Both Marvel fans and fans of classic horror films were given a little surprise earlier this month with the release of the Werewolf By Night special on Disney Plus. The short film was seen as a success for Marvel as it received praise from both critics and fans. The blending of both classic and modern elements gave the special a very unique blend.
But not many people seem to realize how big this event may for for Marvel going forward. Not only did the 50-minute special showcase a forgotten character of the Marvel Universe, as well as a forgotten branch of the world of super heroes; That being the world of Marvel Monsters.
Many people seem to have forgotten that for a time Marvel produced multiple titles that adapted popular gothic monsters. Aside from Werewolf By Night, other titles included The Tomb Of Dracula, The Monster Of Frankenstein and The Living Mummy among others. Even the cult character Man-Thing (who also appeared in the Werewolf By Night Halloween Special) falls into that category for being a swamp monster.
With the mostly positive reception of this special, one does have to wonder if Marvel will try to repeat the success in the future. Despite this being advertised as a one-off special many fans have shown interest in seeing more content in this style. Perhaps it is something currently being discussed behind closed doors.
In the future with the upcoming Blade film we may get some reference or maybe even an appearance from Dracula. But as for the other characters maybe there is some untapped potential.
One storyline they could possibly adapt is the Howling Commandos, a group of Monsters lead by Blade to fight other supernatural horrors.
While it is true that the idea of featuring horror characters in a Cinematic Universe had already been attempted with Universal Studios’ Dark Universe (which failed after only one film). But that doesn’t mean that the idea should be entirely off the table, especially if they have the right creative force behind it.
After all, weren’t the classic black & white monster movies from Universal technically the first cinematic universe?
What do you think? Should Marvel adapt more of their classic horror characters and bring them into the MCU?
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