Werewolf by Night (2022) / YMMV

Adorkable: Jack's awkward fumbling around the maze, kind personality, and earnest sweetness towards Elsa and Man-Thing serve to make him rather endearing.
Alternative Character Interpretation: Just how much did Ulysses hate Elsa for defecting from family tradition? We only have Verussa's distaste for her step-daughter to go with (given that Ulysses is dead) so perhaps Verussa is just projecting her own disgust towards Elsa. Verussa only goes down a Villainous Breakdown when Elsa decides to spare Jack in his werewolf form rather than when Elsa slaughtered the hunters.
Angst? What Angst?:
- After an entire night of horror and gore and Jack forced to turn into a werewolf against his will, he relaxes and has coffee with Man-Thing and suggests they go out for sushi.
- Elsa has little reaction to the above or the fact that Man-Thing burned her step mom into a husk, just blankly staring at what happened.
Awesome Music: Witness the terrifyingly amazing pieces from the special here.
Big-Lipped Alligator Moment: When Jack is escorted to the labyrinth that the monster hunt takes place in, we see a man playing a sousaphone to indicate whenever one of the hunters has entered the catacombs. Oh, and the sousaphone is on fire. Why? We never know, but it does capture the gothic horror aesthetic a bit.
Catharsis Factor: Man-Thing immolating Verussa, given how she was willing to force Jack to turn into a werewolf to kill Elsa and then tried to kill her stepdaughter herself.
Creepy Cute: Much like in the comics, Man-Thing definitely qualifies, with his monstrous appearance and powers...and his adorable friendship with Jack.
Epileptic Trees: When the trailer dropped, many fans mistook the Bloodstone security guards for TVA agents and thought that Man-Thing's status as Nexus of All Realities would play a significant role.
Fanfic Fuel:
- Jack stating this isn't the first time he's had to save Ted is prime for fanfic authors to take the lead and tell those tales. Better yet, how exactly did they meet is ripe for fanfics.
- Jack interacting with other horror related MCU heroes from Blade to Moon Knight (the latter actually debuting in the Werewolf by Night comics).
- What Elsa's been doing in the twenty years she's been gone. It's implied she's still been training to be a warrior and she handles the other hunters competently.
- The backstories of the other monster hunters as we only get glimpses of their fighting styles and their accolades.
- Verussa claims Jack has killed about a hundred monsters and he mentions having fought the vampire whose head is mounted in Bloodstone Manor. What other monsters has he come across? He mentions that he has killed a few monsters when he's a werewolf so there is some proof that he is a hunter.
- Jack says he was once able to avoid hurting someone in his werewolf form because he knew their scent. Who was this person? How did Jack know them?
- Ellen Brandt, Ted's wife in the comics, previously appeared as an Extremis soldier in Iron Man 3. Do they have any connection in the MCU timeline? Do they know about each other's powers? Could they possibly meet again in the future?
- Writing stories about Jack's ancestors and his lycanthrope curse, especially since his Facial Markings are specifically made to honor his family tradition.
Genius Bonus: At the end of the story, "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" from The Wizard of Oz plays as color is restored, as the special was mostly black-and-white. What makes this song's placement more unique is that the song originated in The Wizard of Oz, which begins in a sepia-tone color scheme (with said song being sung during that part of the film), before becoming a fully colored film, to the accompaniment of an instrumental repeat of the song.
Just Here for Godzilla:
- Horror and werewolf afficionados are excited for the film due to it being a legitimate throwback to the Universal Horror films.
- Others are watching due to the fact that the film is going to be directed by Michael Giacchino, who has composed many soundtracks for the MCU.
- Alongside fans of Werewolf by Night, the mentioning of Man-Thing and Elsa Bloodstone has also had comic book fans intrigued.
Memetic Mutation: Fans have made jokes that Elsa Bloodstone is related to Jessica Jones due to sharing many similarities like having dark hair and sarcastic demeanors.
Moral Event Horizon: Verussa crosses this when she traps Jack and her stepdaughter in a cage and then forces Jack to turn into his werewolf form early (even as Jack begs her not to) both for the thrill of killing a werewolf and in the hopes of said werewolf killing Elsa. And when that fails, she tries to kill Elsa.
Tear Jerker:
- Jack begs to not be turned into a werewolf by the Bloodstone, even stating that he doesn't want to kill anyone, especially the monster hunters. He requests that the hunters just kill him as human so that their lives are spared.
- Jack's being forced to turn into a werewolf by Verussa using the Bloodstone on him. Even Elsa, who is a hardened monster hunter, is shown crying in fear as she is completely trapped with the werewolf in the cage. Thankfully, the werewolf bursts out of the cage and spares her once he takes in her scent.
  - During the scene when Jack's werewolf form tackles Elsa, there is a pause as Elsa tenderly places her hand on his cheek in the hopes that it will snap him out of his berserker rage. You can plainly see the shock and confusion in Jack's eyes and how Elsa is hoping, begging, that this works.
Ugly Cute: Many Marvel fans may view Man-Thing this way, he is a creepy 9 foot tall swamp monster, but Ted is also a kind and friendly Gentle Giant who has a great friendship with Jack. Everyone can find Ted's personality as sweet and cuddly.
Visual Effects of Awesome:
- The practical effects for Jack's werewolf form and Man-Thing weren't done by CGI to make them seem all the more realistic and befitting a Genre Throwback to the Universal Horror films.
- The Shadow Discretion Shot of Jack's transformation wasn't done by CGI, rather they used multiple actors to portray it.
What Do You Mean, It's for Kids?: This is without a doubt, one of the most visceral MCU entries, as it focuses on being a campy, albeit straightforward horror movie. The ending is quite literally the only lighthearted part of the special. This makes The New Mutants and Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, though the latter arguably gives this film a run for its money, look like child's play in comparison.
WTH, Costuming Department?: Elsa Bloodstone, one of the Marvel universe's premiere redheads, has raven-black hair in her first MCU appearance. Many were turned off by this change due to Elsa's well-known status as a Fiery Redhead made the choice seem questionable. Arguably zigzagged, however, since her darker hair does help with color contrast on Black-and-White film, making one's eyes more drawn to Elsa's hair.
Win Back the Crowd: An EXTREMELY minor example: while Gorr the God Butcher's MCU appearance received mixed reception at best (as an adaptation), a panel lifted directly from the comics saga appears as a mural on the Bloodstone Manor entrance hallway wall, showing Gorr's original design as one of the monsters Ulysses slayed. Though only a minor easter egg, many who were left didn't like Gorr's lackluster MCU design were pleased to see the original look get a nod.

YMMV / Werewolf by Night (2022)

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