Disney was so outraged by one MCU hero, it redesigned the character on Marvel’s behalf. In 1973, Howard the Duck entered the Marvel Universe. At the time, there was no other character like him–a talking, cynical, anthropomorphic duck who wanted nothing more than to be left alone. Not everyone was amused by Howard, including Disney, who took Marvel to court over the character.
Jim Shooter, a former Editor-in-Chief at Marvel, recounted the incident in a blog post. As part of the suit, Disney demanded that Marvel redesign Howard. This task was assigned to John Romita Sr. However, Shooter went on to reveal that some artists at Disney drew their own version of Howard, one deemed acceptable by the company.
Shooter recounts that Romita “actually seemed pleased” that they’d gotten to Disney did this work on their behalf.
Howard the Duck Has Serious Issues–Both In-Universe and Out
Howard Has Been at the Center of Controversy
Howard the Duck is one of Marvel’s most unique characters. The product of the vision of writer Steve Gerber, Howard the Duck has attracted his share of controversy. First, his co-creator Gerber ended up in a protracted legal battle with Marvel over the rights to the character, which Shooter also details in his blog post. While this legal battle raged, Disney took umbrage with Howard, feeling that he was a little too close to one of their biggest icons: Donald Duck. Disney threatened Marvel with legal action over the matter.
Both Howard and Donald do share similarities, beyond being talking ducks. Both wore blue suits and had a surly attitude. However, Howard’s adventures were much more mature and surreal than Donald’s, sometimes consisting of nothing but text as well as including mature situations. Howard had a wild rogue’s gallery, full of goofy villains such as Doctor Bong, whereas Donald usually tangled with Chip and Dale. Furthermore, Howard was often a mouthpiece for Gerber’s countercultural views on life and society. While Howard and Donald are the same, these similarities are surface level at best.
Howard the Duck Overcame Hurdles to Become an MCU Star
Where Will Howard the Duck Show up Next?
Howard’s legal troubles eventually faded, and the character would go on to make his MCU debut in the post-credits scene for the first Guardians of the Galaxy film. The character headlined a short-lived title in the 2010s, and recently celebrated his 50th anniversary last year. In light of Howard’s legal troubles with Disney, it is ironic that the company now owns the rights to him. Marvel never used Disney’s suggested redesign. Even after Marvel and Howard were acquired by Disney, they left the character alone, proving the original look was the best one after all.
