When Werewolf By Night Takes Place In The MCU Timeline

Warning: This post contains SPOILERS for Werewolf by Night!

Phase 4 delivers Marvel Studios' first ever Special Presentation, and here is when Werewolf by Night takes place in the Marvel Cinematic Universe timeline. The continued expansion of the MCU after Avengers: Endgame has come with Marvel Studios pumping out more movies and TV shows than ever before. Unsurprisingly, that has made the MCU timeline an even bigger focus for select viewers hoping to keep track of the franchise's growing canon. It is no question that the MCU timeline has been a mess in Phase 4, so the arrival of a black and white Werewolf by Night special made in the vein of classic 1930s/1940s monster movies immediately raises questions about its canon placement.

Marvel deliberately leaves when Werewolf by Night takes place in the MCU timeline quite vague. However, there is one major indication of at least when it takes place after. There is a sequence where Jack Russell (Gael García Bernal) and Elsa Bloodstone (Laura Donnelly) are stuck in a room filled with tombs. Each of the burial sites has the date of birth and date of death for the person inside. There are multiple tombs for people who died in 1968, while it also appears that one for "Beverly" says she died in 1986. This would put it between Captain America: The First Avenger and Captain Marvel in chronological MCU viewing orders. Since the special does not reveal the year that Ulysses Bloodstone dies and the hunt accompanied by his funeral happens, the best answer provided for Werewolf by Night's MCU timeline placement is after 1986.

Werewolf By Night’s Timeline Placement Doesn’t Really Matter (Yet)

Gael Garcia Bernal in Marvel's Werewolf by Night

Questions about Werewolf by Night's timeline are understandable and unsurprising given how much of the MCU is built on the idea of everything taking place in a single continuity. However, Werewolf by Night is a rare example where figuring out the exact placement of the special does not really matter. The Disney+ special tells a story that is completely self-contained and has almost no connections to the larger universe. The MCU has teased Man-Thing before Werewolf by Night, but none of those teases directly contradict or fall in line with what the special presents. Meanwhile, the rest of the characters featured are brand new to the franchise.

Instead of Marvel Studios pigeonholing themselves by explicitly saying when Werewolf by Night takes place in the MCU timeline, there is now more freedom to figure out when these events really occur. It also thankfully means that Werewolf by Night does not include any significant MCU retcons or plot holes as a result of its connections. That always seemed unlikely though considering how little exploration the supernatural side of Marvel has received to this point. Werewolf by Night now serves as a good building block for more supernatural MCU characters, so whether it takes place before Captain Marvel or even closer to the present day does not really change the story at hand.

Will Werewolf By Night’s Characters Return In Phase 5?

Werewolf by Night Cast Character Guide SR

Werewolf by Night's MCU timeline placement will become a much bigger deal if these characters are going to return in Phase 5. Marvel Studios has not confirmed any additional appearances for Jack Russell, Elsa Bloodstone, or Man-Thing. It is expected that all three of them will be back in some capacity, though. Mahershala Ali's Blade movie has long been viewed as a place for them to possibly return. That is the only natural landing spot for these supernatural characters in MCU Phase 5 unless they come into play in Agatha: Coven of Chaos. If Werewolf by Night's characters are returning, then the timeline of their MCU stories will become more clear in time.

Next: Werewolf By Night Cast & Character Guide