Perhaps the most indirect effect of the success of Guardians Of The Galaxy is the renewed public interest in one of Marvel's more second string characters, Howard The Duck. After a failed 1986 feature adaptation, produced by George Lucas, as well as some continued mini series in the comic world, the character seemed relegated to a footnote in history. But whether he meant to or not, James Gunn has sparked a new round of duck fever for audiences far and wide. This time, it could just work out in the feathered fowl's favor, and as a result it's not too hard to believe that we could start seeing more of him in the Marvel Cinematic Universe and perhaps Guardians of the Galaxy 2.
The Hollywood Reporter has broken the good news that Howard The Duck is going to cross paths with the Guardians Of The Galaxy again, albeit this time in his new comic series. More specifically, we're going to find out how he got to be in The Collector's possession in the first place. The basic details of the story have been revealed in a synopsis, and by the sound of it, Marvel is looking into keeping the duck in the picture.
"Howard’s first big case has taken him across the universe and landed him in the clutches of The Collector! But he’s not alone as the very popular Rocket Raccoon is a prisoner as well! Have you ever seen a comic book sequel to a post-credits scene in a movie? Well, you will now!"
Over the past year we've seen multiple instances of Marvel Comics canceling certain series that are homed with other studios in the film department. The Fantastic Four has been cancelled, and Wolverine is dead at this point. But this works in the opposite direction as well, and it's reasonable to believe that Marvel is using new Howard The Duck stories to both reflect what's currently popular and what they're working on in the future. With a new revival of Howard The Duck, it's clear that they are responding to a public call for more of the character, and it's not too hard to believe that it could wind up impacting things through James Gunn's Guardians of the Galaxy 2.
Given that it was James Gunn's choice to put Howard The Duck in The Collector's museum in Guardians of the Galaxy he could very well be the key figure in terms of the acerbic space duck's Hollywood future. At this point, it seems rather unlikely that he would get his very own movie - unless we're talking many years in the future - but Gunn could make the choice to build on what he did in his last movie and further develop Howard's presence in Guardians of the Galaxy 2. After all, he is out of his cage now, and could be free to roam the universe now, meeting up with Star-Lord and the gang and maybe helping them out of a jam.
Guardians Of The Galaxy 2 is slated release on May 5, 2017. Howard The Duck can be found on comic shelves, or in select bargain DVD bins.
