Guardians of the Galaxy opened Friday, August 1, and many young fans were puzzled by the film’s odd post-credits sequence.

Spoiler Alert!

Marvel has a habit of featuring mid-credit or post-credit scenes that give hints as to what is to come in the Marvel cannon. For example, The Avengers (2012) introduced the villain Thanos in a mid-credits sequence. Thanos, of course, ended up being a somewhat prominent dark presence in Guardians of the Galaxy (2014). Similarly, the post-credits sequence of Thor: The Dark World (2013) introduced the character of the Collector (Benicio Del Toro), who also plays a part in Guardians of the Galaxy. However, fans hoping for a look at Marvel’s next big screen film, The Avengers: Age of Ultron were left scratching their heads after the post-credits scene in Guardians of the Galaxy.

Who Is Howard the Duck?

A defeated Collector, sitting sadly among the rubble of Knowhere. Cosmo the spacedog, who featured into the Guardians of the Galaxy comics, approaches and licks his face. Off screen, a dismissive voice yells, “What do you let him lick you like that for?” The camera pans to reveal the owner of the voice: Howard the Duck.

I am for real… #Marvel has Howard The Duck at the Collectors place in the end credits. Real screen shot too! pic.twitter.com/YZyNbR8ZGv

— Chris R (@PsychicStoner) August 1, 2014

Howard the Duck is a somewhat controversial Marvel character from the ‘70s. Over the years, Disney almost sued Marvel over the character, saying Howard the Duck bore a striking resemblance to Donald Duck, and co-creator of the character, Steve Gerber sued Marvel after being booted from the original book.

Howard the Duck…. WTF. #marvel

— John Flickinger (@JohnFlickster) August 1, 2014

Howard the Duck is also controversial with the fans, particularly after a failed Howard the Duck movie was released in 1986.

[GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY spoiler] Howard the Duck is canon now. I just. What.

— josh lewis (@thejoshl) August 1, 2014

The only movie I ever walked out on opened on this day 28 years ago. I am still scarred by the experience. #HowardTheDuck

— Dalton Ross (@DaltonRoss) August 1, 2014

Is Marvel Making A Howard The Duck Movie?

Many are wondering if Howard the Duck’s appearance in the Marvel Universe means that Marvel is planning on creating a new franchise based on Howard the Duck, and while the post-credits scene didn’t hint at any new mythology or intrigue, it is possible for Marvel to develop Howard the Duck further. Adding to the speculation is the report that Seth Green (Robot Chicken, Family Guy) voiced Howard the Duck in the post-credits scene.

However, most media outlets are betting that a Howard the Duck film is far from a sure thing. In an interview, Guardians' director James Gunn teased a post-credit scene “that’s all our own!” This suggested that the post-credits sequence could just be a bit of fun, not totally related to the greater Marvel Universe mythology. After all, the post-credits scene in The Avengers was just a short gag depicting the exhausted super-heroes eating Shawarma after their battle to save the planet. Furthermore, the Howard the Duck cameo could be an allusion to the films’ shared release date. Howard the Duck was released on August 1, 1986, and Guardians of the Galaxy was released on the same day nearly 30-years later.

Guardians of the Galaxy is currently out in theaters.