Wendigo

In *Teen Wolf*, **Wendigos** are a species of man-eating shapeshifter. According to research done by Stiles Stilinski, Native American folklore states that if a person eats human flesh, they would turn into a creature who not only had an insatiable hunger for it, but who also needed it to live. Wendigos survive from eating human flesh and blood, and their constant urge to consume it is unmatched and very difficult to control. When they become hungry, they will feed on the nearest potential victim, as evidenced in *Muted*, when Sean Walcott was unable to go longer than a full day without succumbing to his hunger and feeding on a Sheriff's deputy. Wendigos are incredibly strong and are able to overpower humans and even Werewolves with ease.

Sean Walcott and his family were the first Wendigos to appear, and both the Walcott Family and the Wendigo species were first introduced in Season 4's *Muted*, when it was revealed they were all on the Deadpool hit-list. They kept a large freezer hidden within the walls of their house which contained dozens and dozens of dead bodies, though it is unknown whether they were outright killing people for sustenance, or if the Walcotts were simply scavengers who obtained bodies a different way, such as stealing them from a morgue or mortuary. It seems that Wendigos only eat human flesh, as Sean was seen refusing human food while hospitalized at Beacon Hills Memorial Hospital. Patrick Clark was another Wendigo introduced late in Season 4 who was an escaped inmate of Eichen House; he broke out at some point during the Deadpool and captured a girl named Calissa before Alan Deaton caught him and sent him back.

In Season 5, Wendigos were referenced again when it was revealed that Donovan Donati was turned into a Chimera by the Dread Doctors, who was part-**Wendigo** and part-Lamprey.

## Appearance

Wendigos appear to be human for the most part but when they shift, they grow multiple rows of sharp fangs from their upper and lower jaws, their eyes glow bright white, and they also make a strange hissing sound when they feel threatened. It has not been revealed whether or not this is the full extent of their shapeshifting ability or if there is more to it.

## Personality

Personality wise, there is not much known about Wendigos. They feed on people regardless of whether or not they are innocent; if this creature becomes hungry enough, it will feed on anyone. A Wendigo's personality seem to change under certain circumstances—for example, when Sean Walcott was the only remaining member of his family left and he was forced to fight The Mute, he ran for help instead of fighting. However, when a similar situation occurred at the hospital when he was extremely hungry, he engaged in a fight with the True Alpha Scott McCall, and even instigated the situation by attacking his mother Melissa, who was Sean's nurse. This suggests that different circumstances get different reactions out of Wendigos, but regardless, they remain extremely dangerous creatures and appear to be more likely to kill than other shapeshifters as a result of the human flesh they require to survive.

## Bestiary Entry

*These vicious supernatural creatures were an unwelcome discovery among the native people of the new world. They are known to have an uncontrollable appetite for human flesh which leads them to kill despite any better judgment they might possess.*

*Sneaky creatures, Wendigos can maintain a human appearance while hiding multiple fanged teeth (similar to Kanimas) behind their lips. However, when in their true form, Wendigos’ eyes shimmer with a white glow.*

*While there may be a tactical strike known to kill these supernatural cannibals among the tribes who have been most affected by Wendigos, it is yet unknown to us.*

*A Wendigo is strong enough to not only fight an Alpha Werewolf, but to possibly win such a fight.*

## Powers and Abilities

* **Super Strength:** Wendigos possess a level of super strength that is seemingly level with an Alpha Werewolf. However, the only instance of a Wendigo overpowering an Alpha was when Scott, the Alpha in question, was distracted by attempting to save his mother. Before this moment, Scott had the upper-hand against Sean, whose only notably burst of strength was kicking Scott flying into a wall using his feet after being backed into a corner. It is also worth noting that this fight occurred immediately after Sean had just consumed an exceptional amount of fresh human tissue, which may have augmented Sean's strength somewhat. According to the Bestiary, the Wendigo is supposedly capable of defeating an Alpha Werewolf in a fight. However, both instances seen so far appear to indicate that this is not always the case, since Alan Deaton, a human without enhanced strength, was easily able to subdue Patrick.
* **Shapeshifting:** Wendigos possess the ability to partially shapeshift certain features on their body, such as making their entire eyes glow white, or transforming their teeth into sharp, multi-rowed fangs.

## Weaknesses

* **Mortality:** Unlike most supernatural creatures, Wendigos do not seem to possess an accelerated regenerative healing ability. This was revealed when Sean Walcott was killed from being stabbed in the back with a tomahawk in one strike.
* **Hunger**: Wendigos are forced to feed on human flesh or they will die. If they go too long without eating they become slaves to their hunger and will feed on whomever is closest to them, putting them at risk of exposing their supernatural identity.
* **Mountain Ash**: Most supernatural creatures can be stopped with a mountain ash barrier. Wendigos have been imprisoned in the closed unit of Eichen House, which uses mountain ash to weaken the supernatural patients there and prevent them from easily escaping.

## Known Wendigo Chimeras

### Donovan Donati

**Part Wendigo; Chimera (deceased)**

Donovan Donati was a genetic chimera due to the skin graft he received as a teenager after he was in a serious car accident. He was later turned into a Chimera with Wendigo and Lamprey traits by the Dread Doctors. After being captured by the Doctors, he was experimented on and then released by Theo Raeken, who, through his manipulative ways, convinced Donovan to go after Stiles Stilinski and kill him to get his revenge on Sheriff Stilinski. He attacked Stiles at the school, taking a chunk out of his shoulder with one of his Lamprey mouths. After fighting in the library for some time, Stiles began to climb up the scaffolding with Donovan right behind him; though he tried to bring Stiles back down so he could eat Stiles' legs, Stiles pulled a pin holding the scaffolding together, hoping that all of the construction materials on top would simply hit him and disorient him enough to run away. However, one of the metal bars impaled Donovan right through the chest, killing him within moments. Afterward, Donovan's body was stolen by Jordan Parrish while the Hellhound spirit within him was in control, and he was brought to the Nemeton to protect the secret of the supernatural.

## Trivia

* Wendigos often keep large refrigerated rooms for where they can store their food.
* Wendigos are often referred to as cannibalistic shapeshifters. However, in order to be a cannibal, they would need to be the same species as what they eat; since Wendigos are simply *humanoid* in physical appearance but not truly human, and humans are their prey, the term is technically incorrect. The proper term that is more suited for referring a Wendigo would be a man-eater. It is likely that they are commonly referred to as cannibals due to a lack of a more accurate word in order to describe the Wendigo's unique hunger.
* According to Patrick Clark, human flesh tastes better when the victim was scared just prior to harvesting, though it is unknown if this is the case among the entire species or simply a personal preference of Patrick's, as he already showed sociopathic traits prior to the revelation that he is a Wendigo that could indicate the latter theory.