It was rumored for a while online that the MCU are diving into the supernatural side of Marvel with the character of Werewolf by Night. That was confirmed this weekend at D23 Expo when Kevin Feige revealed a trailer for the MCU's first TV special premiering during spooky season on Friday, October 7.
Another example of the MCU diving into both horror and supernatural elements was this year's Doctor Strange Into The Multiverse Of Madness. Plus they've also introduced Blade in the post-credits scene of Eternals. In addition to that, Blade will also have a solo film in November 2023. The first full foray into horror themes will be Werewolf by Night, which will introduce cults, werewolves, and all kinds of creepy imagery.
The entire aesthetic has a very retro vibe that draws inspiration from classic horror characters featured in both the Universal and Hammer monster films. There's also quite a bit of wacky humor featured in the trailer as well. It definitely doesn't feel like anything else featured in the MCU so far, which is not a bad thing. It's also unclear exactly how this ties into the overall shared universe, but all the fans know the MCU always has a plan. Let's take a deep dive into the first trailer for Marvels' first original TV special, Werewolf by Night.
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The trailer opens in a graveyard, establishing a darker and grim tone. Then, the retro-looking title card pops up on the screen then after some quick flashes of scary imagery, a female voiceover begins. She explains to her strange yet also creepy looking house guests that they have been gathered together to hunt for some type of great evil. The big twist is that this "evil" is in disguise and hidden among them.
Most fans will notice that as soon as that phrase is said, it's clear that it's that character in the foreground as the camera lingers on that quick shot. That character is Jack Russell (Gael Garcia Bernal), who will be the title character. Then it transitions over to character Elsa Bloodstone (Laura Donnelly), who was shown in the intro as well, so she is likely going to play a major role. She is usually tied to these horror-type characters in the comics, so it makes sense she would be introduced with Werewolf By Night. She appears to be another one of the hunters there to hunt the werewolf, but she'll probably team up with him by the time all is said and done.
It is also revealed by the creepy hostess that they have figured out who the imposter is, but apparently haven't seen a werewolf before. Then in the next shot she's taunting him after he has been captured. She makes a mistake she might not live long enough to regret when it yanks her in by the neck to get a bite. Then a barrage of images flash across the screen as you see the werewolf caged and getting tortured while other various unexplained things are going on as well. So it definitely looks like Jack Russell is going to have one hell of a time getting out of there alive.
This is definitely going to explore supernatural aspects of the Marvel universe, but there has never been a single project in the MCU devoid of action scenes entirely. There are some gruesome shots mixed in as well, including an arm getting cut off by Elsa Bloodstone and the werewolf attacking people in the shadows.
One of the coolest yet most important shots comes during that sequence, where there is a brief look at the werewolf. The design is definitely reminiscent of Lon Chaney Jr.'s design in the 1941 classic, The Wolfman, which is very promising because many modern werewolf designs go way over the top or just completely reinvest the concept. It's refreshing in a day and age where most the big franchises rely heavily on CGI to bring monsters to life on-screen.
There is also a quick shot of the character Man-Beast making an appearance, which wasn't mentioned before in the rumors. Not sure how that all comes together, but a good guess could be that maybe it's the actual evil they're hunting for, not the Werewolf by Night.
After some quick shots of absolute mayhem, the title card appears once again. Then the end tag is a really creepy shot of Elsa inside what looks like a cage as the camera slowly pans in closer and closer. Then as thunder flashes you can see she is being stalked by some kind of monster. Is it the werewolf, or could it be something else far more sinister? Since you can only see its silhouette against the wall it's not entirely clear, but it builds up quite a bit of tension very quickly before the trailer ends and fades out like old film reels back in the day.
There's a ton of potential for crossovers from other supernatural characters in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. We'll find out soon, as it's just a little under a month until Werewolf By Night starts streaming on Disney+. It won't be long until MCU fans really see what Werewolf by Knight is all about.
Watch the full trailer here: