Marvel Studios’ Werewolf by Night isn’t a name you may know, but it’s definitely a special you should watch.
Werewolf by Night isn’t one of the most popular characters in Marvel Comics. Once upon a time, he was. His original self-titled Marvel Comics’ series debuted in 1972, had 43 issues, and spanned around five years. That’s an accomplishment in any era.
Since then he’s appeared in multiple comic books like Moon Knight, X-Factor, and Deadpool. However, Jack Russell, a.k.a. Werewolf by Night, hasn’t had a solo series of his own in decades. With that in mind, it initially seemed weird that Marvel Studios would bet on him not only being in the Disney Plus special, but starring in it. Thankfully, it’s a bet that paid off.
*** This article contains major SPOILERS from Werewolf by Night ***
It’s rare that both the audience and the critics will give a project a high score on Rotten Tomatoes, but it happened here. It’s Certified Fresh by the Critics with 92% and scored 94% with the audience. It’s shocking considering that Werewolf by Night doesn’t look like the normal Marvel Studios project. Nevertheless, this may have worked in the special’s favor.
Fans have fallen in love with old school monster movies. Marvel knows this and capitalized. First of all, the special was in black and white. This is easily a nod to Bela Lugosi’s Dracula and Lon Chaney Jr’s The Wolf Man. There was also the cutaways from the blood while Jack mauled his attacker. This gave viewers the hit of nostalgia they may have needed. As good as that is, that’s not enough to make a project good. Here’s why Werewolf by Night really succeeded.
*** SPOILERS on the next slide ***
Werewolf by Night: The Heroes
If you’re going to start with the good, you have to begin with the two main protagonists, Jack Russell (Gael García Bernal) and Elsa Bloodstone (Laura Donnelly). They’re the stars and the focal point of the project. With the other hunters basically being there to be killed, those two had to be close to perfect. Thankfully, they were.
The special may have been a bit campy at times, but they balanced it out. Especially when they were together. Elsa was angry, bitter, and it showed. Jack was a sympathetic hunter who’s secretly a werewolf and had an agenda of his own. He was there to save his friend, the Man-Thing (or Ted). Together, Elsa and Jack made a heck of a pair.
This writer wasn’t sure how Man-Thing would fit here other than being a monster. He isn’t a character you’d love if you don’t read Marvel Comics. He doesn’t speak to people and he barely communicates. He did both in Werewolf by Night.
Not only that, he was entertaining. It won’t be shocking when Man-Thing becomes a pop culture star. There will be multiple shirts, Funko Pops, and more coming in the future. He’ll be like Groot, but targeted to adults. Don’t be surprised if Man-Thing stars in his own set of shorts on Disney Plus in the future.
The protagonists: A+
Werewolf by Night: The villains
Usually, the antagonists and villains are just as crucial to the project they appear in. They’re supposed to be the opposite of the heroes. The Joker and Batman, Wolverine and Sabretooth, etc; they really can make or break a project. Half of that is true here. There was a villain who made this special work. There were also some antagonists that are completely forgettable.
Elsa’s step-mother Verussa (Harriet Sansom Harris) was perfect. She embodied everything that makes a villain evil. She didn’t care that Jack was hunting monsters that were hurting people. All she saw was a monster.
It’s also appropriate that Werewolf by Night was on Disney Plus because Verussa was just like an evil step-mother from a Disney movie. She hated Elsa even though she was still a great monster hunter. And, just like a Disney project, the hero won their big fight at the end.
Other than Verussa, the other villains weren’t memorable. You’ll remember their weapons, outfits, and how they were killed before you recall their names. They didn’t even have any witty remarks that are worth mentioning. It’s a good thing they weren’t supposed to be anything except cannon fodder. Otherwise, this would be tragic.
The antagonists: B
Werewolf by Night: The Bad
It wasn’t difficult finding something wrong with Werewolf by Night. You don’t have to look any further than the run time. It’s 54 minutes and that’s including the opening and end-credits. That’s not long enough to tell a story and develop the characters. Something is bound to be sacrificed. In this case, it was the characters.
If you’re a fan of the other Marvel Studios show, you know that it takes a while to build a character. Moon Knight’s Layla is a perfect example. Elsa Bloodstone and Jack Russell’s personalities were already on full display and it worked for the special. However, it would have been nice to see their backstory, too.
What’s really going on with Elsa, her father, and Verussa? There’s definitely more to that story. Especially with all of the anger and sass that Verussa had for her step-daughter. Moreover, Jack Russell’s curse seems to be passed down. He also does his best to keep the animal inside him in check. That means there were some incidents where he didn’t. And let’s not forget Jack’s relationship with Man-Thing. Fans likely want to know what things were like before Ted became the Man-Thing.
Werewolf by Night Grade: A
Werewolf by Night is worth checking out, but leaves questions that could have been answered if it was a mini-series. Definitely worth watching and recommending.
What do you think, readers? Did you enjoy Werewolf by Night? Let us know in the comments below.