Last Updated on Sep 21, 2026 @ 18:25:52 PM.
Big spoilers, the bad guy from the comics turns out to be the bad guy in Marvel’s Wolverine! While he was posing as a saviour of mutants, he actually turns out to be using them for his own personal gain. Not exactly the biggest, most unexpected twist, is it? However, predictable twist aside, you’re here because you don’t know how to beat Nathaniel Essex in Marvel’s Wolverine, and I’m glad to say we can help.
How to Beat Nathaniel Essex in Marvel’s Wolverine
Unsurprisingly, much more than any of the other bosses before, figuring out how to beat Nathaniel Essex in Marvel’s Wolverine is quite difficult, especially on the higher levels. This end boss fight represents Essex’s final turn into the more familiar villainous name we know him by, as he becomes Mr Sinister, red diamond in his head and everything. Gone is the pretence of saving mutant kind, replaced instead by a new purpose, and a need to absorb as many powers as possible. He’s significantly stronger, and with more powers, than at any other point in the game, and unfortunately for you, they’re entirely aimed at you.
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Flanked by one of the giant Sentinels we attempted to stop launching in the previous level, you’ll have to contend with Essex, clones of him, and the Sentinel to boot, so make sure you’re as high as possible in level, unlocked the best and your preferable skills, and you’re ready for the fight ahead.
Thankfully, the fight doesn’t change a huge amount as you progress, meaning once you’ve mastered one section, you’ll likely breeze your way through the rest. The fight opens with Nathaniel Essex monologing at you, before his open salvo. His attacks can and do hit heavy, so make sure you’re constantly moving. Many of his attacks you can’t block, for example, like his red lasers, so you’ll always want to dodge these.
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However, his purple sword and energy combo he uses, can be parried, and should be parried. It’ll build his Stagger meter and allow you an unblockable barrage attack that’ll hurt him more than your basic attacks. Make good use of your special abilities, but be aware that he can stagger you and stop them, either from a laser attack or a sword attack, so time them wisely.
If you’re able to get behind him and use them, expect big damage to occur, but at the same time, it can be difficult for you to get behind him without getting damaged, so pick that opportunity wisely.
You’ll regularly find yourself some distance away from him, so your first instinct will be to use Wolverine’s Lunge ability to get closer to Essex. Be careful, as he can swat you out of the air with ease, and you’ll be in a vulnerable position if this happens.
All that said, once you get his health down a third, you’ll move to the next phase. You’ll know this has happened because Essex will float into the air, commanding the Sentinel behind him to use his huge lasers to damage you. These are rhythmic enough that they’re simple enough to dodge, but be aware that the Essex clones will be firing on you as well.
Don’t try and block the red laser balls, dodge those, but wait for the golden ones and block/parry those. Sending each one will back at the Essex clone in question will kill it, and when you’ve removed them all, Essex will float back to the ground ready for the next phase.
He’ll had a new attack to his arsenal now, where he rains down red lightning/energy attacks on you. As with the other red attacks in the boss fight, don’t waste your time trying to block these. Dodge away. The red lasers will still be present, as will his purple sword and energy combo, which will now be longer as well, so make sure to block or dodge for another move longer than before. The rest of this phase is the same as the previous one, so act in the same way, and keep chipping away at his health with your various attacks.
Special Techniques wise, I had the following four:
- Tornado Spin – Never left my loadout since it was unlocked. Great for causing damage but also interrupting Essex’s combos.
- Brutal Assault – The last Special Technique you can unlock, but the best one in the game by far. As soon as this becomes available, use it, as you’ll want to get as many uses of it in against Essex.
- Relentless – Upgraded to Level 3, this will activate automatically as soon as you get close to death. No brainer against the hardest boss in the game.
- Knee Breaker – Another attack used to break combos as much as it was to cause a little damage.
The second phase comes to an end in the same way as the first, as Essex floats into the air and clones appear. Same rules apply, just be more careful of the lasers, as they move differently.
Once you’ve gotten Essex onto the floor for the third phase, this is where I’d suggest you throw caution out of the window. Thanks to the interlude with the clones and lasers, you’ll likely have your full compliment of Special Techniques back. Don’t worry about any damage caused to you, Essex will have so little health at this point you’ll be better off unloading one Special Technique after another, and then hitting him with basic attacks. You’ll see his health evaporate, and hopefully it’ll be enough to kill him outright. If not, block, dodge and move as above, but if so, that’s it, you’ll have now beaten Nathaniel Essex in Marvel’s Wolverine.
For your next read, don’t miss our review of Marvel’s Wolverine, or our in-depth review of Control Resonant.
Luke Addison is the Founder and Editor-in-Chief of Thumb Wars. Having previously been a part of multiple outlets over the years, including building an entire gaming team from nothing to something, he thought it best to forge his own path and answer only to himself. As likely to be found playing the latest game as he is in the kitchen relaxing (by cooking), he always brings the same bold and brash attitude to everything he does, with a heavy leaning on sarcasm and dry wit!
