The first look at Marvel's "Werewolf by Night" has come out of the shadows.
Here's why this "special presentation" has more going on than you might think.
One of the biggest surprises to come out of Marvel Studios' panel at 2022's D23 event
was the release of the "Werewolf by Night" trailer.
Kevin Feige revealed this is the first-ever holiday special for Marvel Studios, and the
trailer even debuted a new intro card we've never seen before.
Instead of the traditional Marvel Studios logo we're used to, a colorful Netflix-esque
graphic introduced a Special Presentation card with the studio logo above it.
The "Werewolf by Night" trailer is like nothing we've ever seen in the Marvel Cinematic Universe
before.
It is a campy throwback to the Hammer Horror films of old, shot entirely in black-and-white
and creepy as all get out.
The popcorn flick will be the MCU's first Halloween special, introducing Gael García
Bernal's Jack Russell, aka Werewolf by Night, into the cinematic universe.
We met some classic comic book characters in the trailer while also being introduced
to brand new players, all in this terrifying gathering of monster hunters.
There's a lot to be distracted by in the unusual trailer, so we broke down some of the small
details you might have missed.
"Tonight it is every hunter for themselves."
A character we weren't quite sure we'd ever get in the MCU is finally here: Man-Thing,
who made his Marvel Studios debut in the "Werewolf by Night" trailer in a blink-and-you'll-miss-it
moment.
Dr. Ted Sallis first appeared in 1971's "Savage Tales" #1 and is one of Marvel Comics' most
unusual characters.
Dr. Sallis becomes Man-Thing after injecting himself with his SO-2 serum (a failed supers-soldier
serum replica) and crashing his car into a part of the Florida Everglades that just happens
to be the Nexus of All Realities.
You can clearly see Man-Thing at the 1:05 mark in the trailer, where he looks to be
melting a combatant.
Man-Thing does have connections to Werewolf in the comics, as both were members of the
Legion of Monsters.
Whether that group forms in the holiday special remains to be seen, but the team also includes
Elsa Bloodstone, who is featured in the "Werewolf by Night" trailer heavily – at least, we
think.
It has not been officially confirmed at this point, but it's almost a 99% certainty that
"Outlander" star Laura Donnelly is playing Elsa Bloodstone in "Werewolf by Night."
The daughter of Ulysses Bloodstone, Elsa is a master monster hunter who often favors firearms
as her weapons of choice.
Despite that history, the woman we see in the trailer seems much more timid than the
Elsa fans of the comics know and love.
Donnelly's character seems to cower around Jack Russell when he's transforming into the
Werewolf in front of her in the cage.
This could be just a put-on, or maybe it's a part of the character's development on-screen.
Either way, here's hoping we'll see Elsa turn into the badass she's known to be in Marvel's
comic pages.
The film's black-and-white appearance makes Elsa's hair look like it's a dark brown or
black, but it's definitely possible she's sporting her comic variant's bright red locks
somewhere beneath the special's shades of gray.
Some characters don't quite fit in with the theme of "Werewolf by Night," sticking out
like sore thumbs.
Outside of the creepy and spooky monster hunters we see gathering at Verusa's behest, there
are uniformed outsiders who appear to be crashing the party.
Those uniforms look awfully familiar, they sort of look like Time Variance Authority
agents, as seen in "Loki" Season 1.
However, it’s worth noting that the uniforms are not a 100% match so this could be another
one of those classic misdirections from our friends at Marvel.
These agents are tasked with capturing variants and those who disrupt the sacred timeline.
It's suspected that "Werewolf by Night" takes place in the past, and we think they might
be crashing the monster mash in search of the Darkhold.
That is if that really is the TVA.
The sacred text first made an appearance in "Marvel Spotlight Vol. 1" #4, which centered
around a "Werewolf by Night" story.
Jack Russell finds the Darkhold, which we know is extremely dangerous in the MCU, thanks
in no small part to the Scarlet Witch.
It makes sense the TVA would intervene anywhere the Darkhold might be present; as Wanda recently
demonstrated, bad actors in pursuit of the book can connect to alternate selves in other
timelines, making them a major threat for the TVA.