When it comes to cinematic shared universes, the Marvel Cinematic Universe is easily the biggest. Starting in 2008 with the releases of Iron Man and The Incredible Hulk, the MCU popularized the idea of shared universes in Hollywood. This led to a cinematic universe arms race, resulting in The Conjuring Universe, The MonsterVerse, the DCEU (now the DCU), and, of course, the failed Dark Universe. Whereas crossover films like King Kong vs. Godzilla, Freddy vs. Jason, and Alien vs. Predator were initially seen as gimmicks, shared universes are not only accepted but expected by mainstream audiences.
Yet 65 years before the birth of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Universal Pictures actually created the idea of a shared universe by crossing over its stable of horror icons, lovingly known as The Universal Monsters. Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man, the film that started it all, initially seemed like a mere cash grab. Yet what began as a commercial ploy became a landmark in the legacy of the Universal Monsters and laid the groundwork for the Marvel Cinematic Universe, which would eventually become the most successful film franchise of all time. Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man created an entire genre of storytelling.
The Shared Universe Began Because Someone Wanted To Buy a Car
Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man was greenlit after The Wolf Man proved to be a hit at the box office in 1941. Was this epic crossover something Universal Pictures had planned years in advance, or was it simply a way to revive one of the two monster franchises? No, in fact, it all started as a joke. The Wolf Man writer Curt Siodmak wanted to purchase a new car and joked about Frankenstein and The Wolf Man to director and producer George Waggner. As the writer mentioned in the 1991 book Backstory 2: Interviews with Screenwriters of the 1940s and 1950s, via Notes on Cinematograph:
“The idea of Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man started with a joke. I was sitting at the Universal commissary during the war with a friend of mine who was drafted and wanted to sell his automobile. You couldn’t get an automobile in those days since those companies only turned out war material. I wanted to buy that car, but I didn’t have the money. George Waggner was sitting with us, and I made a joke: Frankenstein Wolfs the Meat Man, I mean, Meets the Wolf Man. He didn’t laugh. He came back to my office a couple of days later and asked, ‘Did you buy the automobile?’ I said, ‘For that I need another job.’ He said, ‘You have a job. Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man. You have two hours to accept.’ That taught me never to joke with a producer.”
Lon Chaney Jr. reprised his role as Lawrence Talbot, the Wolf Man, and was originally set to play Frankenstein’s Monster as well. However, the plan was scrapped because it would have been too taxing on him. Bela Lugosi, famous for playing Dracula, played Frankenstein in the film. Lugosi famously turned down the role of Frankenstein in 1931, with Boris Karloff eventually taking on the part and becoming the actor’s most famous role.
Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man merges the continuity of both The Frankenstein films and The Wolf Man. The movie picks up years after The Wolf Man and, more than anything, acts as a direct sequel to that 1941 film. Unlike the other Universal Monsters, the Wolf Man never received a direct solo sequel. He always appeared in crossover films, making him similar to the Hulk in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
The movie was planned to follow the timeline of Ghost of Frankenstein, which was released a year before Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man. That film ended with Igor’s brain inside the monster’s body, capable of speech. However, test audiences found Bela Lugosi’s thick accent coming from the monster silly, so all of his speaking lines were cut. However, the Creature’s blindness is retained, and the iconic image of Frankenstein grunting with his arms stretched out, which has since been parodied in many other forms of media, originates in this film.
‘Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man’ Creates the Shared Universe and Universal Monsters Branding
Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man opened in theaters in March 1943. Despite being dismissed by critics, the movie was a box office hit. Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man is the first of what would become the “Monster Rally films” for Universal Pictures, movies that united the studio’s various horror icons. The following entry would be House of Frankenstein (1944), which reunited the Wolf Man and Frankenstein, joined by Count Dracula. This was followed by 1945 in House of Dracula. The final film would be a comedy crossover, Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein, in 1948, the last time Lon Chaney Jr. and Bela Lugosi played the Wolf Man and Dracula, respectively.
The original trilogy of Monster Rally films established Dracula, Frankenstein, and the Wolf Man as the trinity of Universal’s Monsters. More importantly, it established a shared universe and continuity for audiences to follow. Despite The Mummy, The Invisible Man, and Creature from the Black Lagoon never crossing over with each other or with the big three (except for a joke cameo from The Invisible Man in Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein), their status as part of the Universal Monsters gives them a tangential sense of continuity.
In Empire‘s 2006 review for Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man, writer Kim Newman said Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man “is one of the most-often excerpted films in movie history,” noting how many times other films use clips from the film. He’s My Guy, released around the same time as Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man, features clips from the movie as a bit of cross-promotion. Mad Dog and Glory and Alien vs. Predator feature clips of Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man, while Friday the 13th Part VI: Jason Lives, Fright Night, and October Sky all reference the classic movie.
‘Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man’s Impact Is Still Felt Today
Two years before Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man opened in theaters, The Justice Society of America debuted in comics. That comic established, for the first time, that the various heroes of National Comics (later named DC Comics) existed in the same universe. The creation of the Justice Society and Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man helped establish the idea of an interconnected shared continuity across multiple stories, so it is fitting that the Marvel Cinematic Universe, a combination of both comics and films, would perfect the formula.
Before the shared universe concept, Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man popularized the idea of film crossovers. The next major one would be 1962’s King Kong vs. Godzilla, which was later reimagined in 2021’s Godzilla vs. Kong. 2003’s Freddy vs. Jason and 2004’s Alien vs. Predator owe a great deal to Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man, smashing together two horror icons for a brawl. In Freddy vs. Jason‘s case, it was the last entry in both franchises before they were rebooted. Alien vs. Predator revived both franchises for a new generation, paving the way for the renaissance both series are in now.
Universal Pictures has certainly tried to revive its Universal Monsters. In 2004, Van Helsing was a 21st-century reimagining of the Monster Rally picture, featuring new takes on Dracula, Frankenstein, and the Wolf Man. Van Helsing was intended to launch a franchise, but underperformed at the box office. In 2014, after the Marvel Cinematic Universe made the shared universe concept popular among mainstream audiences, Universal Pictures attempted to revive the original franchise with The Dark Universe.
The plan was to reboot the Universal Monsters into big action blockbusters that would cross over. Following the box office flop of 2017’s The Mummy, the Dark Universe crossover plans were scrapped. Blumhouse has since taken over, reimagining the classic monsters in stand-alone horror films like 2020’s The Invisible Man and 2025’s The Wolf Man. However, the idea of the Universal Monsters existing alongside one another, and the Dark Universe branding, lives on at Universal Studios Florida’s newest theme park, Epic Universe.
Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man might seem like a cash-in, and in many ways it was. Yet it remains one of the most important films of all time, both in horror and in broader pop culture. It, along with its sequels House of Frankenstein and House of Dracula, not only cemented the Universal Monsters as a distinct brand but also laid the groundwork for the in-demand form of franchise storytelling of the 21st century. It might have taken six decades, but the idea of characters from different storylines coming together to create a larger tapestry and become something greater began with Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man, was finally perfected with The Avengers, and continues to this day.
