| “ | Do I have to remind you what we're up against here? A pack of Alphas, all of them killers. And if that's not enough to scare your testicles back into your stomach, try to remember that two of them combine bodies to form one giant Alpha. | ” |
— Peter Hale to Derek Hale, Scott McCall, and Stiles Stilinski about Ethan and Aiden's Merging ability in Chaos Rising
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| “ |
MASON: So, if we know what this thing is, that means that we can stop it, right? |
” |
Merging is an advanced form of Shapeshifting that allows two Werewolves to merge their bodies together and form an extra-large Werewolf. Since the only two Werewolves to merge in this manner are twin brothers, it is a power that presumably can only occur in identical or fraternal twins. Or when two individuals with the same power have to kill each other until one is left standing and take the power.
Characteristics[]
The process by which a pair of Werewolves obtain this power remains a mystery, but given the fact that the only pair of Werewolves with this power were the bitten twins Ethan and Aiden, it appears that this is an inherent power rather than one that can be learned. When the twins merged, they made skin-to-skin contact with each other as their musculoskeletal systems began to absorb into one another, though they maintained a double-spine to ensure that each twin had at least some neurological control over their combined body. After the merging was complete, they took on the appearance of a larger, humanoid Werewolf form who has a scar running through the middle of their face and body to show that the body is composed of two separate beings.
When the twins were merged, their powers were heightened, particularly their strength and durability; this is evidenced by the fact that, even as Omega Werewolves, Ethan and Aiden were able to kill the brutal and bloodthirsty Alpha who led the pack who enslaved them. Interestingly enough, the combined form seems to be its own entity in its own right, as the merged form is capable of becoming an Alpha by killing one and stealing its powers. Additionally, the merged form could be killed; when this occurs, the merged form will revert to their individual bodies, giving the two Werewolves an opportunity to be revived.
For example, after Jennifer Blake, empowered by her Five-Fold Knot Sacrifice Ritual, snapped the twins' merged form's neck, the merged form essentially died. A short time later, the merged form faded away and returned the twins to their individual bodies, allowing Lydia Martin and Cora Hale to rush the twins to Alan Deaton's animal clinic, where he used adrenaline to trigger their healing powers so they would survive. However, since it was their merged form who had technically become an Alpha and the merged form was the one who was killed, the twins not only were demoted back down to Omegas, but they also lost their power to merge.
Weaknesses[]
Like Werewolves in general, two merged Werewolves such as Ethan and Aiden can be weakened by the use of electricity, and can even be forced back into their individual bodies if the voltage is high enough, as demonstrated by Braeden and Melissa McCall. They are also vulnerable to supernaturals with exceptional superhuman strength such as Jennifer Blake, who was strong enough after sacrificing twelve humans that she was able to pull Ethan and Aiden apart mid-merge and throw each one across the room from each other. Beings with superior levels of superhuman strength are also capable of out-matching the merged Werewolf's superhuman durability, just as Jennifer did when she used her strength to snap Ethan and Aiden's merged form's neck.
Known Users of Merging[]
Trivia[]
- According to Ethan, he and Aiden were unable to control their ability to merge until Deucalion taught them how, which was why they killed the former pack they ran with in order to join the Alpha Pack—they owed him for his help.
- Interestingly enough, while Ethan and Aiden always removed their shirts in order to merge, their respective pairs of pants did not need to be removed, as they would merge along with their bodies.
- On one occasion, Ethan and Aiden were able merge in mid-air after they both back-flipped off of the balcony of a three-stories-high abandoned mall.
- It is unknown what qualifications two Werewolves must have in order to possess this power, but judging from Ethan and Aiden's power, it can be assumed that it at least requires twins of the same gender.
- According to Teen Wolf writer Will Wallace, Ethan and Aiden were bitten Werewolves rather than born ones, suggesting that the power of Merging can be possessed by twin Werewolves regardless of whether they were born or turned.
Gallery[]
