Howard the Duck: 1986 Marvel Film Recognized as First Superhero Movie, a Spectacular Flop

The 1986 movie "Howard – Ein tierischer Held" (Howard the Duck) was the first Marvel character to headline a theatrical release. Premiering in U.S. cinemas forty years ago, the film featured a duck from an "Enten‑Planet" who, after a failed experiment, lands on Earth and teams with rock singer Beverly (played by Lea Thompson) to battle an alien menace.

Although it preceded later Marvel blockbusters such as Spider‑Man and Iron Man, the film was a commercial disaster and is now remembered primarily as a spectacular flop in superhero cinema history.