Marvel Cries Wolf: 13 Facts About Werewolf by Night
During the day, Jack Russell appears as a man, but when the sun sets and the moon rises, he becomes Werewolf by Night…
The Disney+ TV special Werewolf by Night follows a secret group of monster hunters as they compete against each other to kill a dangerous monster. Directed and composed by Michael Giacchino and written by Heather Quinn and Peter Cameron, the MCU special is based on the character from Marvel Comics.
Gael García Bernal stars in the special as Jack Russell / Werewolf by Night, along with Laura Donnelly and Harriet Sansom Harris. The special has gotten glowing reviews from critics, who have praised the story, Giacchino’s direction and score, the acting, the practical effects, and the fact that the special offers amazing black-and-white cinematography.
Scroll down for a number of facts about the characters—including info about the original comics, and details of the process turning them into a powerful TV special.
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13 Facts About Werewolf by Night
1 Werewolf By Night was named after a story from 1953
So, for years, professional comic books weren’t allowed to do “monster” stuff. This was because of the Comics Code Authority, which launched in 1954. (It’s a long story.)
That said, in a 1953 issue of Marvel Tales, Atlas Comics—which was the name of an earlier version of the company that later became “Marvel Comics”— published a 5-page short story titled “Werewolf by Night!” And then the Comics Code showed up and they couldn’t do any more werewolf stories.
Years later, when the Comics Code Authority softened its rules in 1971, it became possible for Marvel to publish code-approved comic books with werewolves.
2 This “Werewolf By Night” first appeared in Marvel Comics in 1972
The title “Werewolf by Night” currently refers to two characters at Marvel Comics. The original version—which is who appears in the Disney+ special Werewolf By Night—is Jack Russell. He first appeared in Marvel Spotlight #2 (1972). According to the comics, Jack’s family has a history of lycanthropy, going all the way back to he 1700s. Buy the original comic series here at Amazon. (We’ll talk about the second version of the character later.)
3 In the comics, the werewolf can control his transformation
The Jack Russell werewolf shares many of the same characteristics as classic werewolves. For example, he originally transformed because of a full moon, and lost his human thought processes. However, in time, Jack has become able to wolf-up voluntarily and retain more control. As a werewolf, Jack still has all the powers and abilities of a werewolf—including a super sense of smell, razor-sharp teeth, claws that can tear through metal, super strength, speed, stamina, durability, agility and reflexes. He also recovers from non-fatal wounds much faster than a human would. However, he’s vulnerable to magic and, like all werewolves, can be killed by silver.
4 Werewolf By Night introduced Moon Knight
Marvel’s weird riff on Batman, Moon Knight, first appeared in Werewolf by Night #32 (1975). The man behind the mask has dissociative identity disorder, meaning he has lots of secret identities. Moon Knight has had lots of his own comic since then, and even starred in his own Disney+ live-action TV series.
5 Marvel Comics’ Werewolf Teams Up With Other Monsters to Fight Crime
The werewolf has partnered with other Marvel monsters to fight bad stuff. The other monsters have included Frankenstein’s Monster; Morbius, the Living Vampire; more than one version of the Ghost Rider; Man-Thing; N’Kantu, the Living Mummy; the Manphibian; and FrankenCastle—a monster version of the Punisher.
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6 Werewolf could lead us to an MCU debut of Midnight Sons
In the comics, The Midnight Sons is a group of supernatural heroes who first showed up in Ghost Rider #28 in 1992. There are several possible members you’ve already seen on screen, including Doctor Strange, Morbius, Moon Knight, and Blade.
7 Elsa Bloodstone also comes from the comics
If you watched Disney+’s Werewolf By Night, then you also saw Elsa Bloodstone, a member of the Bloodstone family. In the comics, she’s like Van Helsing as Elsa resumes her family’s mantel of fighting monsters that plague the Marvel universe. She also has a choker which grants her superhuman strength, speed, and regenerative abilities. In the comics, her first appearanc was in the 2001 Bloodstone mini-series. She’s since been a member of Nextwave, Midnight Sons, and Fearless Defenders.
8 Man-Thing has appeared before in comics and onscreen
The Werewolf by Night trailer showed that Marvel’s own swamp monster, Man-Thing, is part of the special. (I won’t spoil it if you haven’t watched it yet—but I enjoyed his appearance in the special a lot.) Man-Thing first appeared in 1974’s Savage Tales #1. He has since been featured in various comics series. There was also a film, 2005’s Man-Thing.
His first appearance in comics came pretty close to the time that Swamp Thing debuted at DC Comics. But, of course, both swamp creatures were in fact riffing on The Heap, a swamp monster that debuted in the comics in 1942.
In fact, there have been lots of swamp monsters in stories over time. Find more examples here: 26 Swamp Monsters from Myths, Comics, X-Files, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, and more.
9 The Disney+ special’s director asked specifically for Werewolf By Night
As mentioned, the director of the Disney+ special Werewolf By Night is Michael Giacchino. Although better known as an award-winning composer who also scored The Batman and the MCU’s three Spider-Man movies, he also has experience behind the camera.
When Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige offered him the chance to direct a Marvel project, Giacchino immediately asked for “Werewolf by Night,” a comic he knew as a kid. He also brought in his love of the classic Universal monster movies, including films about the Wolf-Man, Dracula, and Frankenstein.
“Monster movies to me are nothing but allegories for people with problems,” he told Variety. “Every time I would watch King Kong or The Wolf Man, and everyone would be chasing them with torches, trying to kill them, I would always feel so badly for them. I’m like, ‘Guys, he doesn’t want to be doing this! He doesn’t want to be rampaging! He’s got an issue and he needs help.’”
Related: Universal Monsters Movies: The Original Shared Cinematic Universe
10 Giacchino also asked for it to be in black-and-white
At a screening of the special at Fantastic Fest in Texas, the director explained why Werewolf by Night is in black-and-white. In fact, he said the special was actually shot in color so that Marvel boss Kevin Feige could watch both versions.
“From the very beginning I was hoping we could do that. We didn’t know if we were going to be allowed to do that while we were making it, so we had a separate monitor that was only showing black-and-white so we could check how it would look.
“The first couple of cuts that we put together were in color. Then maybe the third cut we screened in black-and-white with Kevin [Feige], and I remember when it was over Kevin turned to me, looked at me, and said ‘I think we have to release this in black-and-white, don’t we?’ And I was like ‘Yeah, we absolutely do.’”
11 The Bloodstone is red to show how important it is
Werewolf by Night is shown almost entirely in black-and-white—which means that when you see the Bloodstone glowing in red, it virtually bursts out of the screen. The black-and-white effect paid tribute to classic monster movies from the 1930s and 1940s. But director Michael Giacchino wanted to emphasize how special the Bloodstone is. In the comics, it’s a rare and powerful gem tied to all magic in the universe. In the special, the Bloodstone’s red glow emphasizes its importance.
12 Disney+’s Werewolf By Night special is getting great reviews
Here’s just some of what reviewers are saying about the Werewolf By Night special…
“Werewolf By Night might be one of the best things Marvel has put out in years.” (Bleeding Cool)
“This special is a delectable monster mash…. In fact, one could argue the story and character work of one special rivals that of Marvel's six-episode shows on the same platform. (ComicBook.com)
“The end result is a love letter to classic horror films, specifically those from Universal. Visually, Werewolf by Night looks like a classic monster movie; however, it’s more than just a surface-level recreation of those films.” (CBR)
“Werewolf by Night is fantastic. Loaded with references to monster mythologies from world folklore, the special embeds Jack Russell, Man-Thing, and Elsa Bloodstone firmly in the time-honored tradition of monster tales retold with a modern edge. Choosing to divorce itself from the safe comfort of the MCU allows these outsiders to shine in their own flawed, quirky glory.” (Cosmic Circus)
“Many of Marvel’s Disney+ efforts to date (and their Phase Four movies to be fair) have received a mixed reception from fans, but one reoccurring complaint on the TV side is that the stories are either given too much room to breathe, or not enough. Werewolf By Night slides into the Goldilocks zone, delivering exactly the right amount.” (Den of Geek)
“Part monster-movie throwback and part deep-cut fan service, it’s a scary (and fun) one-off that brings Marvel’s horror-comics legacy into its never-ending cinematic universe.” (Rolling Stone)
“After dipping a toe into the horror genre with “Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness” earlier this year, the Marvel Cinematic Universe jumps into the deep end with “Werewolf by Night” — well, as much as it can within the MCU’s strict PG-13 parameters. It’s the creepiest and bloodiest Marvel project by far, and clocking in at a lean 53 minutes long, it’s a perfect, snack-sized Halloween treat heading into the spookiest of seasons.” (Variety)
For the record, I loved it, too. Werewolf By Night was so much more delightful and MCU than I expected. If you haven’t watched it yet, this special has more going on than you know.
13 There’s a second Werewolf By Night
Back in 2020, a new version of the character was introduced by Marvel Comics. This mini-series featuring a new werewolf—created by co-writers Taboo of the Black Eyed Peas and Benjamin Jackendoff, with artist Scot Eaton—offered ties to Native American folklore. “We're going through a Native lens because of my Native American heritage,” Taboo told Comicbook.com. “Although I was born in Los Angeles, recently I've been really connected to the Indian country or to native communities to be able to be a service and help native youth, inspire them, especially when it comes to health and wellness, and arts and music. So we built our partnership knowing that when we create, we create through a native lens.”
Related: New Werewolf By Night from Black Eyed Peas’ Taboo and Marvel
Check out Werewolf By Night in the comics
The comics from the original series are available here at Amazon. The new comic book version of Werewolf By Night is available here.
