The latest episode of What If…?, titled “What If… Howard the Duck Got Hitched?” is off the rails insanity, with multiple returning MCU villains, a chase through the galaxy, and even a ski resort called Yodelheim. But — and spoilers past this point — the bigger news is the episode ends with the introduction of a brand-new character: Byrdie the Duck. So who is Byrdie the Duck? And is she from Marvel Comics?
I’m gonna answer the second question, first: no, Byrdie is not from Marvel Comics. Like Kahhori (Devery Jacobs) and a few other characters before her (shout out to America Ferrera’s Ranger Morales, introduced in the last episode), Byrdie the Duck is an MCU original. She’s the daughter of Howard the Duck (Seth Green) and Darcy (Kat Dennings), and at the end of the episode, we get to see the blue-feathered baby with big green eyes and a diamond-esque marking on her forehead emerge from the egg Darcy… Laid? I don’t know, let’s not think about that part too much.
In any case, yeah, there’s no precedent or source material for Byrdie. In fact — and I could be wrong about this one — Howard the Duck has never had kids in the comics, ever since his introduction in 1973’s Adventure into Fear #19 by Steve Gerber and Val Mayerik.
That’s pretty wild on its own, but wait until you hear what’s next for Byrdie the Duck
Byrdie The Duck Will Return On What If…? Played By Natasha Lyonne
In a classic “spoiled by the press pics,” we know that Byrdie will be back in What If…? Season 3, Episode 7 “What If… The Watcher Disappeared?” We also know that she will be voiced by none other than Natasha Lyonne. I probably don’t need to give you a rundown of who that is, but you know her from appearing in everything from Russian Doll and Poker Face to Orange is the New Black, But I’m A Cheerleader, and more. She also recently starred opposite the Scarlet Witch (Elizabeth Olsen) and Proxima Midnight (Carrie Coon) in His Three Daughters, which technically makes that an MCU movie.
We also know via press pics that she’ll be teaming up with Captain Carter (Hayley Atwell), Kahhori (Devery Jacobs), and Storm (Alison Sealy-Smith). And according to a media kit from Disney, she’ll also appear in the series finale, “What If… What If?” So there’s plenty more Byrdie is flying into your lives over the next few days.
But wait a second… Doesn’t Natasha Lyonne already have a mystery role in the MCU?
Is Natasha Lyonne Playing Byrdie The Duck In Fantastic Four: First Steps?
So, here’s the deal. Natasha Lyonne is in the recently wrapped filming The Fantastic Four: First Steps, but we don’t know what role she’s playing. She’s one of four mystery actors playing roles including Paul Walter Hauser, John Malkovich, and Sarah Niles.
The popular guesses for the characters are that Lyonne is playing Alicia Masters, Ben Grimm/The Thing’s girlfriend, while John Malkovich is playing her father, a villain known as The Puppetmaster. Alternately, Lyonne is the voice of H.E.R.B.I.E., the team’s robot butler. Or maybe she’s something else.
So could that something else by Byrdie the Duck? Possibly? But most likely, they aren’t soft-launching Byrdie the Duck on What If…? to introduce her in live-action in Fantastic Four because that’s not really how the pipeline between Marvel Studios and Marvel Animation has worked in the past. For example, most viewers thought that Doctor Strange going bad in What If Season 1 was setting up the bad multiverse version of the character in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. But nope, just a coincidence.
The MCU has also shown a willingness to cast actors in multiple roles. So more than likely, Natasha Lyonne is the voice of Byrdie the Duck on What If, and playing someone entirely different in Fantastic Four. Heck, maybe she’s the other Marvel role she played: Sommerfield, from Blade: Trinity. After all, the Blade movies are canon now, thanks to Deadpool & Wolverine, so why not?
Regardless, enjoy Lyonne as Byrdie in the final two episodes of What If this week. And then you can check her out as whatever she’s playing (a Moloid? I don’t know) in Fantastic Four when it hits theaters July 25, 2025.
Where To Watch What If…?
What If…? Season 3 Premiere Dates And Episode Guide:
The first episode of What If…? Season 3 premieres Sunday, December 22 at 3 am ET / Midnight PT on Disney+. One episode a day premieres after that, leading to the series finale on December 29, 2024.
Here’s the full list of episodes in What If…? Season 3, with premiere dates:
- Sunday, December 22, 2024: What If…? Season 3, Episode 1: “What If… The Hulk Fought The Mech Avengers?”
- Monday, December 23, 2024: What If…? Season 3, Episode 2: “What If… Agatha Went to Hollywood?”
- Tuesday, December 24, 2024: What If…? Season 3, Episode 3: “What If… The Red Guardian Stopped The Winter Soldier?”
- Wednesday, December 25, 2024: What If…? Season 3, Episode 4: “What If… Howard the Duck Got Hitched?”
- Thursday, December 26, 2024: What If…? Season 3, Episode 5: “What If… The Emergence Destroyed The Earth?”
- Friday, December 27, 2024: What If…? Season 3, Episode 6: “What If… 1872?”
- Saturday, December 28, 2024: What If…? Season 3, Episode 7: “What If… The Watcher Disappeared?”
- Sunday, December 29, 2024: What If…? Season 3, Episode 8: “What If… What If?”
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