Who is Jack Russell? Exploring origins amidst announcement of Werewolf by Night

Marvel Studios has finally revealed its worst kept secret yet, Werewolf by Night, at the D23 Expo. Directed by composer Michael Giacchino, the special will be released this October and is expected to bring a new flavor of horror to the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

With details about Werewolf by Night finally being revealed and the TV special itself looking like it's inspired by the golden age of horror films, there is a lot going on that needs unpacking. The new series will follow Jack Russell's version of the character that will be portrayed by Gael Garcia Bernal.

With the announcement of the special, let's take a look at who Jack Russell is and what his origins are.

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Exploring the origins of Werewolf by Night

Created by Gerry Conway, Roy Thomas, and Mike Ploog, Werewolf by Night first appeared in Marvel Spotlight #2. Following the journey of Jacob Russoff, the story talks about him getting struck by a curse which eventually leads to him becoming a werewolf.

According to Fandom, Jacob Russoff was born to Gregor Russoff and was the older of two children. When Grigory, Gregor's ancestor, staked Dracula - the Vampire King - back in 1795 to avenge his wife, he brought the dark art of Iycanthropy, which introduced the curse of turning into a werewolf in the Russoff family, when he was bitten by a female werewolf.

The curse was, of course, not passed down onto Grigory's children as they were born before he turned into a vampire. However, what was needed was just a catalyst so that the curse could end up affecting the other members of the family.

When Gregor would receive the Darkhold, he would read a passage which would consist of the writings that allowed someone to turn into a werewolf. This is where the curse activated upon him, and he transformed into a beast. Fearing for his wife and children's safety, Gregor would send them away to their mother's Native American land for their own protection.

Gregor would, sadly, soon be killed by an angry mob, and the curse would then transfer onto Jacob. Jacob's mother would marry a man named Philip Russell, who would turn out to be Gregor's brother, and Jacob's name would be changed to Jack Russell. Jack's first transformation into a werewolf would happen right before his 18th birthday, and he would then become the Werewolf by Night.

Although bestowed with all the superhuman agility that a werewolf has, Werewolf by Night is pretty vulnerable to silver. However, aside from that, Werewolf by Night is pretty much a character who shouldn't be dealt with at all.

It doesn't look like the TV special might be delving deeper into the history of the character, but instead, will focus more on the fact that Jack has transformed many times. With there being monster hunters as well with a gathering taking place at Castle Bloodstone, it looks like a hunt for the Werewolf can be expected, which will see Jack taking out the hunters one by one.

Whatever it may be, we will get to see it when Werewolf by Night releases on Disney+ on Friday, October 7.