Werewolf By Night Behind-The-Scenes Photos Show The Making Of Man-Thing

Marvel's "Werewolf by Night," a Disney+ TV special that hearkens back to the cinematic age of monster movies, is the first of its kind within the superhero catalog. As part of the production's dedication to the craft, the black-and-white horror-adjacent project relied heavily on practical effects. That's not to say that "Werewolf by Night" isn't slathered with computer-generated graphics (unless Marvel has figured out how to practically incinerate actors, in which case we have an entirely different set of issues on our hands) — it's just that more moments were made with physical props than the standard superhero fare.

One such innovative marvel is that Ted (Carey Jones), aka Man-Thing, the Cthulhu-shaped swamp beast, isn't a bundle of fancy polygons and blue screens, but a massive puppet that even Jim Henson might have been proud of. Howard Berger, a special makeup effects artist best known for his work on "Lone Survivor," "The Orville," "Kill Bill: Vol. 1," and "The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe," shared some behind-the-scenes pictures from his work on Marvel's most recent genre piece. Let's take a look!

The behind-the-scenes photos, uploaded in two parts on Howard Berger's Instagram and shared in bulk on Reddit, depict the work of KNB EFX Group. There are pictures of Gael García Bernal in furry prosthetic appliques, images of decapitated monster heads, and four shots of Man-Thing in various stages of completion. Even in comparison to his full-color appearance at the end of "Werewolf by Night," the Man-Thing puppet seen in these photographs is stunningly saturated. In a cutesy, nightmarish way, he just looks like a massive Funko Pop! doll.

The best picture of the bunch, however, shows the entire team gathered together for a group picture with a seemingly finished Man-Thing, which stands a solid 2, maybe 3, feet above literally everyone. Tragically, they didn't design him to smile for the camera. Maybe for the next TV special? Then again, this sort of feels like a job for the CGI department. That being said, even without a cheery demeanor, Man-Thing is a refreshing reminder that fantastic art can still be created in the physical plane.