As the Marvel Cinematic Universe continues to grow, it has incorporated more and more of the comics’ vast mythology. The cosmic side of things has come to the forefront, as has the mystical. But the horror side of Marvel Comics has yet to take center stage. Until now. Not only will there be a Blade movie starring Mahershala Ali, but Marvel’s first Halloween special will air this October. At D23 Expo 2022, uber producer Kevin Feige gave fans a first glimpse of the special, directed by composer Michael Giacchino. In it, we see Gael Garcia Bernal take on the mantle of Werewolf by Night in a very Universal Horror-inspired special.
The black-and-white special will be, according to Feige and Giacchino, a bit scarier than we’ve seen in Marvel before. A bit like Poltergeist, they said. The grindhouse-style trailer also has splashy images and what looks like 2D animated shadows of Bernal turning into the titular werewolf by the titular night. It appears that someone (Harriet Sansom Harris) has brought a group of people to an old creepy castle. She says they’re all hunters, but one of them is a monster. But which one?
Well, we know, because, duh. But the trailer goes on to show the werewolf absolutely demolishing people and guards, which is exactly what you want from a man who is a wolf. There’s definitely an amount of fun here too, as the animatronic zombie host of the event tells the hunters that he’ll be “rotting” for them. Very Cryptkeeper.
Werewolf by Night first began in an issue of Marvel Spotlight in 1972. In that issue Jacob Russoff becomes a werewolf. Can you guess at what time of day that happens? An ongoing series started thereafter and by issue 32, the title spawned Moon Knight. As we know, Moon Knight has already had his first appearance in the MCU.
Another amazing horror creature appears in the trailer as well, if you had keen enough eyes to spot it. None other than Man-Thing, Marvel’s supernatural swamp monster who first appeared in Savage Tales #1 from 1971. It sure looks like his giant, monstrous hand that grabs Bernal through a bush. He has a history with all sorts of characters, and is himself a Nexus being, which we know about from WandaVision. If they’ve brought Man-Thing into the MCU, we know we’re in for some fun.
The Marvel Halloween Special, Werewolf by Night will premiere on Disney+ October 7.
Kyle Anderson is the Senior Editor for Nerdist. You can find his film and TV reviews here. Follow him on Instagram and Letterboxd.
