In 2022, Marvel Studios celebrated Halloween by releasing its first Special Presentation, Werewolf by Night. Directed by acclaimed composer Michael Giacchino, it introduced us to characters like the titular werewolf, Man-Thing, and Elsa Bloodstone, though they've yet to reappear.
As the first MCU horror story, it was something new from Marvel Studios. Presenting it in black and white made the special feel unlike anything else we'd seen from the studio on Disney+, and it returned to the streamer a year later in full colour.
There have been rumblings about a sequel, but nothing concrete. Four years on, it feels a little like the moment has passed, though the special's leads could potentially return in the long-rumoured Midnight Sons movie.
During a recent Reddit AMA, Jack Russell himself, Gael García Bernal, commented on where things stand with Marvel Studios' Werewolf by Night plans.
"I urge you to do whatever you can, whatever is in your power, to push Marvel into some sense of responsibility and also of ambition," the actor wrote in response to a fan. "Because they need to do something with Jack and Ted and Werewolf By Night."
"It was for me a wonderful project to do, I loved doing it, I had so much fun experiencing that, and for me it was only a taste," Bernal continued. "I wish I could do more, we had many plans, I hope they materialize one day!"
It's a shame that Marvel Studios hasn't made more Werewolf by Night a bigger priority. The response from fans and critics was overwhelmingly positive, but with no official viewership data, it's unclear whether the special made the necessary impact to warrent a follow-up.
"A Halloween horror delight, Werewolf by Night is a mighty impressive, macabre Marvel monster tale that introduces some killer new characters and proves Marvel Studios can still find plenty of ways to surprise us," we said in our review when the special hit Disney+. "More Man-Thing is a must!"
On a dark and somber night, a secret cabal of monster hunters emerge from the shadows and gather at the foreboding Bloodstone Temple following the death of their leader. In a strange and macabre memorial to the leader’s life, the attendees are thrust into a mysterious and deadly competition for a powerful relic—a hunt that will ultimately bring them face to face with a dangerous monster. Inspired by horror films of the 1930s and 1940s, the chilling special aims to evoke a sense of dread and the macabre, with plenty of suspense and scares along the way as we explore a new corner of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
Werewolf by Night is now streaming on Disney+.