Phase Zero
Characters

Howard the Duck

The Collector's specimen

Guardians of the GalaxyEarth-616

A talking duck in a suit who used to be an exhibit, drinks in the ruins of a mining colony, and has outlasted almost everyone.

Howard the Duck is an anthropomorphic duck who used to be one of the Collector’s specimens, voiced by Seth Green. He has four appearances across eleven years and about ninety seconds of screen time in total, and every one of them is a joke.

He is worth an entry for one reason. Howard the Duck was the first Marvel character to get a live action feature film, in 1986, and it went so badly that the studio spent a decade afterwards being told that Marvel films did not work. Putting him in the corner of the frame in 2014 was a small private joke that became a running one.

Show detailsThe other Howard

The 1986 film is in this catalogue as a separate entry, in a separate universe. It is not the same duck and shares nothing with this one except a name and a reputation.

Played by
Seth Green
Role
Nothing he will admit to
Affiliation
None
What they can do
None whatsoever.

The journey

What happens to this person, title by title.

  1. Guardians of the Galaxy2014

    Sitting in the Collector's ruined vault after the credits, with a drink, saying something rude.

  2. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 22017

    In a bar on Contraxia, briefly.

  3. Avengers: Endgame2019

    Steps out of a portal for the last battle, which nobody explains.

  4. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 32023

    Still around.

Appears in

  1. Guardians of the Galaxy2014
  2. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 22017
  3. Avengers: Endgame2019
  4. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 32023

Sources

Facts last checked on Sep 10, 2026