Marvel’s Wolverine Metacritic Odds: Disappointing Early Reviews Set Market Below 80
Wolverine Metacritic Score Odds
Insomniac’s Spider-Man games set a pretty high bar for Marvel’s Wolverine. So far, Logan hasn’t come particularly close to clearing it.
The PS5 exclusive launches today, opening at 77 on Metacritic, a significant step backward from the studio’s previous superhero efforts. A respectable score in isolation, perhaps, but hardly the reception that made Spider-Man one of PlayStation’s flagship franchises of the past two console generations.
As of September 15th, Kalshi is forecasting a 77.1 Metacritic score, with just a 1% chance of finishing above 80 when the market finally closes on September 22nd.
| Above 85 | <1% |
 | |
| Above 80 | 3% |
| |
| Above 75 | 86% |
| |
| Above 70 | 99% |
|
Source: Kalshi, September 15, 2026 | Volume: $68,894 | Settles By: Sep. 22, 2026
Failing to Live Up to the Hype
Developer Insomniac is riding a wave of spandex-powered momentum after its Spider-Man trilogy became one of Sony's most successful exclusive franchises ever. On Metacritic, the original earned an 87, while Miles Morales and Spider-Man 2 followed up with 85 and 90 scores, respectively.
After the announcement of a Wolverine game at PlayStation Showcase 2021, the thought of a Logan-led hack-and-slash generated a ton of buzz.
The early returns haven't lived up to those lofty expectations as reviews thus far have been lukewarm at best.
The Guardian praised the portrayal of Wolverine, but criticized repetitive combat environments, giving it just a 3/5 star rating (60 on the Metacritic scale). IGN enjoyed the combat, but similarly found it repetitive with not enough story to make up for the monotony, rating it a 6/10 (also 60 on Metacritic).
A smaller, more linear game was never automatically the wrong direction. Wolverine doesn't lend himself to swinging around a big city looking for collectibles.
But stepping away from Spider-Man’s formula needed to produce something equally enjoyable, not just something different.
The Market is Settling Between 75 and 80
The market trajectory captures the palpable sense of disappointment quite neatly.
Kalshi’s forecast was sitting in the mid 80s in August, suggesting expectations broadly in line with Insomniac’s first two Spider-Man games. Early reviews last week led to a sharp drop into the 70s.
With the market scheduled to close on September 22, traders give Wolverine an 86% chance of staying above 75, but almost no chance of clearing 80. For what was considered one of GTA VI's primary Game of the Year Competitors, a Metacritic score in the 70s is a disappointment, even if it still means the game is pretty good.
Unfortunately, after years of hype, "pretty good" isn't good enough.
Patrick is a lifelong sports fan born and raised in the Philadelphia area, where he grew up attending Phillies, Sixers, and Eagles games. He earned a degree in Sports Management from Temple University and went on to work for multiple professional sports teams. He has over eight years of sports betting experience and five years professionally reviewing online sportsbooks across several legal states.
Patrick has also written for our sister site BettingApps.com.
