Marvel Just Reminded Everyone About Their Perfect Halloween Project, But Where’s the Sequel?

Spoilers for VisionQuest follow.

VisionQuest is engaging television by any standard, but it’s proving to be an especially delightful treat for diehard Marvel Cinematic Universe fans. While the show’s main focus is of course on select members of the complicated Maximoff family of superhumans and the other artificial intelligences from throughout the MCU that Vision (Paul Bettany) keeps in his synthezoid mind, the four episodes released so far have also been treasure troves of name drops and Easter eggs to other parts of the franchise. Episode 3 features arguably the most surprising reference yet, with a dialogue scene involving the villain Paladin (Todd Stashwick) revealing that the bounty hunter has a history with the hero of a niche MCU project that had previously seemed largely forgotten.

In VisionQuest Episode 3, “Reboot,” while recovering from a battle with Vision, Paladin discusses injuries he’s received from other superhuman and vigilante opponents with his unnamed handler (Diane Morgan.) The discussion suggests that he has battled both Frank Castle/The Punisher (Jon Bernthal) and Matt Murdock/Daredevil (Charlie Cox) but the most unique injuries are bite marks from what the handler describes as “that thing that was half-way between a man and a wolf,” who Paladin remarks is “A perfectly reasonable fella by day.” The description and word choice clearly indicate that they’re talking about Jack Russell (Gael García Bernal) who is also known as the titular character from Werewolf by Night.

Marvel Seemed to Forget About Werewolf by Night

Released in October 2022 on Disney+, Werewolf by Night is a television film Marvel Studios refers to as a Special Presentation. It was the franchise’s first experiment with the latter format, with The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special following a few months later. Shot mostly in black and white, Werewolf by Night sees Jack infiltrating a gathering of monster hunters who compete to kill a target eventually revealed as Jack’s friend Ted/Man-Thing (Carey Jones and Jeffrey Ford,) who Jack plans to save. Jack establishes an alliance with hunter Elsa Bloodstone (Laura Donnelly) whose abusive family organized the competition in honor of her father’s death, but the pair are captured after freeing Ted, with Elsa’s stepmother Verussa (Harriet Sansom Harris) using the mystical Bloodstone to reveal Jack’s own monstrous side. Jack transforms completely into his form as a werewolf (a species the hunters are implied to be unfamiliar with) and he and Elsa win a brutal fight for escape. Though his animalistic instincts then lead the wolfish Jack to turn on Elsa, he is eventually able to recognize her as a friend and refrain from hurting her. A colorized version of the special was released the following year.

Werewolf by Night was praised for its efficient storytelling and unique style, which was dubbed an effective tribute to classic monster movies from frequent Marvel composer Michael Giacchino, who made his directorial debut with the project. However, Marvel has yet to produce any kind of follow-up project or progress any of the characters’ stories with return appearances elsewhere. The Special Presentation format was itself seemingly abandoned for a time, despite the Guardians project also receiving a warm reception. Some have speculated that this was due to Marvel’s highly publicized decision to reduce output after overextending itself at the beginning of the Multiverse Saga, which executives have admitted led to less consistent quality.

VisionQuest Gives Werewolf by Night Fans Another Good Sign

The lack of continuation for Werewolf by Night was also thought to be a consequence of the specific changes to and cancellation of plans for other projects based on Marvel’s horror comics, like Mahershala Ali’s Blade reboot, which many initially expected to culminate in a crossover project focusing on the superhero team the Midnight Sons. That said, there have still been some successful supernatural and horror-oriented projects in the intervening years, like Agatha All Along and Marvel Zombies, in which connections to Werewolf by Night would have made sense, making the continued lack of them frustrating.

Fortunately, while VisionQuest’s mention of Jack is the most explicit in-universe reference to Werewolf by Night in years, there have also been some other behind-the-scenes details that have recently reignited hope for a continuation. Giacchino, García Bernal, and other Marvel creatives have all expressed interest in continuing Jack’s story and it’s been confirmed that early drafts of the film Thunderbolts* featured Man-Thing in a significant role, with concept art of his potential design having recently been revealed. Some have interpreted the announcement of Ryan Gosling and Shawn Levy’s Ghost Rider reboot film as evidence of a renewed focus from Marvel on supernatural and horror stories that could still lead to a Midnight Sons adaptation. The Special Presentation format also returned earlier this year with the highly successful The Punisher: One Last Kill, making a straightforward Werewolf by Night sequel seem more possible.

Do you want Werewolf by Night to get a sequel? Discuss in the comments.

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