Warning: The following contains spoilers for Marvel’s Werewolf By Night.With Phase 4 of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, the properties have been much more experimental than those of the past. One of those properties is the Halloween special for Disney Plus,Werewolf By Night. Named for the comic book character, the special is shot in the vein of classic monster movies, and features such comic book characters as Jack Russell and Elsa Bloodstone.
The two characters are just some of the hunters united at the Bloodstone residence to compete for the object that belonged to Ulysses Bloodstone, a jewel that could combat supernatural creatures. While the other hunters present for the competition aren’t Marvel comic book characters, there are still plenty of Easter eggs hidden inWerewolf By Nightfor fans.
RELATED:She-Hulk: Is Madisynn’s Story A Nod To A Specific Marvel Villain?
Krogg And Glitternight’s Bat
Michael Giacchino, director of the Halloween special,did confirm when speaking with IGNthat a few of the monsters seen as trophies are ones he pulled from the comics that he thought would look cool as artwork.
One of those is Krogg. Krogg is a demon who first appeared inWerewolf by Nightcomics in 1973. Jack Russell accidentally released him from where he had been imprisoned in a cavern. Krogg, to survive on Earth, had to consume the souls of living things, which put the two at odds, and Jack ended up trapping him in a cave-in.
Giacchino also confirmed that the bat-creature on the wall of Bloodstone Manor is an homage to anotherWerewolf By Nightvillain. Glitternight was known for creating bat-demons to go after his enemies.
Glitternight firstappeared inWerewolf By Nightin 1974 and had quite a few run-ins with Jack Russell. He even attempted to control Jack’s younger sister’s transformation into a werewolf, placing her partially under his demonic control until he could be stopped. He often created creatures for Jack to go up against instead of fighting himself, and his bat-demons were some of those creatures.
The Wendigo And The Sasquatch
In the Bloodstone house, there is a lot of monster memorabilia. There are trophies of monsters that the Bloodstone family and their hunters have killed. One that might be of interest to comic book fans appears to be a wendigo.
Wendigo isn’t unlike a werewolf in terms of being a shapeshifter capable of killing. A wendigo does, however, have a pretty big moment in Marvel comics. WhenWolverine makes his first comic book appearance fighting the Hulk,it’s when he’s going after a wendigo. The two characters end up teaming up to take on the creature before going their separate ways.
Sasquatch might be the codename of a Marvel character, but it’s not included in the trophies as a nod to that. Instead, Giacchino admitted in his IGN interview that he was always scared of the idea of Bigfoot as a kid, so he wanted the
“monster” to be included.
Nosferatu
The illustrations of monsters that accompany the start of the special features a look at a very old vampire design, the nosferatu. That same design appears in the trophies on Bloodstone’s walls as well.
This ancient version of a vampire, as well as Elsa’s story about her aunt Frances so sure she would reawaken after death, are nods to the fact thatvampires have always existed in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, even if the audience hasn’t seen them yet.
Blade is on the way in his own movie (though it has faced some setbacks), but it’s fitting that he wasn’t invited to this gathering of monster hunters. Given that Blade is part vampire, he would be seen as a threat rather than a hunter by the gathering.
Gorr The God Butcher
When Jack first enters the Bloodstone home, he passes several murals that depict the slaying of monsters across different cultures and times. The Latin phrases above the depictions all indicate different commentary on death. “Extremum vitae spiritum edere” above one in particular, for example, is essentially Latin for “giving up the ghost.”
That phrase appears above an image of hunters slaying a monster that appears in Marvel comics, though not for a monster slaying. That artwork is almost an exact replica of Gorr the God Butcher being attacked with an ax. Gorr, of course, recentlyappeared inThor: Love And Thunder,but he didn’t look exactly like his comic book counterpart.
Names On The Tombs
When Jack finds himself locked in a room in the garden with Elsa, it isn’t an ordinary room. It’s a mausoleum on the Bloodstone property, presumably housing the remains of the Bloodstone family members and other hunters who have been honored by the family. Some of the names on the tombs are Easter eggs.
David Long appears on one of the tombs. He’s worked in art departments in Hollywood for years and is best known as a prop maker. He even worked onCaptain America: The Winter Soldier. Mika Brandonen Kleyla also appears on one of the tombs. That’s a nod to art director Brandon Kleyla.
There are likely more names and dates of significance hidden among the tombs of Elsa’s ancestors as well.
Ted
The monster that the hunters compete against to get the bloodstone is a friend of Jack’s named Ted Sallis. His comic book name, given to him by those who have encountered him, is Man-Thing. Though this is his first appearance in the MCU, it’s not the first time he’s been referenced in a Marvel property.
Agents of SHIELDsaw Maria Hill mention him after having to give testimony in court. His wife, Ellen Brandt, appears inIron Man 3as one of the users of the extremis serum. His face also appears on the Grandmaster’stower of champions inThor: Ragnarok, indicating he might have been off-planet at some point.
When Jack wakes up after being found by Ted at the end of the Halloween special though, the duo appear to be in a wooded area, which is more like where he resides in the comics. He spends most of his time in the Florida Everglades guarding theNexus of all Realities, a point where different realities converge in the comics.
“Somewhere Over The Rainbow”
There are only a handful of songs containing lyrics used inWerewolf By Night. One of those is “Somewhere Over The Rainbow,” which movie fans will remember as Judy Garland’s most famous song,sung inThe Wizard Of Oz.That movie famously transitions from black and white to technicolor when Garland’s Dorothy is transported over the rainbow from Kansas to Oz.
The use of the song here marks the transition from theclassic black and white monster movie lookto the color of the modern day as Elsa Bloodstone settles in at home.
Werewolf By Nightis available to stream on Disney Plus.
NEXT:Why Are Movies And TV Shows Always Breaking The Biggest Vampire Rule?
