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Warning! This List Contains Major Spoilers For The MCU Halloween Special, Werewolf by Night!Marvel’s celebrating the spooky season in the best way possible with its first Halloween special, Werewolf by Night. Composer Michael Giacchino makes his long-form directorial debut, framing a delightfully compelling, haunting, and visually delicious story introducing viewers to some great new monster characters, such as Gael García Bernal's Werewolf by Night.
This is only the start for these specials since The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special is set to premiere on Disney+ this December, but Bernal’s future in the MCU is still being kept ambiguous. In just an hour, he makes a big impact on viewers, so they want more – the same goes for his co-stars, Laura Donnelly’s Elsa Bloodstone and Ted, a.k.a. Man-Thing. While there’s no official statement about his future, there are some possibilities, from both confirmed and suspected projects, of where fans could see him next.
Future Halloween Specials
While Werewolf by Night is the first of its kind for the MCU, it better not be the last. Halloween specials could become a yearly tradition that many fans would love to add to their Halloween watch lists. Many great characters are worthy of their own specials, including Elsa Bloodstone and Man-Thing, but they could also introduce other monsters from Marvel comics like Manphibian, N’Kantu, the Living Mummy, and/or Vampire by Night.
Werewolf by Night could feature in any or all of these, whether as a supporting ally or even an unexpected foe. He might even come to be the Nick Fury of the supernatural world in the MCU, bringing together other monsters and heroes for an eventual team-up down the line. On top of this, Werewolf by Night could lead to his own recurring Disney+ series.
Loki Season 2
Something many people probably didn’t expect from Werewolf by Night when it was first announced was a connection to Loki. Yet, there is one – in a way. The Bloodstones seem to be employing security officers deliberately reminiscent of the Time Variance Authority. While their weapons didn’t send Jack or Elsa to the Void, this design choice could tease a future for Werewolf by Night in Loki's upcoming second season.
Interestingly, it’s not defined where and when exactly Werewolf by Night fits into the MCU’s continuity, which could mean that it and subsequent horror-centric stories are taking place on an alternate Earth. Loki could therefore link that world to Earth-616 ahead of Avengers: Secret Wars. Only time will tell, so fans will have to wait till later in 2023 to find out.
Blade
A logical next step for Werewolf by Night is to appear in Blade. It likely wouldn’t be anything more than a cameo like Blade’s at the end of Eternals, but it could help pave the way for a major team-up later. In particular, it’s fun to think about how Blade, the dhampir vampire hunter, and Werewolf by Night might interact.
Mahershala Ali’s Blade could be going up against various powerful vampire villains, like Deacon Frost or even Dracula, so Werewolf by Night might be a welcome ally – especially since Dracula is linked to Jack Russell’s family in the comics. Funnily enough, some fans are also calling for Michael Giacchino to take over as director for Blade now that Bassim Tariq recently left the project.
Agatha: Coven of Chaos
Like Blade, another mystical story confirmed to be coming is Agatha: Coven of Chaos. Perhaps Kathryn Hahn and Gael García Bernal might make for an interesting and fun pairing in the MCU. This is, however, a bit more of a stretch. While they are both prominent supernatural characters in the comics, their stories don’t overlap, but that needn’t be the case in the MCU.
The show will likely set her up as an anti-hero following her villainous turn in WandaVision and explore her magical backstory even more. She had the Darkhold, and though that was destroyed across the multiverse in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, that has important links to Jack Russell’s transformation into a werewolf. As such, he could make an appearance there, or at the very least, he and his fellow werewolves will be referenced in an Easter egg or two.
Avengers: The Kang Dynasty
There are some ways that fans can see Bernal again, and one of them is Avengers: The Kang Dynasty. If it follows the formula established by the previous Avengers films, nearly all major players should be featured in this in some way. Thanks to the TVA link with Loki, and Kang’s variant introduced in that show, there is a direct line to connect Werewolf by Night with Avengers: The Kang Dynasty.
Fans will be curious how other heroes like Ms. Marvel, Spider-Man, or Kate Bishop might react to meeting a real werewolf and learn that the scary stories and legends they’ve heard throughout their lives are real. Although most have fought aliens and otherworldly beasts, a man turning into a wolf really isn’t that strange.
Avengers: Secret Wars
It seems practically guaranteed that he will return, along with everyone else in Avengers: Secret Wars. If Werewolf by Night and its ilk do turn out to be happening in an alternate universe, then this would be where they all unite as one. That could mean that Werewolf, Elsa, Man-Thing, and others are fighting an alternate version of Kang the Conqueror in Avengers: The Kang Dynasty. The same theory could also apply to Fantastic Four and/or Deadpool 3 if those take place outside Earth-616.
The big question about his inclusion in Avengers: Secret Wars is if he’ll have a story following it. Kang the Conqueror is a deadly and ruthless opponent, so many fans are expecting more casualties. Hopefully, though, Werewolf by Night will be one of the characters to make it out in the end.
Moon Knight Season 2
Ahead of Werewolf by Night, some believed he was going to be first introduced in Moon Knight. That’s because Moon Knight actually debuted in a Werewolf by Night comic in 1975. While that wasn’t the case, the Disney+ series Moon Knight referenced it in a few easter eggs, like a QR code hidden in the background for that specific issue. Therefore, should Moon Knight return for a second season, as many are hoping, Jack Russell could pop up there again.
This could see him as an adversary to Moon Knight, especially if Khonshu sways Jake Lockley to take out Jack Russell. On top of that, one of Marc Spector’s other personalities is that of a werewolf-hunting astronaut, so he could be the one in charge of their conflict. This could be an exciting way to have them interact before a supernatural team-up of the Midnight Sons.
Doctor Strange 3
Although it hasn’t been confirmed to be coming anytime soon, Doctor Strange 3 seems like a possibility. Doctor Strange is one of the franchise’s most pivotal characters, and the post-credits scene in Doctor Strange in Multiverse of Madness is directly setting up the incursion critical to Avengers: Secret Wars. As such, Doctor Strange 3 could still be one of the mysteriously undisclosed projects in Phase Six.
Jack Russell could be an interesting addition to the film opposite Strange and Clea, along with other supernatural heroes like Brother Voodoo or Jennifer Kale. This could be a way to go into his backstory and the origins of werewolves. Furthermore, one project many fans are hoping for is a Wong special or Disney+ series, which could feature Werewolf by Night and Man-Thing, too.
A Possible Scarlet Witch Movie
Although she also died, most fans are under the impression that Wanda Maximoff, a.k.a. Scarlet Witch, will have to return sometime soon because she is one of the franchise’s most popular characters. Elizabeth Olson is more than deserving of her own film after WandaVision, so the hope is high that Scarlet Witch movies might be coming in Phase Six. Though they don’t really cross paths, her connection to chaos magic and his to the Darkhold could mean that Jack Russell shows up in a Scarlet Witch film.
In the comics, Jack’s grandfather, Gregor Russoff got his hands on the Darkhold and accidentally awoke a dormant curse in his family, turning them into werewolves. Gregor was also the purveyor of Mount Wundagore – Wanda’s birthplace in the comics and that of the Darkhold by Chthon in the MCU – so their origins are importantly linked. It’s not something many would expect, but the case is solid for a Werewolf by Night appearance in Scarlet Witch should that be made.
Midnight Sons / Legion of Monsters
Among the proposed and suspected projects, fans are hoping for is a supernatural team-up, and thankfully, there are a few great teams who could helm their own MCU film or series. The most applicable would be either the Midnight Sons or the Legion of Monsters. Werewolf by Night could feature in both, alongside Elsa and Man-Thing.
Interestingly, the two teams might be suited for different styles of projects. The Midnight Sons could presumably be comprised of Doctor Strange, Wong, Clea, Blade, Moon Knight, Werewolf by Night, Elsa Bloodstone, Man-Thing, and maybe even some new introductions like Ghost Rider or Jennifer Kale. They would all be better suited to a feature film. The Legion of Monsters, on the other hand, with Werewolf by Night, Man-Thing, Elsa Bloodstone, Manphibian, N’Kantu, the Living Mummy, and others, would fit better as a Disney+ show. Regardless, if this is where the MCU is heading, Werewolf by Night will play a pivotal role in them.