Gargoyles: Dingo is the key to Wolf's Redemption!
(Spoilers for all of Gargoyles)
Hello everyone, Hector here. Long time, no see, but I hope you're all doing well! Sorry I haven't posted in a while, but I have been struggling with figuring out my next blog post since I got so many ideas I love to discuss, as well as dealing with stuff in my personal life. However, something finally came to me recently, and let's say the idea/theory I got for today's topic is so exciting that it got my creative juices in my mind rolling once again! And it's none other than Gargoyles, particularly why Wolf should be redeemed, become a part of the Redemption Squad, and how it could happen! Hold onto your butts for this one because I got a lot to say about this particular topic!
For anyone who has been reading my previous blog posts, I would mention Wolf quite often. For anyone who isn't familiar with him, Wolf is a reoccurring character in one of my favorite shows ever, Gargoyles. Wolf is part of the team called the Pack, who had their own TV show created by David Xanatos (with the exception of Fox, none of the Pack members are aware of who truly hired them) as a way to test the Manhattan Clan Gargoyles and what they can do. Wolf is the muscle of the group who loves to fight, especially with Goliath who he saw as a "proper challenge" and is obsessed with Goliath to the point where if anyone says Wolf is straight is clearly in denial. Wolf is the most stubborn of the group, as he's constantly trying to prove he's the best, that he can be the big man of the group, whether leading The Pack or beating the toughest guy of the group (I.E. Goliath).
Then come the episode, "Upgrade", where things truly get enthralling as the entire Pack team (with the role of leader now given to Coyote, an android created by Xanatos, that takes over the leader role for Fox, which is a story for another time) gets upgrades to their looks and abilities. Dingo gets armor and weapons similar to Xanatos, Jackal and Hyena become cyborgs with dangerous tricks and weapons built into them, and my favorite upgrade, Wolf becomes a literal Wolfman through genetic mutation via a serum Dr. Sevarius made (first introduced in the episode, Metamorphosis), and a gorgeous one at that, just saying. Anyway, they do get the upper hand on the Manhattan Clan for a bit, but thanks to Brooklyn's plan, they defeat the Pack once again. Afterwards, Wolf would stay with the remaining Pack members, Hyena and Jackal, who would occasionally pop up in other episodes here and there to give the Gargoyles a hard time.
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Wolf thankfully would get his own solo episode, "Vendettas" (My favorite episode in the Gargoyles series, or at least top 3 for me. I don't care what anyone else says), where we would find out Wolf is the descendant of Hakon, the Viking who killed most of the Gargoyles back in 994 A.D., which is what kickstarts the series. Despite being dead, Hakon's spirit would live on as it would reside in Hakon's axe, which Wolf somehow finds. They team up to defeat Goliath and Hudson, which leads into some amazing and insane action, especially with Hakon possessing Wolf and giving him abilities like flight and super strength. Yet despite that, guess what? Wolf loses the fight again, and Hakon's spirit is destroyed by a car crusher. That's the last we see of Wolf in the cartoon series, but his story isn't over yet thankfully!
In the recent Gargoyles comics written by series co-creator Greg Weisman and published by Dynamite Entertainment, Wolf appears once again, where we get to know a bit more about him as we are introduced to his father, Grisha Volkov, who is part of the criminal underworld in New York as he's one of the leaders. There's also a mention of Wolf's mom, though we have yet to see her properly sadly. Grisha orders Wolf to get rid of Brod, Dane's boss (which I won't talk about in detail since it's a long story, but criminals are always getting into messy situations), but what's important is Wolf does this in order to protect his dad, his reputation, and supposedly his mom or at least to please her since she probably isn't happy to hear that her husband nearly got killed in a car bomb situation. Interestingly enough, the place where Brod is held up at, Rikers, is where Goliath is as well, making this an opportunity Wolf can't pass up. Along with Jackal and Hyena, Wolf goes to take care of Brod at Rikers, but once again, Goliath beats Wolf and the rest of the Pack (I'm sensing a pattern here). Up to this day, this is the furthest we have gotten with Wolf in the Gargoyles series.
Wolf only appeared a handful of times throughout the series, yet he managed to become my favorite character in Gargoyles (along with some others, but Wolf is top tier for me)! Admittedly when I first started watching the show, I didn't think much of him, aside from him being voiced by Mr. Krabs himself, Clancy Brown (in one of his first vocal performances ever in his long, impressive career). However, once I saw the episode, Upgrade, my opinion on Wolf changed entirely as I got a better idea of how he was, and I couldn't help but be charmed by him. Beyond his voice, his obsession with Goliath, his "Upgrade" design, his fight scenes, his "masculinity", it all just clicked with me. But as much as I love the character of Wolf, I genuinely wish we got more of him in the series since I believe there was more to his story.
Shortly after my interest in the character truly kicked in, I was thinking about Wolf's future, particularly how he could become a hero and redeem himself in some way, shape, or form. One of the many reasons why I love Gargoyles is that the show gives depth to many characters, whether hero or villain, and how they evolve throughout the series. Notable examples are David Xanatos, Fox, Macbeth Coldstone, and much more. There's one character in particular that's connected to Wolf, Dingo, which inspired me to write this blog post, but before I get into Dingo, I like to give a few reasons on why Wolf's Redemption would be a compelling direction for the character.
Wolf has been surrounded by practically nobody but horrible people throughout the series and his life. Having a father who is involved in the criminal underground, let alone one of the leaders, was never going to go well for anyone raised in that environment, so I can imagine how Grisha treated his son around the time he was growing up. In regard to Jackal and Hyena, Wolf has hanged out with the most, yet those two are some of the worst companions I've ever seen for anyone as they constantly make fun of Wolf, whether belittling him, or saying anything just to get under his skin (usually resorting to name calling and or poking at Wolf's insecurities). Not to mention Wolf's ancestor, Hakon, was responsible for many things that happened moving forward in the Gargoyles series, from Demona's villainous turn (though that was her own fault as well) to the Manhattan Clan Gargoyles being part of modern-day New York. When Wolf and Hakon teamed up in "Vendettas", they didn't get along, even going as far as for Hakon to tell Wolf the following: "You're a disgrace to the entire bloodline" and "How could you be descended from me, I shall never know." In retrospect, Wolf is a tragic character in the vein of villains like Bane from Batman, or Tai Lung from Kung Fu Panda where they're a product of their surroundings as they were raised in a toxic environment, having no choice in the matter.
Speaking of which, what's worth mentioning is throughout his time as a villain, Wolf has never truly accomplished anything despite always claiming he's the best or wanting to prove he's the best. While not entirely useless as he has shown to be capable on occasion and willing to work with a team, he is no match for anyone he has come up against, whether it's against Goliath, Coyote, or even himself. Even when he had help from the other Pack members or Hakon's spirit, Wolf always manages to lose the fight. Not only that, at the beginning of the episode "Upgrade", Wolf takes on the leadership role, which he wanted in "Leader of the Pack", and all he does is rob a bank, which yeah, Wolf's idea of being a leader has no ambition. With Wolf constantly losing and his priorities not having a strong foundation, Wolf has nowhere to go but up, which is realizing he is on the wrong side and admitting that he needs help.
This next point is more of a theory, but this seems possible regarding Wolf's interest in becoming leader of the Pack. While Wolf wants to prove that he is capable to his family and comrades that he is the best and to keep a good reputation, deep down, he's sick and tired of taking orders from others, especially with how he has not been given any respect from them. He may have considered leaving the Pack and even his family, but he's afraid to do it as he doesn't know where to go or worried about potential repercussions. But if he takes the role of leader and proves how capable he is, he can finally have some control of his life and not be afraid anymore. Interestingly enough in "Vendettas", Wolf was so displeased with Hakon taking over his body, Wolf nearly destroyed the possessed axe, but due to Hakon begging for his life and probably some uncertainty from Wolf, Wolf didn't go through with it.
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With that in mind, while Wolf clearly has issues and has some toxic tendencies, he isn't evil by any means, just horribly misguided. In his first appearance, "Thrill of the Hunt", when the Pack is about to get the upper hand on Goliath and Lexington, a couple of kids interrupt their scuffle, but when Wolf sees the Gargoyles ready to fight, he moves the kids safely out of the fight. No doubt it was to keep the Pack's good reputation intact, but what Wolf did seem genuine since he could have easily been rude to the kids, yet he handled it well. Another noticeable point is that of the remaining members, Fox, Dingo, and Wolf are the least cold-blooded of the team as Wolf had plenty of opportunities to kill, whether it's Goliath or this random guy he stole a car from in the episode "Vendettas", yet he never truly goes for the killing blow, unlike Jackal and Hyena who are more eager to kill. I have no doubt part of the reason Wolf doesn't go for the kill is that he loves fighting and besting other men in combat, but part of it is implying that Wolf is softer than he leads on, as he is constantly putting on this facade of being the toughest guy in the Pack. To further prove my claim, when Goliath found out who killed his clan in "Awakening", Hakon lies by shifting the blame onto the Captain of the Guard, trying to save himself, while in "Thrill of the Hunt", Wolf lies to a family in order to protect them.
Another point regarding Wolf and Hakon is that Hakon said their mutual hatred of Goliath is what brought them together in Wyvern, yet never once in the series does Wolf outright says he hates Goliath. If anything, Wolf is obsessed with Goliath, maybe even attracted to him as Wolf is constantly going after Goliath and saying things like calling Goliath "Big Guy", telling Dingo to "Just save the big one for me", and saying "Well, look who's crashed the party" with a genuine smile on his face. However, Wolf doesn't want to admit that due to his upbringing, but there's no denying Goliath makes Wolf feel a certain way and it's definitely not hatred, as Wolf would try to mimic Goliath with his hair, the way he moves when he gets his upgrade, that's not hatred, that's admiring if anything. Hakon on the other hand genuinely hates Goliath and the Gargoyles as he went out of his way to murdering Goliath's clan during their stone sleep, trying to steal Goliath's life force in the episode "Shadows of the Past", and more. I googled the two terms, and according to Google, obsessed means "preoccupy or fill the mind of (someone) continually, intrusively, and to a troubling extent," while hatred means "Intense dislike or ill will." Wolf and Hakon have two completely different views on Goliath.
What also makes the idea of Wolf being redeemed and becoming a hero thrilling is going back to the Pack's first appearance, they were presented as the good guys to the Gargoyles on TV. Lexington was inspired to meet the Pack as they thought they would be allies, but that backfired due to the Pack being actually hired by Xanatos to fight against the Manhattan Clan. However, as time went on, while Wolf, Jackal, Hyena, and Coyote stayed to be part of the Pack, some of the members like Fox went on to become an ally of sorts to the Gargoyles, and Dingo goes on to become a hero, even joining a team called the Redemption Squad. This may be a coincidence, but what's intriguing is Fox, Dingo, and Wolf got episodes focused on themselves as we actually get to know a little more about them and later on, both Fox and Dingo got redeemed. If both Fox and Dingo got a chance to become better, there's a good possibility that Wolf will be the next one to get a shot at redemption! Jackal and Hyena did get an episode dedicated to themselves, "Her Brother's Keeper", but the only thing we learned about them is what we already know: they're insane! Putting the insanity aside, the idea of a villain, in this case Wolf, who was hellbent on defeating their enemy into becoming an ally, especially with their first appearance being sold as a hero, would not only be a full circle moment for the character, but have a sense of irony to it as well as the descendant of a villain becoming a hero would show how much of Hakon's work was all in vain.
The last big reason on why Wolf should get a redemption is the idea of Wolf finally having proper control of his life, as for a long time, he has allowed other people to walk all over him. His family and comrades, even going back thousands of years ago with Hakon most noticeably, have chosen a path of hate, revenge, and abuse. With Wolf being raised in an environment that he isn't fully comfortable with based on everything I have mentioned before, he may believe if he were to leave or show his true colors, he may be considered weak or suffer the consequences. But after a certain event or situation, Wolf truly realizes how awful his family is, and decides that enough is enough, leaving them behind to make a better future for himself. Question is how can this actually come to fruition? One word: Dingo!
Of all the Pack members, Dingo was the only one who truly showed any appreciation towards Wolf during his time with the Pack. As mentioned earlier, Jackal and Hyena were awful as they constantly made of Wolf any chance they got, and while Fox wasn't full on evil, she was manipulative towards Wolf and even the whole team to some degree as she's the only one who knew Xanatos recruited the entire Pack team (funnily enough, both Xanatos and Fox would end up together). On the other hand, Dingo was supportive of Wolf, as he would stay by Wolf's side constantly and keep Wolf in check in case, he was about to do something reckless. Despite some differences here and there, Wolf got along the most with Dingo as we hardly saw them bicker or be mean towards each other. Dingo is by no means a saint, but he had a good heart and meant well, being the only person in Wolf's life that treated him like an equal, a partner, the closest thing to any semblance of family or at least what it should actually feel like.
Unfortunately, once we got to "Upgrade", Wolf and Dingo's dynamic changes for the worse once they get their respective upgrades. Dingo didn't like what the rest of the Pack did, including Wolf who decided to become a mutated Wolfman. When Dingo says he couldn't believe what the Pack did to themselves, Wolf responds "We did what you were afraid to do." Shortly afterwards, Dingo describes Wolf as "A human who's gone to the dogs", which is the first time we saw Dingo belittle Wolf. This was the last proper interaction between Wolf and Dingo, and while it wasn't as disastrous as the fallout between Anakin and Obi-Wan in the Star Wars saga, it was clear Wolf and Dingo ended their friendship on a sour note.
When we get to the episode, "Walkabout", Dingo has left the Pack and goes through a journey of self-discovery of sorts as he wants to get a clean start. He does fight Goliath and his team for a bit, but they quickly put aside their differences to go up against this threat known as the Matrix (No, not the movie, but it's an AI cybernetic being of sorts that can transform into practically anything). Long story short, The Matrix believes in taking over the world through their way of order, but thanks to some convincing from Dingo and how Dingo used to be a "hero" with the Pack, they decide to team up as The Matrix fuses with Dingo's armor, giving Dingo a shiny upgrade, and become heroes themselves. Somehow later on, they end up being on a team called the Redemption Squad in the Gargoyles comic spin-off, Bad Guys.
For anyone unfamiliar with the Redemption Squad, they're a team similar to DC's the Suicide Squad that consists of a team of former criminals who are trying to redeem themselves by taking on missions to save the world. The members of the team include Hunter, Yama, Fang, Matrix, and Dingo. A fascinating point I like to point out is in their respective appearances in the Gargoyles cartoon, at least last time when we see them, they either start to become good, realizing the error of their ways, or they're just messing around without a care in the world. And Wolf is currently in the "messing around" kind of situation. Admittedly, I have not read the comics, due to them being hard to find and expensive, but I am aware of the basics and some of my good friends told me some of the details about the team.
With Wolf in a rough spot due to his family issues and not truly accomplishing anything in his life, him being recruited in the Redemption Squad would give him the opportunity to get a fresh start as he can do something good in his life and be with a team that actually appreciates him for who he is. Since all of them have some level of common ground with Wolf due to their past of being a criminal of sorts, there's a bond that all of them can have with one another. For the first time, Wolf can actually be himself as he won't have his father or toxic friends surrounding him, enabling his bad habits and behavior. This would also give Wolf a chance to make amends with Dingo since their friendship fell apart, as Wolf would own up to his toxic behavior and realize that Dingo was the friend he truly needed in his life. Dingo has moved on with his life, but with Wolf coming back into Dingo's life after things changing for them would bring in a lot of drama and potentially give us an emotional storyline between two former friends who realize both need each other despite a rocky past between them.
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However, Dingo isn't the only member of the team that could have an interesting dynamic with Wolf in the Redemption Squad as Fang could really shake things up with Wolf and Dingo in the best and most hilarious way possible! For anyone who doesn't know or remember Fang, he was part of Talon's Mutate clan, which consisted of Maggie the Cat and Claw (AKA the sweetest and most wholesome character in Gargoyles who I love). Talon and his team were on protecting the innocent, but Fang's idea of protection involved exploiting others and being a major jerk towards them as well as his own teammates. Due to his awful behavior, he was locked up by Talon. But somehow, he got recruited to be part of the Redemption Squad and from the looks of things, he shook up the team in ways they probably didn't see coming.
While Dingo and Fang have met up in the Redemption Squad, Fang has never interacted Wolf in the Gargoyles series, yet their characteristics and contrasting nature can be one of the most powerful combinations ever seen since chocolate and peanut butter! Both do have some similarities that I do want to point out, like how they are both mutates that embraced their transformations, desire to become leader, act confident, and are a bit reckless, albeit in their own manners. In regard to their differences, Fang is more secure with himself, as he acts narcissistic and doesn't play well with others, as he constantly teases and makes fun of others, while Wolf is more of a team player who gets easily annoyed by others that make fun of him. With how much fun Fang has with mocking others, the comedy between the two would be golden as what makes Fang such a great character is despite how awful he treats others, he is hilarious when doing so. Fang would easily provoke Wolf on something, and the dynamic between the two would be fun to watch but could be potentially interesting as both can complement one another, thanks to the differences I highlighted earlier.
With Wolf being the grumpy one, Fang being the instigator while Dingo being the one to deescalate things, it would make for a chaotic, yet intriguing dynamic with these three together. I imagine Fang would constantly tease Wolf and love doing so, which would annoy Wolf and lead into a bunch of bickering, while Dingo tries to keep them in line. Dingo isn't the leader as that role belongs to the Hunter, but he could be the heart of the group trying to help the team keep focused and not go off the rails with their missions, leading into a bunch of great comedy. But with Fang not too familiar with Wolf and Dingo's prior dynamic, it would be interesting to see how both Wolf and Fang relate to one another with their transformations into mutates and how Wolf and Dingo were good friends up until their falling out, and Dingo's reaction to seeing his friend move on from how he acted during their time with the Pack. This dynamic between the three has the most amount of potential and I genuinely need to see this happen as I love these characters!
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