This article contains spoilers for Werewolf By Night.Marvel's Werewolf By Night features a wealth of Marvel Easter eggs, firmly establishing the supernatural side of the MCU. Directed by composer Michael Giacchino, Werewolf By Night is Marvel's first step into the horror genre. Tonally and stylistically, it's absolutely unique in the MCU to date, shot in black-and-white to evoke memories of classic horror films. This had the added benefit of allowing the Disney+ special presentation to go a lot further with bloodshed than anything else in the MCU so far.
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It's not entirely clear how Werewolf By Night fits into the MCU timeline, but it sets up a boom in Marvel monsters, simply because it features the deaths of some of the world's most celebrated monster hunters. It's clear there have always been monsters and demons, vampires and werewolves in the MCU; their numbers have simply been kept down by monster hunters like the famed Ulysses Bloodstone, whose reign as leader of this shadowy community has finally come to an end. Although Ulysses has a daughter, she is clearly viewed as unworthy to inherit his greatest tool, the sacred Bloodstone, and the world's greatest hunters gather to compete for the honor of bearing it. Naturally, it all goes horribly wrong.
Werewolf By Night features an all-star cast who play seasoned warriors and professional monster hunters. The story is absolutely packed with supernatural Marvel Easter eggs, helping firmly establish this never-before-seen side of the MCU. No doubt these themes will continue to be developed through Phases 5 and 6, not least because one prominent monster hunter wasn't welcome at this gathering, Mahershala Ali's Blade, who will soon step into action on the big screen. Here's everything Marvel has incorporated into the MCU ahead of Blade.
Werewolf By Night Establishes The History Of Ulysses Bloodstone
Werewolf By Night introduces viewers to the Bloodstone family, and to the legacy of Ulysses Bloodstone, the man who has led the monster hunter community for generations. One of Marvel's most established supernatural characters, in the comics Ulysses Bloodstone was actually a caveman who was kept alive for 10,000 years after he stumbled upon an ancient Bloodgem. In the MCU, the Bloodstone has passed down through the generations, but Ulysses doesn't want to leave it to his daughter, Elsa Bloodstone, who he viewed as something of a disappointment because she chose to reject his ways and trained elsewhere. The opening of Werewolf By Night includes a brief account of Ulysses' death, written in Latin. He is described as the "seventh son of the Bloodstones," and was apparently killed on the last full moon of the year, "at the end of the bloodshed." This suggests Ulysses Bloodstone died on a mission, and the nod to the full moon may even hint he was killed by a werewolf.
Laura Donnelly's Elsa Bloodstone Is The Most Important Hunter In Werewolf By Night
Laura Donnelly's Elsa Bloodstone is the most important monster hunter introduced in Werewolf By Night. The comic book version of Elsa Bloodstone is essentially a riff on Buffy the Vampire Slayer, created by Dan Abnett and Michael Lopez back in 2001; she's a teenager who discovers she was the daughter of now-deceased monster hunter Ulysses Bloodstone, and takes possession of his Bloodgem to continue his mission. The MCU has switched Elsa Bloodstone up a little, making her a more confident figure from the outset, and thankfully ditching the absurdly skimpy costume she originally wore. Werewolf By Night ultimately establishes Elsa as the new leader of the diminished monster hunter community, meaning she'll surely be a key player in the MCU going forward.
Gael García Bernal's Jack Russell Is The Titular Werewolf By Night
The main monster of Werewolf By Night is Jack Russell, played by Gael Garcia Bernal. The comic book character made his debut in Marvel Spotlight #2 in 1972, in a resurgence of horror comics as the Comics Book Code began to relax and allow supernatural stories again at last. Jack has inherited the curse of lycanthropy; just as in the MCU, Marvel used the character as an opportunity to flesh out the supernatural side of their universe. Amusingly, Marvel has actually introduced one of Werewolf By Night's adversaries into the MCU ahead of the werewolf himself; Moon Knight first appeared as one of his enemies, an appropriate choice given their common moon symbolism.
Werewolf By Night Finally Introduces The Man-Thing
Werewolf By Night introduces Jack Russell's friend (and fellow monster), a creature comic book readers will instantly recognize as the Man-Thing. In the comics, biochemist Dr. Ted Sallis' super-soldier experiments went horrifically wrong and transformed him into a monster that has merged with the environment of the Florida Everglades. The MCU's Man-Thing is clearly similar, given Jack Russell addresses him by his real name "Ted," so Marvel may well have introduced their most monstrous super-soldier to date. Anything that feels fear burns at the Man-Thing's touch, and he uses this power several times in Werewolf By Night. Marvel has actually been setting up Man-Thing for quite some time, as his face appeared on the side of the Grandmaster's Tower in Thor: Ragnarok, meaning he was once a champion of Sakaar. It's therefore entirely possible that, just as in the comics, the MCU's Man-Thing serves as the guardian of the Nexus of All Realities, a phenomenal multiversal phenomenon.
Werewolf By Night Introduces The Nosferatu, Ancient Vampires
Werewolf By Night features several Easter eggs showing the Nosferatu, a breed of Marvel vampires inspired by the classic 1922 film of the same name. In the comics, the Nosferatu were the first vampires, Dracula's ancient rivals, although ironically they've only appeared once, in the 2001 Bloodstone miniseries that introduced Elsa Bloodstone herself. The comics revealed they were sorcerers who lived in ancient Atlantis, and who used the power of the Darkhold to unleash ancient magic. It will be interesting to see if they have any connection to Talocan, Marvel's redesign of Atlantis, which will appear in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. Their MCU origin may well have been revised, however, given the destruction of the Darkhold in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness apparently destroyed all its effects.
Werewolf By Night Also Sets Up The Wendigo & Sasquatches
One of Werewolf By Night's most exciting Easter eggs is the introduction of the Wendigo, a monster typically associated with the Hulk and Wolverine (in fact, Wolverine's debut in The Incredible Hulk #181 saw him caught up in a three-way battle against the Hulk and a Wendigo). The Wendigo are carnivorous monsters that stalk the Canadian wilderness, and the magic powering them is dark indeed. Another Easter egg in Werewolf By Night sets up the existence of a very similar monster, the Sasquatch, and it's possible the two are related in the MCU. In the comics, the only "Sasquatch" is a mutant superhero who morphs into a monstrous form at will and has taken that as his codename.
Werewolf By Night Features A Possible Black Knight Easter Egg
Another Easter egg in Werewolf By Night may subtly nod toward Kit Harrington's Black Knight. One shot teases a historic gathering of monster hunters, and one of them is a knight in armor. It's possible this is an early Black Knight because Marvel seems to be tying the Black Knight's traditional weapon, the cursed Ebony Blade, in with their vampire lore. Eternals' post-credits scene saw Kit Harington's Dane Whitman reach out to touch the Ebony Blade, only to be stopped by the voice of Mahershala Ali's Blade. According to Marvel, this was quite deliberate; "The Ebony Blade, the characteristics of the Ebony Blade are not dissimilar to some degree of vampirism," producer Nate Moor explained, teasing a connection between Blade and the Black Knight. It's possible that, like Elsa, Dane Whitman has now inherited the role of monster hunter and a mystical item of considerable power.
Werewolf By Night's Bloodstone Explained
The Bloodstone is the McGuffin of Werewolf By Night, a mystical gem that exerts tremendous power over monsters. Latin inscriptions reveal it's been passed down through the generations in the Bloodstone family, although its origin is unknown (in the comics, it's tied to a different dimension). Interestingly, some inscriptions in Latin appear to hint that, as in the comics, there are multiple Bloodstones. If so, some smaller ones could be used by less prominent monster hunters, or even more disturbingly, evil forces could be using their power.
Werewolf By Night's Hunters Aren't Easter Eggs At All – But The Tombs Include Some Amusing Nods
The end of Werewolf By Night sees the world's most prolific monster hunters slaughtered, but thankfully no comic book characters have been wasted, they're all original characters. Marvel has similarly eschewed introducing any lore through the tombs, instead settling for featuring a number of Easter eggs to members of the art department. "Mika Brandonen Kleyla" is a nod to art director Brandon Kleyla.
A Final Marvel Studios Presents Easter Egg
One final delightful Werewolf By Night Easter egg during the credits features the line "Marvel Studios Presents." This particular Marvel reference will delight comic book readers, because it evokes memories of the classic comic book series Marvel Comics Presents. This did indeed feature a range of horror characters, such as Werewolf By Night and Man-Thing. It feels very appropriate to see Werewolf By Night end with this particular Easter egg.
Werewolf By Night is streaming now on Disney+.