Warning: Contains SPOILERS for Wolf Man!

Wolf Man features an all-new incarnation of the тιтular monster, and here is who the werewolf is in the 2025 film and what the significance of his arm tattoo is, explained. Wolf Man is a new take on Universal’s iconic lycanthrope, with it updating the classic movie monster for the modern day. After his success directing 2020’s The Invisible Man, Leigh Whannell has now taken on the werewolf, with Wolf Man acting as a stripped-down version of the story. Along with a new Wolf Man movie comes a new backstory for the werewolf, and here is who the monster is.

2025’s Wolf Man starts out with an opening тιтle card, one that explains the backstory of the werewolf. This text explains that a man disappeared in Oregon in 1995 while hiking, with it being rumored that he caught a wildlife virus that made him appear as if he had the face of a wolf. Thirty years later, the main cast of Wolf Man learns that this legend is true. While Blake Lovell and his family are heading to clean out the remote house of Blake’s father, they are attacked by a werewolf, one that continues hunting them throughout the film.

Blake’s Father Is The Werewolf In 2025’s Wolf Man

But He Doesn’t Realize It Until Later

As it turns out, the man behind the werewolf in 2025’s Wolf Man is actually Blake Lovell’s father. Grady Lovell, played by Sam Jaeger, is the father of Blake, with his son living with him in the secluded house 30 years before the events of Wolf Man. However, Grady disappeared when Blake was young, with him finally being declared legally ᴅᴇᴀᴅ during the events of Wolf Man. This is what led Blake and his family to go to Grady’s house in order to clean it out, with them discovering the truth behind the disappearance of Blake’s father while they were there.

However, Grady Lovell isn’t the only werewolf in 2025’s Wolf Man. Most of the film chronicles Blake’s transformation into a werewolf, with him being scratched by his father early into the movie. On top of that, Grady and Blake were attacked by a werewolf when Blake was young, leading to his father’s obsession with hunting down the beast. The way that the curse is pᴀssed and its rapid rate of transformation means that there could be all kinds of werewolves if the disease isn’t contained, making Blake’s father an even more dangerous villain.

Blake Only Learns About His Father’s Werewolf Transformation With The Arm Tattoo

It Is The Same One That Is On The Werewolf

Throughout most of the movie, Blake Lovell isn’t aware that his father is a werewolf, with him ᴀssuming that his father’s disappearance was something unrelated. However, Blake finally makes the connection thanks to one thing: an arm tattoo. As is seen earlier in the film, Grady has an arm tattoo that is a symbol of his time in the Marines. Blake recognizes the tattoo when seeing the werewolf, finally allowing him to connect the dots regarding what happened to his father.

What Blake’s Father’s Tattoo Is & Why It’s Significant

It Is A Symbol Of His Backstory

The tattoo that Grady Lovell has is a symbol of his time in the military, with this backstory being key to his character. As is seen in the film’s opening sequence, Grady treated his house and his relationship with his son like a boot camp, with this having a mᴀssive effect on Blake. This probably contributed to their falling out, with Grady’s obsession with killing the werewolf being another factor. The tattoo is a visual marker of this part of Grady’s idenтιтy, with is acting as a constant reminder of who he was as a father figure to Blake.

The tattoo acts as an important story beat due to it being key to Blake recognizing that his father has become a werewolf. However, it also serves as a thematic connection. The pattern of male violence that runs throughout the Lovell family can be linked to Grady’s time at war, with him becoming the way he is thanks to his military job. Although Grady is literally a monster when he becomes the werewolf, he is no less loving to Blake than he was before his transformation, with him literally turning Blake into an equally violent reflection of himself.

How Blake’s Father Became A Werewolf & Pᴀssed The Curse To His Son

It Happened When He Scratched Him

Wolf Man‘s opening sequence takes place when Blake was very young, with him going hunting in the woods with his father. While they are out, they are stalked by the werewolf, with him eventually attacking. The armed Grady and his son climb into a tree stand until the werewolf runs off, with Grady dedicating himself to hunting the monster down. It is apparent that Grady was eventually harmed while hunting the werewolf, leading to his disappearance and transformation into the werewolf that is seen in 2025’s Wolf Man.

Blake didn’t see Grady again until he attacked the moving truck in Wolf Man, leading to it crashing into a tree. During the encounter with the werewolf, Blake gets scratched, kicking off his transformation. Throughout the night, Blake begins transforming into the same monster that his father became, leading to Blake eventually fighting the wolf form of his father. Right before his final transformation is complete, Blake manages to kill his father, although he soon after loses control and starts to attack his own family.

Wolf Man Making Blake’s Father A Werewolf Is Similar To 2010’s The Wolfman

It Is The Two Movies’ Biggest Connection

2025’s Wolf Man makes a lot of changes when compared to other werewolf stories, but it actually has a major similarity to 2010’s The Wolfman. The 2010 film is a remake of the 1941 film, with it starring Benecio del Toro as Lawrence Talbot. It is eventually revealed that Lawrence’s father, Sir John, is actually a werewolf, drawing a major parallel with the 2025 film.

Much like The Wolfman, 2025’s Wolf Man also features a twist that the protagonist’s father has secretly been turned into a werewolf. In both versions of the story, this twist is integral to the narrative and the themes, with both films exploring generational violence. So, while there may be a lot of other differences between The Wolfman and 2025’s Wolf Man, this major similarity is hugely important for fans of the Universal monster.