Hulu added its first-ever Marvel special, breaking new ground for the longstanding streamer.
For years, Disney and Hulu have worked in close concert with one another, as Disney owns a controlling stake in the streaming platform.
This has lead to Hulu getting the opportunity to stream several Marvel projects from across the hugely successful MCU, and even a few original Marvel titles as well.
However, one corner in the super-powered universe the streamer has yet to venture into is Marvel Studios’ Special Presentations. These entries are shorter one-off MCU stories that have been streaming on Disney+ (i.e. Werewolf By Night and The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special).
A Marvel Special Presentation on Hulu
Hulu confirmed that Marvel Studios’ Werewolf By Night is heading to the streamer, marking the first time a Marvel Studios Special Presentation has been available on the platform.
A post on Hulu’s official X (formerly Twitter) account announced the news, urging fans to “kick off the Huluween season” with Michael Giacchino’s spooky superhero romp.
The special can be streamed now, but there is one caveat to all this though, as the Marvel special will only be available on the service until October 31, before it goes back to being exclusive to Disney+.
Werewolf By Night’s Hulu debut comes just days after a full-color re-release for the special was announced to be coming to Disney+ on October 20.
This is a historic movie for Disney and Hulu, with it being the first Special Presentation to make the jump to the streaming platform. Currently, it remains unclear if Marvel Studios’ other special, The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special, will get a similar treatment as the studio heads towards the holiday season.
Marvel Studios’ Streaming Experiments
While no official word has come out from Disney or Marvel Studios on this move, it appears that the Hollywood giant is experimenting with its streaming strategy after years of walling things off on Disney+.
The Marvel Studios Special Presentations specifically seem to present an interesting conundrum to Disney.
The specials were something former Disney CEO Bob Chapek liked to use to fill out Marvel’s streaming calendar, but with Bob Iger back in power, it seems that the executive and his team are actively wondering what to do with them.
This historic Werewolf By Night Hulu release (along with the colorized re-release on Disney+) feels like a result of a studio grasping at what to do with these specials that assumedly have been forgotten by those outside hardcore MCU fans.
There have not been any more Special Presentations announced since the release of The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special, and it remains unclear if Marvel Studios will ever revisit the format.
Plenty of rumors about more Special Presentations have made their way online with heroes like Sentry, Ghost Rider, and the Silver Surfer all seemingly in line to get their own. But no official news on that front has been made public.
Werewolf By Night is streaming until October 31 on Hulu.
