A new rumor based on a Funko Pop leak indicates Werewolf By Night may appear on Moon Knight, in order to do battle with the titular antihero.
The list of leaked Funko Pops coming out of Moon Knight on Disney+ can be found here. Funko figures of Marc Spector, Steven Grant, Arthur Harrow, Layla El-Faouly, Moon Knight, and Mister Knight were all posted. But the most exciting leak was saved for last.
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Though this leaked listing is not the most reliable source to turn to, and merchandising doesn’t always reflect the final product of the film/TV show, Funko Pop leaks have revealed spoilers for several noteworthy Hollywood projects. If this one turns out to be true, a Funko called “Moon Knight Vs. Werewolf By Night” is on the way, which could mean that Werewolf By Night will debut in Moon Knight. This would be an amazing way to introduce Marvel’s premier lycanthrope before he stars in the Disney+ Halloween special based on Werewolf By Night.
MOON KNIGHT: WEREWOLF BY NIGHT FUNKO POP RUMORED
That Disney+ special will be directed by Micahel Giacchino. Werewolf By Night (not the official title yet, though it could become such) will star Gael Garcia Bernal in the leading role. Additionally, Laura Donnelly was cast in an undisclosed role, though many speculate she is playing Vampire By Night, a vampire-werewolf hybrid and relative of Jack Russell AKA Werewolf By Night. Additionally, Mahershala Ali’s Blade is rumored to make an appearance in this Halloween special. A Man-Thing Halloween special is rumored to be in development as well.
Though Jack Russell is the most popular and original character to use the “Werewolf By Night” mantle, he is not the only one, and it is unknown which version is being adapted for the MCU. Jake Gomez, the second Werewolf By Night is a member of the Hopi Native American Tribe. Gael Garcia Bernal is of a closer age to Jack Russell than the young Jake Gomez, but it’s possible that he is playing a loose adaptation of either character, or perhaps a new Werewolf By Night inspired by the source material, but not beholden to it.
WEREWOLF BY NIGHT: WHICH VERSION WILL STAR IN THE MCU?
Moon Knight and Werewolf By Night have a wonderful shared history. Moon Knight actually debuted in Werewolf By Night #32, where he battled the titular lycanthrope on a mercenary mission. In the next issue, Moon Knight realized Jack Russell’s humanity and decided to let him go, abandoning his mission to take him down.
The two would prominently cross paths once again in Moon Knight #20 (2006), from artist Mike Deadato Jr., colorist Rain Beredo, letterer VC’s Joe Caramagna and writer Mike Benson. In that issue, a criminal ring was kidnapping homeless people and injecting them with a temporary form of lycanthropy, forcing them to fight for amusement.
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They were able to do so because they had kidnapped Jack Russell, and were using his biology to turn their unfortunate competitors into monsters. Moon Knight caught onto this horrible crime and came to the rescue, destroying the organization and freeing Jack Russell once again.
A BRIEF HISTORY OF WEREWOLF BY NIGHT
The following is an excerpt from The Official Handbook Of The Marvel Universe: Deluxe Edition #14, written by Mark Gruenwald. It contains an official Marvel origin for Werewolf By Night, and it also explains his powers, and a history of the Russell/Russoff bloodline.
“Jack Russell was the elder of two children sired by Gregory Russoff, a Transylvanian baron and scholar, who was turned into a werewolf when Jack was still a small child. Russoff’s ancestor Grigori first brought the supernatural curse of lycanthropy (turning into a werewolf) upon the family when in 1795 he tried to rescue his wife Louisa from the clutches of the vampire-king Vlad Dracula and was bitten by a female werewolf.
Because his children wer born before he was soa afflicted, Grigori Russoff’s offspring the succeeding generation were spared the agony of turning into werewolves themselves. The curse, however, was mystically transmitted to Russoff’s descendants, awaiting a supernatural catalyst to trigger it. In the mid 1950’s such a catalyst was found when Baron Gregory Russoff, the great great grandson of the first Russoff to become afflicted, acquired a copy of the Darkhold, the tome of evil mystical knowledge originally scribed by the ancient demon Chthon.
Among the many secrets of occult lore contained in the fragment Russoff acquired was the origin of lycanthropy. The act of reading the passage on werewolves supernaturally triggered the dormant curse in Russoff’s ancestry, and transformed him into a werewolf. For several months, Russoff transformed on the three nights of the full moon and rampaged through the countryside, even taking lives a number of times. Russoff sent his wife Laura to her native America with his children to safeguard them. Russoff was eventually stalked and killed by a mob of Townspeople.
When Laura Russoff learned of her husband’s death, she remarried to give her children a father. The man she married coincidentally was named Russell, the Americanizedd version of her husband’s name. Jack Russell and his sister Lissa were raised in Los Angeles. When Jack reached the age of 18, he became afflicted with his father’s curse, and began to turn into a werewolf on the three nights of the full moon.
For about two years, Russell ran rampant through the Los Angeles environment with the mind of a savage beast on the nights of the full moon when he did not take stron enough precautions to prevent himself from escaping confinement. Miraculously, in that time he never took a human life, although a number of the persons he encountered have become permanently scarred or crippled. As a werewolf, Russell encountered such bizarre persons as the Moon Knight, The Hangman, Sarnak, Dr. Glitternight, the Hunchback, Tigra and DePrayve.
Finally, the mystical extradimensional beings known only as “The Three Who Are All” granted Russell the ability to transform himself at will into the werewolf regardless of the time of month, while retaining his human intellect. With this ability, Russell embarked upon a career as an occasional crimefighter, once encountering Iron Man in New York, He still had one major limitation, however: on the nights of the full moon, his human mind still regresses to that of a savage beast. To avoid tarnishing his already shaky reputation, Russell designed a virtually escape-proof cell for himself for the three nights of the full Moon.”
The wonderfully insightful Marvel Handbook line is chockful of detailed information like this, which as a fan, I’ve always found very helpful when getting into characters with decades of comic book history. The Marvel Cinematic Universe version of the character will certainly not be a perfect adaptation of the excerpt above, but several elements are likely to be lifted. It’s more than probable that the MCU’s Werewolf By Night will have a connection to the Darkhold, as it’s become a central element of multiple live-action Marvel projects, including Agents Of Shield, Runaways, and WandaVision. The Darkhold, and possibly Chthon will most likely be seen again in Multiverse Of Madness, though that has yet to be confirmed.
While I wouldn’t expect to see Werewolf By Night doing battle with Dr. Glitternight in the MCU, it would be amazing to watch him interact with Moon Knight, and hopefully Tigra in live-action someday. No matter what happens with this Funko rumor, the future is bright for fans of Marvel’s monster catalog.
Are you excited to see Werewolf By Night come to the MCU? Do you think he will show up in Moon Knight? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below or on our social media!
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Source: Comic Book Movie
