Marvel fans were shocked into laughter when the post-credits sequence from Guardians of the Galaxy reintroduced the character of Howard the Duck to film audiences. However, don't take that to mean that director James Gunn actually likes the original film. It's not surprising to hear he doesn't like it., almost nobody does. However, for Gunn, there's an oddly specific thing about the movie that he hates, Howard's eyes.
I wasn't hip with the Caucasian eyelids. That upset me. Because they had the puppet, and it was a duck, and instead of having feathery or white eyelids, he had Caucasian eyelids and it was creepy.
Looking at the image above, it's hard to not notice the eyes. The are utterly un-ducklike. As James Gunn points out to Yahoo, they are the eyes of a human, not a duck. It completely takes you out of any semblance of fantasy as Howard the Duck no longer looks like a duck, he looks like a guy in a duck suit.
James Gunn speaks as a true fan who says that, at least at one time, he owned every appearance of Howard the Duck in the comics. He loved the character on the page, which is part of why his negative reaction to the film was so apparently so strong. It's clear that when he created his Howard the Duck cameo in Guardians of the Galaxy, it was in part to redeem the character. After the credits of the movie, we see the collection of Tanaleer Tavan in ruins. One of his former trophies is seen drinking a cocktail, complete with eyes that totally belong on a duck.
Not that the eyes are the only thing to hate about Howard the Duck. Considering that the film had a remarkable cast that included Lea Thompson, Tim Robbins, and Jeffrey Jones, the three were unable to elevate the movie into something watchable, instead, they were dragged down into the muck with the abomination of a film.
Also, it's important to point out that while James Gunn may have a specific hatred for the caucasian eyes, that's not the only thing he finds wrong with the film. He knows the entire thing is terrible. When asked if Howard the Duck has a worse reputation than it deserves, Gunn is clear in his response...
No, that movie sucks! That movie's terrible!
The word has been that Howard the Duck will make another appearance in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2. Considering what a big fan James Gunn is we're not surprised. We'll certainly be hanging out through the credits of this one too.
