The Marvel Cinematic Universe has made a lot of changes to beloved characters. Some bother fans more than others. One of the most notable absences in Captain America’s character is that he leaped from his original World War II era to the modern day in only one film. Many Marvel devotees would have loved to see Steve punch out Hitler a few more times. His allies in the 1940s were a group of striking soldiers called the Howling Commandos, but that squadron’s name evokes many images.
The never-ending expansion of the Marvel Cinematic Universe could make it feel like every random side character will eventually get their own spinoff. While figures like Agatha Harkness might not seem ready for prime time, Marvel leaves tons of potential films and series on the table. What If…? provided Marvel with a testing ground to try out new ideas, but they haven’t developed any of those ostensible pitches into anything special.
Who were the Howling Commandos in Marvel Comics?
|
First Appearance |
Sgt. Fury and his Howling Commandos #1 |
|---|---|
|
First Appearance Date |
March 1964 |
|
Creators |
Stan Lee and Jack Kirby |
|
Versions |
At least five |
The first Howling Commandos were a team of United States Army Rangers who worked under Sergeant Nick Fury. Taking inspiration from the 101st Airborne Division’s Screaming Eagles nickname, Fury’s Howlers were an elite, racially integrated military unit. Nick Fury led soldiers like Dum Dum Dugan, Izzy Cohen, and Rebel Ralston into battle against Nazis and Nazi-adjacent supervillains. This iteration of the Howlers existed throughout the 1960s and 1970s, fighting various fictionalized World War II scenarios. They reunited for one-off missions during the Korean and Vietnam wars. The primary long-term contribution of Sgt. Fury and his Howling Commandos to the Marvel Comics universe is Nick Fury. While most fans know Nick Fury as the leader of S.H.I.E.L.D., he first appeared as a no-nonsense officer commanding the Howlers. The series ran 167 issues, but Nick Fury lived on long beyond his debut.
The second iteration appeared in Nick Fury’s Howling Commandos, which debuted in 2005. Instead of human soldiers, these Howlers were supernatural creatures who worked for Nick Fury. The plot saw Fury gather werewolves, vampires, mummies, and other Universal monsters to fight a wizard claiming to be Merlin. Strange side characters like Groot and Damion Hellstrom made strange cameo appearances in this series. The comic, unfortunately, only lasted six issues. Nick assembles a third Howler team to fight the Secret Invasion, this time bringing together the children of superheroes. Two other short-lived Howling Commando teams came together to fight Norman Osbourne and the Punisher. Phil Coulson led another group of monsters to fight Dormammu’s Mindless Plague. Howling Commandos of S.H.E.I.L.D. saw the organization create the Special Threat Assessment for Known Extranormalities, or S.T.A.K.E. That team developed yet another new Howling Commandos squadron. Most recently, the name appeared on Earth-61610 for several monsters working under Dracula. They died quickly after trying to invade the surface world.
Who were the Howling Commandos in the MCU?
A version of the original Howling Commandos appeared in Captain America: The First Avenger. In that film, Steve Rogers leads an unsanctioned rescue mission to save over 100 Allied soldiers. This was his first active combat experience after the US Army wasted his talents on a tour to promote war bonds. With Peggy Carter and Howard Stark, Steve saved soldiers from the US 107th Infantry Regiment, the British Army, and the French Resistance. This fresh unit became the Howling Commandos. Steve Rogers led the team with Bucky Barnes, wiping out countless HYDRA bases. They remained one of the most successful units in World War II. The Howlers lived on and continued their work after Bucky and Steve disappeared. Dum Dum Dugan took over after Steve went into the ice. They appear again in Agent Carter, where they formally welcome Peggy into the fold. A Smithsonian exhibit in 2014 reveals that none of the Howlers lost their lives in combat, except for Barnes. A version of the Howlers also appeared in the What If episode about Captain Carter.
Could the Howling Commandos return to the MCU?
Due to the MCU’s timeline, Nick Fury couldn’t lead the Howling Commandos as he did in the comics. He could, however, reinvent the concept in a future MCU project. While the original soldiers are mostly dead, the monstrous version of the team could still emerge. Imagine Nick Fury resurrecting a classic concept to fight a new foe. Characters like Man-Thing and Werewolf by Night joined the MCU in the recent Marvel Halloween special. A future Marvel Special Presentation could ostensibly unite several monstrous characters into a new horror-friendly team. While this isn’t likely, it remains an interesting pitch for a future phase.
The Howling Commandos were initially one of Marvel’s classic war comics. Marvel used to depict soldiers, cowboys, knights, and all sorts of other warriors with the same color and excitement as they would their superheroes. While they’re unlikely to return to that tradition, some version of the Howling Commandos could live on in the MCU. Look out for the Howlers, though they could be a bit scarier than they used to be.
