A Renaissance for Marvel’s Howard the Duck?
The Foul Fowl Makes his Return to Marvel in ‘What If…?’
Despite its seemingly consistent cult success, there is no doubt about it; back in 1986, Howard the Duck fell flat on its beak at the box office.
Image: Lucasfilm
In a new retrospective in The Hollywood Reporter, the movie’s non-avian star Lea Thompson discussed the initial reaction to the production and its subsequent uptick in cred.
“It was one of those things that it was easy to make fun of in headlines,” said Thompson to THR.
Image: Lucasfilm
“There is no way to be an artist and put your heart into something and not be hurt when people say terrible things,” she added. “I got whiplash from being in the most beloved movie of the year [Back to the Future, 1985] and then the most hated movie of the year.
“It gave me a unique perspective on Hollyweird,” said Thompson.
Image: Lucasfilm
However, it was “the weird” that kept Howard alive in the hearts of many.
“It was an iconoclastic movie. It is for little rebels,” explained Thompson to THR. “I love that fans had to be brave when they said, ‘I like that movie!’ It was so easy to make fun of it.
“And that is why I often say my Howard the Duck fans are my favorite fans because they had to earn it! It was not jumping on the bandwagon.”
Image: Lucasfilm
Meanwhile, Marvel might be right there with bells and whistles.
The talented entertainer Seth Green is the current voice of Marvel’s favorite Duck, who appeared in both Guardians of the Galaxy features.
Image: Lucasfilm
“I got a call from James Gunn, who I worked with on Scooby-Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed. He said, ‘I’ve already shot the colored animation for the Howard cameo, but the lip assignment is pretty loose. Do you wanna come in and loop these two lines for this tag on Guardians of the Galaxy?’ And I said, ‘Yeah.’”
But the cameos in Guardians led to a pretty special moment for Green and his feathered alter ego. What If…? includes a scene shared by Howard and T’Challa, as played by the late Chadwick Boseman.
Image: Marvel
Finally, and as far as Howard and his future, Green told THR, ““He’s a punk rock noir detective, at least that’s the way I play it.
“I think we can all rest assured that Marvel has good plans for all their characters that are going to make sense.”
Image: Disney+
Read Ryan Parker’s full story in The Hollywood Reporter.
Feature Image: Marvel
