For those doubting the mature themes ofWerewolf by Night, it seems that the violent and horror-orientated special only avoided a TV-MA rating thanks to it being presented in black and white instead of color. The first look at the Marvel Special Presentation brought an unexpectedly dark and scaryhomage to 40s Universal horror moviesand will draw back the veil on the monsters of the MCU. DirectorMichael Giacchinorecently revealed that the super-violence of the show almost ended up pushing the rating ofWerewolf by Nightbeyond the usual TV-14.
Marvel has already hinted at darker things to come to the MCU. As well as this year’s Sam Raimi-directedDoctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madnessand Disney+ seriesMoon Knight, coming soon will be the introduction ofBladeand potentially, even further in the future,Ghost Rider. Werewolf by Nightdoesn’t just bring its titular lycanthrope into the Marvel world but also features the introduction of Man-Thing and other darker creatures from Marvel canon.
While speaking toThe Hollywood Reporter,Giacchino explained that there were very few restrictions put on him when it came to the amount of horror he could bring to the project, and that ramping up the visuals meant the director was a little surprised to see the special being given a TV-14 rating. He said:
“We had always assumed it would be TV-MA, but I wasn’t always involved with what was happening on that end in terms of ratings and all of that. And so I’m not sure, but I am sure you are absolutely right that the black and white did help keep us within a certain range.”
Related:Werewolf by Night Fan Theories: The TVA, Man-Thing, and Midnight Sons
The MCU is Preparing to Delve Into More Mature Content
While any Disney-owned franchise comes under fire for potentially “kiddifying” its content, from theAlienfranchise through to the MCU, many of those fears have been unfounded. This was proven earlier this year with the release ofPredatormoviePrey, and now is being shown in the context of the MCU withWerewolf by Night.
Doctor Strange 2already used some disturbing visuals as Wanda’s villain turn saw her traversing the multiverse in order to capture America Chavez, and withWerewolf by Nightalready getting a lot of praise ahead of its release on October 7, there is every possibility that it will pave the wayfor more dark avenues to be explored within the MCUparallel to its PG-13 main story.
When it comes to violence, comic book violence tends to get much more lenience than many other movies and TV shows that involve torture, mutilation and dismemberment, and that clearly means that Giacchino has been able to push the boundaries of the ratings system in ways that appear to makeWerewolf by Nightone of the most mature offerings from the MCU to date. Of course, like many Marvel shows on Disney+, this is clearly an experiment to see exactly what grabs the attention of viewers, and it looks like the special is certainly flexing its claws in that department. CatchWerewolf by Nighton Disney+ from October 7.
