Marvel Cinematic Universe’s first-ever holiday special, Werewolf by Night, is less than a week away from its global release on the Disney+ streaming platform. Helmed by composer turned director Michael Giacchino, the upcoming special has been promoted as a one-off Marvel Studios special presentation so far. Although, there is no denying that it is a crucial part of the MCU.
Werewolf by Night‘s trailer came out almost three weeks ago. Gael Garcia Bernal’s titular character and Laura Donnelly’s Elsa Bloodstone ate most of the screen time in that trailer. Obviously! But it is none other than Man-Thing that may play a key role in the MCU’s upcoming multiversal events. Want to know how? Let’s dive deep into this scenario!
Who is Man-Thing?
In the comics, Dr Theodore “Ted” Sallis was a member of the Gladiator team that worked under Dr Wilma Calvin’s supervision. The group attempted to recreate the Super-Soldier serum that created Captain America.
One day, some members of Advanced Idea Mechanics (A.I.M), a technological terrorist group, attacked Sallis’ working site. Soon, he realised that his lover, Ellen Brandt, had joined A.I.M and betrayed him. She was the one who informed the terrorist group about Sallis’ formula. This scenario forced Ted to destroy all his notes and samples. However, he memorised the formula of his serum and fled. He somehow managed to get his hands on one of the serums and injected himself with it. Accidentally, he crashed his car into a swamp. The deadly combo of scientific and magical forces turned him into Man-Thing.
What are Man-Thing’s powers?
After turning into a monster, Man-Thing lost his human intellect. He also decided to avoid all human contact and live an isolated life. But he possesses some level of humanity which causes him to perform superheroic acts sometimes.
He is extremely sensitive to emotions. Whenever he senses fear or any other negative emotion in his victims, he secrets a highly corrosive acid to burn them within a matter of seconds. He also burnt half of Brandt’s face when the latter got scared after looking at his monstrous face.
Man-Thing is slightly more powerful than Captain America in terms of strength in the comics. Also, no one can harm his body as it is not completely solid. His body is made up of muck, swamp, knives, bullets, energy blasts, etc. Weapons pass through him or get absorbed by him. In other words, we can say that he is immune to harm.
How Man-Thing can shape up MCU’s Multiverse Saga?
WandaVision kicked off MCU’s Phase Four in January last year. Later, it was announced by Marvel Studios that Phase Four, Five and Six are a part of The Multiverse Saga. Just like the first three phases were a part of The Infinity Saga.
The majority of the upcoming MCU projects will heavily focus on Multiverse. There is a point in the Multiverse where all realities or universes converge. It is known as the Nexus of All Realities. It is a place that provides a pathway to all existing realities or universes. From this single point, one can wreak havoc in all realities. And Man-Thing serves as the guardian of this place.
MCU has hinted at the existence of Nexus of All Realities in some of its previous projects. There is a scene in Thor: The Dark World in which Dr Erik Selvig lectures about the convergence of all realities. If we look closely, we will find “Nexus of All Realities” written on a board behind Selvig. What If…? also discussed the consequences of a Nexus event.
Werewolf by Night will release on Disney+ Hotstar on October 7. Stay tuned for more updates.
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