Tim Robbins has been a prominent actor in the industry ever since his impressive films in the 90s. His incredible performances in Jacob’s Ladder and The Shawshank Redemption made him a household name. He went on to earn an Oscar for his heartbreaking performance in 2003’s Mystic River.
Robbins made a surprising entry into the superhero world with the 1986 film Howard the Duck. The film was a colossal flop at the time of release and was not received well. However, Robbins is not against returning for a proper modern revival of the character, but he wants it to have a different tone than the over-the-top nature of the 1986 film.
Tim Robbins Will Only Return to the Marvel Universe in a Badass Howard the Duck Film
Among his illustrious work in the 80s and 90s, Tim Robbins made a surprising turn by being a part of a film based on Howard the Duck in 1986. The film was panned by critics for its uneven tone and absurd humor that made the whole thing goofy and uninteresting. The character featured years later in James Gunn’s Guardians of the Galaxy films.
While the character’s appearance was for a gag, some people including see the potential in the character for a feature film again. When asked by ComicBook.com for a Marvel return, Robbins joked that his return depends on the tone and characterization of Howard the Duck. He wants the potential Howard the Duck project to have a more mature tone rather than a comedy. Robbins said,
“Depends on the casting of the duck. I need that gruff guy. I need the cigar-chomping rude boy. That’s what I want in Howard the Duck.”
The character has also featured in the MCU series What If…?, but the franchise has not shown much interest in exploring more of the character. Robbins’ comments provide insight into what more the character can be rather than just a source of laughs. It remains to be seen if the MCU commits to making a Howard the Duck project in the future.
Tim Robbins Still Finds Howard the Duck Charming Despite Being a Flop
Tim Robbins starred as Phil Blumburtt in the 1986 Marvel film Howard the Duck. While the idea to do a film on the character is exciting on paper, it did not turn out great critically and commercially. However, Robbins has good things to say about his participation in the project.
Robbins stated that the film has a lot of charming things about it and had a great time shooting it on location. The actor also claimed that it was the first Marvel universe film at the time and the story felt great on paper. He said (via Yahoo Entertainment),
“To be honest, I think there’s a lot of charming things about that film. George Lucas had just done Star Wars, it was a lot of money, it was on location and I think it was the first film that the Marvel Universe did. So on paper, it felt really great!”
Since that film, Robbins has gone on to star in many acclaimed films and TV projects. Most recently, Robbins played Bernard in Apple TV’s sci-fi series Silo. The series received positive reviews from fans and has been renewed for a second season.
Fans can watch/rent 1986’s Howard the Duck on Apple TV+.
