The Teen Wolf panel at comic con and the release of the trailer for Teen Wolf: The Movie has revived the fandom that has been silently waiting since the season finale in 2017. The six seasons that aired on MTV were wildly popular at their peak, especially in online fan communities.
It remains to be seen whether or not the Paramount+ film will be a hit with fans, but it’s clear they’re excited for the return of Tyler Posey as Scott McCall. His loveable, somewhat goofy, kind-hearted characterization makes for easy memes, but they’re all an expression of love for his character.
The Heart Of The Pack
Friendship groups, packs, or any sort of social collective always come with its own set of dynamics. In the case of Scott’s pack, Stiles is the comedic genius friend, Derek is the somber muscle, and Liam is the fresh young pup. Other team members like Lydia and Malia each bring their invaluable qualities too.
The thing that holds the group together at the end of the day is Scott. Though he’s not as dour or grumpy as Manfred is in Ice Age, it is his journey and his spirit that keeps everyone moving forward and facing down whatever comes their way.
The Bite
Despite Derek’s continued insistence that the bite is a gift, it makes a lot more sense for Scott to view it as a poisoned apple. He’s bitten against his will in the first episode, with no idea what happened or what lies ahead. It changes his life forever, and although it does come with a few upsides like strength and hyper-keen senses, it brings Scott a lot of strife.
Growing up a werewolf with a family to guide you as Derek did gave him a completely different perspective on what “the bite” means. For Scott, it drew him and everyone he knows and loves into a world where they are constantly fighting for survival, often with all the odds stacked against them.
Who’s The Alpha?
Throughout the series, there are a lot of shifts in status amongst the wolves and their supernatural brethren. Alphas fall to beta or omega status, and there are a few ways to rise in the ranks. Scott is the only one of the bunch who can achieve the rare True Alpha transformation, as one who does not need to kill another alpha to get that power.
There are many things about Scott that help him seize the power of the alpha, like being a leader to Issac even before Scott was an alpha, a storyline that wasn’t followed up on after Issac left. He’s noble, heroic, and will do anything to save the innocent from the forces of evil. He may not be quite as good in school, but he even makes an effort to improve his grades when he needs to.
Mr. Popular
As silly as this meme is, it gets to a central facet of the show, which is that everyone does want to be a part of Scott’s pack. The strength of the bonds he forms with Stiles, Allison, Liam, Kira, and everyone else in Beacon Hills that want to do what’s good and right speaks to his open and caring heart.
He’s powerful and able to defeat all the terrifying enemies he faces because of the strength of the people he surrounds himself with. Their dedication to his pack only makes that outside, like Ethan and Aiden for example, eager to join the ranks of the heroes.
The Silly Side
As an antidote to all of the dark moments in the show, there’s plenty of comedy and a major source of laughs is Scott himself. At the start of the series, he isn’t the brightest bulb, as proved by things like Scott’s funniest quote about his mom buying all the groceries when Jackson presses him on where he gets his “juice” and it goes right over Scott’s head.
Even with his werewolf abilities, he has moments of clumsiness like when he falls at the ice rink, and though he grows into a mature young man as the series progresses, little silly moments like those persist, much to the delight of audiences.
The Gentle Leader
The three-headed dragon meme can be used to various effects but here it highlights the range of personalities in Scott’s pack. Though he’s not quite as severe as the middle dragon may seem and he has a deep fondness for Stiles’ antics, there’s no denying he can be wary of the shenanigans Stiles drags them into.
Malia is a good example of one of the members of his pack who is always ready to pick a fight, with all the natural aggression she carries from her days as a coyote. Scott as the powerful central dragon ultimately makes sense, even if he does have a softer temperament, probably helped by being raised by his hard-working and kind mother Melissa, one of the best parents of any teen drama
Scott-Ex
Scott has three major romances throughout Teen Wolf, and even though that meant two of them had to come to an end it thankfully didn’t mean cheesy overly-dramatic feuds and angst. When Scott and Allison ended their romantic relationship, they had some difficulties but they were able to come to a place of friendship.
Similarly, his relationship with Kira ended on good terms when she chose to go and train with the Skinwalkers and learn more about her powers. Best of all, Kira and Allison fought together as friends without any jealousy or animosity that can sometimes be found in teen dramas.
Losing Allison
The doomed romance between the werewolf and the hunter was a source of a lot of friction in the early seasons. It was refreshing, if heart-wrenching, to watch Scott and Allison break up and navigate the path to friendship and acceptance as they both found new romances.
Their close bond that went beyond romantic love made it all the more devastating when Allison died. Fans were upset enough to lose such a beloved character, but watching Scott have to mourn his first love was true agony. Her words of comfort to him in her last moments had fans shouting “it’s not okay”.
BFFS
Scott’s best decisions were always made when he was trying to save his friends, and his closest and oldest friend is Stiles. Their bond served as the foundation for the show and reached new depths as they faced off against darachs, doctors, and nogitsunes.
The scene in the third season where Stiles learns he may be suffering from the same fatal illness that took his mother and Scott hugs him epitomizes how they will have each other’s backs regardless of what terrors they face. Fans overwhelmed with emotion may well have wished for a break from the worry and fear for their friends.
The Starter Pack
There are a few essential elements to most characters, and the “starter pack” meme was an easy way for fans to joke about what things were essential to their favorites. Scott’s inhaler is a huge signifier of who he was and who he became as he no longer needed it when he became a werewolf, but he kept it around anyway.
In the later seasons, his motorcycle is featured prominently as his main means of transportation, much like Stiles Jeep, which was tied to his character. The most important needs for Scott though are his circular symbol that he has tattooed on him to represent growth and, of course, his best friend Stiles who sticks with him through thick and thin.