Marvel Producer Explains Why Werewolf By Night Needs to Be Black and White (Exclusive)

Phase 4 of the Marvel Cinematic Universe has been all about venturing into new territory. The latest batch of projects kicked off at the theaters with a rare prequel story in Black Widow, expanded the universe into serialized storytelling with WandaVision, and transformed into animation with What If…?. While the final days of Phase 4 are nearly here, Marvel Studios still has a couple of firsts to check off its list. Both of those come in Werewolf by Night, the inaugural installment in Marvel’s “special presentation” catalog. Not only does Werewolf by Night bring about a new medium of storytelling for the MCU, but it also delivers its narrative with a fresh color palette.

As revealed by the trailers, Werewolf by Night operates entirely in black and white. Speaking with ComicBook.com’s Phase Zero, Werewolf by Night executive producer Brian Gay noted that this color palette was utilized to give extra emphasis to this special presentation being something “really different.”

“What I think is is it’s about the story. We knew we were gonna tell a story. These are vicious monster hunters. They’re not gonna sit around and just have a nice dinner. We’re gonna get them out there. They’re gonna be fighting. They’re gonna be hunting. And with that, the story requires that we give you that scare and give you that element of what it is,” Gay said. “I think the black and white is something that makes it special and makes it, I’ll call it just like a little bit of an extra twist on top that makes you, ‘Oh, this is really different and this is cool.’ There’s a stylization to it that not only is an homage to those classic monster movies but just feels new within the MCU.”

This technique went over well with ComicBook.com’s Adam Barnhardt, who awarded Werewolf by Night a perfect 5 out of 5 stars.

“Without color or having to worry about a ratings bureau, Marvel is able to add more blood to its sword strikes, throat cuts, and decapitations as the traditionally scarlet fluid flings aplenty,” Barnhardt wrote. “More blood is shed in a sequence riffing on Daredevil’s hallway fights than in the franchise’s other outings combined, and that’s only the beginning the tip of the blood-filled iceberg.”

Werewolf by Night is now streaming on Disney+.