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

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Today, the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) and Marvel movies are often used interchangeably. But long before the first Iron Man movie launched the MCU in 2008, Marvel had already been making films for years. Many fans remember the Tobey Maguire Spider-Man movies, Fantastic Four (2005), and the X-Men films. Surprisingly, even those weren’t the first Marvel movie. That title actually belongs to a little-known and rather unusual film called Howard the Duck, which came out in 1986.

If you’re not familiar with the character, Howard the Duck isn’t a hero with an animal-themed name like Black Widow or Ant-Man. He’s actually a real duck – and a very large one! The Marvel Cinematic Universe has featured unusual animal heroes before, like Rocket Raccoon from Guardians of the Galaxy, but there hasn’t been anything quite like Howard the Duck in decades. Looking back at the movie 40 years later, it really stands out as completely unique.

Howard The Duck Feels Like A Fever Dream

Considering Howard is a duck who acts like a person and that the original comic came out in the 1980s, you might expect the movie to be a cartoon. However, it’s actually a live-action film! They brought Howard to life using a combination of people in costumes, puppets, and robotic effects. But even with Howard being a large duck that sometimes looks like a puppet, that’s not the weirdest thing about this movie.

One of the most talked-about—and controversial—parts of Howard the Duck is the romantic relationship between the duck and a human woman, Beverly Switzler (Lea Thompson). Unlike the silly flirting in movies like Bee Movie, Howard the Duck actually depicts Howard and Beverly in bed together. While the scene implies nothing intimate happens, it features a surprisingly uncomfortable level of physical closeness between them.

Honestly, Howard isn’t the only strange part of this movie! The villain, this guy called the Dark Overlord, is just as bizarre. He possesses Dr. Jenning, and it’s seriously creepy – imagine a ghoulish version of the doctor who randomly shoots lasers from his eyes! And his voice? It’s this over-the-top, gravelly thing that reminds me a bit of Beetlejuice, but dialed up to eleven. It’s… a lot.

It’s also odd how easily people accept a duck that acts like a human. While the police briefly search for a zipper on him, Howard mostly faces aggression and annoyance from people he meets, rather than the fear or confusion you’d expect. Ultimately, the biggest challenges the story faces are Howard’s unusual appearance and the strangeness of the plot, especially his relationship with Beverly.

Howard The Duck Does Have An MCU Presence

Even though the Howard the Duck movie came out long before the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) began, Howard the Duck has popped up a few times in MCU films and shows. He made a quick appearance in Guardians of the Galaxy as one of the exhibits in the Collector’s museum, and had another very brief cameo in Avengers: Endgame during the heroes’ final battle against Thanos.

Interestingly, Howard the Duck plays a pretty big part in the Marvel Cinematic Universe show What If…?. In one episode, he even has another awkward romantic relationship—this time with Darcy Lewis. The episode is fittingly called “What If… Howard the Duck got hitched?”

Could Howard The Duck Ever Have An MCU Solo Movie?

Considering the 1986 Howard the Duck film and his cameos in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, many fans have wondered if he might get his own movie. However, Seth Green, who voices the character, doesn’t think that’s likely. He believes Howard the Duck is best suited for short, memorable appearances rather than a full-length film.

This likely means Howard the Duck will mostly appear in small roles or animated series like What If…? within the Marvel Cinematic Universe. For fans hoping to see a Howard the Duck starring in his own film, their only choice remains the quirky and unusual 1986 movie, Howard the Duck.

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2026-05-18 16:13