Name

Current Alias

Aliases

Myfather, a European scholar and aristocrat -- and more, a warlock andwerewolf -- who, now dead, had left me another inheritance as well -- the curse of a werewolf born!

Early Life[]

Jacob Russoff was the elder of two children sired byGregor Russoff, aTransylvanian baron and scholar. Russoff's ancestorGrigory first broughtlycanthropy (werewolf transformation) upon the family when in 1795 he tried to avenge his wife,Louisa, by staking the vampire-kingVlad Dracula - he was bitten by afemale werewolf in Dracula's service.^[7] Because his children were born before that event, Grigori's descendants did not immediately become werewolves themselves; however, the curse on the Russoff family only needed a catalyst to trigger it. Two of Grigori's descendants,Claudia Russell andGregor Russoff, triggered themselves through unknown means and became werewolves.^[8][9] In the mid 1950sGregory Russoff, great-grandson of Grigori, acquired a copy of theDarkhold, which includes the secret origin of lycanthropy. By reading that passage, Gregory not only activated the curse within himself and became a werewolf, he also unknowingly activated the curse on his descendants, who would become werewolves when they turned eighteen. He sent his wife,Laura, to her native America with their children Jacob andLissa for their own protection. Gregory was eventually killed by an angry mob. Laura Russoff married again, to Gregory's brotherPhilip Russell, who had moved to America years earlier. Jacob Russoff becameJack Russell, and with his sister Lissa was raised inLos Angeles. Laura and Philip never told the children that Philip was their uncle; they only knew him as a stepfather. When Jack turned 18, the curse struck him and he became a werewolf.^[10]

Werewolf by Night[]

The night before his 18th birthday the first night of the full moon, Jack inherited the curse and became a Werewolf. The next day, at his birthday party, Jack escaped and transformed again. During this time, his family's driver,Maxwell Grant, who was an undercover agent for theCommittee, damaged the brakes of Laura's car in retaliation for Philip for canceling an extortion payment -- the Committee had been blackmailing Philip and Laura with the fact that Gregory was a werewolf. Laura was seriously injured in the ensuing crash, and Jack and Lisa suspect Philip was involved in the accident. As Laura was dying she revealed to Jack the origin of his lycanthropy, and made Jack promise never to raise a hand against his stepfather. Jack changed into a werewolf again on the third night killing Grant, but the faint memory of his commitment to his mother kept him from harming his stepfather.^[1]Castle Russoff was left to him in his mother's will, although Philip became a trustee. Philip sold the castle toDr. Miles Blackgar, who had it shipped brick by brick to be rebuilt onBlackgar Island off the coast ofMonterey.^[11] TheHell-Runners motorcycle gang attacked Lissa and was driven off by a werewolf who was shot while fleeing the police. Jack decided to leave the area out of fear of hurting his sister as the werewolf. Jack was picked up byNathan Timly, who took him to his wifeAndrea Timly, who was searching for theDarkhold. Jack knew nothing of the book so he was thrown into a dungeon and attacked by Timly's deformed minionKraig, who then punched and killed Nathan before fighting the werewolf, but he was then killed by lightning. After Jack escaped, Andrea tried to cast a spell without the Darkhold but it backfired, killing her.^[12] Jack met journalistBuck Cowan, who told him about Philip's sale of the castle and his father's ownership of the Darkhold. Cowan helped Jack distract Philip so Jack could investigate the castle to find the Darkhold. He encountered Miles Blackgar and his daughterMarlene Blackgar and learned they had been conducting experiments on people. He turned into a werewolf and battled Blakegar's creatures and then Blakegar himself, knocking him out of a window and seriously injuring him. Marlene then used her mutant powers to turn the werewolf into stone.^[11] When the sun rose the next day he returned to normal and Buck came to his rescue grabbing the the Darkhold before they left. Marlene then advised Philip of the theft, and he tricked Lissa into getting Jack to come to them. There Marlene and her enforcerStrug captured Jack but was unable to find the Darkhold. Jack escaped but returned as the Werewolf and battled Strug but Marlene tried to shoot him but instead killed Strug. Marlene tried to turn the Werewolf to stone, but the petrifying blast was repelled and sent back by a mirror, turning Marlene and Miles into stone.^[13] Jack stayed with Buck but he became the Werewolf again and was forced to escape theL.A.P.D.. He was saved by Max and Betty, who took him home. Back at Buck's place Jack took the Darkhold toFather Jóquez to translate.Mark Cephalos kidnapped Jack and tried to apply the Werewolf's powers to stabilize his own very mutated form. The Werewolf broke loose and fought Cephalos who tried to escape in a helicopter but was forced down and killed in the crash.^[14]

For two years, Russell transformed into a werewolf during the full moon. Despite his precautions, the wolf occasionally escaped. During this period, he never claimed a human life, although some were left with scars or permanent injuries. As a werewolf, Russell freedTopaz from her foster fatherTaboo's control and the two became lovers for a short time.^[10] He was also part of theLegion of Monsters who fought and killed theStarseed.^[15]

The"The Three Who Are All" partially lifted Russell's curse: he gained the ability to transform voluntarily at any time while maintaining his human intellect in werewolf form. He became a vigilante, however the curse remained in effect during full moon nights, when the wolf's consciousness overtook Russell's. Russell worked withDr. Karl Malus on a resolution to his condition. Instead, Malus utilized an experimental device to control his will.Spider-Woman helped him escape, but a month later Russell discovered that through Malus' procedures he lost regulation over his transformations, and that his werewolf form became even more lupine.^{[citation needed]}

A cult led bySchuyler Belial attempted to capture Russell for use in a ritual, believing that by sacrificing a werewolf and transfusing themselves with his blood, they would gain lycanthropic abilities. Russell evaded the cult for close to a year, until with assistance from Moon Knight, he finally confronted the cult, killing several. Returning to Los Angeles, Russell discovered that his werewolf aspect got stronger each month. He sought help fromDr. Michael Morbius, but escaped custody and had to be subdued by theWest Coast Avengers. Having gained greater self-control, Russell encounteredIron Man again while rescuing his sister fromMorgan Le Fay. Russel also joined Morbius's new team, theMidnight Sons.^{[citation needed]}

Wolfsbane's Child[]

Shortly before the birth ofRahne Sinclair'sson, Russell was drawn toNew York City along with many other animalistic demons and gods. Unlike most of them, however, Russell tried to help Rahne and protect the child. After she gave birth, Russell took him away intending to raise him.^[16] Unfortunately, as soon asTier hit puberty he was kidnapped by those who wanted him dead but soon reunited with his mother. Jack Russell stayed with them for a while.^{[citation needed]}

Legion of Monsters and Franken-Castle[]

A new version of the Legion of Monsters was formed by Morbius andMan-Thing; they were joined byN'Kantu,Manphibian, and Jack Russell. They came together to protect monsters from theHunter of Monster Special Force and send the monsters into theMorlock Tunnels to theMonster Metropolis. They first appeared when theMoloids that worked for Man-Thing found the decapitated parts ofPunisher, who was sliced up byWolverine's sonDaken, and reassembled him as the Franken-Castle. Punisher joined up with the Legion of Monsters to help protect the Monster Metropolis from the Hunter of Monster Special Force where Franken-Castle fights the Hunter of Monster Special Forces leaderRobert Hellsgaard.^{[citation needed]}

Legion of Monsters and Elsa Bloodstone[]

Werewolf by Night and N'Kantu the Living Mummy fought theDimensional Man and help Morbius with the monsters infected by a virus that turns them into mindless feral creatures.Elsa Bloodstone hunted an infected monster and meet the team, and soon was teleported to Monster Metropolis with a dead monster that was corrupted with the virus.^[17]

Jack went toHell with Elsa in order to get information about the monsters going wild fromSatannish, but the demon betrayed them. He was mortally wounded by an explosion as the pair escaped Hell^[18], and was taken to Monster Metropolis, unconscious and in his human form for medical care.^[19] After the infection causing the monsters was brought under control, he escorted Elsa out of the city.^[20]

The Legion of Monsters later helpedRed Hulk overcome the panicked monsters at the time when Red Hulk had journeyed to the Monster Metropolis. With the help ofDoctor Strange, Red Hulk, and the Legion of Monsters discover that the spirit that has been bothering Red Hulk was the insane evil side ofDoc Samson (referred to as Dark Samson) which hadn't passed into the next life. Using a ghost entrapment device, Red Hulk and the Legion of Monsters were able destroy the Dark Samson spirit by ripping the Dark Samson spirit in half. Red Hulk and the Legion of Monsters made a toast to honor Doc Samson after that.^{[citation needed]}

Intervention[]

Recently he was seen in an intervention organized byAgent Venom in order to convince theFearless Defenders to disband. Here it was revealed that he actually dated Elsa Bloodstone for a short time.^[21]

Back to Monster Metropolis[]

• Lycanthropy: Jack Russell can transform himself into a werewolf, which is a human/wolf hybrid of supernatural origin, through sheer force of will, usually by meditating on the image of a full moon. While in that form, he retains his normal intellect, is capable of speech (with some difficulty), and looks more like the classic werewolf. During a full moon, however, he changes involuntarily, loses his cognitive abilities, and looks more like a wolf than a human. His human form possesses peak human abilities and slightly enhanced durability.^[25]
  • Superhuman Strength: The Werewolf possesses superhuman strength. While in his intermediate form, he is able to lift about 1,500 lbs. His more wolf-like form, during a full moon, is somewhat more powerful and he is capable of lifting 1 ton. His strength also extends into the muscles of his legs, allowing him to leap, from a crouch, roughly 18 feet into the air.^[26]
  • Superhuman Stamina: The Werewolf's musculature produces less fatigue toxins during physical activity than the musculature of an ordinary human, granting him superhuman levels of stamina. He can exert himself at peak capacity for several hours before fatigue begins to impair him.^[25]
  • Superhuman Agility: The Werewolf's agility, balance, and bodily coordination are enhanced to levels that are beyond the natural physical limits of even the finest human athlete.^[25]
  • Superhuman Reflexes: The Werewolf's reflexes are similarly enhanced and are roughly twice as fast as those of the finest human athlete.^[25]
  • Superhuman Speed: The Werewolf's speed is similarly enhanced and is way faster than the finest human athlete, being nearly invisible during the night.^[27] He can reach speeds of 35 miles per hour.^[26]
  • Superhumanly Acute Senses: The werewolf has superhumanly acute senses of sight,smell, andhearing similar to those of an actual wolf. He cansee part of the infrared spectrum and thus detect the heat signatures of objects or people in total darkness.^[25] He can smell other living creatures within 100 feet (when upwind) and follow a scent over nearly any terrain. He can hear the sound of a heartbeat in a cave at a distance of 30 feet.
  • Superhuman Durability: The tissues of his body are considerably harder and more resistant to physical injury than those of an ordinary human. Jack is capable of withstanding low caliber bullets,^[28] great impact forces, falls from great heights, and exposure to temperature without sustaining injury.^[25] While under a full moon his durability is furtherly enhanced, withMorbius calling him an "inhuman killing machine". In this state it once tookWonder Man his full strength to bring him down.^[29]
  • Claws and Teeth: The Werewolf's claws and teeth are extremely sharp and tough, enabling him to rend through a variety of substances including fabric, wood, cinderblock, and even some metals.^[25]
  • Regenerative Healing Factor: The Werewolf is capable of regenerating damaged or destroyed areas of his body with much greater speed and efficiency than an ordinary human. Injuries that result in massive tissue damage such as bullet wounds, slashes, punctures, blunt force trauma, and severe burns heal completely, without so much as a scar, in a short amount of time. His ability to heal is at least 10 times that of a human.^[25] His ability to heal is so advanced that he can regenerate his own head after having it blown away by Deadpool.^[30][24]

• Hand-to-Hand Combat: The Werewolf is a formidable hand to hand combatant, although he has had no formal training.
• Occultism: He also has above average intellect and some expertise in dealing with occult and supernatural forces.^[25]

Vulnerability to Silver: The Werewolf has a special vulnerability to objects or weapons composed of silver. Silver is useful against many supernatural or demonic creatures due to its mystical purity. If he receives what would be a fatal injury to an ordinary human, such as being shot through the heart, with a silver bullet, he will die within a matter of minutes. If he is merely injured by a silver weapon, it will take him much longer to heal than it would from being injured by a weapon composed of conventional material.^[25]

• Motorcycle^[25]

• Jack Russell's sister, Lissa, was cured of lycanthropy soon after her first transformation at age 18 by the ghost of the sorcerer namedTaboo, who merged his spirit with hers, suppressing the curse.^[31]
• The character's name may be an unintentional pun. There is a breed ofterrier called Jack Russell, both in our world and in Earth-616 - as specified byCrawley inMoon Knight Vol 3 4.
• InShadows & Light #3 it is hinted that Jack was molested as a boy by a man who dragged him into an abandoned building, it is also hinted that his attacker was taken to court and let off by a lenient judge.

• In the early years of his curse, Russell looked more like the classic "Wolf Man" (as in the 1941 film). After his appearance inMoon Knight #29, he began to look more like a real wolf.
• The Werewolf was featured asMarvel Value Stamp (Series A) #7.

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