Warning: This post contains SPOILERS for Werewolf by Night!
Marvel shakes up Phase 4 with a horror Special Presentation, and here is Werewolf by Night‘s ending explained and what it means for the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s future. The latest entry in MCU Phase 4 is another example of how Disney+ is freeing up Marvel Studios to be a bit more experimental. The black and white special focuses on Jack Russell (Gael García Bernal), Elsa Bloodstone (Laura Donnelly), and other monster hunters. The brisk 52-minute runtime gives Werewolf by Night the chance to tell a quick self-contained horror story in the MCU and introduce several supernatural characters to the franchise.
The main setup for Werewolf by Night‘s story is the death of Ulysses Bloodstone, the leader of an unnamed monster hunting group and rightful owner of the powerful Bloodstone. His death allows Verussa (Harriet Sandom Harris) to gather a collection of monster hunters together for the goal of inheriting the Bloodstone. While many focus on the hunt for Man-Thing and fight for survival, Jack Russell is there to save his old pal and Elsa Bloodstone just wants the Bloodstone. Little does everyone know that Jack is hiding a big secret and is actually a monster himself known as Werewolf by Night. The discovery of this leads to his imprisonment and forced transformation, resulting in an action-packed and bloody Werewolf by Night ending.
Why Werewolf By Night Does Not Attack Elsa Bloodstone
The action of Werewolf by Night‘s finale revolves around Werewolf by Night escaping from the prison that Verussa puts him in and rampaging around Bloodstone Manor. While he makes quick work of the various armored guards around and some other hunters, it is only Verussa using the Bloodstone on him again that deters future attacks. But once Elsa Bloodstone incapacitates her, Werewolf by Night pounces at his former ally and is seemingly about to kill her. However, Jack Russell does not attack Elsa Bloodstone in Werewolf by Night‘s ending. They instead lock eyes, and he jumps off her and runs out of Bloodstone Manor.
Werewolf by Night not attacking Elsa Bloodstone is proof that Jack does remember her even in his powerful Marvel monster form. Before Verussa used the Bloodstone to trigger Jack’s werewolf transformation, he begins sniffing Elsa to strengthen the chance that he will remember her scent. He also tells her that she needs to maintain eye contact at all times with him to stay safe. Elsa follows these orders to look directly into Jack’s eyes, and it seems that the combination of this and remembering her scent (and possible voice) is what ensures that Werewolf by Night does not attack her in Werewolf by Night‘s ending. Jack mentions that this worked once before to protect someone else from being attacked, and now he can count Elsa as another survivor.
Man-Thing Returns And Saves Elsa Bloodstone
Man-Thing’s role in Werewolf by Night seemed to be over once Jack and Elsa helped him escape from the maze he was trapped in. Despite running off into the forest and seemingly being free from the monster hunters, Man-Thing makes a heroic return in Werewolf by Night‘s ending. Based on the conversation he has with Jack at the very end, it seems that Man-Thing returned to make sure his friend was safe and return the favor of saving him this time. The MCU’s multiverse creature instead appears just in time to save Elsa Bloodstone, as Verussa had a gun pointed at her ready to fire. Man-Thing uses his powers to kill Verussa immediately upon his crash landing in Bloodstone Manor. It further proves that Ted is a hero and trusts Marvel’s version of Buffy the Vampire Slayer after their quick bond in the special.
Elsa Bloodstone Takes Over Bloodstone Manor & The Bloodstone
Another big development in Werewolf by Night‘s ending is that Elsa Bloodstone takes the Bloodstone as her own and seemingly reclaims Bloodstone Manor as her new home. The special states that the Bloodstone was always meant to be Elsa’s but that her leaving the family for 20 years resulted in her losing that claim. She crashes the hunt for her father’s funeral to reclaim the Bloodstone, which she does successfully after knocking out Verussa. It is not entirely clear what Elsa wants to do with the powerful artifact, but the inherent powers like increased strength, a longer life, and protection leave several possible explanations. Thanks to the Bloodstone and likely making Bloodstone Manor her new base of operation (and possibly for the MCU’s Midnight Sons), Elsa Bloodstone is set up to continue her career as a different kind of monster hunter.
Why Werewolf By Night Turns To Color In The End
For almost the entirety of the MCU Special Presentation’s runtime, the Bloodstone is the only thing in color. That changes when the red color shining from the artifact begins to spread in Werewolf by Night‘s ending and turns everything color. Instead of the Bloodstone being like the red coat in Steven Spielberg’s Schindler’s List, the transition to full color raises questions about why everything else was in black and white to begin with. There is an obvious explanation of Marvel wanting to emulate the classic monster movies with the black and white look, but Marvel’s decision to use color in the final scenes could be a sign of the MCU magical weapon‘s true powers. The fact that the color spreads out from the Bloodstone only after Elsa comes to possess it could mean that Verussa previously used it to take away color in the real world within a certain area. If this is the case, then the Bloodstone turning everything to color in Werewolf by Night‘s ending could confirm it has the ability to alter reality on some level.
How Werewolf By Night Returned To His Human Form
The final scenes of Werewolf by Night show that Jack Russell’s human form is back after his rampage. There are a few possible explanations for Werewolf by Night no longer being in his creature form by the next morning. One is that Elsa Bloodstone helped trigger the reverse transformation (like Black Widow’s Hulk lullaby), which is why Werewolf by Night ran away so quickly instead of attacking her. It is also possible that Werewolf by Night always reverts to his human form after sleeping, so him resting immediately after the night passes could help him revert. The potential even exists that once the Bloodstone changed owners that previous spells, like the one Verussa used to make Jack become Werewolf by Night, are reversed.
Will Werewolf By Night’s Characters Return In The MCU?
By the time Werewolf by Night ends, there is no confirmation that any of the special’s characters are returning to the MCU. However, each of the three main supernatural heroes are certainly set up for more adventures. Man-Thing and Werewolf by Night are last seen together and joking about what will come next for them. The longtime supernatural friends might not always be together in the MCU, but it does seem more likely that Man-Thing and Werewolf by Night will return at some point. Elsa Bloodstone’s MCU future is left wide open too, and Marvel Studios is sure to capitalize on the response to her. As a vampire hunter by trade in the comics, Elsa Bloodstone is a natural fit to be in Blade with Mahershala Ali’s Eric Brooks. That is so far not confirmed but could very well happen to connect the movie to another supernatural character. Since Werewolf by Night does not directly set up what comes next for Jack Russell, Elsa Bloodstone, and Man-Thing, viewers will have to wait and see how they factor into the MCU’s future.
Key Release Dates
