Marvel is going to the Wastelands.
The company has just announced the voice cast for Wastelanders: Old Man Star-Lord, the first in a series of scripted audio dramas adapting one of its most famous “future dystopia” tales.
While the title may be tied in to the Guardians of the Galaxy, the overall story is anchored in one of the most acclaimed Wolverine tales of all time.
Old Man Logan
In 2008, Wolverine vol 3 #66-72 showcased the gripping “Old Man Logan” storyline written by Mark Millar with art by Steve McNiven.
The plot is that the villains of the Marvel Universe banded together into one grand army to wipe out all the heroes and conquer the world. Wolverine was put through a brutal ordeal that tricked him into killing the X-Men and broke his spirit.
Decades later, Logan has put away his claws and lives as a farmer with his family when a blind Clint Barton, the former Avenger Hawkeye, pulls him into a job that takes him on a dark adventure.
The story was so popular that Old Man Logan made his way into the regular Marvel Universe (during a time when the original Wolverine was believed dead), doing his best to ensure his future never happened.
The Wastelands
The story became popular enough to inspire a score of sequel mini-series.
The first was Old Man Hawkeye, a prequel as Hawkeye, learning he’s going blind, hunts down the Thunderbolts, his former heroic team who betrayed him to ally with the villains.
Old Man Quill had the former Star-Lord becoming emperor of Spartax only to lose his family and kingdom to the ruthless galactic Church of Universal Truth. He and the Guardians of the Galaxy head to Earth for help only to find the world in ruins and battle the villain armies.
It led to Avengers of the Wasteland as, in the wake of those stories, a new generation of heroes began rising up to take their world back.
The audio dramas
Marvel had announced in 2020 that they would work with Sirius XM for a series of audio podcasts adapting the Wastelands storyline.
Surprisingly, rather than Old Man Logan, they choose to adapt the Quill storyline into Old Man Star-Lord.
The first audio clips showcase Timothy Busfield as Star-Lord with Chris Elliott as Rocket adapting to a changed Earth.
“Marvel’s Wastelanders: Old Man Star-Lord is a story that throws you right into the action, antics – and danger – that fans of Star-Lord and Rocket know to expect, and the writers, cast and crew did not hold back. We couldn’t be prouder of how this story came together,” Stephen Wacker, Vice President and Head of Content, Marvel New Media, said in a statement.
“This series is just the first chapter of our larger Marvel’s Wastelanders plans with SiriusXM, and Peter Quill’s story is only the tip of the iceberg for our new Marvel Audio Universe. We can’t wait to share what’s next with you all.”
Joining Busfield and Elliott in the Wastelanders: Old-Man Star-Lord cast are Nadine Malouf as Cora, Patrick Page as Kraven the Hunter, Vanessa Williams as Emma Frost, and Danny Glover as Red.
The decision to start with the Star-Lord storyline may be surprising, but it appears the creators want to use the Guardians to throw the audience into how changed the world is.
With Earth so distant, the Guardians had no idea the villains have taken over, so Quill will be the audience’s point of view understanding what happened.
The promotional artwork does show Logan and Hawkeye, indicating future installments will adapt those stories as well.
Once it does, fans will be hearing one of the darker Wolverine tales ever that shows how brutal the future of the Marvel Universe can become.
Marvel’s Wastelanders: Old-Man Star-Lord premieres June 1 on the SiriusXM app, Pandora, Stitcher, and other major podcast platforms.