Summary
With the success ofAgatha All Along, audiences are proving to favor the supernatural side of theMCU. The stories being told as thefuture of theMCUcontinues to developare proving to merge the magical and mystical realms into the more cosmic side of things. The need to see more supernatural-based characters in theMCUis in high demand. After the recent news of Blade’s solo film being pulled from Marvel’s schedule, one character that saw great success with their Halloween one-shot special wasWerewolf by Night.
Otherwise, known as Jack Russell, theMCUversion of the character is a powerful lycanthrope who struggles to maintain control over his beastly transformations. His best friend, Man-Thing, travels the world with Jack,and with the help of Elsa Bloodstone, he can escape the monster hunters who had been hunting him down. Yet there is a legendary team that Jack is a part of in the comics that should make their debut in his next special. The Legion of Monsters team should appear inWerewolf by Night’ssequel.
The Legion of Monsters, Explained
The team’s original lineup wasfounded by Morbius the Living Vampire, Werewolf by Night, and Man-Thing. They came together to face a being who would turn out to be benevolent, The Starseed. Despite being good, the creatures attacked the beings after their monstrous instincts kicked in, and the disappointment they all felt led to them not even acknowledging their team status. However, that all changed in the 2010 run of Legion of Monsters.
Joining the three original members were N’Kantu, the Living Mummy, and the Manphibian. Later, the team would be joined by a recently deceased Frank Castle, killed by Wolverine’s son Daken. Morbius reassembled Frank to turn him into FrankenCastle,a monster form of The Punisher. Living and working to protect Monster Metropolis, an underground city for outcast monsters, the team use the Morlock Tunnels to help ferry monsters in and out of the city. The Punisher helped in that effort to protect the innocent monsters from the Special Forces Monster Hunter division.
Later, the team face Elsa Bloodstone, who infiltrated the monster city to capture and end a monster responsible for the deaths of multiple teenagers. However, upon her arrest, it was discovered that the beast in question had been plagued by and controlled by evil energies released from Morbius himself. Later,the team face Red Hulk, who has come to the city after being haunted by a ghost. Scaring the monsters of the city, Red Hulk and the team gained help from Doctor Strange, who discovered the ghost in question was the dark half of Doc Samson, who had recently passed away, and the team was able to banish the spirit away.
Legion of Monsters in the MCU
TheMCUhas already featured many of these characters in the firstWerewolf by Night. In addition to Jack Russell,the inclusion of Man-Thingand Else Bloodstone allowed for the world of the supernatural to be opened up and explored in a way that hadn’t been done before. Yet it was but a pittance of the supernatural threats and heroes that exist in theMCU, and bringing in the Legion of Monsters to the story would be the perfect way of showcasing the haunting yet heroic nature of the creatures that protect a world that fears and loathes them.
In addition to Werewolf by Night and Man-Thing, it would be great to see some of these other creatures, including Monster Metropolis, brought to life. Exploring a powerful living mummy like N’Kantu would be great, and Manphibian would also bring the cosmic side of theMCUto life as he hails from an alien race. While it’s unlikely that Morbius or an undead version of the Punisher would appear in the project. However, bringing in other supernatural creatures for those roles is not outside the realm of possibility. Frankenstein’s monster,or perhaps even one of the Ghost Ridersof the Marvel universe, would allow the Legion of Monsters to rise once again.
While nothing is confirmed, the Legion of Monsters is the next step in theMCUjourney thatWerewolf by Nighthas in store. The expansion of the monsters of theMCUand the exploration of the society of which Jack and the Man-Thing are a part would not only touch upon the final moments of the first Halloween special but bring the supernatural elements of theMCUinto a much grander, more engaging part of the paranormal community. This could also lead to other supernatural teams,from the Midnight Sonsto the Howling Commandos and so much more. A sequel toWerewolf by Nightwould catapult the monster community of theMCUto new heights.
MCU
The Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) is a sprawling movie and television franchise that weaves together individual stories of superheroes including Captain America, Thor, Spider-Man, Hulk, Black Widow, and many more. The first film in the franchise, Iron Man, was released in 2008. The MCU has garnered critical praise and financial success, earning billions at the box office and becoming a cultural phenomenon.
