After 40 Years, I Watched the First Marvel Movie Ever (And It Was Even Weirder Than I Expected)

The Marvel Cinematic Universe and Marvel movies may feel synonymous these days, but for decades before Iron Man hit the big screen in 2008 and kicked off the MCU as we know it, there were many Marvel movies. Some of the most well known Marvel movies predating Iron Man include the Tobey Maguire Spider-Man movies, Fantastic Four (2005), and the X-Men movies. However, those also weren’t the first Marvel movies. Instead, the very first Marvel movie was the much lesser-known and absolutely wild movie titled Howard the Duck, which was released in 1986.

For those unfamiliar, main character Howard the Duck isn’t using a creature-oriented alias like Black Widow or Ant-Man. Instead, he is a literal (and absolutely massive, compared to the real-life animal) duck. Granted, the MCU has had its fair share of unusual animals becoming heroes, such as Guardians of the Galaxy’s Rocket Raccoon, but there’s certainly been nothing like Howard the Duck on the big screen in the decades since. In fact, looking back on the movie 40 years later, there’s arguably nothing like it at all.

Howard The Duck Feels Like A Fever Dream

Based on the premise that Howard is an anthropomorphic duck and the fact that Howard the Duck was created in the 80s, one might guess that the movie is animated, but that guess would be wrong. This is a live-action movie that brought Howard to life with a blend of actors in suits, puppets, and animatronics. Howard being a giant duck who very much looks like a puppet is far from the strangest thing about this movie, though.

Among the most famous—although not for a good reason—aspects of Howard the Duck is the bizarre romance between Howard and Beverly Switzler (Lea Thompson), who is a human woman. This goes beyond just the awkward type of flirting seen in a film like Bee Movie, though. Howard the Duck actually shows Howard and Beverly in bed with one another, and although the movie makes it clear that nothing really happens between them, there is a very disturbing amount of physical contact between the two throughout that scene.

As if that’s not trouble enough, Howard isn’t even the only weird thing about this movie. In fact, the villain of the film, the Dark Overlord, is almost as weird. The Dark Overlord takes over the body of Dr. Jenning, who becomes a creepy, ghoulish character that occasionally has laser eyes and also speaks in a comically gravelly voice, reminiscent of Beetlejuice—but even more dramatic, actually.

Also strange is the fact that most people adapt very quickly to the existence of a human-like duck. Howard is searched by police who are looking to find a zipper at one point, but for the most part, Howard experiences violence and harassment from the humans he runs into rather than the type of panic and bewilderment that would happen in real life. Ultimately, though, the toughest things to get past really are the way Howard the Duck looks and how strange his narrative, particularly tied to Beverly, is.

Howard The Duck Does Have An MCU Presence

Although this Howard the Duck movie long predates the beginning of the MCU, there are actually several Howard the Duck references and appearances in the MCU’s movies and shows. On the big screen, Howard the Duck had a brief cameo in Guardians of the Galaxy, in the Collector’s Museum. He also had a blink-and-you-miss-it appearance in Avengers: Endgame, when the heroes reunited to defeat Thanos once and for all.

Much more notably, though, Howard has a fairly significant role in the MCU show What If…? In fact, in that show, Howard has yet another uncomfortable human-duck romance, this time with Darcy Lewis. That episode is appropriately titled “What If… Howard the Duck got hitched?”

Could Howard The Duck Ever Have An MCU Solo Movie?

Given the 1986 movie and Howard the Duck’s MCU appearances, it’s reasonable to speculate about whether this unusual character could eventually get a brand-new solo movie in the MCU. Unfortunately (or fortunately, depending on your perspective), Howard the Duck voice actor Seth Green indicated that such a project isn’t likely. Specifically, the actor explained that Howard the Duck is a character who works best with brief appearances.

In addition to this meaning that Howard the Duck will likely keep to cameos and perhaps stints in animated shows like What If…? in the MCU, it also means that fans who want to see Howard the Duck starring in a solo movie have just one option: The hilariously bizarre 1986 movie, Howard the Duck.

What do you think? Leave a comment below and join the conversation now in the ComicBook Forum!

24 Years Ago, a Cult Marvel Character Finally Returned After Two Decades (And He’s Still Underrated)