"Werewolf by Night" is one of Marvel's most famous horror characters. As of late, the character has become more relevant to the wider Marvel universe. He's got a new mini-series upcoming in 2020. He's actually had a longer spanning career than many readers might realize, though.

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The character has been taken on by a few different writers and artists and taken part in many significant events. Therefore, we're taking a look at the 10 most important things you need to know about Werewolf by night to bring you up to speed!

10 HORROR INSPIRATION

It may seem obvious, but the character has strong ties to the horror genre. He debuted in 1954 under Atlas Comics. Werewolf by Night was inspired by the werewolf movies and serials at the time. This was during a period where comics were tending to trend jump. They would move to whichever genre was popular at the time and then pass on from very quickly. Werewolf by Night, therefore, was only created due to the rising demand in the entertainment industry for characters like him, Dracula and other monsters.

9 COMICS CODE LIMITATIONS

The problem with these new horror comics is that the Comics Code was created by the industry, limiting the sort of content they could produce. A character like Werewolf by Night was in direct violation of these rules and therefore had to be removed from titles.

The character didn't appear again until 1972 when enforcement of the Code was less rigorous. He immediately gained his own space in a comic known as Marvel Spotlight. The character has appeared on and off ever since, and the Code's final demise in 2011 has provided even more opportunities for characters like this one.

8 WOLF DEMON

There are some incredibly evil demons in the Marvel Universe. The werewolf species is actually derived from a Wolf god or demon who brought his abilities on to Earth. He produced a number of wolf-like creatures that would eventually infect others.

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This species actually plays into Marvel's creation mythology, where other monsters like spider creatures and goblins all fought for control of the planet. The humans eventually rose up against these wolf people and killed off many of them.

7 FAMILY HERITAGE

The Russell family is one of the bloodlines that still carries this wolf curse within them. Gregor Russoff was the first to be infected with the curse. He tried to kill Dracula to avenge his wife but instead got bitten by a werewolf.

He passed his curse on to his ancestor, Jacob Russoff, who would change his name to Russell. However, the curse can go dormant in families for a time, either skipping generations or simply waiting for something sinister or magical to activate them.

6 DARKHOLD ACTIVATION

The thing that really made this curse worse in the Russell family is the use of the Darkhold. The Darkhold is a book of evil magic that has been seen throughout the Marvel universe and has actually appeared in parts of the MCU as well.

The Werewolf by Night's return was therefore partially caused by the use of the Darkhold. Jack's ancestor, Grigori, used the book by reading a passage relating to the origin of lycanthropy: the art of changing into a werewolf, although not always at will.

5 CURSE AND LIMITATIONS

There's a number of limitations to Russell's werewolf aspect. Originally, Jack would only turn into a werewolf on a night with a full moon, as the horror movie tradition states. At some point, he went through a transformation where he could turn into a beast any and every night.

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However, with some help from the likes of Iron Man and even Morbius, as well as an incredibly long journey, Jack can now turn into a werewolf at will. However, he still has no control over his abilities when there's a full moon in the sky.

4 ABILITIES

With Jack able to turn into a werewolf, along with this comes a number of abilities associated with the character. For a start, he becomes a wolf-like monster, although over time he has been less human-looking. He gains considerable size and strength and has sharp claws and teeth.

He has increased durability, enhanced speed, agility and strength, and amazing healing abilities. Deadpool once shot his head clean off and it actually grew back. Much like others in his species, though, he can be killed with silver. This is the character's major weakness.

3 LEGION OF MONSTERS

Most characters in Marvel at one stage or another end up joining some sort of heroic or villainous team. As you might expect, this werewolf followed exactly the same path and teamed up with a number of other horror-related creatures.

This league of anti-heroes was known as the Legion of Monsters. They've taken on a number of formations, but members have included Ghost Rider, Morbius the living vampire, a mummy, and even the Man-Thing. It's quite a mix of mythical creatures, monsters, and demons.

2 CHARACTER REBOOT

The character is actually being reinvented in Marvel comics at the moment. After becoming a little stale, a new person is taking on the Werewolf mantle and Marvel is hoping that this new title will reinvigorate the character.

This new version is going to be looking at Native American heritage from the perspective of a young man who has to deal with this curse. It's actually being written by one of the members of the Black Eyed Peas, Taboo, which is a surprising pick!

1 MCU DEBUT

Not only is the character getting some much needed highlighting in the comics with his brand new reboot, but it also appears that he could be one of the characters set to make their debut, in Disney Plus and Marvel Studio's Moon Knight television series.

It seems almost inevitable at this point that the series will be adding the Marvel horror icon Dracula. However, there have been rumors circulating about other similar characters who could make an appearance as well. Since the series is steeped in mythology, the werewolf seems like a natural fit.

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