Marvel Should Revive Its Worst Movie

Created by Steve Gerber and Val Mayerik, Howard the Duck originally appeared as a side character for Man-Thing in Adventure into Fear #19. He quickly became a favorite of Gerber’s and Howard got his own book in 1976 featuring overt social satire and crass humor that set it apart from other Marvel comics.

He was a popular character throughout the late 70s, with his fictional 1976 presidential run resulting in thousands of write-in votes in the real-world election. 

The character’s reputation as a cool, countercultural, comic book character was destroyed in 1986 with the release of George Lucas’s Howard the Duck.

The movie, starring Lea Thompson alongside a puppet voiced by Chip Zien, was a massive flop. The expressionless puppet, mindless humor, and forgettable plot were all highlighted in its overwhelming negative reviews.

Despite the movie’s failure, Howard the Duck has slowly recovered as a character, remaining a fixture of the comic universe and slowly being reintroduced to non-comic readers through the MCU.

He’s made several cameo appearances in movies like Guardians of the Galaxy and Avengers: Endgame. With Seth Green as the consistent voice of the character, he’s primed for a comeback. 

Multiple ideas have been floated for a Howard the Duck project in the MCU. An animated adult comedy on Hulu was planned with Kevin Smith set to write and produce, but that show was canceled in 2020 along with several other Hulu shows.

Rob Zombie and Lea Thompson have both pitched movies about the character, but those pitches happened before the MCU was making R-rated movies. 

With Deadpool & Wolverine finding massive success as an R-rated, comedy-focused movie, it may be time for Disney to take another look at Howard the Duck. Like Deadpool, Howard has a crass sense of humor and a gruff but lovable personality that lends itself to adult comedy.

While the standard PG-13 MCU brand of comedy isn’t well suited to the character, he could help establish the MCU as a home for adult comedy.

Unlike the MCU’s other comedy characters, Deadpool and She-Hulk, Howard the Duck’s comedy is rooted in broad social commentary. He’s not a superhero parody and his jokes tend to be about real-world political and social issues.

The MCU has become increasingly self-involved, and a character that actively comments on and mocks our real world would help the franchise feel relevant again. 

George Lucas’s Howard the Duck made the character a punchline for decades, but the character still has a lot to offer. As Disney looks for ways to reinvent the MCU, they should ignore the 80s movie and give the alien duck another shot. The franchise needs bold moves to survive and resurrecting the biggest flop in Marvel history may be just what they need.