Credit: Marvel StudiosThis Halloween, Marvel Studios released its goriest project since Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (2022): a classic horror-inspired special called Werewolf by Night. While the spooky spectacular was generally received, a graphic artist has accused Disney+ of stealing his art to promote the show.
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Midiankai tweeted a photo of the Werewolf by Night poster side by side with cover art he designed for Born From Pain, a Dutch band, in 2016:
I might be crazy but did marvel just rip me off? I did this art for born from pain around 6 years ago
I might be crazy but did marvel just rip me off? I did this art for born from pain around 6 years ago pic.twitter.com/2BudSZcXRW
— Midi (Commissions Open!) (@midiankai) October 14, 2022
He also pointed out that the lines appeared auto-traced and edited:
as a vector artist i can tell that these rounded ends mean the art was auto traced and then edited
as a vector artist i can tell that these rounded ends mean the art was auto traced and then edited pic.twitter.com/F4CFgiMbT1
— Midi (Commissions Open!) (@midiankai) October 14, 2022
Many of Midiankai’s fans agreed and pointed out other shocking similarities, like @Skipti_LLC:
The teeth are a dead giveaway – look at the shapes of the bottom row and where you can clearly see the bottom canines we’re meant to be underneath the top set of canines
The teeth are a dead giveaway – look at the shapes of the bottom row and where you can clearly see the bottom canines we're meant to be underneath the top set of canines pic.twitter.com/wBAlaRxaYk
— Morgan Drake 🌐 (@Skipti_LLC) October 14, 2022
Marvel and Disney have not responded to the plagiarism accusations. In a reply, Midiankai said he didn’t want to start a witch hunt but felt the potential art theft needed to be addressed:
yeah I’m not witch-hunting or chopping heads, but if it happens it needs to be addressed
yeah I'm not witch-hunting or chopping heads, but if it happens it needs to be addressed
— Midi (Commissions Open!) (@midiankai) October 14, 2022
Werewolf by Night is now streaming on Disney+. Directed by Michael Giacchino, the hour-long special stars Gael García Bernal as Jack Russell/Werewolf by Night, Laura Donnelly as Elsa Bloodstone, and Harriet Sansom Harris as Verussa Bloodstone.
More on Werewolf by Night
Related: Werewolf on the Loose Wreaks Havoc at Avengers Campus
This dark Halloween spectacular marks a first for the MCU, ushering in a new era of Disney Plus exclusive content. From Disney:
On a dark and somber night, a secret cabal of monster hunters emerge from the shadows and gather at the foreboding Bloodstone Temple following the death of their leader. In a strange and macabre memorial to the leader’s life, the attendees are thrust into a mysterious and deadly competition for a powerful relic-a hunt that will ultimately bring them face to face with a dangerous monster. Inspired by horror films of the 1930s and 1940s, the chilling special aims to evoke a sense of dread and the macabre, with plenty of suspense and scares along the way as we explore a new corner of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
What did you think of Werewolf by Night?