In this post-finger-snap MCU, it may seem like heroes are scarce, and that’s not an untrue statement, but let’s not forget that there are scores of characters that we didn’t see turn into dust. In fact, there are still plenty of Marvel characters that have yet to be showcased on the big screen.
With almost a year between Avengers: Infinity War and Endgame and with not much substantial information on the fate of our favorites shared in between those two movies, we’re left to our own devices. So, with that in mind, here are some of Marvel’s animal characters that may or may not have survived Thanos’ finger snap, plus some that have yet to make an appearance in Marvel on-screen lore. Does “half the universe” take animals into account?
Howard the Duck
Weird 1980’s movie aside, Howard the Duck has been Marvel’s premiere intelligent animal character since his first appearance in 1973. His comicbook arcs were always a bit outside the box, but his staying power cannot be denied. He’s appeared in stories involving some of Marvel’s biggest characters, like the X-Men, Captain America, and Spider-Man, to name a few. Plus, his cameos in the Guardians of the Galaxy movies mean that he is established within the MCU, so who knows, maybe we will see him again in theaters in the future. If not, at least we’ll be able to enjoy Howard the Duck on the small screen soon, with the recent announcement of a new animated series premiering on Hulu from writers Kevin Smith and Dave Willis!
Rocket Racoon
Rocket is arguably the most famous of Marvel’s super-animals, at least after the Guardians of the Galaxy films featured him in all his bandit glory. At this point in the MCU, he is the only surviving member of the Guardians, so his part in Avengers: Endgame will likely be pivotal. Between his snarky remarks; constant desire for big, shiny weapons and gadgets; and weirdly sweet paternal relationship with Groot, he’s a valued member of any team.
Spider-Ham
Yes, Spider-Ham co-starred in Sony’s animated film Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, but this superhero swine actually first appeared on the scene over 30 years ago. Though he started out as a one-off comedic Spider-Man parody, “Peter Porker” has starred in many of his own comicbook series and has appeared on several variant covers. He shares all the desires to do good and swing through the air to protect his city that his human counterpart boasts, so we have no qualms about seeing more of Spider-Ham— and hopefully soon!
Lockjaw
While the Inhumans TV show wasn’t a hit with the critics, that doesn’t mean it was all bad. Case in point: Lockjaw the dog. Lockjaw is not only a big, cuddly English Bulldog with glowing antennae on his head, he also has the ability to teleport himself and others. There’s not a high probability that we will see Lockjaw on the big screen any time in the near future, but there’s no doubt he was the shining light of Inhumans while it was on.
Dogpool
This isn’t the least surprising considering how off the wall the Deadpool universe can be. Dogpool, of course, is Deadpool’s dog sidekick, also called the “Mutt with the Mouth.” Besides donning a masked costume similar to his human master’s, he also shares the same healing abilities and, amazingly enough, the same knife skills, too. Right now, Dogpool remains nothing but a character in an alternate reality comicbook arc that casts him as part of Deadpool’s team called the Deadpool Corps. Nothing weird about that! At least not when it comes to Deadpool…
Redwing
In Marvel comicbook lore, Sam Wilson, aka Falcon, has all the cool winged gadgets we’ve seen his movie counterpart use, except for one. Technically, it’s not a gadget at all, but an actual bird, and that bird is named Redwing. In the MCU films, the small flying drone that Wilson uses in covert missions (especially in Captain America: Civil War) is called Redwing as a small nod to the original character. In the comics, Redwing is a red feathered falcon who shares a telepathic connection with Wilson, described as a “super-normal mental link,” which made him a very worthy and cute fluffy sidekick. Guess a psychic bird didn’t exactly fit into the MCU, but maybe someday we’ll finally get the bird representation we deserve!