As the Marvel Cinematic Universe continues to get bigger and bigger, fans find themselves meeting increasingly obscure or overlooked characters within the company’s extensive back catalog. Even hardcore followers can be forgiven for not knowing every last hero or villain. When Disney+ announcedWerewolf by Night, many were likely very shocked.
Portrayed in the special by highly talented Mexican actor Gael García Bernal (ofY tu mamátambién, Babel,andCocofame), Werewolf by Night is the name for two separate heroes with identical powers. Jack Russell, the subject of the special and the overwhelming favorite between the two, is a young man afflicted by a family curse that (you guessed it) turns him into a werewolf during nights with a full moon. Simple enough, right?
Updated July 09, 2025: In anticipation of the color release ofWerewolf by Nighton Oct. 20, this article has been updated with additional information by Jack Deegan.
Well, as is often the case in the MCU these days, the original character’s relatively easy-to-follow backstory belies a rich and occasionally confusing history in the comics and other media. For instance, this isn’t even the first time Marvel has attempted to adapt the story. Efforts reported byVarietyin 2001 didn’t get too far off the ground for reasons that, to this day, remain mostly unknown. Regardless, for those who are already acquainted,Werewolf by Nightis a welcome and exciting addition to Phase 4 and how he could shape the future of the franchise.
Full Moon Fever: A Werewolf Origin Story
As detailed on the character’s page on the official Marvel website, Jack Russell/Werewolf by Night first appears in 1972’sMarvel Spotlight, Vol.2, in a story titled “Night of Full Moon – Night of Fear!” A mugger is brutally killed in anLA alleyway by a werewolf; a policeman grazes the monster with a shot before it escapes. The next morning, Russell wakes up from a bad dream on the morning of his 18th birthday, a cut on his left shoulder.
As is revealed in later stories, the events that forced Russell into a life of lycanthropy took place generations before he was born. An ancestor of his named Grigori brought the curse into the bloodline when he was bitten by a werewolf while trying to avenge his wife, Louisa, who had been murdered by Dracula. Fast-forward to the 20th century, Russell’s Romanian baron father, Gregory Russoff, inadvertently awakens the curse by reading a passage from the Darkhold. He’s killed with silver bullets after losing control while in the werewolf form. His widow, Laura, flees to America with her two children, settling down with former boyfriend (and Gregory’s brother) Philip.
Related:How Werewolf by Night Subverts the Lycanthrope Myth of Classic Movies
Russell, coming to terms with his cursed body, wakes up on a Malibu beach after a spell as a werewolf. Learning his mother is on her deathbed after a car accident, he visits her in the hospital, discovers the truth, and is made to promise not to harm the stepfather he’s grown to resent. The full moon rises, and instinct takes him to a warehouse where Philip and the family driver, Max Grant, are arguing over a payment of $10,000. Philip had refused to be blackmailed over his brother’s curse.
He canceled the payment, leading to Grant (a member of a criminal organization known as The Committee) cutting the brakes in Laura’s car in retaliation. An enraged and generally out-of-control Jack slaughters Grant and, though his mental and physical state prevents him from understanding Philip’s innocence in the matter, leaves his stepfather unhurt, remembering his vow to his mother. He then runs off into the night, howling at the moon.
Powers, Friends, and Foes
A werewolf’s powers might seem a bit obvious, but Russell doesn’t fit all the stereotypes – just most. For starters, he actually becomes smaller when he’s transformed. The official Marvel page gives his human size at an imposing 6'8, 300 lbs. He’s a much less heroic 5'10, 200 in werewolf form.
Endowed with enhanced physical abilities (strength, speed, agility, etc.), enhanced senses (especially sight), and extremely sharp claws, Werewolf By Night’s most notable attribute is his extraordinary ability to recover. He has a severe weakness for magical attacks, as a weapon made of silver is pretty much the only way to kill him. Interestingly, it’s suggested that whether someone he attacks becomes a werewolf is at his discretion. Like the Hulk, he is capable of occasionally retaining his human intellect while transformed.
A lone wolf (forgive the pun), Russell lacks both frequent allies and enemies, giving him a rich cast of characters to interact with. His most prominent enemies are Dracula and Victor Creed’s Sabretooth of the X-Men franchise. He also notably faces offwith Moon Knight(who debuted in aWerewolf by Nightcomic!), though the two are not true adversaries. The lycanthrope is also quite the lady’s man, with multiple love interests, including monster hunter Elsa Bloodstone, who is featured in the special.
An Opening to the Supernatural
What may be the most interesting thing about the character of Werewolf by Night is what he represents for the MCU going forward. While the idea has been teased before in projects likeDoctor StrangeandMoon Knight,Werewolf by Nightis Marvel’s first proper venture into the supernatural. As a monster hunter and protector, Jack acts as a gateway into the wider world of supernatural creatures and phenomena in the MCU.
He’s able to work with these creators or fight against them and take audiences to new places to meet characters they’ve never seen before. As the Werewolf by Night, there’s an infinite amount of potential for Jack’s future in the MCU as the supernatural side expands. With characters like Blade coming soon,Werewolf by Nightis prepping audiences for the supernatural side of the MCU. There’s no bigger indication of this than with Jack’s friendship with Man-Thing.
Related:Werewolf By Night: Is This the New Iron Man of the MCU
Man-Thing, better known as Ted in the special, is one of the most important characters in Marvel Comics. As the guardian of the Nexus of All Realities, Ted holds a crucial role in keeping the universe together. The Nexus of All Realities exists as a crossroads at every reality in the multiverse and was created in the accident thattransformed Ted into Man-Thing. With the Multiverse Saga fully underway, Ted could be a pivotal character in the MCU’s future. Since he and Jack are close friends and Jack is always getting Ted out of bad situations, it’s likely that where Ted is, Jack isn’t far behind. Not only does Jack have a strong connection to the supernatural side of the MCU, but through Man-Thing, he has a connection to the ever-important multiverse side.
Jack Russell in Phase 4 and Beyond
Slightly campy and very clearlyinspired by horror moviesof yesteryear, it’s safe to say it’s a big departure from much of what Marvel has made lately, at least visually. It’s by far the most unique project in the MCU, with its own style, tone, and violence you won’t see anywhere else. It’s got clear inspiration from the old Universal monster movies and uses that to tell a standalone story that serves as one of the best in the MCU.
The plot sees Russell caught up in a battle royale of monster hunters competing for a mystic artifact. The problem, of course, is that he is, by definition, a monster. Harriet Sansom Harris plays Verusa, the leader of the hunters and the one responsible for Man-Thing’s capture. Laura Donnelly plays Elsa Bloodstone, a character who has had romantic ties with Werewolf by Night, and suggests the eventual MCU debutof the Midnight Sons.
While it’s currently unknown when, or if, we’ll see Werewolf by Night. The Midnight Sons could be a good indicator of where the supernatural side of the MCU is heading. On the same day,Marvel filed to trademarkAvengers: Secret Wars, and a trademark appeared forMidnight Sons. This could be a potential project coming in Phase 6 of the MCU and the next time Werewolf by Night, Elsa Bloodstone, and Man-Thing are seen in the MCU. In Marvel Comics, the Midnight Sons are a team of supernatural heroes that come together to protect the world from mystical and mythical enemies. As someone who’s been a member in the past, it makes a lot of sense for Werewolf by Night to appear on the team.
The character could also appear in the upcoming series,Agatha: Darkhold Diaries, as in the comics, Jack Russell’s werewolf curse comes from the Darkhold. That series is expected to air during the 2024 Halloween season, which would be appropriate given that Werewolf by Night also premiered during the Halloween season. This could make the character a Halloween tradition.
The hour-long special was released last year andwill have a release in coloron August 25, 2025, on Disney+. Here’s hoping the character’s first appearance as part of the MCU is not his only one!
