Werewolf by Night

: "I would never hurt you or hurt any one of them. And any hunting that I do is done by a part of me that is not me and that’s not the part you are with right now."
: ―Jack Russell to Elsa Bloodstone[src]
Jack Russell is a werewolf dubbed Werewolf by Night. Afflicted with a curse that causes him to transform during a full moon, Russell strove to help other monsters in need and hunt monsters that were a danger to others. In order to assist his friend, Ted Sallis, Russell attended a gathering of monster hunters competing for the Bloodstone. Russell worked with Elsa Bloodstone to free Sallis, but in doing so exposed himself as a monster. Verussa Bloodstone captured him and forced him to transform, inadvertently unleashing the werewolf by night on her own forces. Russell spared Elsa and fled, reuniting with Sallis.
== Biography ==
=== Early Life ===
==== Becoming a Werewolf ====
: "Over one hundred deaths give or take."
: ―Verussa Bloodstone to Jack Russell[src]
Jack Russell is of Mexican descent. One day, he was afflicted by a curse, causing him to transform into a werewolf during the occurrence of a full moon, roughly once a month. Russell hid the werewolf side of himself from others, pretending to be a successful monster hunter himself. His hunting ability has earned him great honors, being one of the top monster hunters with over a hundred deaths. Approaching a transformation, Russell successfully imprinted himself on someone to prevent his beast form from hurting them. Not having much ties to his family, Russell often wore Día de los Muertos makeup to keep himself tethered to them.
==== Befriending Man-Thing ====
Russell met Man-Thing and befriended him. He protected him on more than one occasion, remaining close enough friends with him to affectionately refer to him by his real name, Ted.
=== Rescuing Man-Thing ===
==== Challenge for the Bloodstone ====
: "I can almost smell the blood on your hands."
: ―Jack Russell to Joshua Jovan[src]
In 2025, Russell learned that Man-Thing had been captured and taken to the Bloodstone Manor in Arizona. In order to rescue him, Russell configured a plan to infiltrate the monster hunters and used his hunting record to go undercover at the funeral of Ulysses Bloodstone. Russell entered the temple and walked around slowly. He got a glimpse of the Bloodstone before meeting a fellow hunter, Joshua Jovan. Russell and Jovan talked about their kills while looking at the wall containing several monster heads. Seeing if the pair had killed any of them. Verussa Bloodstone then arrived and told them why she gathered everyone there. She first introduced everyone with their kill count, Russell's being an impressive over 100.
All those who were selected to attend the function were labelled as successful and skilled monster hunters and were guided through the rules and expectations by Verussa Bloodstone. Although the task announced to the potential successors was to be the first to slay a dangerous monster, Russell was aware that the "monster" was actually Man-Thing who he had sworn to protect. Russell and other monster hunters listened as the reanimated corpse of Ulysses Bloodstone explained to them the purpose of the hunt. The Bloodstone would be attached to the monster which weakened it, they would have to defeat the monster to obtain the Bloodstone.
==== Meeting Elsa Bloodstone ====
: "Okay. Hey, when you run into him, just... Just treat him like an old friend. Call him by his name."
: ―Jack Russell to Elsa Bloodstone[src]
Russell and the others stood outside a maze containing the monster. They picked from a bucket that gave them their starting positions with Russell being the first hunter to go in. He slowly walked inside following a man carrying a flaming tuba while everyone chanted. He wandered in the maze until he ran into Elsa Bloodstone. Unwilling to hurt others in his rescue mission, Russell proposed Bloodstone and him to walk away like they have never met. Suddenly, Joshua Jovan interrupted them swinging his axe. Russell escaped, leaving Bloodstone to fend for herself.
Later, Russell rushed to find Man-Thing, eventually running into his old friend, who grabbed him. Russell calmed him down and told him about his escape plan. He was going to plant a miniature bomb on the wall to allow Man-Thing an exit. He was interrupted when Azarel arrived. Russell ran off and found a room full of tombs. He quickly closed the door, not hearing the warning from Bloodstone, who was in the room before him. He turned around and tried to open the door, realizing her warning was that the door was locked.
Elsa also happened to be less interested in the hunt and just wanted to obtain the Bloodstone, of which she considered herself to be the only rightful owner. Noticing Elsa was injured from the previous fight, Russell kindly taught Elsa how to bandage her leg wounds. He also told Elsa about his friend and begged her to try to show friendship towards him. Eventually, Elsa remembered her crazy aunt who hid an exit strategy in her tomb, thinking she would come back to life. Elsa broke through the tomb finding a key.
The two hunters stepped out of the room and Russell explained that he wanted to blow a hole in the wall. He asked Elsa if she could lead Man-Thing to the wall while he blew it up. He showed her the miniature bomb only to accidentally turn it on, causing a mad scramble to get the mission done. Russell ran and threw the bomb at the wall. He then hid behind a wall before the explosion. However, he realized the bomb merely bounced off the wall. He quickly tried to stick it on, to no luck. As the bomb grew closer to igniting, Russell stuck it inside the wall and jumped away, successfully blowing a hole just as Man-Thing ran in following Elsa. Elsa threw a grappling hook at Man-Thing to pry off the Bloodstone before Man-Thing ran into the woods. After Man-Thing escaped, Russell went forward and tried to pick up the Bloodstone. Upon touching the Bloodstone gem, Russell triggered a reaction that the others were able to see. Verussa Bloodstone had suspected that something was strange about Russell, but the reaction from the Bloodstone had now confirmed it for her. She scolded Russell telling him she couldn't wait to find out what breed of evil he was. She then had her guards use their Taser Rods to knock Russell and Elsa out.
==== Forced Into a Werewolf ====
: "I need to remember you.""Well does it work?""Once."
: ―Jack Russell and Elsa Bloodstone[src]
Russell woke up trapped with Elsa Bloodstone in a large cage. Russell told Elsa that he was human, just not in the category as other humans, though she along with Verussa and the other hunters had already deduced that he was a werewolf. He told Elsa not to worry as the next full moon was in five days. Elsa told him that Verussa could use the Bloodstone to transform him into his werewolf form in seconds.
Russell explained everything he could to help Elsa survive their situation, even taking in her scent, in the hopes that he would remember her as an ally. Verussa then walked in with the other hunters, brandishing the Bloodstone. Russell pleaded for her to kill him in as a human because his werewolf form would show no mercy. She recited an incantation and continuously blasted him with the Bloodstone until he transformed. Russell, now a feral beast, grabbed Verussa through the cage, leaving her screaming. The guards electrocuted Russell until he let go. He then jumped up and ripped open the cage, escaping.
Russell hid on the walls and then jumped down, ripping away at each guard and resisting electrocution. He was then attacked by Barasso, but quickly defeated him by biting off Barasso's ear and throwing him to the side. He then ran to the entrance in order to escape, but was met by guards, who attempted to use their Taser Rods to stop him. He jumped onto one guard and flipped him away while brutally ripping apart each guard causing tons of blood to spray. He then finished off the guards only to find that the exit had been closed and locked. He began viciously clawing at the door, but to no success.
Russell then turned around to find Verussa waiting for him with the Bloodstone. He lunged at her, but she held him back with multiple beams of the Bloodstone. He continued to lunge at her only for the same failure. He eventually was knocked down, but saved by Elsa who knocked out her mother. Elsa approached Russell, who was slow to get up. He lunged at Elsa thinking she was an enemy. As he prepared to attack her, he saw her face and recognized her. He slowly backed off of her when she touched his face. He ran off and out the door to a place where everyone would be safe.
==== Reunited with Man-Thing ====
: "Let's do sushi. I owe you that. Yes."
: ―Jack Russell to Man-Thing[src]
When he awoke, Russell found that Man-Thing had been watching over him and taking care of him while hearing Judy Garland's rendition of "Over the Rainbow" from The Wizard of Oz in a turntable. Russell showed his appreciation to his friend while they were able to safely relax, promising the latter that he would bring him to eat sushi.
== Personality ==
Despite changing into a monstrous being at times, Jack Russell is a polite, optimistic, cheerful and gentle person. He kindly taught Elsa Bloodstone on bandaging her wounds when the duo was trapped together despite her distrust of him. Remaining aloof and withdrawn while in the presence of unfamiliar people, though still affable when approached as shown with his initial encounter with Joshua Jovan, he prefers to avoid confrontation with others when possible, both to ensure his own safety and that of those he encounters, and even befriends creatures like Man-Thing, who others would deem monsters. Russell shows friendship and understanding towards others, even when he does not receive the same sentiments from them, as shown with his futile attempts to warn Verussa Bloodstone not to unleash his werewolf form using the Bloodstone to spare everyone the impending mayhem, even offering the alternative of being executed in his human form. This was shown when he decided not to engage Elsa Bloodstone in the garden maze when he met her, and later tried his best to protect her from his harm once he transformed by taking her scent. Russell is also tremendously loyal to his friends, as he sought to rescue Man-Thing from captivity by posing as a monster hunter, despite also voicing his frustration towards having to constantly protect him.
While acknowledging the dangers and struggles brought on by his condition, Russell still manages to accept it as a part of himself and his heritage, a heritage he honors through traditional face paint and used as part of his disguise while infiltrating monster hunting cabal, regularly tracking the lunar cycle and locking himself away before the full moon appears to prevent his feral self from attacking others indiscriminately. His acceptance of his condition has even allowed him to willing enough to utilize his transformations to hunt dangerous monsters, something that allows him to compensate for his limited skill in the field, most notably shown with his accidental activation of an explosive and the ensuing struggle to attach it to wall to help Man-Thing escape through it. Not wishing for others to be harmed because of him, he was shown to be deeply pleased had succeeded after reverting to his normal self after learning of Elsa's survival after his rampage, focusing on this success rather than the carnage left in his wake at Bloodstone Manor, and deciding to celebrate his reunion with his formerly imprisoned friend.
However, upon transforming into a werewolf, Russell loses almost all control of his mind, involuntarily giving control to the monster within him. As a werewolf, Russell is unpredictable, vicious and relentless, losing almost all empathy and logic, brutally slaughtering many of Verussa’s soldiers in an effort to defend himself at all cost due to seeing nearly everyone around him as a threat or an enemy. However, even in his bestial state, Russell retains traces of his humanity due to his capacity to remember, though vaguely, those he recognizes as friends and allies.
== Powers and Abilities ==
=== Powers ===
: "Just kill me as I am. Otherwise there will be no mercy. I promise."
: ―Jack Russell[src]
* Werewolf Physiology: In his werewolf form, Jack Russell has sharp and powerful claws, dangerous teeth, a thick coat of fur and increased strength and durability. However, there are drawbacks: Russell loses control of his mind while in werewolf form and he is vulnerable to monster hunting weapons such as the Bloodstone, even while in human form.
** Transformation: Russell transforms into a werewolf during a full moon, which occurs roughly once a month. However, the transformation can be triggered by certain artifacts such as the Bloodstone, which made him transform within a matter of minutes.
*** Superhuman Strength: Russell is able to easily fling enemies several feet away from him, rapidly bend the bars of a cage to escape and slash at enemies with enough power to tear through body armor and rip chunks out of their flesh, as shown with Verussa Bloodstone's guards.
*** Superhuman Durability: Russell is able to withstand electrocution from various devices while still able to fight. It took Verussa several blasts from the Bloodstone to briefly tire him.
*** Superhuman Speed: Russell is faster than trained and experienced monster hunters, being able to take over many guards in a small room.
*** Superhuman Agility: Russell is able to jump to considerable heights with extreme ease. He jumped up to the top of his large cage in order to break free.
*** Superhuman Stamina: Russell is able to perform rapid attacks at his enemies and still retain enough stamina to be able to pounce on someone before running off into the night. In the instance when this occurred, the only rest he required was a nap afterwards.
*** Superhuman Reflexes: Russell is able to react to almost every attack from his enemies.
*** Regenerative Healing Factor: Russell is able to heal from his injuries at a fast rate.
*** Enhanced Senses: Russell possesses various heightened senses.
**** Enhanced Smell: Russell is able recognize others by their scent.
**** Enhanced Vision: Russell is able to see in the dark and even navigated through clouds of smoke to escape a cage.
=== Abilities ===
* Expert Combatant: Russell in his werewolf form is an extremely skilled combatant, able to fight against a group of guards relatively easily. His combat skills combined with his superhuman physical attributes, makes him a formidable and dangerous opponent.
* Master Acrobat: Due to his superhuman agility, Russell in his werewolf form is highly skilled in all kinds of acrobatics and gymnastics.
: "Don't worry, I have a plan."
: ―Jack Russell to Man-Thing[src]
* Expert Tactician: Russell was able to orchestrate a rescue attempt for Man-Thing, managing to infiltrate a gathering of monster hunters that imprisoned his friend in the process. He also was able to quickly factor Elsa into his plans and formed an alliance with her in the promise of helping her acquire the Bloodstone. To counter the danger of his feral side, Russell learned to keep track of the lunar cycle, prepare locations to contain himself in before transforming and even attempted to take advantage of his bestial form’s more significant usage of smell by memorizing the scents of his friends and allies in his human form.
* Physician: Russell demonstrated a degree of medical aptitude while assisting Elsa Bloodstone in properly placing a tourniquet on her wounded leg.
== Equipment ==
* Miniature Bomb: Russell used a miniature bomb to blow up the side wall of the maze within the Bloodstone Manor, although he struggled to operate it. He did not get to escape through the wall, but Ted Sallis did.
== Facilities ==
=== Prisons ===
* Bloodstone Manor: Russel went to the Bloodstone Manor disguised as a monster hunter and participated in the hunt for Man-Thing in an attempt to rescue him. However, the Bloodstone revealed that he was a monster, so he was captured by the monster hunters and held in a cage in the temple. He was forcibly transformed into the werewolf and attacked the monster hunters, allowing him to escape.
== Relationships ==
=== Family ===
* Father
* Mother
=== Allies ===
* Ted Sallis/Man-Thing - Close Friend
* Elsa Bloodstone - Friend
* Billy Swan	
=== Enemies ===
* Monster Hunting Cabal
** Verussa Bloodstone † - Attempted Killer
** Joshua Jovan † - Rival and Attempted Killer
** Azarel † - Rival and Attempted Killer
** Liorn † - Rival
** Barasso † - Rival and Attempted Killer
== Trivia ==
* In the comics, Jack Russell is a werewolf who gained the curse of the werewolf on his 18th birthday.
* Michael Giacchino made sure that Russell's Día de los Muertos makeup stayed on while he transformed so that it felt like it "was a part of his power, his connection to his family."
== Behind the Scenes ==
* Luis Valladares and Christopher Gonzalez were stunt doubles for Gael García Bernal in the role of Werewolf by Night.
== References ==
# ↑ Jump up to:1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 Werewolf by Night
# ↑ Werewolf by Night: The Art of the Special
# ↑ Jump up to:3.0 3.1 Werewolf by Night Michael Giacchino Interview
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== External Links ==
* Werewolf by Night on Wikipedia
* Jack Russell on Marvel Database