10 Talk

Howard the Duck (Earth-616)

Howard the Duck

Gallery

Real Name

Howard (last name unrevealed)

Current Alias

Howard the Duck

Aliases

Duckman, Howard the Human, Howard the Rat, Iron Duck, Pondhopper, Shang-Op, Cheap Ducktective, Duckboy, Dark Mallard of the Night, Duck Man of Cleveland

Relatives

Ronald (father), Henrietta (mother), Theresa (sister), Orville (brother), Unnamed second brother, Alexis the Duck (clonal daughter)

Affiliation

A.R.M.O.R, Ducky Dozen, formerly Defenders, Fearsome Four, Daydreamers

Base Of Operations

Cleveland, Ohio

Status

Alignment

Identity

Citizenship

Marital Status

Occupation

Many and various, including former candidate for the United States presidency but usually unemployed

Characteristics

Gender

Height

Weight

Eyes

Hair

Skin

Unusual Features

Howard's body, like those of his entire race, has similar characteristics to those of both common Earth ducks and common Earth human beings. He has hands and arms instead of wings, is covered with feathers and is unable to fly

Origin

Alien

Universe

Earth-616

Place of Birth

New Stork, New Stork, Duckworld

Created by

Steve Gerber

First appearance

Fear #19
(December, 1973)

1 HistoryEdit
2 Powers and AbilitiesEdit
3 ParaphernaliaEdit
- 3.1 Equipment
- 3.2 Weapons
4 NotesEdit
5 Appearances in Other MediaEdit
6 Recommended ReadingsEdit
7 LinksEdit
- 7.1 Discover and Discuss
- 7.2 Footnotes

HistoryEdit

Who does a guy have to pluck to get a drink around here?

-- Howard the Duck

Howard the Duck was born on Duckworld, a planet in another dimension, where intelligent life evolved from waterfowl. Duckworld is apparently an alternate Earth, and resembles mankind's Earth in an astounding number of ways, including the fact that ducks speak English. Very little is known about Howard's past on Duckworld. Indeed, there are conflicting accounts as to the circumstances surrounding his disappearance.

Howard vanished from his home world when the power hungry demon Thog the Nether-Spawn used his magic to cause the interdimensional Cosmic Axis to shift. Howard was dislodged from his home dimension and dropped into the middle of the Florida Everglades on our Earth at the site of this world's Nexus of All Realities, a place from which travel to all other dimensions is said to be possible. In an effort to set the Cosmic Axis right and return home, the reluctant Howard joined with Korrek the barbarian, who also came from another dimension, the young Earth-born sorceress Jennifer Kale, Dakimh the Enchanter, and the Man-Thing. The battle against Thog ended for Howard when he fell off the other-dimensional Stepping Stones of Oblivion and landed back on our Earth in the city of Cleveland, Ohio.

In Cleveland, Howard first met the young life model Beverly Switzler when they were both menaced by the costumed criminal accountant Pro-Rata. Howard and Beverly escaped and began living together. Their relationship lasted a long time, but is now apparently over.

Although Howard has attempted to live as normal a life as possible, considering that he is a talking duck on a world of human beings, he has continually run afoul, so to speak, of various unusual menaces, most notably his arch nemesis Doctor Bong. However through cleverness, persistence, and good luck, Howard has always managed to defeat or escape his adversaries.

Howard came to public notoriety when he became a candidate for the United States presidency on a very minor party ticket. However the general populace refused to believe that Howard is a real talking duck, thinking of him instead as a dwarf in a duck suit, and the public dismissed his candidacy as a joke.

Howard has chosen to make the world of humans his home. Dakimh the Enchanter has predicted that Howard has a major role to play in the destiny of the multiverse, and that role may still involve more adventures in Howard's future.

Later, Howard became a agent for A.R.M.O.R. He was then hired by Morbius the Living Vampire on a private misson to travel into a multiverse of different types of zombies and collect a sample of each zombie. Before he could go, he was to search for Machine Man and recruit him. Howard found Machine Man drunk and depressed for his girlfriend Jocasta went back to her former husband Ultron. Howard was able to convince Machine Man to join Howard on his mission.

Powers and AbilitiesEdit

Powers

Howard possesses no known superhuman or superduck powers.

Power Grid ^[1]

* Occasionally has access to mystic powers

Abilities

Howard has some knowledge of the little known martial art called Quak-Fu, and hence is a surprisingly formidable opponent in hand-to-hand combat. The Sorcerer Supreme Doctor Strange has also briefly tutored Howard in the mystic ways, indicating even those of Duckworld possess magical potential. Under his mental guidance, Howard was capable of conjuring the Vapors of Valtorr, the Shield of the Seraphim, use transformation enchantments and even utilize another Eye of Agamotto and Cloak of Levitation along with his own garb for Howard the Duck, which the duck was able to command, despite his lack of Sorcerer Supreme title, though ultimately declining to study as Strange's apprentice. ^[2]

Strength level

Howard possesses the normal avian strength of a duck of his age, height, and build who engages in exercise only when he feels like it.

ParaphernaliaEdit

Equipment

Usually seen with a stogie.

Weapons

He has a powerful weapon he called the Big Freaking Gun (BFG) possibly given to him by Morbius the Living Vampire or from A.R.M.O.R. The weapon seems to be a cannon which is able to disintegrate anything he fires. What the weapon is really called is unknown.

NotesEdit

In the Marvel MAX mini-series (by Steve Gerber and Phil Winslade), Howard was turned into a giant rat.
Howard the Duck was created by Steve Gerber.
As per Generation X #21, Howard possesses the ability to grow whiskers out of his duck bill.
The people of his home world allegedly do not know Howard's last name, and the general populace of Earth does not believe he is really a talking duck.

Appearances in Other MediaEdit

In 1986, Lucasfilm and Universal Pictures produced the movie Howard the Duck, starring Lea Thompson, Jeffrey Jones, Tim Robbins, and, as the voice of Howard, Chip Zien. In the film, Howard is brought to Cleveland by a laser experiment gone awry, which also summoned an evil alien called the Dark Overlord of the Universe intent on destroying the Earth. Besides Howard (who was portrayed by an assortment of stunt actors in a duck suit) the only character borrowed from the Marvel Comics mythos was Beverly Switzler, though in this version she became a rock singer. The film was widely panned and was a box office bomb.