Marvel is finally dipping their toes into the Monster verse and giving us something that’s actually scary. We’re being introduced to multiple supernatural monstrous characters like Ulysses Bloodstone and Man Thing. But before some others come into the mix, I’ll briefly introduce the title character of the latest special.
Gael Garcia Bernal is playing Werewolf By Night, who made his comic book debut in Marvel’s Spotlight Issue number 2, which came out back in 1972. His real name in the books was Jacob Russoff, but he legally changed it to Jack Rusell. He is very close to Moon Knight. So we could expect a team-up somewhere down the road within the MCU. He has fought the likes of Dracula as well. In fact, his condition of lycanthropy, which means turning into a werewolf, comes from a family curse placed on his ancestor Grigory Russoff when he battled Count Dracula’s werewolf. This curse was dormant in the family’s bloodline and activated in the 1950s through the Darkhold.
Jack, in particular, turned into a Werewolf on his 18th birthday and retained his form for three full moon nights. His first two years were a big struggle as he would turn into a werewolf every moon night. So, he had to lock himself up so he won’t harm others. But later on, he gained control over his abilities. He could turn back and forth between a human and a werewolf at will by just imagining a full moon. He kept his conscience and his ability to speak during this controllable state. But this isn’t the most robust version of Werewolf by Night. That only comes on a full moon night when he turns into a beast involuntarily. This is when he goes completely berserk and has no control over himself. It’s almost like Hulk going crazy with rage. But the difference is that Werewolf by Night cannot speak in this mode.
Even though he gained control over his Werewolf ability, he still loses control on a whole moon night. So, he made arrangements for himself to be locked up in such scenarios. But ultimately, when he thought he could control his powers, he decided to use them for good and became a crime-fighting superhero. He has fought alongside Avengers like Iron Man. And he even became a part of the Midnight Sons. While the first one may not be possible now, we want this guy to join the Midnight Sons in the MCU. He could team up with Blade, Moon Knight, the Punisher, Ghost Rider, and perhaps even Black Knight.
Powers and abilities of Werewolf By Night
First off, he obviously has superhuman strength. But the degree of his power varies between his two forms. The first is his controllable intermediate form which allows him to lift up to 1500 pounds. That’s about as strong as Captain America. But in his savage control form, he can lift up to a ton. So, his strength grows vastly during a full moon night.
Besides raw power, he also has superhuman speed, agility, and reflexes. Even though he isn’t trained in close combat, his strength, speed, agility, and reflexes make him a vicious fighter. And he uses his pointy claws and teeth as weapons during a fight. In his werewolf form, Jack’s senses are also heightened to the level of someone like Wolverine. So he can track and hunt down anyone!
His stamina and durability levels are just insane, as he can continue fighting for long periods and take hits better than an MCU supersoldier. And what allows him to fight for so long is his rapid healing factor. Even if his opponents inflicted some damage upon him, his wounds would heal back quickly. So, Werewolf By Night really becomes a formidable opponent for anyone to take on.
But he has one weakness as he shows a particular vulnerability to objects or weapons made of silver. Because of his fast reflexes, it would be hard to land an attack with a silver sword or a blade. But long-range weapons firing silver bullets could prove to be effective against him. Kevin Feige and co are pleased with the introduction of Werewolf By Night in the MCU. Now it’ll be interesting to see where this supernatural being is next.
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