When you examine the pantheon of Marvel characters from the dawn of the House of Ideas to today, you see a never-ending roster of characters tailor-made for a big-screen action spectacle. Some are heroic, some are vigilantes with questionable methods, some are villainous, and others are oddball case studies that could work in a certain context. Howard the Duck fits the last bill more than any of them, even though the mallard from outer space wouldn't be most people's first choice to lead a summer tentpole based on a quirky comic.
However, that’s exactly what happened in 1986 when Hollywood thought the time was right for Howard to stop being a modestly sized waterfowl in the small but dynamic pond of Marvel’s monthly adventures and jump into the deep end of a much larger sea. They created the assignment and didn't take it lightly either. All the pieces were there: The inimitable George Lucas produced. Lea Thompson was cast as the human lead, hot off the first Back to the Future. Tim Robbins joined the fun, too, before making a name for himself as an actor and filmmaker.
The elements audiences of the decade usually went for seemed to be there, but Lucas's would-be golden goose laid an egg he wasn't expecting. Howard the Duck took a swan dive with them, the critics, and everyone in between. It was a dud of the highest order that still makes plenty of worst-of lists and watchalong roasts, setting an awful precedent for the Marvel brand that lasted until Blade and X-Men hit screens.
Usually, that would mean punishment for a film like this: Marvelites and comic purists doing everything in their power to bury and forget the misfire until it was persona non grata in the public consciousness, never to be heard from again. But, unlike with all the misguided relaunching of titles and character changes that ruled the 90s, this isn’t what happened to Howard the Duck. Instead, something strange occurred—the character stayed a lighthearted part of the comics for years, and the movie that bears his name never went away from people's minds either. It found renewed life on home video like so much schlock and now looks forward to ringing in its 40th anniversary.
August 1 is the date to save, as Universal Pictures Home Entertainment released a limited-edition Steelbook Blu-ray of the feathered flop in Ultra 4K HD. And it's loaded with coveted special features from teaser trailers and behind-the-scenes featurettes to a restoration that brings lifelike color to an already bonkers cinematic experience. This newly hatched home video collectible is on sale for a new generation to discover and for older generations who grew up with Howard on VHS to relive the memories.
Howard the Duck is also available digitally on most streaming rental services and occasionally pops up on Tubi for free. While the character appeared in the MCU (voiced by Seth Green), his future in the shared universe is unclear. Ah, well. "One duck, zero apologies.”
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