Best Guesses as to Why Howard the Duck Was at the End of “Guardians of the Galaxy”
This has had us scratching heads for months. For those of you who don't know Marvel inserts hidden scenes after the credits of their movies, there is one at the end of "Guardians of the Galaxy" showing "The Collector" sitting among the rubble of his collections nursing his injuries and having a drink. Then it pans to Howard the Duck sitting in his now-broken cage having a drink as well, criticizing "The Collector" for letting a dog lick his face. What does it mean?
- 1
Testing the waters
The 1986 film was very controversial but still has a cult following. Marvel has a lot of public good will right now, do they want to cause controversy and possibly a boycott of future films?
- 2
It's just a cameo
The "Guardians of the Galaxy" story crosses a lot of other plot lines. It's one reason fans are excited Marvel made the movie. This is just a cameo to make fans happy -- stuck at the end of the film to limit controversy.
- 3
It's a tease
Howard the Duck will be a character in "Guardians of the Galaxy" sequel and the scene is a tease.
- 4
Marvel was trying to be "old school"
Marvel tries hard to please "old school" fans, but they fall short occasionally. This was a nod to those people.
- 5
An apology to original creator
Steve Gerber was fired from the cartoon in 1978 and passed away in 2008. Some fans say many at Marvel still feel guilty about that and the cameo was an apology.