It's common for projects in the Marvel Cinematic Universe to make references not only to the comic book origins of its characters, but other movies and TV shows as well. There's few greater examples than the most recent installment, Werewolf by Night. This Halloween special recently debuted on Disney+, introducing monsters to the Marvel universe.
Directed by Michael Giacchino, Werewolf by Night is a love letter to classic horror. Most of the special is depicted in vintage black & white, invoking films like Nosferatu, Dracula, and the works of Alfred Hitchcock. It also features some of Marvel's most terrifying and gory moments. However, casual fans may have missed these eight Easter eggs that show up.
8 Welcome To Marvel's Twilight Zone
The opening of Werewolf by Night invokes the classic narrations of horror TV like The Twilight Zone. The original anthology series, which debuted in 1959, would open with the series creator, Rod Serling, introducing audiences to the show's multiversal world. Serling's voice became synonymous with the muffled, radio-like voiceover.
When Werewolf by Night begins, the narrator has the same effect on his voice as he introduces Marvel fans to a different side of the MCU. Not only is this a callback to the classic introductions of black-and-white TV horror, but it also works as a way to ease casual fans into a darker, more monstrous entry in the MCU's light and colorful world.
7 The Walls Of Bloodstone Manor
Some eagle-eyed viewers noticed some familiar faces during the special's first foray into the home of Ulysses Bloodstone. As our protagonist, Jack Russell, steps into the dangerous arena, he notices paintings decorating a hallway in Bloodstone Manor. If you look closely, one can spot a tentacled monster being slain by swordsmen.
Fans quickly noticed the tentacled monster's resemblance to the comic book iteration of Gorr the God-Butcher. The painting even accurately resembles a panel from the Jason Aaron run of Thor, even more so than Christian Bale's portrayal of the villain in Thor: Love & Thunder, which many fans criticized for its differences to the comic character's look.
6 Ulysses' Monster Trophies
One early scene in Werewolf by Night finds Jack Russell in the main hall of Bloostone Manor, where Ulysses has all the monsters he's hunted hung on the wall. Though none of them are familiar enough for MCU fans to pay attention to, they do reference some characters who thus far have only appeared in Marvel Comics.
One of them, pointed out specifically by Jack, is a vampire that more resembles a goblin than Jared Leto's Morbius. A Bigfoot head also appears hung on Ulysses' wall, perhaps alluding to the X-Men character Sasquatch. Other monsters include a double-headed mermaid, a reptilian creature, and a horned goblin.
5 The Bloodstone Family Tomb
In one sequence, Jack finds himself stuck in the Bloodstone mausoleum with Elsa Bloodstone, another hunter vying for her family heirloom. While inside, they bond as Jack helps treat her leg wound, and form a pact to help each other. All the while, the coffins of Elsa's ancestors are perched beside them, containing some significant name-drops.
Among the names referenced in the Bloodstone mausoleum includes Brandon Kleyla, a Disney art director who is friends with Giacchino. David Long, a Marvel Studios prop maker, also appears as one of the deceased Bloodstones. Other names could potentially be friends or family members of crew members or cast.
4 Call Him By His Name
After escaping from the mausoleum, Jack and Elsa form a plan to free the Man-Thing and get Elsa the Bloodstone gem. As Jack hurries to create an exit strategy, he enlists Elsa to find the Man-Thing and bring it to him. His advice to the rookie hunter is to call the creature by its name, "Ted," which serves as a humorous moment in the mostly-creepy special.
Of course, the name "Ted" is not just a random joke made by the writers of Werewolf by Night. The character of the Man-Thing in the comics was once a scientist named Theodore Sallis, who transformed into the swamp creature while trying to recreate Captain America's Super Soldier Serum. Nevertheless, the name "Ted" gives it a more cute demeanor.
3 Jack Vs. Ulysses
Several scenes in Werewolf by Night feature characters speaking in Latin, which is an archaic language that not many people know. Nevertheless, some fluent in Latin translated the sections, and they make offer a clue as to what happened to Ulysses Bloodstone. The famed monster hunter should've been kept immortal by the Bloodstone gem, after all.
According to the translation, it is explained that Ulysses was actually slain during a full moon. Given that Jack is a werewolf, this seems like a pretty big clue that Jack was the one who killed the hunter. It even lines up with Jack's goal in the special to rescue his friend Ted the Man-Thing, perhaps because Ulysses was keeping him captive.
2 Elsa, The Last Bloodstone
Elsa Bloodstone is a pretty significant recurring character in Marvel Comics. In Werewolf by Night, Laura Donnelly makes her MCU debut as the character, the disgraced daughter of Ulysses who has come to fight for her birthright. That birthright happens to be the powerful Bloodstone gem, which grants immortality as well as strength and resistance to monsters.
By the end of the special, Elsa has killed the competing hunters and fulfills her end of the deal to free Jack and Ted in exchange for the gem. As the room is cleared, the Bloodstone family servant, Billy, is ordered by Elsa to clean up the mess, as she sits with the gem. This seems to be setting her up to fulfill her future role in the comics as the last Bloodstone.
1 Somewhere Over The Rainbow
At the end of Werewolf by Night, Elsa sits with the Bloodstone gem as the special transitions from black-and-white to Technicolor. The final scene, featuring Jack and Ted camping and adorably planning their day, is underscored by one recognizable tune: Judy Garland's rendition of "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" from the 1939 The Wizard of Oz.
This choice in music is no accidental reference for Werewolf by Night. Famously, The Wizard of Oz transitions from sepia tone to Technicolor during Dorothy's arrival in the land of Oz, then later back to sepia when she awakens from her dream. Playing the film's music therefore serves as a great Easter egg for this change in film style.