Full spoilers for Marvel Studios' Werewolf by Night follow.
Werewolf by Night has arrived on Disney Plus, but the lycanthropic superhero isn't the only new supernatural creature to make his Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) debut in the TV special.
The MCU Phase 4 project introduces us to a number of new and potentially important characters, including Elsa Bloodstone. However, Elsa, Jack Russell (aka the Werewolf of the Night) and company are upstaged by the appearance of another superpowered being in Marvel's first special: Man-Thing.
Who is Man-Thing? What are your skills? And why could Man-Thing be as important to the MCU multiverse saga as Kang the Conqueror, Doctor Strange 2's America Chavez, Wanda Maximoff, The Watcher, and the trickster god Loki?
Below, we'll tell you everything you need to know about the fan-favorite character known as the Man-Thing. This includes his origin story in the Marvel comics, all the superpowers at his disposal, how he holds another key to the MCU multiverse, where he might appear next, and more. Buckle up and let's get started.
Man-Thing Explained: Marvel Comics Origins
Created by Stan Lee, Roy Thomas, Gerry Conway, and Gary Morrow, the Man-Thing made his comic book debut in May 1971 in Savages Tales #1.
Real name Theodore 'Ted' Sallis, Man-Thing was a biochemist working in the Everglades on a project called Gladiator. Along with his fellow researchers, Sallis worked on a project to recreate the super-weld serum—yes, that thing that made Captain America. Still. When will people learn?
Either way, the evil organization known as AIM, the same one in the Marvel's Avengers video game, tried to steal Sallis' research so they could use it for nefarious purposes. Conspiring with Sallis' embittered wife, Ellen Brandt, whom Sallis had neglected due to her studies, AIM intended to deprive Sallis of his job, and Ellen led Ted into an ambush where armed AIM personnel would pursue his investigation under threat. of a weapon
However, they did not realize that Sallis had already invented a formula, dubbed SO-2, and was planning to test the first vial on a test subject. To prevent the theft of his idea, Sallis burned his research notes after memorizing the formula.
After being ambushed, Sallis managed to escape. Fearing for his life, he injected himself with the serum, but the resulting transformation caused him to crash his car in the Everglades. Here, a combination of the SO-2 serum, mystical energy from the swamp, and a regeneration serum developed by Doctor Curt Connors, the famed Spider-Man, turned Sallis into a Cthulhu-like vegetated creature known as Man. Stuff.
Man-Thing explained: what superpowers does he possess?
A simpler answer would be to list the abilities that the Man-Thing does not have.
The Man-Thing has your typical superpowers such as superhuman strength, durability, stamina, and regeneration. However, based on the composition of the Man-Thing, the latter two are based on Chlorokinetics, a regenerative factor of plant origin. He can also turn his body fluid, allowing him to move through small spaces, though the smaller the space, the longer it takes for his body to reorganize. He is also immune to most diseases and physical weapons thanks to the plant matter he is made of. Due to his affiliation with plant life, the Man-Thing can also manipulate the vegetation around him.
However, the Man-Thing's most famous abilities are his empathic nature and the power to traverse the Marvel Multiverse.
The first of these concerns the way matter is organized in the Man-Thing's body. Due to his physical constitution, the Man-Thing's brain, sense organs, and nervous system are scattered randomly throughout his body. This rearrangement means that he can't communicate properly, but he is still a sentient being. Along with the mystical and psychic forces that flow through him, the Man-Thing is capable of perceiving emotions in a heightened state compared to humans.
Positive emotions arouse the Man-Thing's curiosity and usually cause it to observe humans from a distance. However, if he gets involved with someone who exhibits negative emotions, usually fear, but others, like anger, work as well, the Man-Thing tends to lash out violently. This leads the Man-Thing to secrete a highly concentrated form of acid, which burns humans and can turn them to ash in seconds. We see how this power is used in Ursula Bloodstone and Jovan in Werewolf by Night. By the way, the Man-Thing is unscathed by the acid he secretes thanks to a foamy mucous substance that neutralizes the corrosive fluid.
Finally, the mystical part of the Everglades that contributed to the birth of the Man-Thing also grants him the ability to travel interdimensionally. The Man-Thing can open portals to other realities (more on how that affects the MCU later) and interact with other multiversal creatures in parallel dimensions. Currently, he is also the guardian of the Nexus of All Realities in the Marvel comics, which is the interdimensional gateway to all other realms in the Marvel Multiverse.
We've seen the Nexus of All Realities before in the MCU animated series What If...?. The Nexus has also been mentioned in other MCU projects, including Thor: The Dark World and Loki season 1. And speaking of the MCU...
Man-Thing Explained: Making His MCU Debut In Werewolf By Night
If you've seen Werewolf by Night, why wouldn't you have seen it if you're reading this? – you'll know that the Man-Thing makes his MCU debut here.
Approximately 20 minutes later, Gael García Bernal's Jack Russell leans against the vegetable wall of Bloodstone Manor's maze, only to be grabbed by a monstrous being. Russell, however, is not afraid of this creature, which turns out to be the Man-Thing. In fact, Russell joined the monster hunting party to rescue the Man-Thing. He was captured and imprisoned by Ursula Bloodstone in an effort to see which monster hunter would manage to kill him and retrieve the magical monster-slaying item known as the Bloodstone.
Unfortunately, the Man-Thing is unable to hold his own against those who are after him. With Bloodstone attached to his body, he is weakened and unable to use any of his abilities. However, Russell, teaming up with Elsa Bloodstone, manages to remove the bloodstone from Elsa's friend, blast a hole in a wall on the Bloodstone Manor grounds, and help the Man-Thing escape.
This isn't the last we see of the Man-Thing. He later shows up to save Elsa from Ursula, killing Elsa's stepmother with the same corrosive acid he used on Jovan earlier. Now that Elsa is the rightful owner of her family heirloom, the Man-Thing goes in search of Russell, who, after transforming into his wild alter ego and killing Ursula's guards, fled into the night. The final scene of the special is reserved for a touching reunion between Russell and the Man-Thing, who share a joke and discuss their next destination.
Interestingly, this isn't the first time the Man-Thing has appeared in a live-action capacity. The character was given a non-MCU standalone film in mid-2005, which premiered on the Sci Fi Channel in the United States and grossed a scant $XNUMX million in small international release.
Man-Thing Explained: What Role Could It Have In The MCU's Multiverse Saga?
With Marvel Phase 4, Marvel Phase 5, and Marvel Phase 6 exploring (or set to explore) the Multiverse, the Man-Thing could be an incredibly important character in the MCU.
His ability to open portals to other dimensions, like América Chávez, makes him one of the few superheroes who can cross the multiverse. With Kang the Conqueror, another time traveler who can do the same, established as the main antagonist of the multiverse saga, the MCU's earthbound heroes will need all the multiversal help they can get to take Kang down. Therefore, the Man-Thing would be a very useful ally.
So where could he appear next? It's hard to say. Marvel's Phase 5 slate is pretty much locked at this point. Ant-Man 3, what if...? Loki Season 2 and Season 2 aside, it doesn't seem like the Phase 5 movies or MCU Disney Plus shows will examine the Multiverse in any detail. Well, on the surface anyway. There is always the possibility that other projects contain multiversal elements, but we don't know which ones they might contain.
And phase 6 then? That seems more likely, with Deadpool 3, the Fantastic Four, Avengers: The Kang Dynasty, and Avengers: Secret Wars all positioned as multiversal superhero movies. Perhaps the Man-Thing will appear in one of these movies? Otherwise, he could appear in a Disney Plus Phase 6 series or another special.
In a nutshell, we shouldn't ignore Man-Thing's appearance in a future Marvel Studios production. After all, MCU president Kevin Feige has announced that Werewolf by Night will "eventually become quite important to the future of the MCU." Reading between the lines, the Man-Thing should be part of the conversation. He's too important, from the perspective of the multiverse, not to be. So hopefully we'll see the lovable but dangerous Man-Thing back in the MCU.
For more Marvel-based content, check out our Marvel Movies in the Command Center. Otherwise, read up on everything you need to know about Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, or find out how we've ranked every MCU movie to date.
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