Marvel’s Most Reviled Character Returns to the MCU

If there’s one character in the Marvel Universe that’s been dividing fans, it’s Howard the Duck.

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Long before Bob Iger of The Walt Disney Company acquired both Marvel Studios and Lucasfilm, Ltd., howard the duck (1986) has become one of George Lucas’ strangest decisions.

Following the success of the star wars original trilogy — Episode IV – A New Hope (1977), Episode V – The Empire Strikes Back (1980), and Episode VI – Return of the Jedi (1983) – Lucasfilm released their large-scale comedy sci-fi film centering on the eponymous Marvel character, Howard the Duck, who is transported to Cleveland, Ohio, where mayhem ensues.

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Despite the fact that the legendary Lucas served as an executive producer on the live-action comic book movie, howard the duck remains decried even today. With a 13% critic score on Rotten Tomatoes, it’s safe to say that Howard the Duck — who voiced Broadway star Chip Zien in the film after Robin Williams pulled out — isn’t exactly a beloved Marvel character.

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Nonetheless, Howard the Duck has returned and officially joined Kevin Feige’s Marvel Cinematic Universe in an animated series. What if…? Last year. Howard (Seth Green) married Darcy Lewis (Kat Dennings) and appeared in two episodes of the show, which explores what would have happened if major events in the MCU had turned out differently than they actually did.

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Now, it looks like Marvel’s most reviled character could be back in the live-action MCU very soon. A recent report shared the following English translation from a French fandom magazine licensed by Marvel Studios and The Walt Disney Company:

“A webbed future? Howard the Duck seems to be part of Marvel’s plans again: in What If…? series, he married Darcy Lewis… The duck, elected in 2009 as one of the strangest characters of the Marvel team by “Time” magazine, is he promised a bright future? In any case, the She-Hulk series, which lands this year on Disney+, could have some “what the duck” surprises in store! Something to delight lovers of this turbulent duck, determined to do as it pleases.

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She-Hulkwhich has no official release date, but is slated to hit Disney+ in 2022, is officially described as:

She-Hulk, a new comedy series coming to Disney+, stars Tatiana Maslany as She-Hulk/Jennifer Walters, a lawyer specializing in superhuman-focused legal cases.

She-Hulk will welcome a host of Marvel characters to the series, including the Hulk, played by Mark Ruffalo, and the Abomination, played by Tim Roth. The series is directed by Kat Coiro and Anu Valia; Jessica Gao is the editor-in-chief.

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The series is rumored to feature Charlie Cox returning as Matt Murdock/Daredevil. The former Netflix star made his MCU debut as a lawyer for Peter Parker/Spider-Man (Tom Holland) after his identity was revealed in Spider-Man: No Coming Home (2021).

The next major release in the Marvel Cinematic Universe is Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness on May 6, 2022. The film will star Benedict Cumberbatch (Dr. Stephen Strange) and Elizabeth Olsen (Wanda Maximoff/Scarlet Witch).

Do you think Howard the Duck is coming back to the MCU in live-action?

You can stream Scarlett Johansson’s Black Widow and Marvel’s five Phase Four series so far – WandaVision from Elizabeth Olsen and Paul Bettany, The Falcon and the Winter Soldier from Anthony Mackie and Sebastian Stan, Loki from Tom Hiddleston, What If…? of Marvel and Jeremy Renner Hawkeye- on Disney+ anytime.