Marvel Is Replacing Hulk With an Even More Monstrous Antihero

By Chris Miller

Published Aug 18, 2024

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Thread 4

Summary

Jack Russell struggles to contain his werewolf transformations, fearing the harm he may cause others.
The Darkhold may be behind Jack's blood curse, as eldritch monsters search for its power.
Like Hulk, Jack isn't alone in his struggle, with Elsa Bloodstone by his side to help him redeem himself.

Warning: Contains SPOILERS for Werewolf by Night #1

In recent years, Bruce Banner and the Werewolf by Night. For Banner, the night used to belong to the Hulk whether Bruce wanted to or not. Now, the genetically cursed lycanthrope is losing control, with or without the moon.

Werewolf by Night #1 by Jason Loo and Sergio Dávila reintroduces readers to Jack Russell aka the Werewolf by Night. Russel has all the same traits as any classic werewolf; an unassuming man by day but a vicious beast under the full moon’s light or by his own free will.

However, after the events of Blood Hunt, which cast the world in an endless darkness, Russell’s powers have grown and he’s losing control. Now, Jack has to figure out what is causing his transformations without killing any more of his friends along the way.

Marvel Gives Werewolf by Night a Heart-Breaking New Status Quo

The struggle to contain the beast within has driven Werewolf by Night for years, and his hear-breaking new status quo shows he has a way to go.

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Jack Russell Slashes His Way Into a New Horror Show

In the Darkness of the Night, an Awakened Beast Prowls

Jack Russell wakes up after being Werewolf by Night-1

Recently, Jack has isolated himself on a lake-locked island hidden deep within the Rocky Mountains. While hidden from the rest of the world, he’s developed a close acquaintance with the nearby locals. However, when he wakes up to discover his claws have torn through his neighbors, Jack locks himself away, hoping to die in his cell. While he notices a scent unfamiliar to him at the sight of the murders, Russell can’t help but feel he is entirely to blame. However, Jack isn’t the first cursed hero to lose control in the darkness of night.

Jack’s sudden nightly transformations may be due to something entirely beyond his control.

Early on in Bruce Banner and Hulk’s original comics, Hulk only emerged when the sun had set. This became a staple for the character before he became synonymous with being a reactive force to Banner’s emotions. Every time Bruce woke up he would have to face the horrors his Other left behind. While Banner has long overcome this aspect of his and Hulk’s relationship, Jack Russell is only falling deeper down the rabbit hole. However, Jack’s sudden nightly transformations may be due to something entirely beyond his control.

The Powers of the Darkhold Rest Heavily on Jack Russell's Soul

He Has Lost Control Over More Than Just His Powers

Elsa Bloodstone and the Werewolf by Night prepare to fight.

After Varnae’s defeat, and the death and disbandment of his vampire army, many of the world’s eldritch monstrosities have gone into hiding but are searching for the one artifact to free them from extinction - the Darkhold. Jack Russell’s blood curse, much like vampirism, can be traced back to the Darkhold itself. If Jack is struggling to contain the might of his curse, the contained within the Scarlet Witch and inside a living construct created by Agatha Harkness.

Jack Russell is a good man at heart, struggling to control the beast within. Like Bruce Banner, Jack is terrified that every time the sun sets there is another opportunity that the wolf could take to kill the innocent. Fortunately, Jack, like Banner, isn’t alone. Elsa Bloodstone, a master monster hunter, understands Jack’s plight just as Bruce has Rick Jones to ground him. While his terror of himself is justified, the Werewolf by Night, much like the Hulk, isn’t completely lost and has a chance to redeem his horrific actions in the rest of the series to come.

Werewolf by Night #1 is available now from Marvel Comics.

Werewolf by Night #1 (2024)
	Writer: Jason Loo Penciler: Sergio Dávila Inkers: Jay Leisten, JP Mayer & Craig Yeung Colorist: Alex Sinclair Letterer: VC's Joe Sabino Cover Artist: E.M. Gist Variant Cover Artists: Marcos Martin, Rahzzah, Sergio Dávila, JP Mayer & Alex Sinclair