-like substances in their bodies. WhileWolverine’s clawsare made from sturdy Adamantium, the radioactive Carbonadium in Omega Red’s body is a less durable but more malleable imitation of Adamantium. Despite these differences, they both have incredible strength and the ability to heal their injuries.
Wolverine’s first encounter with Omega Red was when Team X, an elite covert operations unit, stole the Carbonadium Synthesizer (C-Synth) and hid it from the Russian soldiers that were controlling the cyborg. This device is used to control Omega Red’s mutant power and his bionic implants. This would kick off decades of struggle between Omega Red and Wolverine, with the evil cyborg allying himself with the likes of Sabretooth and Lady Deathstrike to kill Wolverine andmembers of the X-Men, among others.
Marvel’s Wolverine’s Inevitable Omega Red Fight Could Be Challenging
In the upcomingMarvel’s Wolverine, Omega Red’s role is still unknown, but it is likely that he will be one of the main villains. Those familiar with Insomniac Games’Spider-Mantitles know that the developer is able to seamlessly incorporate many Marvel characters into the games. InSpider-Man 2alone, players were able to fight notable villains like Venom,Kraven the Hunter, and Sandman. While it’s still unclear who will be the biggest threat inMarvel’s Wolverine,as characters like Sabretooth and Sinister have also leaked, Omega Red will be an interesting challenge for Wolverine no matter what. This would also be the first time Marvel fans will see the two characters face off in a video game.
Not only will Insomniac have to come up with a fully original fight instead of taking inspiration from a past video game battle between the two characters, but the combat style differences of Wolverine and Omega Red could prove tricky to develope around.Marvel’s Wolverinewill have plenty of melee combat, which will make it challenging to go up against Omega Red’s tentacles. In the comics and even in shows likeX-Men The Animated Series, Omega Red is seen using his tentacles to attack and capture his enemies, as well as absorb their life force. It could take a lot of wit and skill to stop this super soldier in the game.
How Omega Red Fits Into Insomniac’s X-Men Game
Marvel’s Wolverineis clearly a set-up for Insomniac Games' plannedX-Mengame, and whileInsomniac’s biggest challengeis choosing which heroes will be included on the roster, it’s just as difficult to comb through the X-Men’s long list of enemies for the game. If he survives through Logan’s standalone game, Omega Red would indeed be a viable choice, though at most he feels like a secondary foe - that is if he even reappears in theX-Mengame at all. Still, it would be refreshing to see the whole X-Men team could work together to take down someone like Omega Red if he can make it throughMarvel’s Wolverinewithout dying.
