Marvel recently unveiled its first-ever Halloween special, Werewolf by Night. This special presentation will be premiering on Disney Plus during the spooky season. As the first of its kind, Michael Giacchino’s upcoming special could be the start of a new wing of the MCU. Future Halloween specials could keep the franchise rich with horror offerings.
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The Tomb of Dracula
Fun fact about Dracula, he’s been in the public domain in the US since the release of Bram Stoker’s novel and worldwide since 1962. Anyone can put Dracula into any story without risking the slightest legal trouble. Marvel was unable to take advantage of this convenient freedom of creativity due to the obtrusive Comics Code Authority’s restriction on monsters. As soon as that restriction went away, Dracula became a go-to supervillain across the franchise. The most notable Marvel narrative to star the king of the vampires was the 70s staple Tomb of Dracula.
These tales would explore the exploits of vampire hunters seeking to defeat and destroy the eponymous vampire. As the years went on, however, Dracula would occasionally take on an anti-hero role and face off against other supernatural horrors. The best direction for a Halloween special would be to take the early stories and develop them into a horror adventure. Imagine Marvel’s take on Netflix’s Castlevania. It could also be a great showcase for the upcoming fan-favorite character Blade.
Man-Thing
The original beast of Marvel’s Strange Tales will be making an appearance in the upcoming Werewolf by Night special, but that doesn’t preclude him from a solo project. Man-Thing is a huge swamp monster, not to be confused with DC’s Swamp Thing, who lives in and defends the Everglades in Florida. He’s not much of a hero or a villain, but it sure would be fun to build a monster movie around him.
Man-Thing has one of the most unique looks in the Marvel universe. He just looks so unusual that it would be a shame to waste him as a supporting character in another monster’s movie. The standard pitch for Man-Thing would be an origin story that explores the transformation of a humble biochemist into a monster. Maybe in the style of David Cronenberg’s The Fly. Alternatively, a group of teens on a camping trip or an illicit drug smuggling ring working out in the Everglades stumbling onto Man-Thing could be a fun trashy monster movie.
Son of Satan
Remember Hulu’s Helstrom? No, because no one does. The Marvel Cinematic Universe has given characters the short end of the stick in the past, but perhaps no one has received quite as much abuse as Daimon and his sister Satana. Since no one bothered watching Hulu’s take on the franchise, and it signaled the death of the entire TV production wing that birthed it, it seems like Marvel should try again. A story about Daimon Hellstrom (sometimes spelled Helstrom or Hellstorm) would open up the MCU to an entire world of demons, dark magic, and extremely violent action.
Daimon and his sister Satana are the son and daughter of Satan and a human woman. They use their superhuman powers and magical capabilities to defeat the evil forces of their father and his cronies. There are countless directions to take Daimon and Satana. The Hulu series went with a knockoff of Supernatural, which is perhaps the worst possible direction, but it could be anything from action to comedy. The Evil Dead’s violent take on zombies would fit the material, as would Army of Darkness’s jokey camp.
Tales of the Zombie
The age of pop culture domination by zombies is over, but even the concept’s heyday didn’t feature many undead protagonists. Marvel already did its most iconic zombie story as an episode of What If…?, but the franchise has another solid zombie story waiting in the wings.
Simon Garth is a workaholic who finds himself slain as a sacrifice by a voodoo cult. After his resurrection, he’s a powerful undead monster who can be commanded by anyone holding a special amulet. Despite his new deceased form, Simon is still in there, and his quest along with his partner Layla is to find his final rest. A zombie in the protagonist role battling the forces of the occult and seeking a peaceful death could be a haunting road horror movie.
Legion of Monsters
Marvel loves to introduce several heroes in solo projects, then bring them all together in a big team-up. The Legion of Monsters is a team entirely composed of monsters, many of whom would make great entries into the Halloween special franchise. The Werewolf, Man-Thing, Daimon and Satana, the Zombie, and more have filled this team’s ranks. The Legion allows Marvel to pull the Avengers Assemble gimmick all over again, but with a new tone.
Much like the Universal monsters of the past, these Halloween specials can bring their trademark monsters into groups and work together. This would also provide a chance to reintroduce Ghost Rider to the franchise. Even Michael Morbius could get in on the action, and he could use a redemption story.
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