While fans wait for this iconic Werewolf to grace their screens and become a part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, we must first understand his origins, how lethal he is, and the role he plays in the Marvel comics.
Indeed, with the introduction of Moon Knight on Disney Plus, his first comic appearance in Werewolf by Night #32, which will be explored in this film, becomes increasingly interesting. Werewolf by Night, also known as Jack Russell, is one of Marvel’s most dangerous werewolves, and here’s all you need to know about him. Before discussing his skills and talents, we’ll take a look at Jack Russell, our heroic werewolf, and the comics that tell his adventures with Moon Knight. Let’s get this party started, shall we?
Werewolf By Night Nightmarish Origin
Just like Hollywood’s Hays Code died in 1968, relaxing several rules around interracial dating and seductive dances, the Comic Code Authority also loosened some of its restrictions in 1971, and Marvel Comics was one of the first to seize this opportunity and make the most of it. Today, Marvel Comics are mainly popular for the superhero genre that revolve around A-listers like Iron Man, Spider-Man, Doctor Strange, Thor, and their likes.
However, there was a comic book era where Marvel paired up with the horror genre to release some of its scariest and most interesting pieces of work. And we hope that some of these will be remembered and hopefully be revived soon, one of the set examples being Morbius.
After the relaxation of the code, Marvel invested its time and money in horror, which led to the creation of Werewolf by Night, which in turn led to the introduction of Jack Russell to the Marvel Universe. He officially became the first character to be known as Werewolf by Night, and we are introduced to him in 1972’s Marvel Spotlight #2. However, exactly one year before the comic code authority was created, Marvel Tales #116, gave us a brief story about Werewolf by Night in 1953.
This took place in 19th century Vienna, where a young man named Johan wishes to marry Bettina but is worried about his lack of wealth. He stages a robbery which is interrupted by a werewolf, and despite fleeing, the Werewolf finds Johan’s home, where he seeks refuge for the night. The next morning, he turns into an ordinary man and blackmails Johan. Now, Johan robs the rich, and the Werewolf feeds on them.
The end of this comic reveals that the Werewolf is Bettina’s father, who is also a werewolf. As we can tell, despite introducing Werewolf by Night, this comic didn’t introduce Jack Russell in 1953. Flash forward to 1972, the comic begins with Russell in his werewolf form.
After transforming back to his human form, he is convinced it was all a crazy dream until he visits his mother on her deathbed, where she reveals the untold secrets of his lycanthropic lineage. He learns about how his father was killed by the townsfolk after he lost control one night. Moving to the 1974 comic, Werewolf by Night #15, Jack Russell learns more about his origin and his relation to Marvel’s Dracula.
The first Werewolf in Russell’s family line was Transylvanian Grigori Russoff, who staked Dracula after the murder of his wife; this led to Dracula’s servant, a werewolf, biting Russoff and leaving him the curse of lycanthropy. Jack Russell’s mother eventually remarried, which turned him into a Russell from a Russoff; however, the cursed stayed, and on his 18th birthday, he transformed into a werewolf.
Moon Knight Vs. Werewolf by Night
Werewolf by Night #32 Introduces Moon Knight, who made his most recent debut in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, which makes it all the more exciting to revisit this particular comic. The story starts with Moon Knight in his attire, along with his silver claws, brutally attacking Werewolf by Night in an alleyway. Despite his cockiness, the Werewolf is losing this battle as the silver claws are proving especially deadly.
People watch as Moon Knight uses a silver blade and attacks the Werewolf, who thinks about how the moon should make him stronger, not cause him to lose a battle. Moon Knight repeatedly calls him a freak and gloats over his victory. We then see a flashback to the day before, when the Werewolf had attacked Buck Cowan, his friend, who was trying to protect an innocent child.
He then spent the rest of the night hiding under a rock, waiting for the blizzard to pass by. The next morning, back to his human form, Jack Russell as he goes around trying to find his friend, Buck, clearly having no memory of the night before. Meanwhile, we see doctors and nurses trying to save his life. Russell finally gets a ride and reaches his stepfather’s house by noon, who tells him about Buck’s accident and how he was mauled by a creature and wasn’t sure if he’d pull through.
In a hurry, Jack reaches the hospital, where he finds out that Buck had slipped into a coma, and they weren’t sure if he’d ever recover from it. Jack then curses the moon and drives back home, where his father tells him that he has a visitor, which then turns out to be Moon Knight, who says he is there to do his job. We are then shown the part where he begins to narrate his job, and we see a couple of men reviewing the dossier of a man named Marc Spector.
He is then given a costume that enhances his abilities, along with a possible ten thousand dollars if he finishes his job, which is to capture and deliver Jack Russell. He even gives him the option of going with him the easy way, but clearly, Russell turns that down and runs to the alleyway, transforming into a werewolf, which brings us back to the present time.
The people who were watching finally decide to call the cops while Moon Knight keeps winning the battle until Russell finally throws a punch with everything he had in him, causing Moon Knight to collapse for a moment before he gets up and throws his final punch. The comic ends with Moon Knight dragging the Werewolf while everyone, including his sister, watches.
We move on to issue #33, which is a continuation of the previous issue with more Werewolf by Night Versus Moon Knight. We see Moon Knight holding the Werewolf in one arm as he uses the other to climb the ladder to the helicopter. While this was going on, the police had ordered an open fire as they tried to get them but failed miserably. Meanwhile, we see a man in search of Raymond Coker, who played a very brief role in the previous comic.
He used to be a werewolf, who has since been cured. He now visits a woman and narrates the story of how his aunt and uncle were murdered, and the only witness was their daughter. After telling her the whole story, the woman warns him, and the only person who can now help him is Jericho Drumm. Meanwhile, Moon Knight is still climbing the ladder when the Werewolf finally wakes up and pushes both of them off the ladder as they both fall into the ocean next to the pier.
Despite the beating, the Werewolf still had a lot of fight left in him as they get on the pier, and he begins throwing punches, using his strength to try and defeat Moon Knight. Just when he thought he had defeated him, the darkness ended, and he transformed into his human form.
Jack Russell stood there as Moon Knight stared in disbelief. The helicopter returns as they once again begin climbing the ladder. As all this happens, Buck is still in a coma, and while he showed some progress, the doctors still have very little hope. After Moon Knight delivers Jack Russell, the bosses tell him that they can’t pay him until they’re sure this man is a werewolf. They had also managed to kidnap his sister Lissa.
The men reveal that they want to keep the Werewolf as a pet for their personal use, to commit murders and crimes whenever needed, and so they needed to wait until a full moon to make sure he was one. In a fit of rage, Russell turns into a werewolf, shocking everyone as the men hand Moon Knight his money for completing the job.
This is when Moon Knight has a change of heart and realizes that these men are more of a beast than Russell ever could be. The Werewolf escapes from the cage, and he, along with Moon Knight, fights these men, winning the battle. Jack Russell is now free, and Moon Knight has his money.
What Makes Jack Russell So Deadly
Lycanthropy dates back to several centuries, while the Russoff lineage dates back to 1795, which led to Jack Russell becoming a werewolf. Being a werewolf accounts for the majority of his powers and abilities. However, it is important to note that there is a lot that comes with this, both good and bad, that Russell has had to deal with over a series of comics, which makes him an incredibly deadly creature.
Russell can transform himself into a werewolf when he pleases, which he usually accomplishes by meditation. However, on a full moon night, his transformation, much like other werewolves, is involuntary and deadly. During a normal transformation, he can retain his intellectual abilities but cannot do the same on a full moon night. Lycanthropy can be a gift and a curse, but it comes with superhuman strength where he can lift incredibly heavy objects, and up to almost a ton on a full moon night when he is in complete werewolf form.
Superhuman strength also comes along with the ability to leap and jump because of his incredibly strong muscles. He also possesses superhuman agility, stamina, reflexes, and speed, which make him more capable than the best human athlete, even in his intermediate form. Being a werewolf also sharpens his sense of smell, sight, and hearing, much like an actual wolf. He can smell a living creature that could be up to a hundred feet away from him, making them easy prey.
His body tissues are harder as compared to a normal human being which means that he doesn’t get wounded or physically affected as fast or as terribly as humans do. His body can withstand bullets, falls, forces, and exposure to temperature without being injured, which poses extremely useful when he is put up against an enemy.
His claws and teeth are extremely deadly and fatal to the human body, but along with that, they can also cut through other materials such as food and fabric. Jack Russell can heal ten times faster than a human being and barely have a scar left behind. Even though Russell is mostly in control of his werewolf form, there are times he loses control which holds him back in certain situations but doesn’t take away from how he is one of the strongest werewolves in the Marvel comics.
Most Interesting Facts You Need to Know About Marvel’s Werewolf by Night
Werewolf by Night was a character created solely because of the demand for characters like him back in the 1950s. The horror genre was at its peak, and Marvel was not one to be left behind. Stan Lee, the editor-in-chief of Marvel Comics, Les Daniels, a comic book historian that Goodman, the founder of Marvel Comics, would notice what was selling, and put out a lot of books of that type which included horror titles such as Marvel Tales, where Werewolf by Night as a character was introduced in the early 1950s.
The production and more tales of this character were halted until 1972 when the comic code authority loosened its restrictions. More recently, comic fans had anticipated Werewolf by Night to make its first appearance in the Marvel Cinematic Universe after the release of Moon Knight was announced. The MCU is known for some of its cameos, whether they play a major role or a small glimpse in the end credit scenes. However, the fans weren’t lucky enough to see Werewolf by Night make its debut in the MCU yet, but all hope isn’t lost.
In the second episode of Moon Knight, there is a small nod to the comic Werewolf by Night #32, which is a classic Jack Russell versus Moon Knight comic. Fans spotted this easter egg and grew hopeful, and while Russell didn’t appear in this season of Moon Knight, he might in the future. Moon Knight isn’t the only MCU connection that Jack Russell has. Russell has fought Spider-Man in the comic Marvel Team-Up #12 and Iron Man in Werewolf by Night #42.
However, Marvel is currently in the phase of reinventing this character before its possible debut in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. It is being written by Taboo, who is a member of the Black-Eyed Peas, which certainly makes it more interesting. This time around, the character will be a Native American which was Taboo’s pick. At the moment, we are unsure of how the Werewolf by Night will look when they finally make a debut on our screens.
As we know, most Marvel characters end up joining a group of some sort within the universe; some comprise of heroes like the Avenger, and some of the Supervillains like the Thunderbolts. Just like that, Werewolf by Night is a part of Legion of Monsters, along with Morbius, Ghost Rider, a mummy, and Man-Thing, making it an interesting and deadly mix of monsters.
Deadly And Terrifying Versions of Werewolf by Night in Various Forms of Media – Explored
Marvel is a universe that goes beyond just tv shows, films, and comics. Originally what began as comics for children, is now one of the biggest conglomerates that exist in the world, and just like other Marvel characters, Werewolf by Night, aka Jack Russell, has also made his presence felt beyond the comics, and in other forms of media as well. As for television, Werewolf by Night appeared in The Super Hero Squad Show, which ran from the year 2009 to 2011, with a total of 53 episodes.
He appeared in the episode called “This Man-Thing, This Monster” and was voiced by Rob Paulsen. Given the fact that Werewolf by Night and Man-Thing belong to Legion of Monsters, it would make sense for him to appear in this particular episode of the series. He also goes on to appear in Ultimate Spider-Man, which was an animated series loosely based on the comics. This time around, he was voiced by Ross Lynch, and this version of the Werewolf by Night stays in his werewolf form the whole time and is in complete control of it.
Jack Russell’s character also is a fan favorite in video games, because who doesn’t love the appearance of a werewolf and its abilities? He appears in Marvel vs Capcom 3, where he fights the dark forces that ruin the world, he is an avenger of sorts in this particular game.
He has several moves, which include slashing, biting, kicking, and jumping, along with some moves which have enhanced powers, making him even more powerful. In the mobile game, Marvel Avengers Academy, Werewolf by Night is an unlockable character in the 2017 Halloween event. Despite not making an appearance yet in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Werewolf by Night has managed to weasel its way into merchandise because of its popularity in the comics.
Eaglemoss Publications had released The Classic Marvel Figurine Collection, and Werewolf the Night was a part of it. The figurine shows him in his intermediate form, somewhere in between being human and being a werewolf, he looks just as deadly with a frightening attack pose. He was also a part of a box set alongside Dr. Strange, Blade, and Morbius, which is proof enough that he is one of the stronger characters in the Marvel comics.
Jack Russell has been a fan favorite in the Marvel comics, and there is no doubt that this Werewolf is capable of beating some of the strongest Marvel characters. It almost makes one wonder if they’re keeping his debut aside for something bigger, to put him against someone stronger. There are endless possibilities, and while there is a little question mark about his appearance in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, it is still worth looking for easter eggs related to this character in the upcoming projects. Until he becomes a part of the MCU. There are several independent Werewolf by Night comics, along with his appearances in other comics that can be read, showing you different versions of this character.