In the first season of What If…? Thor tore up Vegas in a party state. In the process, human Darcy (Kat Dennings) met duck-alien Howard the Duck (Seth Green). During the wild Vegas weekend, they fell in love, leading to the events of “What If… Howard the Duck Got Hitched?” The sequel episode brings the same silliness one would expect from a Howard the Duck story. However, you might need to tune in to “Howard the Duck Got Hitched” for later consequences in the What If…? storyline. While “What If… Red Guardian Stopped the Winter Soldier?” brought a buddy team-up to life, “What If… Howard the Duck Got Hitched?” is far weirder.
“What If… Howard the Duck Got Hitched?” Recap
On a home movie, a nurse walks into Darcy and Howard’s delivery room. Darcy has “given birth” to a giant egg, but neither knows how long it will take for the egg to hatch. The Watcher tells us their child will change the world but leaves the details vague. He recaps Thor’s party in Vegas as “I Was Made for Lovin’ You” by Kiss plays. It transitions to Howard and Darcy singing the song to the egg, which annoys the neighbors next door.
Another knock comes at the door, and Topaz (Rachel House) tells the couple they’ve been selected for a cruise thrown by The Grandmaster (Jeff Goldblum). The next day, they board the ship with their egg, but as they do, Yondu (Michael Rooker) tells the Ravagers the package has arrived on board. Howard and Darcy meet The Grandmaster, who DJed their wedding night as DJ Foam. He appears especially interested in the egg, including a large group of maids to help.
The Grandmaster and Topaz lead them to a special brunch for the ship. However, when they translate the menu, they realize their egg is the main course of the brunch. Before the Grandmaster’s chef can cook the egg, Yondu steps in and steals the egg. Darcy and Howard chase after Yondu after stealing a ship. They cannot catch up before he jumps through a warp portal, and Darcy reaches out to S.H.I.E.L.D. for help.
Over the hologram call, they ask Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) and Agent Coulson (Clark Gregg) why everyone is interested in their child. On Darcy’s due date, there was an event known as “The Convergence,” which many think is a sign of great power entering the galaxy. Coulson whispers that Yondu came out of jump space near Knowhere, so they can intercept him at The Collector. Howard turns up the audio to get the intel, and they also depart for Knowhere.
At Knowhere, Kaecilius has taken out The Collector and demands the egg from Yondu. At first, the pirate resists, but Kaecilius uses Dormammu’s power to take the egg by force. Howard and Darcy sneak into the spaceport via the sewer. En route, they find Kaecilius and his followers performing an “ensoulment” ritual to put Dormammu into the body of their egg.
S.H.I.E.L.D. arrives in time to stop the ceremony, but in the process reveals they plan to keep the egg, despite Darcy and Howard’s protests. Kaecilius attacks the S.H.I.E.L.D. agents, and in the process, the Ducks escape with their egg. They decide to lie low and meet up with Frost Giant Loki (Tom Hiddleston) to shelter them… at the Jotun Slopes Luxury Hotel and Casino.
Loki agrees to hide them, but as he does, Nick Fury, Laufey, dark elves, Kaecilius, and Zeus all arrive to take the egg for themselves. The Grandmaster arrives as well, and the chaos only continues as the various sects do battle. Even Thanos and the Black Order (Ebony Maw, Cull Obsidian, Proxima Midnight, and Corvus Glaive) arrive in time to chase after the Ducks.
After getting some distance between those after the egg, Darcy and Howard confess their love for each other. As they watch the horde descending the mountain, they sing “I Was Made for Lovin’ You” to their egg. This causes the egg to float into the sky with a floating glow, which causes the groups to chase even harder after them. However, the egg seemingly shows its own power and fights off those who attack its family.
The amount of people trying to capture the egg continues to close in on Darcy and Howard, nearly crushing them in the process. However, the egg then hatches, shooting lightning bolts through all who pursued it. Only Fury, Loki, Laufey, and Zeus (who gave up their pursuit) survive. Darcy and Howard catch their child as she descends into their arms. Fury agrees to leave the baby with Howard and Darcy before he zaps back to Earth. The Ducks return home (passing on a comp stay from Loki) and put their baby to bed.
Is “What If… Howard the Duck Got Hitched” worth watching?
For a Christmas-day special, “Howard the Duck Got Hitched” is one of the weirdest episodes of television in the MCU and Disney+ era. Obviously, there’s a level of humor coursing through the episode that’s impossible to ignore. Given the promise that Howard and Darcy’s child will change the universe, it’s an even odder choice. Whether that “great power” was the elimination of all of the threats at the end of “Howard the Duck got Hitched” or there’s something on the horizon is unclear.
It’s also odd to introduce a character with so much power in the MCU for a show that’s seemingly going away. Then again, the last season of What If… saw the arrival of Kahhori (Devery Jacobs), who quickly appeared before the end of the season. Maybe we’ll get a check-in soon, with “Howard the Duck Got Hitched” serving as the origin story for a bigger character. Given the cosmic importance put on the character, it seems like a good bet.
While the episode is mostly a comedic romp, “Howard the Duck Got Hitched” gives the fan-favorite character his largest role in the MCU to date. Darcy has been used in and out of the universe, particularly in the What If… series, so it’s nice to see actual development for Howard. Clearly the stink of the George Lucas-funded movie has gone away, and the love for the absurdity of the character has won out. Even though the events of “Howard the Duck Got Hitched” are very much about both of the parents, even the naming of the episode speaks to his continued popularity.
What If… Season 3 releases on Disney+ on December 22. “What If… Howard the Duck Got Hitched” aired on December 25, 2024. New episodes release daily through December 30.
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