Special Phase 4 — Multiverse Opens (2024–2025)

Werewolf by Night

Name: Werewolf by Night
Released: 2022-10-07
Duration: 53 min
Rating: 7
Cast: Gael García Bernal, Laura Donnelly, Harriet Sansom Harris, Kirk R. Thatcher, Eugenie Bondurant

"There's no escaping the night."

Released October 7, 2022 0h 53m ★ 7.0TMDB ○ Optional

On a dark and somber night, a secret cabal of monster hunters emerge from the shadows and gather at the foreboding Bloodstone Temple following the death of their leader. In a strange and macabre memorial to the leader’s life, the attendees are thrust into a mysterious and deadly competition for a powerful relic—a hunt that will ultimately bring them face to face with a dangerous monster.

Watch note

Halloween special. Jack Russell is the Werewolf by Night. Elsa Bloodstone claims the Bloodstone. Standalone — no Doomsday thread.

Why It Matters in the MCU

The black-and-white Universal Monster homage special is Marvel's most formally distinctive live-action production — committed to the grammar of 1940s horror cinema in ways that extend from the cinematography to the sound design to the action choreography. Michael Giacchino's direction demonstrates the same precision he brings to his film scores: every formal choice is deliberate, and the special never breaks the aesthetic contract it sets up in its opening frame. It is the franchise's most complete artistic statement in a format shorter than a feature film.

Where It Fits in the MCU

Werewolf by Night sits at position 138 of 165 in the MCU's story-chronological order, placing it within the Phase 4 — Multiverse Opens (2024–2025) era. It is rated Optional — can be skipped without losing the main thread. Watching in story-chronological order provides the most coherent character development experience — individual arcs build naturally toward the franchise's major crossover events, with each film's post-credits scenes carrying forward into what follows.