The Marvel Cinematic Universe recently expanded with a Disney+ Halloween special titled Werewolf by Night. Based on the comic book character of the same name, this Marvel Studios Special Presentation introduces Gael García Bernal as the titular werewolf. Additionally, Laura Donnelly of The Nevers fame makes her debut as Elsa Bloodstone.
Fans of Marvel Comics are very familiar in Elsa Bloodstone's adventures. The recurring character is one of Marvel's premier monster hunters, often popping up in comic runs involving supernatural characters like Blade and the Legion of Monsters. With her MCU debut, these comic book facts may surprise those who are unfamiliar with the character.
10 She Began Hunting At An Early Age
As established in the Werewolf by Night special, Elsa is the daughter of Ulysses Bloodstone, the most famous monster hunter in the Marvel universe. Though their family originates in Boston, Massachusetts, Elsa was raised in England. This origin is even reflected in Elsa's British accent throughout her appearances in Werewolf by Night.
Naturally, as the daughter of a monster hunter, Elsa's hunting career began early. As a baby, Ulysses forced her to fight a Blight Beast. When Elsa's mother, Elise, protested these decisions, he cruelly had her institutionalized. Suffice it to say, Elsa and her father had a difficult relationship throughout her younger years.
9 Ulysses Gave Elsa The Bloodstone
In Werewolf by Night, Elsa must win her father's Bloodstone in a contest with other monster hunters, including Jack Russell. In the comics, however, she's directly given her father's Bloodgem Choker by Ulysses upon his death. With the Bloodstone, Elsa finds herself boasting increased strength, reflexes, and most importantly, immortality.
However, since her father donned the Bloodgem Choker throughout his life and her birth, Elsa also genetically inherited some of the Bloodstone's properties. Among these powers include immunity to vampiric bites, which makes her a threatening figure to characters like Blade or Dracula. Perhaps Elsa will flex this power in the MCU's upcoming Blade film.
8 Elsa Is The Last Of The Bloodstones
Early in her monster-hunting career, Elsa joined the 50-State Initiative, founded by Tony Stark in the aftermath of the first Superhuman Civil War. During her exploits with the Initiative, particularly the subteam known as Nextwave, she hunted the children of Goram, where she found herself (oddly enough) impregnated by one of the monsters.
Once the Bloodgem killed the offspring inside her, Elsa made a vow to kill every monster before she died. The experience also haunted Elsa's idea of having a child, and she made another vow to never continue the Bloodstone line. Not only is her mission the end for all monsters in the Marvel universe, it's also the end of her family legacy.
7 She Worked With Captain Britain
Educating others about monsters has also been a priority of Elsa Bloodstone's monster-hunting career. Similarly to the Harry Potter spin-off book Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, Elsa published her father's research on an online blog, featured in a comic titled Marvel Monsters: From the Files of Ulysses Bloodstone and the Monster Hunters.
Later, Elsa continued her educating career by becoming a staff member at Braddock Academy. Led by Brian Braddock, a.k.a Captain Britain, this school was meant to train Britain's best future heroes. Among Elsa's fellow staff members include Union Jack, Captain Britain himself, and the mutant shape-shifter Gloriana.
6 Elsa Finishes Her Father's Work
One of Elsa's most famous hunting missions found her tracking down a being known as the Dreaming Maiden. This ethereal presence was said to be able to manipulate the dreams of others. Her father, Ulysses, had attempted to kill the Dreaming Maiden when he was a part of the secret society known as Covenant, alongside Vanessa Baker and Wyatt Crowley.
This quest puts Elsa conflict with none other than Wolverine, who had been hired by the Covenant to assassinate the Dreaming Maiden himself. However, the Dreaming Maiden had been previously saved by Wolverine. By the end of the Wolverine arc, him and Elsa Bloodstone find themselves teaming up to fight assassins sent by the Covenant.
5 Elsa Navigates The Multiverse
During the 2015 Secret Wars event in the comics, Elsa finds herself on Battleworld, a planet created by Doctor Doom that is made up of destroyed realities as a result of incursions. Strangely, Elsa was led to believe she had grown up on Battleworld, commanding the exiled multiversal super-team known as the Hel-Rangers.
Nevertheless, during Elsa's time on Battleworld, she crossed paths with zombie versions of Marvel characters like Juggernaut and Doctor Octopus. She even meets a zombified version of her father, Ulysses, who summoned her family to this planet in his search for the Bloodstone. This arc is definitely one of Elsa's strangest, albeit most emotional.
4 An Enemies-To-Lovers Arc With Deadpool
One character Elsa has crossed paths with numerous times is the merc with a mouth himself, Wade Wilson, a.k.a. Deadpool. Deadpool broke into the Bloodstone Manor in search of Elsa's Bloodstone Choker, where they were caught by Elsa, but nevertheless managed to narrowly escape with the Bloodgem in their possession.
Fortunately, Elsa was able to retrieve the Bloodstone back from Deadpool and his sidekick at the time, Elektra. She and Deadpool crossed paths again, teaming up to kill the Monster King. Once Deadpool inherited its title, Elsa helped defend him from characters like Kraven the Hunter. Eventually, the two even became a romantic couple in the comics.
3 Elsa Teams Up With The A-Force
During the Civil War II arc, Elsa Bloodstone managed to run into the A-Force, a superhero team comprised of entirely female heroes. At the time Elsa crossed paths with them, their team consisted of Carol Danvers, Dazzler, and She-Hulk, among others. While Elsa would be a perfect member for this team, she never joined the team as an official member.
Nevertheless, this encounter with the A-Force led to her meeting Sister Grimm, a.k.a. Nico Minoru, who became an ally of hers. Hopefully, if the A-Force ever makes an official debut in the MCU, Elsa could make her official debut into the team on the big screen. That would especially be cool considering many founding members of A-Force have yet to appear.
2 Elsa's Encounter With Dane Whitman
Elsa Bloodstone plays a pretty big role in the 2021 comic miniseries Black Knight: Curse of the Ebony Blade. The series follows Dane Whitman, wielder of the Ebony Blade, who made his MCU debut in Eternals played by Kit Harington. In the 2021 series, however, Elsa attacks Dane in search of a Bloodstone in his possession.
Nevertheless, the two eventually teamed up when they learned the Bloodstone was held by Mordred, a longtime villain of Arthurian mythology. Given that Dane Whitman may appear in the solo Blade film, it's possible that the two characters could cross paths like this in the MCU sooner rather than later, with Elsa interested in finding more of her family's gems.
1 Elsa Merged With Blade
Of course, Elsa appearing in the Blade film would also be a chance to see the character interact with Eric Brooks, the film's titular vampire hunter. Elsa and Blade have both been members of the Midnight Sons, a superhero team that also included Ghost Rider and Man-Thing (the latter of which also appears in the Werewolf by Night special).
Notably, Elsa and Blade also merged into Elsa Bladestone in the Warp World, an alternate dimension where every two souls merge into one. In the Warp World, Elsa Bladestone was actually the leader of the Covenant, launching a war against a group known as the Evolutionaries, who later massacred all the members of the Covenant.