Coming Soon: ‘Wolverine: The Lost Trail’ Podcast

Wolverine: The Lost Trail Podcast

Marvel’s Wolverine: The Lost Trail is an epic quest that takes place in the Louisiana bayou. Following the events of Marvel’s Wolverine: The Long Night, Logan (Richard Armitage) returns to New Orleans in search of redemption, only to discover that his ex-lover, Maureen, is nowhere to be found. And she’s not the only one. Dozens of humans and mutants have gone missing, including the mother of a teenage boy, Marcus Baptiste. With Weapon X in close pursuit, Logan and Marcus must team up and follow a trail of clues that leads them deep into the gothic heart of the bayou, where they encounter biker gangs, Cajun thieves, and a world of wonders that defies explanation. It is here that they find Greenhaven—a backwater refuge run by a powerful mutant named Jason Wyngarde.

That was taken right from the press release for the second season of Marvel’s podcast on Wolverine. As you can read in my previous post, I’m a big fan of the first season based on my favorite comic book character. Wolverine: The Long Night is both an audio adventure story and a comic book. Fellow GeekMom MJ reviewed the latter here. So what can fans hope to hear in The Lost Trail?

The creators say the next season will expand Logan’s universe and introduce more of the Marvel X-Men world. Since they have a companion comic book with this podcast, it seems that they will be following the comic book world of Marvel’s X-Men (which can differ from the cinematic universe). This is too bad. Not that I don’t like comic books, or the world created there, but here is an opportunity to go in new directions with a beloved character and endlessly creative universe of mutants. It seems limiting to me to simply put in listening form what we can already get visually.

There are Behind the Scenes videos to watch on the main site from the first season. Although they reveal nothing story-wise, it is interesting to see how Richard Armitage views his role as Logan. He describes his character as “ambiguous and enigmatic… an anti-hero with an extensive biography…” He goes on to describe that it was difficult for him to say the word “Wolverine” in the script because it is so “iconic.” In fact, he only calls himself that at the very end, the very last episode of The Long Night. By that time, Armitage certainly carried it off, bringing a new dimension to an enduring figure. “This could go so deep. That’s what makes it exciting.” As Armitage is continuing his role, listeners can rely on that for the second season.

Since our main character leaves town at the end, many of the same voices will be following him, except for ones he probably doesn’t want. I’m curious about the new cast, especially if we will meet his ex-girlfriend, only mentioned in the first season. We know little about her. The stark and coldness of Alaska was painted deftly before; New Orleans is many degrees different in not just temperature. I can’t wait to hear how the background audio brings that vibrant city to life. The music!

So far the three faces shown in the press release are white, which is disappointing. I would hope Marvel would cast a more diverse set of actors considering where the story takes place. And unlike Alaska which does legitimately have fewer women to men, New Orleans is an equal gender city and the script should reflect that. Unfortunately, according to the press release, Logan teams up with a teen boy and the leader of the mutant gang is a man. Logan is looking for his missing girlfriend and the boy for his mother. So the plot is two damsels in distress? I hope not or I will be sorely disappointed. We shall see.

The Long Night is an adult story with swearing, violence, creepiness, and brutality. I would recommend it for 16+ and I assume the next season will be similar. If you have Stitcher Premium, you’ll be listening right away, for anyone else, you’ll have to wait till later in the year to find out what happens next in Wolverine: The Lost Trail.