Everything about the never-ending title changes with Agatha: Darkhold Diaries has done little to instill confidence that Marvel knows what it’s doing with this WandaVision spin-off. At face value, the latest rumors only feed into these fears, but digging a little deeper it becomes clear that there’s more to this story than meets the eye. Meanwhile, the cherished TV special Marvel fans have come to, well, cherish, received a less-than-exciting development today, that has a 50/50 chance of irritating people or ruining it entirely. Not sure if there’s an in-between here.
It was Marvel all along — Agatha: Darkhold Diaries supposedly bringing back its original title is… a choice
Remember Agatha: House of Harkness? That was the first title of the WandaVision spin-off before Coven of Chaos took its crown. Now we’re on our third title, Darkhold Diaries, but if the latest rumors are true, we haven’t seen the last of House of Harkness. Word on the street is that the title will be the official name of one of the show’s episodes. That news isn’t groundbreaking in and of itself, but it feeds into the notion that all the titles we’ve received thus far haven’t been acts of indecision on Marvel’s part, but instead deliberate steps to tease us with the official episode names without telling actually telling us as much. It’s a bold marketing tactic, if true, but it could also be utterly genius.
Nothing spells a good re-release like getting rid of the one thing that made it unique
Not more than a week ago, Marvel was looking at doing away with its annual Halloween tradition before it even began. Werewolf by Night was the perfect treat last year, and now that Agatha: Darkhold Diaires has been pushed back it will be the perfect trick in 2024. But what about this year? Turns out originality is hard to come by; instead of conjuring an entirely new project, Marvel has decided to stick with what it knows. Werewolf by Night will re-release this Halloween season ahead of Disney Plus’ annual “Hallowstream” event. The caveat? Werewolf by Night will shed its black-and-white exterior and debut in full technicolor. That’s right, Werewolf by Night in Color is now a thing, although it’s hard to say whether or not anyone actually wanted it.
Someone warn the kids — Werewolf by Night in Color is not changing its rating
Marvel fans come in every shape, size, and color — and age. In fact, many of the fans who adored Werewolf by Night when it premiered last year happened to be all those supernatural-loving horror kids who grow up to become comic-loving superfans like ourselves. Werewolf by Night’s black-and-white cinematography shielded its overtly gory aspects just enough that a TV-14 rating was perfectly suitable. Now, those 12-year-olds who were mostly fine with seeing a werewolf rip a man’s chest open will have to test the theory out in Werewolf by Night in Color, where the blood that splatters the screen will be vividly dark red instead of just a dull black. As rumor has it, the rating isn’t changing, even if the level of violence might feel intensified.
That’s all we got for you today. We’ll see you back here tomorrow. In the meantime, don’t forget to check out Marvel Studios: Assembled: The Making of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 on Disney Plus, where you can catch James Gunn tossing some subtle shade at the MCU.