Marvel Studios is working on replacing the original Avengers after Avengers: Endgame, and Werewolf by Night prove that Jack Russell is Hulk’s true replacement for the MCU, not She-Hulk. The trend of replacing the original Avengers in the Marvel Cinematic Universe has been a big focus of Phase 4. Sam Wilson is officially Captain America after Steve Rogers, while Kate Bishop and Yelena Belova are set to be the new Hawkeye and Black Widow. With the introduction of Mighty Thor and the impending debut of Ironheart, there are also obvious replacements for Thor and Iron Man. It seemed like She-Hulk was going to be the MCU’s Hulk replacement, but now there’s a better comparison.
The idea of She-Hulk replacing the Hulk in the MCU makes sense since they’re both giant green heroes with gamma powers. However, their experiences as the Hulk are quite different. Bruce Banner often hated his alter ego, while Jennifer Walters quickly embraced and mastered her She-Hulk powers. So while She-Hulk may have a power set up as a Hulk replacement, the personal story of battling Hulk’s powers and uncontrollable rage is missing. This is why Werewolf by Night is a better fit as a replacement for Hulk’s MCU. Now that the Marvel special is airing on Disney+, Werewolf by Night makes it clear how similar Jack Russell’s relationship with his Werewolf by Night persona is to Bruce Banner’s with the Hulk.
The Werewolf by Night has the same inner conflict as the Hulk
Their shared internal conflict is the key to Werewolf by Night being a true Hulk replacement for the MCU. Jack Russell and Bruce Banner are pacifists and don’t like to get into action. However, they are constantly at war with the raging animal within them that is much more prone to violence and destruction. The Hulk may not be as violent as the Werewolf by Night, but the MCU has shown just how dangerous the Jade Giant can be when his anger gets the best of him. Seeing Jack trying to hide his powers and prevent them from doing any harm in Werewolf by Night is very reminiscent of Bruce Banner’s earlier stories before he created the Smart Hulk.
Werewolf by Night and Hulk also share a similar trait where their human selves are not in full control and do not retain full memory of what is happening. This is reflected in Night’s Werewolf ending when Jack asks Man-Thing if Elsa Bloodstone is safe after he almost attacked her. Explaining why Werewolf by Night doesn’t attack Elsa could even draw comparisons to Hulk’s lullaby with Black Widow, giving the two characters another similarity. So while She-Hulk might seem like more of a Hulk replacement for the MCU, the Werewolf by Night character is a more suitable replacement due to her internal conflict.
Will the werewolf learn to control his powers at night?
Now that the MCU has introduced the Werewolf by Night as a possible replacement for the Hulk, it will be fascinating to see if Jack learns to control his powers like Bruce. The Avengers explained that Bruce is always angry, which allows him to control when he transforms. Werewolf by Night confirms that the full moon triggers Jack’s werewolf transformations, making it seem like he can’t transform at will. Based on the tease that Jack’s consciousness is somewhere inside the Werewolf in the Night, there is a chance that he will learn to control his powers and be able to control his actions in the future. This could make Werewolf by Night the start of an MCU arc similar to that of the Hulk.
Key Release Dates
- Black Panther: Wakanda Forever Release Date:2022-11-11
- Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania Release Date:2023-02-17
- Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 Release Date:2023-05-05
- The Marvels / Captain Marvel 2 Release Date:2023-07-28
- Blade 2023 Release Date:2023-11-03
- Captain America: New World Order Release Date:2024-05-03
- Marvel’s Thunderbolts Release Date:2024-07-26
- Deadpool 3 Release Date:2024-09-06
- Marvel’s Fantastic Four Release Date:2024-11-08
- Avengers: The Kang Dynasty Release Date:2025-05-02
- Avengers: Secret Wars Release Date:2025-11-07