- 9,897
- 9,172
Howdy folks and welcome to-
: Who are you and who gave you permission to revise me?!?
: Omg, it's you! But I'd have expected this kind of intrusion from someone like Deadpool...
: Don't you dare compare me to that walking disaster! I've had more than enough run-ins with him!
: Hey, did anyone mention m-
: SHUT UP AND GET THE HELL OUT OF HERE!!!
: Anyway, Howard, to answer your question, just take a gander (
) at the current state of your file...
: Ugh! Alright, alright, you've got a point. Go on, but make it quick!
Ehm, ehm, there we are are again... as I was saying, welcome to my latest work, a revision for Howard the Duck!
As usual, let's get the premises out of the way: Current file - New file
References are all on the sandbox, not in this thread because copypasting references causes a mess with the formatting.
Less relevant feats are not accompanied by scans, for the sake of reading and not uploading literally every comic page ever on the wiki; references are enough.
Also, some of you may know that Howard has gone through numerous transformations and had access to a number of extra abilities (such as the time he was a Living Nexus of All Realities). However, none of those managed to hit the minimum appearances limit required by our policies, so I had to keep them out.
Assorted updates
STATISTICS
9-B AP, SS and Dura:
Base tier updated from 9-C to 9-B. I've just found many more feats, including straight-up Wall level ones and plenty of supportive ones. The AP description contains feats easily traceable to a calculation, while everything else stands in the striking strength section. Durability scales directly to SS for obvious reasons, but Howard's got a few feats of his own as well.
AP: Destroyed what appears to be a wooden door with a single kick, which requires these levels of force. Casually busted through a wall. with his whole body. Has effortlessly knocked doors off their hinges in two separate instances, a feat requiring such levels of force. Performed numerous other impressive Striking Strength feats)
SS: Destroyed a portion of a wrecked car with a kick. Smashed multiple wooden slabs with a single chop. Has recurrently made short work of whole groups of people with ease, defeating thugs, police officers, a burly wrestler and various other men. Knocked the Beetle back with a punch. Kicked a short man about as tall as him high into the air. Split a knight's lance in half with a single sword swing. His teeth could chomp off the leg of a giant gingerbread golem in just a few bites. Smashed the Sinister Soofi's glass-like helmet with a punch. Opened the door of his cab violently enough to uproot a fire hydrant.
Durability: Can withstand the recoil of his physical attacks. Endured a small, point-blank explosion and got up immediately after landing. Was tackled by the Hellcow and launched through a shop window without suffering notable damage. Casually crashed through yet another window and didn't suffer any damage. Fell down a several-meters deep hole and was totally unhurt.
Low 1-C and 9-A additional tiers
No, you're not dreaming and I'm neither drunk nor high (probably).
Howard has used plenty of optional equipment, mostly untierable, but a specific gun hits 9-A. The crazy, yet sound one, is the No-Thing, a sort of deus-ex-machina which is literally an Ultimate Nullifier which Howard has always had with him and never lost, not even at the end of its sole appearance, thus making it eligible for Standard Equipment:
At least Low Complex Multiverse level with the No-Thing (This device was directly compared to The Ultimate Nullifier by a hungry Galactus himself and made him renounce his aims on the Microverse. Howard was capable of booting it and successfully erased alternate versions of some of Earth's mighties heroes. Howard was also about to do the same to a Man-Thing that had reached meltdown and would have destroyed the entire reality), up to Small Building level with Optional Equipment (Several items and weapons in this arsenal augment Howard's offensive power in some manner. The BFG ("Big Fricking Gun") could instantly annihilate zombies and reduce them to charred skeletons, a feat requiring about such levels of force)
Speed
The current Subsonic+ is way too generous, considering the way and timing with which Howard dodges the bullets. They're surely impressive feats, but not enough to warrant straight up subsonic+ speed. Also, I've split the stat in travel and reactions speed:
Athletic Travel Speed (Just by walking, Howard could steadily keep an above-average pace for many hours. Could outspeed a number of heavy objects falling onto him, such as safes and giant dice. Ran so fast he thought to have, hyperbolically, broken the sound barrier. Outran an angry mob that was chasing him), at least Superhuman Reactions and Perceptions (Learned to move faster than the eye can follow and react faster than throwing knives can travel. Could recurrently dodge and react to gunfire loosely shot at him from close range. Ducked under the Hellcow pouncing point-blank on him. Outsped a shark by shoving a beach ball into its gaping jaws before it could clench them onto him. Dodged M.O.D.O.T.'s drills-shooting guns from close range)
Lifting Strength
The current rating's clearly a placeholder, so I made it into something. I admit some feats, especially the first, could comfortably be superhuman, but Santa Claus's intrusion may hold it back:
at least Peak Human (Pulled a sleigh loaded with gifts, eight reindeers and one elf uphill, with the help of Santa Claus and little Carol pushing it from behind. Powerlifted a man overhead. Forcefully extracted a large axe embedded in a log. Could instantly free himself from an avalanche of coins which had previously buried a man to death. Tossed a cell phone against a man's head with enough force to knock him out. Wielded and used a gun almost as big as himself. Caught Dum-Dum Dugan mid-fall and held him on by the ankle).
Stamina and Range
Once again, the current stats are clearly placeholders due to lack of research. The full context of the justifications for range is provided in the P&A and equipment sections.
Peak Human (Has walked for an impressive time and distance at a fast pace. Has undergone three hours of non-stop training, which made him a master martial artist. Has taken hefty blows in repeated occasions without going down and has undergone prolonged and extenuating labors, from fights to missions and adventures. At one point Howard was shown to be somewhat out of shape but still willing and capable to perform physical training and lose weight through diet)
Below Standard Melee Range physically, Several Meters with Magic, higher to an unknown degree via the No-Thing; up to Hundreds of Meters with Optional Equipment (Has used a variety of ranged weapons, each with their own range. Stronger guns reach these distances by real world standards)
P&A
A duckzillion additions, divided between innate abilities and ones given by optional equipment. Some powers may appear to be minor and/or comic reliefs, but with a character such as Howard the boundary between them thins to basically non-existence. Also, I removed the resistances to pain and fear manipulation; the first I deadass couldn't find an explanation for, the second comes from the Fearsome Four run, during Fear Itself; the world was being corrupted by an aura of fear, but plenty of characters overcome it, imho making it more a general feat of courage, rather than supernatural resistance.
Equipment
Howard's much more of an equipment based character than I'd have expected, especially in the optional department. In fact, he's had three different types of items that complex, that each of them require a whole explanation.
Moreover, the No-Thing, which I'll remind everyone is technically standard equipment (just never used), did also require in-depth elaborations.
So, there you go, stuff Howard always carries with him or has carried enough to have become notable:
The No-Thing works on bravery, in similar fashion to how the Ultimate Nullifier works on intelligence. Its users must not only be able to control their fear, but must also possess courage and determination. The evil Psycho-Man, who in the past had even created a rude replica, could not activate the device exactly because he was stranger to bravery and focused only on using fear to harm others. Howard instead stepped into the front line and managed to activate the weapon against alternate versions of New Fantastic Four and the Psycho-Man himself, causing them to vanish instantly and thus saving his friends.
Howard was later prompted to use the No-Thing one more time against the rampaging Man-Thing, who had been turned into a reality-destroying bomb by the effects the Serpent's fear manipulation powers and the loss of control over the Nexus of All Realities. Howard then failed to activate the weapon, because deeply in his heart he was afraid of killing someone whom he also considered a friend, regardless of the danger it posed. Howard then realized that the Man-Thing himself had given him the No-Thing as a contingency in case he had ever gone out of control. Howard nearly resigned at erasing his friend for the sake of the whole universe, even succeededing in booting the device, yet at the very last moment he conceived another, better solution...
[/SPOILER]
Duckworldian Physiology and Standard Tactic
The first one was mostly a way for me to have fun and take a jab at all the various fictional physiologies that grand crazy powers and are over-analized, but it fits well within the profile anyway.
Duckworldian Physiology: Howard hails from a universe where ducks, and not primates, became the dominant and most civilized species on the planet, reaching a stage of evolution comparable to that of humans in our own world. Duckworldians are by all means anthropomorphic waterfowl and bear the features of both bird and man. Their scientists discovered that their kind used to possess wings, back in prehistoric times, but over the eons they morphed into arms; their hands have four fingers, one being an opposable thumb, and the feathers covering them makes it impossible to identify their prints. Like our ducks, their feet are webbed and may lose traction on smooth surfaces such as plastic. They hatch from eggs like earthen ducks, but have a much longer lifespan. Despite having a bill and other characteristics typical of a duck's mouth, they also feature two rows of human-like teeth and can even grow a beard. While their bill isn't designed to be a weapon, Howard could still peck a man on the face and hurt him, break his glasses and don't suffer any pain in return. Their diet is seemingly the same as us humans, including meat dishes; a roasted duck, though, has understandably made Howard reel back in horror. As expected, Howard's appearance attracts the curiosity of humans, and is often mistaken for a short man or a kid in a duck suit. His voice was confirmed to be squeaky, similar to how a human would talk after inhaling helium. Howard has no proper "duck powers" (despite what Deadpool's lousy researches claim), but his unique body presents some notable features, specifically in relation to his senses, blood and more.
Standard Tactic: Howard is surprisingly braver than one would expect, judging from his look, as he is always ready to enter or even start a fray, partly because of his short-fuse, which borders anger issues. He can be very aggressive towards his foes, charging at them with his bare hands or with improvised weapons, and has scored a respectable record of successes even before receiving martial arts training or without employing them at all. By his own admission, Howard generally tries to restrain himself, but when the fury bottled up inside of him reaches a critical point he can't help but lash out and jump on his opponents to clobber them, regarldess of gender and age. Howard often tries to back down from a confrontation, mostly because of uninterest and selfishness which may pass for cowardice, but when it comes to defending himself or a loved one, Howard will bravely face any danger, even when ill-equipped and against armed opponents, hordes of zombies or powerhouses such as a rampaging Man-Thing, She-Hulk and more.
Intelligence:
Flat-out update to Genius, extremely well-deserved. Also, I put a cute list of wit and skill feats:
Genius: Howard has had a rather unpromising upbringing, which he himself attributes to the difficulties experienced during childhood into fitting within the school system. He is said to have had the potential to be a brilliant scholar but, as he himself stated, his academic career has been unremarkable. As a matter of fact, Howard's potential had already begun to manifest in primary school, when he figured out that E=mc², doing so spontaneously and during a moment of daydreaming nonetheless; however, his teacher's ignorance readily culled any aspiration he may have had (note 10). Following the events of Original Sin, Howard learned that he had born the potentially smartest creature of his home universe, or perhaps all universes, but once again the traumatic experiences of his childhood prevented him from developing his gift. Still, Howard grew into a knowledgeable and cultured individual, for he utilizes a very polished language, when he wants to, and is often seen reading, musing on, displaying interested for and referencing topics such as philosophy, sociology, politics, history, literature and music. In his life Howard has attempted many career paths, without ever finding his true call; in fact, his talents never surfaced up until the moment he was marooned in the Earth-616 universe. At that point, while he still tried to get by as a normal citizen, fate kept pulling him in the most bizarre situations, forcing him to tap into a number of skills and employ his quick-thinking in ways he had never done before (more details in the Powers&Abilities and Intelligence and Skill Feats sections). Howard has also accumulated plenty of life experience, either on his own or alongside his allies, among whom are some of Earth's most prestigious superheroes. He has traveled the world, the cosmo and even the multiverse, fighting criminals, supervillains, monsters, zombies and so on; he went into wild adventures, solved mysteries as a private eye, dealt with large-scale politics on multiple occasions, handled supernatural powers and met all sorts of otherworldly entities)
Weaknesses
The current one, being extremely-money minded, doesn't make a sliver of sense and it's also half-untrue. So, I removed it and added some real ones:
Weaknesses: Can't properly concentrate without smoking one of his cigars. He once almost drowned in the sea due to having never learned how to swim, but later he seemingly overcome this flaw, showcasing the ability to rapidly swim to the bottom of a lake. Has troubles telling humans apart, as he deems "hairless apes" to be indistinguishable; it then becomes totally impossible with cats, to the point that he went after a white cat when he was supposed to go after a brown one. According to him, ducks have also a terrible night vision.
And that's it, faithful believers, I hope you've appreciated my work!
Reading through Howard the Duck's history was surely an experience. A journey through an alternative type of comic book, which reached great heights but also deep lows. Regardless, I suggest anyone to check more of his books, especially the first two volumes, they can really make you think and feel something at times.
See you next time and thanks for reading!
: Who are you and who gave you permission to revise me?!?: Omg, it's you! But I'd have expected this kind of intrusion from someone like Deadpool...: Don't you dare compare me to that walking disaster! I've had more than enough run-ins with him!: Hey, did anyone mention m-: SHUT UP AND GET THE HELL OUT OF HERE!!!: Anyway, Howard, to answer your question, just take a gander () at the current state of your file...: Ugh! Alright, alright, you've got a point. Go on, but make it quick!Ehm, ehm, there we are are again... as I was saying, welcome to my latest work, a revision for Howard the Duck!
As usual, let's get the premises out of the way: Current file - New file
References are all on the sandbox, not in this thread because copypasting references causes a mess with the formatting.
Less relevant feats are not accompanied by scans, for the sake of reading and not uploading literally every comic page ever on the wiki; references are enough.
Also, some of you may know that Howard has gone through numerous transformations and had access to a number of extra abilities (such as the time he was a Living Nexus of All Realities). However, none of those managed to hit the minimum appearances limit required by our policies, so I had to keep them out.
Assorted updates
- References for everything
- New summary
- New profile pictures and quotes for everything
- Expansion of sections such as name, age, classification.
- Added several notes to provide better context
- Added some comedy here and there
STATISTICS
9-B AP, SS and Dura:
Base tier updated from 9-C to 9-B. I've just found many more feats, including straight-up Wall level ones and plenty of supportive ones. The AP description contains feats easily traceable to a calculation, while everything else stands in the striking strength section. Durability scales directly to SS for obvious reasons, but Howard's got a few feats of his own as well.
AP: Destroyed what appears to be a wooden door with a single kick, which requires these levels of force. Casually busted through a wall. with his whole body. Has effortlessly knocked doors off their hinges in two separate instances, a feat requiring such levels of force. Performed numerous other impressive Striking Strength feats)
SS: Destroyed a portion of a wrecked car with a kick. Smashed multiple wooden slabs with a single chop. Has recurrently made short work of whole groups of people with ease, defeating thugs, police officers, a burly wrestler and various other men. Knocked the Beetle back with a punch. Kicked a short man about as tall as him high into the air. Split a knight's lance in half with a single sword swing. His teeth could chomp off the leg of a giant gingerbread golem in just a few bites. Smashed the Sinister Soofi's glass-like helmet with a punch. Opened the door of his cab violently enough to uproot a fire hydrant.
Durability: Can withstand the recoil of his physical attacks. Endured a small, point-blank explosion and got up immediately after landing. Was tackled by the Hellcow and launched through a shop window without suffering notable damage. Casually crashed through yet another window and didn't suffer any damage. Fell down a several-meters deep hole and was totally unhurt.
Low 1-C and 9-A additional tiers
No, you're not dreaming and I'm neither drunk nor high (probably).
Howard has used plenty of optional equipment, mostly untierable, but a specific gun hits 9-A. The crazy, yet sound one, is the No-Thing, a sort of deus-ex-machina which is literally an Ultimate Nullifier which Howard has always had with him and never lost, not even at the end of its sole appearance, thus making it eligible for Standard Equipment:
At least Low Complex Multiverse level with the No-Thing (This device was directly compared to The Ultimate Nullifier by a hungry Galactus himself and made him renounce his aims on the Microverse. Howard was capable of booting it and successfully erased alternate versions of some of Earth's mighties heroes. Howard was also about to do the same to a Man-Thing that had reached meltdown and would have destroyed the entire reality), up to Small Building level with Optional Equipment (Several items and weapons in this arsenal augment Howard's offensive power in some manner. The BFG ("Big Fricking Gun") could instantly annihilate zombies and reduce them to charred skeletons, a feat requiring about such levels of force)
Speed
The current Subsonic+ is way too generous, considering the way and timing with which Howard dodges the bullets. They're surely impressive feats, but not enough to warrant straight up subsonic+ speed. Also, I've split the stat in travel and reactions speed:
Athletic Travel Speed (Just by walking, Howard could steadily keep an above-average pace for many hours. Could outspeed a number of heavy objects falling onto him, such as safes and giant dice. Ran so fast he thought to have, hyperbolically, broken the sound barrier. Outran an angry mob that was chasing him), at least Superhuman Reactions and Perceptions (Learned to move faster than the eye can follow and react faster than throwing knives can travel. Could recurrently dodge and react to gunfire loosely shot at him from close range. Ducked under the Hellcow pouncing point-blank on him. Outsped a shark by shoving a beach ball into its gaping jaws before it could clench them onto him. Dodged M.O.D.O.T.'s drills-shooting guns from close range)
Lifting Strength
The current rating's clearly a placeholder, so I made it into something. I admit some feats, especially the first, could comfortably be superhuman, but Santa Claus's intrusion may hold it back:
at least Peak Human (Pulled a sleigh loaded with gifts, eight reindeers and one elf uphill, with the help of Santa Claus and little Carol pushing it from behind. Powerlifted a man overhead. Forcefully extracted a large axe embedded in a log. Could instantly free himself from an avalanche of coins which had previously buried a man to death. Tossed a cell phone against a man's head with enough force to knock him out. Wielded and used a gun almost as big as himself. Caught Dum-Dum Dugan mid-fall and held him on by the ankle).
Stamina and Range
Once again, the current stats are clearly placeholders due to lack of research. The full context of the justifications for range is provided in the P&A and equipment sections.
Peak Human (Has walked for an impressive time and distance at a fast pace. Has undergone three hours of non-stop training, which made him a master martial artist. Has taken hefty blows in repeated occasions without going down and has undergone prolonged and extenuating labors, from fights to missions and adventures. At one point Howard was shown to be somewhat out of shape but still willing and capable to perform physical training and lose weight through diet)
Below Standard Melee Range physically, Several Meters with Magic, higher to an unknown degree via the No-Thing; up to Hundreds of Meters with Optional Equipment (Has used a variety of ranged weapons, each with their own range. Stronger guns reach these distances by real world standards)
P&A
A duckzillion additions, divided between innate abilities and ones given by optional equipment. Some powers may appear to be minor and/or comic reliefs, but with a character such as Howard the boundary between them thins to basically non-existence. Also, I removed the resistances to pain and fear manipulation; the first I deadass couldn't find an explanation for, the second comes from the Fearsome Four run, during Fear Itself; the world was being corrupted by an aura of fear, but plenty of characters overcome it, imho making it more a general feat of courage, rather than supernatural resistance.
- Genius Intelligence
- Superhuman Physical Characteristics
- Small Size (Type 0: Measures two feet and seven inches. These values have later been confirmed by Howard himself)
- Enhanced Senses (May have a primal and dormant danger sense that woke him up from unconsciousness in order to escape an alligator's attack. Ducks have twice the vision of humans and this allowed Howard to recognize the subtleties of a worn-out carpet that had been walked on many times. His keen eyes could spot a man unsheating a pocket knife and using it to subtly shank a youth in the middle of a brawl. Ducks' excellent sense of direction also allowed Howard to correctly guide his allies through a lab)
- Weapon Mastery (Guns: Claims to be a crackshot who never misses and could nonchalantly hit a demon in the heart. Could simultaneously wield and use two pistols with great proficiency. Wielded guns during the final showdown between Earth's heroes and villains versus the Skrull forces of the Secret Invasion. Proficient in the use of the BFG ("Big Fricking Gun"), provided to him by A.R.M.O.R.. Melee: His kung-fu training included the mastering of the staff. When working as a security guard, Howard was able to swing his baton like a natural. It took him a single sword swing to best a lance-armed knight. Precision: Flicked one of his cigars right at a hanging thread, burning it. Threw his harpoon at the Pinbal Lizard's tail and nailed it to the floor. Employed a trash can lid as if it was Captain America's shield. Used his tie and belt tied together as an effective lasso.
- Martial Arts and Accelerated Development (His will to achieve enabled him to complete a life-time of martial arts training in a mere three hours and seventeen minutes, while simultaneously crafting his own fighting style named "Quack-Fu", then using these skills to defeat Count Macho, a fellow graduate of the same master; unfortunately, his skills have since then atrophized due to lack of practice and may resurface only in times of great stress. Still, over time Howard has often resorted to his martial skills in order to face his opponents. Has swiftly defeated a wrestler notorious for his winning streak. In his youth Howard had also attempted to become a professional pugilist, but he soon abandoned such a career)
- Acrobatics (Capable of a number of athletic maneuvers such as pole-vaulting and fast slacklining; also able to run on people's bodies, grab onto pipes to slide down buildings and swing on ropes, vines, duct tape and bed sheets. Jumped on the Human Cannonball's head in mid-flight and obscured his vision. Leapt vertically above the heads of multiple people. Has recurrently performed jumping attacks against his opponents)
- Vehicular Mastery (Land Vehicles: Howard is a licensed cab driver and has practiced such profession for several years in Cleveland and occasionally New York. Drove the Duckmobile at high speed within the narrow spaces of the Mammoth Mall. He could also casually drive a sport car and a van. Rode a toy horse around Santa's workshop while shooting down Hydra automatons. Has been shown riding a real horse as well. Aircrafts: Was able to pilot a flying merry-go-round without any previous experience and outmaneuver a plane in a dogfight. Piloted a living rocket ride while in the middle of a storm, and used it to defeat the wizard Pro Rata and and his breakfast monsters)
- Stealth Mastery (Managed to somehow infiltrate an army base, taking advance of a distraction he had involuntarily caused, and reached the General's rooms by hiding underneath the cloche of the lunch that was being served. Laid out a purposedly-predictable ambush on Dr. Bong in order to make him lower his guard and actually strike him by surprise. Misled nurse Barbara by making her believe he was hiding inside the wrong set of armor and landed a surprise attack on her. Pretended to have committed suicide in order to lure a guard into carelessly entering his and other inmates' cell, thus leading to a prison break)
- Preparation (Anticipated the Uncanny Cockroach's movements, preceeding him to the location he was heading to and laying down a trap specifically designed to defeat him. Set up a trap on the fly to distract and defeat two men that were hunting him. Upon being hired by the White Rabbit, and suspecting it was probably a trap, Howard asked Ant-Man to hide in his clothes and come out whenever the Rabbit would reveal her true colors; by doing so, the two managed to helt her plans and apprehend her)
- Camouflage (Managed to convincingly blend himself amidst common ducks in two different situations. Posed between two mannequins, somehow hiding in plain sight from various people who were chasing him)
- Sleight of Hand (Swiftly lifted the Abundant Gauntlet from Talos the Untamed's hand. Disarmed and opponent and turned his gun against him. Freed himself from being hogtied to a spit)
- Space Survival (Somehow unaffected by the exposure to outer space, even in a situation when other Earthlings, such as the Thing, required appropriate equipment)
- Very limited Flight (The physiological remnants of his kind's primordial wings allow him to direct his trajectory while airborne. Can even defy physics and dash through the air via sheer momentum)
- Limited Water Walking (The drive to save his beloved Beverly made Howard unconsciously run on the water's surface and be plunged down only when they made him notice the impossibility of such a thing)
- Minor Fragrance Manipulation (Howard's duck blood tastes so horribly bad that even Dracula could not bring himself to finish feasting on him, despite his great thirst, and instead preferred to flee the scene altogether. Afterwards, the vampire reiterated his refusal to drink the fowl's foul blood)
- Occasional Supernatural Luck (Raised over three million dollars at the roulette starting from a single nickel, but he lost everything on the seventh, unlucky spin. In another occasion, he won ten million dollars at a sweepstake)
- Minor Immersion (Has had a [possibly] imaginary reflection of his inner self light his stogie for him from inside a mirror)
- Cursed (Doctor Strange cast a spell upon Howard which makes his tail feathers grow everything he calls him a "jerk")
- Magic (Howard possesses great magical potential (more details in the intelligence "feats") which lays dormant within him and can't be accessed under normal circumstances. However, such power allowed him to make skillful use of Dr. Strange's borrowed abilities and utilize the voodoo items given to him by Mammy Tuba, upon allowing her to nudge his inner power. Howard later revealed he had retained the ability to cast a few spells from the time Doctor Strange transferred his powers to him, but since then he has used them only once and to confront a magical entity. Such spells may be those he has used firsthand, such as following ones)
- Forcefield Creation (The Shield of the Seraphim defends the user from incoming projectiles
- Thread Manipulation (The Shield of the Seraphim can be turned into strands of energy and hurled at the opponent
- BFR (The Vapors of Valtorr removed the Defenders and the Band of the Bland from the Sancta Sanctorum
- Social Influencing (Charisma: Ran for US presidency in the elections of '76 (Topical Reference) and caused great turmoil within the electorate (Note 4). Made an entire crowd of people burst into laughter with just a few jokes. Distracted Black Tom with chatter to not make him notice the gasoline he was pouring on the floor in order to exploit his weakness to fire. Talked the fanatic revolutionary Status Quo into a change of heart, making him realize the contradictory nature of his actions. Convinced Gwenpool to stop attempting to murder him for fun and insteand join him in saving the world from the mistakes she had made. Social Position and Reputation: Howard has become an extremely controversial and influent figure on Duckworld (Note 5). During his brief stint as a millionaire tycoon, Howard's riches and eccentricity made him into a known and talked, yet elusive, figure among the wealthy society of the US. Has played himself in his own tv show and then titular movie, which granted him some notoriety and fans, but the latter was also reportedly a fiasco. Has involuntarily become a sensation around Cleveland over the years and he spurred numerous reactions among the citizens (note 6). Howard's fame and infamy then grew to a nation-wide level, which came to know him for he truly was, unlike the other times, when no one had clearly figured out his true identity; such discovery caused unprecedented chaos across the country, with Howard at the very center of the public storm (note 7). Howard is also an extremely popular celebrity across countless dimensions (note 8). Leadership: Led a gang of mall santas in the reconquest of Santa's workshop, which had fallen under the control of Hydra. Took the role of responsible adult alongside Tana Nile and guided the rest of the Daydreamers in their bizarre journey across alternate realities. Acted as the expert and guiding figure of the trio composed of himself, Machine Man and Swift Cloud in their multiversal hunt for zombies. Was the de-facto leader of the Fearsome Four, providing them direction in their chase for the Man-Thing across New York and the subsequent battles; Howard even supported them in facing and controlling their respective, deepest fears, and saved the day thanks to his bravery and wisdom. A.R.M.O.R. appointed Howard commanding officer of the Ducky Dozen and he led them in their suicide-mission to halt the plans of the zombie Third Reich of Earth-12591. Other: His mere appearance - that of an oversized, talking duck- serves as the butt of countless jokes within Howard's publication history, for he constantly induces amazement into those who meet him for the first time, triggering reactions such as disbelief and astonishment, but also fits of rage or fear depending on the individual)
- Breaking the Fourth Wall (Spoke to the audience and addressed the authors of the comic he was in and even Marvel Comics itself, treating a reprint of his first stories as a teleportation experience meant to make him confess his origins. Heard the narrator's monologue and replied to him. Rudely interrupted the ending of a Spider-Man/Gambit team-up story and invaded the cover of a Ghost Rider issue. Made meta-narrative jokes on Marvel Comics's editorial decisions such as forbidding their characters from consuming tobacco and outfitting him with trousers to avoid being sued by Disney for plagiarism. Pointed out the genre and themes of his comics. Had a exchange with a comic artist on the cover of a comic the former had no involvement in)
- Existence Erasure (Via the No-Thing, an extradimensional weapon equivalent to the Ultimate Nullifier and capable of destroying virtually anything. Howard used it to erase an alternate version of the New Fantastic Four and Psycho-Man's proxy body [more details in the Standard Equipment section)
- Resistance to
- Mind Manipulation (The brainwashing machine known as Blanditron did not work on Howard. After falling for the Ringmaster's mesmerizing hat during their first encounter, Howard managed to resist its effects through sheer rage and determination. Held on to his sanity longer than the rest of the Fearsome Four when the Man-Thing's reality warping powers mutated them into bloodthirsty abominations)
- Causality and/or Memory Manipulation (Limited; Was seemingly unaffected by the events of One More Day, being aware that Spider-Man was supposed to have formed a family, despite Mephisto having altered history years prior to prevent such occurrence. However, Howard was also unaware of Spider-Man's secret identity, which had been revealed to the world and then erased from the collective memory by Dr. Strange, meaning that Howard had either been affected by the spell as well or simply never learned that information in the first place.
- Limited Energy Manipulation and Empathic Manipulation (Has learned to utilize the "Farce", a universal energy which embodies the sheer absurdity of reality. Howard could channel it through the toy rifle given to him by the wizard Dakimh and cause his enemies to be overwhelmed by their personality flaws. However, he lost the rifle at the end of his space odyssey
- Adhesive Manipulation and Poison Manipulation (Purchased paste strong enough to trap the Uncanny Cockroach and an insecticide that could severely harm him)
- Electricity Manipulation (Stole and then used a taser)
- Explosion Manipulation (The BFG can also fire explosive rounds
- Extrasensory Perception (The tablet provided by A.R.M.O.R. to field agents such as Howard for their multiversal zombie hunt allows them to access the agency's database on alternate realities and zombie types, as well as allowing them to detect the presence and pinpoit the location of undeads and related energy sources)
- The Iron Duck armor grants: Fire Manipulation, Bodily Weaponry, Light Manipulation, Magnetism Manipulation and limited Resistance to Sound Manipulation
- The Duckman equipment grants: Sound Manipulation, Social Influencing and Light Manipulation
- Voodoo items grant: Pain Manipulation, Necromancy and God Physiology via Summoning
Equipment
Howard's much more of an equipment based character than I'd have expected, especially in the optional department. In fact, he's had three different types of items that complex, that each of them require a whole explanation.
Moreover, the No-Thing, which I'll remind everyone is technically standard equipment (just never used), did also require in-depth elaborations.
So, there you go, stuff Howard always carries with him or has carried enough to have become notable:
- Matches and Cigars (but he is always running low on them), useful for concentration (at least to him) and as occasional instruments of harm (note 9)
- Cell Phone: Its phonebook has the numbers of She-Hulk, Spider-Man (he checks only messages, not voicemail, and Howard texts him all the time), the Avengers, Star Lord and Squirrel Girl.
- No-Thing:
The No-Thing works on bravery, in similar fashion to how the Ultimate Nullifier works on intelligence. Its users must not only be able to control their fear, but must also possess courage and determination. The evil Psycho-Man, who in the past had even created a rude replica, could not activate the device exactly because he was stranger to bravery and focused only on using fear to harm others. Howard instead stepped into the front line and managed to activate the weapon against alternate versions of New Fantastic Four and the Psycho-Man himself, causing them to vanish instantly and thus saving his friends.
Howard was later prompted to use the No-Thing one more time against the rampaging Man-Thing, who had been turned into a reality-destroying bomb by the effects the Serpent's fear manipulation powers and the loss of control over the Nexus of All Realities. Howard then failed to activate the weapon, because deeply in his heart he was afraid of killing someone whom he also considered a friend, regardless of the danger it posed. Howard then realized that the Man-Thing himself had given him the No-Thing as a contingency in case he had ever gone out of control. Howard nearly resigned at erasing his friend for the sake of the whole universe, even succeededing in booting the device, yet at the very last moment he conceived another, better solution...
[/SPOILER]
Various weapons, Farce-Powered Toy Gun, Paste and Insecticide, Taser, BFG ("Big Fricking Gun"), A.R.M.O.R. tablet, the following sets:
Iron Duck Armor:
A suit made of scraps hastily put together by the odd, but brilliant, Claude Stark(owsky), a mechanic whp believes to be the true maker of Iron Man's technology. This armor was designed to aid Howard defeating Doctor Bong in a direct confrontantion and is equipped with a number of useful tools. Aside from offering protection and power, the armor grants enhanced mobility thanks to a pair of springs mounted on the soles of its boots, which let Howard bounce around and compensate for the cumborsomeness of the armor itself. Each wrist sports a flamethrower and the chest houses a searchlight. The helmet provides some degree of sound insulation, to shield Howard from Doctor Bong's harmful peals, and comes with a radio system, air conditioning and windshield wipers which clear the visor in case of obstruction. The armor's rear hides a small drill that comes in handy for emergency escapes when backed against the wall, while the hips contain secret items such as a small mallet, to exploit Doctor Bong's weakness to rash strikes on his helmet, and a button that that actives the armor's magnetic un-uncoupler, which recalls its components in case they are separated. The armor served Howard well against his arch-nemesis, but was ultimately destroyed during the climax of their ultimate battle. Years later, Howard was shown still in possession of the armor's helmet.
Duck Man Equipment:
This costume, inspired by a certain cowled vigilante, was designed by salesman Sbruce Payne, as part of his marketing campaign to advertise his "Super-Scent", a perfume obtained from the sweat of superheroes. It came with a sidekick-inspired costume for Beverly and the customized supercar named Duckmobile. Although the entire set was meant only for publicitly stunts, it revealed a surprising degree of effectiveness even in real situations.
The costume itself comes with a cape (that is more hindering than useful) and a utility web-belt packed with all sorts of gadgets, although only a couple of them have been shown, specifically the Duckarang, a lasso with a bird-shaped weight on the tip, and a Duckchute, a life-safer in case of freefall. The Duckmobile then is a powerful vehicle capable of running at high speed and withstand even violent impacts, both against nefarious evildoers and solid surfaces. The car is equipped with a number of tools as well, such as a loudspeaker under the hood, which plays a heroic and strangely-inspiring theme, blinding headlights which project the Duck-Signal and, lastly, a Duck-Jector Seat which shoots the drivers up in the air upon pressing a button.
Voodoo equipment:
A set of magic items produced by Mammy Tuba -a witch from the bayou of New Orleans- and given to Howard to let him oppose the nefarious machinations of the third Black Talon, who threatened the world with his mastery of voodoo. These apparently-mundane objects hold mystic properties that can harnessed out only by a magician. Howard's inner magical potential, slightly awoken by Mammy Tuba herself, allowed him to utilize such items and foil Black Talon's evil plans.
Iron Duck Armor:
A suit made of scraps hastily put together by the odd, but brilliant, Claude Stark(owsky), a mechanic whp believes to be the true maker of Iron Man's technology. This armor was designed to aid Howard defeating Doctor Bong in a direct confrontantion and is equipped with a number of useful tools. Aside from offering protection and power, the armor grants enhanced mobility thanks to a pair of springs mounted on the soles of its boots, which let Howard bounce around and compensate for the cumborsomeness of the armor itself. Each wrist sports a flamethrower and the chest houses a searchlight. The helmet provides some degree of sound insulation, to shield Howard from Doctor Bong's harmful peals, and comes with a radio system, air conditioning and windshield wipers which clear the visor in case of obstruction. The armor's rear hides a small drill that comes in handy for emergency escapes when backed against the wall, while the hips contain secret items such as a small mallet, to exploit Doctor Bong's weakness to rash strikes on his helmet, and a button that that actives the armor's magnetic un-uncoupler, which recalls its components in case they are separated. The armor served Howard well against his arch-nemesis, but was ultimately destroyed during the climax of their ultimate battle. Years later, Howard was shown still in possession of the armor's helmet.
Duck Man Equipment:
This costume, inspired by a certain cowled vigilante, was designed by salesman Sbruce Payne, as part of his marketing campaign to advertise his "Super-Scent", a perfume obtained from the sweat of superheroes. It came with a sidekick-inspired costume for Beverly and the customized supercar named Duckmobile. Although the entire set was meant only for publicitly stunts, it revealed a surprising degree of effectiveness even in real situations.
The costume itself comes with a cape (that is more hindering than useful) and a utility web-belt packed with all sorts of gadgets, although only a couple of them have been shown, specifically the Duckarang, a lasso with a bird-shaped weight on the tip, and a Duckchute, a life-safer in case of freefall. The Duckmobile then is a powerful vehicle capable of running at high speed and withstand even violent impacts, both against nefarious evildoers and solid surfaces. The car is equipped with a number of tools as well, such as a loudspeaker under the hood, which plays a heroic and strangely-inspiring theme, blinding headlights which project the Duck-Signal and, lastly, a Duck-Jector Seat which shoots the drivers up in the air upon pressing a button.
Voodoo equipment:
A set of magic items produced by Mammy Tuba -a witch from the bayou of New Orleans- and given to Howard to let him oppose the nefarious machinations of the third Black Talon, who threatened the world with his mastery of voodoo. These apparently-mundane objects hold mystic properties that can harnessed out only by a magician. Howard's inner magical potential, slightly awoken by Mammy Tuba herself, allowed him to utilize such items and foil Black Talon's evil plans.
- Do Do What Voodoo That You Do So Well: An instruction book containing the instructions to utilize voodoo magic. Howard, reckless as always, barely gave it a hasty gaze and readily abandoned it on the battlefield to rush into action. He later theorized that reading it thoroughly may have given him the knowledge required to access his inner power, but he immediately changed his mind due to the scorn he's always expressed towards magic.
- Voodoo Doll: A small figurine with the power of replicating the feeling of what is done to it on a target that loosely resembles the doll itself. Howard utilized it to make Black Talon feel the pain of being stabbed by multiple needles, thus breaking his concentration.
- Duck Wishbone: A piece of the mortal spoils of a long-gone duck. Tossing it on the ground seemingly inspired Howard to chant a mystical quack, calling forth a flock of zombie ducks (and a couple of geese) which assaulted his enemies.
- Duck Deity: The fabled fowl god whose power Black Talon hoped to harness through the sacrifice of many duck. Confined into its own realm up to that point, and powerless in front the senseless carnage, the Duck Deity manifested itself when Howard's magical presence opened the dimensional doorways, thus allowing him to smite Black Talon with all its fury and finally avenge his brethren.
Duckworldian Physiology and Standard Tactic
The first one was mostly a way for me to have fun and take a jab at all the various fictional physiologies that grand crazy powers and are over-analized, but it fits well within the profile anyway.
Duckworldian Physiology: Howard hails from a universe where ducks, and not primates, became the dominant and most civilized species on the planet, reaching a stage of evolution comparable to that of humans in our own world. Duckworldians are by all means anthropomorphic waterfowl and bear the features of both bird and man. Their scientists discovered that their kind used to possess wings, back in prehistoric times, but over the eons they morphed into arms; their hands have four fingers, one being an opposable thumb, and the feathers covering them makes it impossible to identify their prints. Like our ducks, their feet are webbed and may lose traction on smooth surfaces such as plastic. They hatch from eggs like earthen ducks, but have a much longer lifespan. Despite having a bill and other characteristics typical of a duck's mouth, they also feature two rows of human-like teeth and can even grow a beard. While their bill isn't designed to be a weapon, Howard could still peck a man on the face and hurt him, break his glasses and don't suffer any pain in return. Their diet is seemingly the same as us humans, including meat dishes; a roasted duck, though, has understandably made Howard reel back in horror. As expected, Howard's appearance attracts the curiosity of humans, and is often mistaken for a short man or a kid in a duck suit. His voice was confirmed to be squeaky, similar to how a human would talk after inhaling helium. Howard has no proper "duck powers" (despite what Deadpool's lousy researches claim), but his unique body presents some notable features, specifically in relation to his senses, blood and more.
Standard Tactic: Howard is surprisingly braver than one would expect, judging from his look, as he is always ready to enter or even start a fray, partly because of his short-fuse, which borders anger issues. He can be very aggressive towards his foes, charging at them with his bare hands or with improvised weapons, and has scored a respectable record of successes even before receiving martial arts training or without employing them at all. By his own admission, Howard generally tries to restrain himself, but when the fury bottled up inside of him reaches a critical point he can't help but lash out and jump on his opponents to clobber them, regarldess of gender and age. Howard often tries to back down from a confrontation, mostly because of uninterest and selfishness which may pass for cowardice, but when it comes to defending himself or a loved one, Howard will bravely face any danger, even when ill-equipped and against armed opponents, hordes of zombies or powerhouses such as a rampaging Man-Thing, She-Hulk and more.
Intelligence:
Flat-out update to Genius, extremely well-deserved. Also, I put a cute list of wit and skill feats:
Genius: Howard has had a rather unpromising upbringing, which he himself attributes to the difficulties experienced during childhood into fitting within the school system. He is said to have had the potential to be a brilliant scholar but, as he himself stated, his academic career has been unremarkable. As a matter of fact, Howard's potential had already begun to manifest in primary school, when he figured out that E=mc², doing so spontaneously and during a moment of daydreaming nonetheless; however, his teacher's ignorance readily culled any aspiration he may have had (note 10). Following the events of Original Sin, Howard learned that he had born the potentially smartest creature of his home universe, or perhaps all universes, but once again the traumatic experiences of his childhood prevented him from developing his gift. Still, Howard grew into a knowledgeable and cultured individual, for he utilizes a very polished language, when he wants to, and is often seen reading, musing on, displaying interested for and referencing topics such as philosophy, sociology, politics, history, literature and music. In his life Howard has attempted many career paths, without ever finding his true call; in fact, his talents never surfaced up until the moment he was marooned in the Earth-616 universe. At that point, while he still tried to get by as a normal citizen, fate kept pulling him in the most bizarre situations, forcing him to tap into a number of skills and employ his quick-thinking in ways he had never done before (more details in the Powers&Abilities and Intelligence and Skill Feats sections). Howard has also accumulated plenty of life experience, either on his own or alongside his allies, among whom are some of Earth's most prestigious superheroes. He has traveled the world, the cosmo and even the multiverse, fighting criminals, supervillains, monsters, zombies and so on; he went into wild adventures, solved mysteries as a private eye, dealt with large-scale politics on multiple occasions, handled supernatural powers and met all sorts of otherworldly entities)
Miscellaneous:
Combat:
- Correctly guessed, on the fly, that a cross-shaped wrench would have scared away the vampiric Hellcow
- Deduced that the Space Turnip's brains were located into its green sprouts, instead of in its bulb
- Deduced that the different effects of Dr. Bong's bell-shaped helmet's peals depended on pitch and intensity; he then exploited this notion to strike him with excessive force, thus causing his technology to go awire
- Is a skilled climber, having accomplished feats such as rising to the top of a tree using only his tie and belt knotted together, climbing up a giant pile of home appliances, scaling a rocky and steep hill bare-handed and reaching the summit of a high-rising tower covered in plastic credit cards without the aid of any gear; the narrator also pointed out that such a labor was made even more difficult by Howard's webbed feet, which provided no traction against the smooth synthetic surface.
- Performed a feat of ventriloquism which allowed him to mislead one of his opponents.
- Doctor Strange, upon taking back the powers he had lent to Howard, recognized his natural talent for magic and offered to make him his pupil. In another instance, Jennifer Kale commented how Howard was a born sorcerer and was saddened to learn he had to intention to pursue this career.
- Has spontanoeusly learned to utilize the cosmic force called "The Farce" after being simply made aware of its existence
- Has solved the Lynoleum Lizard case all on his own, outperforming the professional detective Dick Byrd, which ended up murdered in the early phases of his investigation
- Could figure out that the bizarre worlds he and the rest of the Daydreamers had been wandering through were just creations of Frankling Richard's wondrous powers and not proper realities of the multiverse.
- Predicted that the Statue of Justice's sword would have collapsed under the weight of the people standing on it and when it happened he warned the crowd underneath at just the right time, saving them all
- Performed a rapid sequence of mental calculations and a quick act of athleticism to save himself from certain death
- Formulated and enacted a plan which, despite its silliness, allowed him and Tara to successfully break into Black Cat's home vault
- Interpreted the Collector's ship's map better than the Gurdians of the Galaxy
- Spontaneously figured out that Tata was concealing her shapeshifting powers
- Has devised more plans in other instances, which led to achievements such as the defeat of Talos the Tamer, the defeat of Shannon Sugarbaker and the successfull escape of him and his friends from the Stranger.
- Solved the case of an attempted murder committed at the Strange Academy and did it very professionally
Combat:
- Survived an encounter with the Hellcow and managed to land a killing blow after incapacitating it
- Made skillful use of Doctor Strange's borrowed magic powers and outwitted Dr. Angst in a battle of spells, in spite of the latter's explicitly greater experience in the usage of magic
- Made clever use of the Iron Duck armor despite never using it before and held his own against Doctor Bong for quite a while, despite ultimately succumbing to his superior strength and abilities.
- Figured out that Jackpot's weakness was the overtaxation of his coins-ejection ability
- Devised a strategy to defeat Pro Rata's Eggs-Men: Luring the living coffee mug and OJ glass to the stratosphere, thus freezing their liquid content, and making the living fried egg's yolk ooze over the living bacon's scorching-hot body
- Defeated the Pinball Lizard by exploiting his blindness
- Took advantage of Dracula's distraction and assaulted him from behind, impaling him to near-death with a wooden stake he had ripped off a fence
- Fought back a gang of gunmen while armed only with a trash can lid
- Swam to the bottom of a lake in order to escape the giant Gopher, who was pursuing him from underground and eventually emerged underwater, thus ending up flushed back into the depth of earth
- While protecting the Daydreamers from the siege of Black Tom, Howard readily poured gasoline all over the room and lit it up with his cigar, setting ablaze Black Tom's wooden body
- Fought in the last stand the Earth's defense forces put on against the Skrull Empire
- Guided the Ducky Dozen across the enemy lines of Earth-12591 and although things went horribly wrong for a series of unexpected events, Howard and the remainders of the units still managed to complete their mission and return home.
- Howard and Doop have, armed only with a rubber chicken filled with nails, a bee-shooting gun and a broken sword, either won or survived a battle against an army of extradimensional, robot barbarians.
Weaknesses
The current one, being extremely-money minded, doesn't make a sliver of sense and it's also half-untrue. So, I removed it and added some real ones:
Weaknesses: Can't properly concentrate without smoking one of his cigars. He once almost drowned in the sea due to having never learned how to swim, but later he seemingly overcome this flaw, showcasing the ability to rapidly swim to the bottom of a lake. Has troubles telling humans apart, as he deems "hairless apes" to be indistinguishable; it then becomes totally impossible with cats, to the point that he went after a white cat when he was supposed to go after a brown one. According to him, ducks have also a terrible night vision.
And that's it, faithful believers, I hope you've appreciated my work!
Reading through Howard the Duck's history was surely an experience. A journey through an alternative type of comic book, which reached great heights but also deep lows. Regardless, I suggest anyone to check more of his books, especially the first two volumes, they can really make you think and feel something at times.
See you next time and thanks for reading!
