Phil Blumburtt (Earth-58470)

Phil Blumburtt was a lab assistant working in a laboratory in Cleveland, Ohio. His musician friend Beverly Switzler erroneously believed Blumburtt to be a scientist, with him doing nothing to change her mind because that mistake made him look cool in her eyes. Still, Blumburtt and several of his coworkers had been involved in building a device called Laser Spectroscope which was used to aim to another planet and, once activated, accidentally transported a local alien creature, Howard Duck, to Earth, without the lab staff knowing. When Switzler bumped into a castaway alien creature, she took him to Blumburtt hoping the latter would be able to help the Duck get back to his home planet; but then Blumburtt was revealed to be a lowly lab assistant and a disappointed Duck left, believing he'd never have a chance to go back home.^[1]

Blumburtt then correctly deduced that the Duck's presence was due to the use of the Spectroscope, theorized that it could be used to take the Duck back to his native world, and went to see him at Switzler's home along with his coworkers and his boss, Dr. boss Walter Jenning. The Duck agreed to go with them to the lab, but the Spectroscope did not operate as expected and instead brought back a creature called Dark Overlord of the Universe, a powerful alien conqueror who immediately possessed Jenning's body and kidnapped Switzler and the Duck to use them as hosts for other beings of his race. The Duck escaped, joining Blumburtt, and they worked together to try and rescue Switzler. To stop the Dark Overlords, the Duck destroyed the Laser Spectroscope, ruining his chances to get back home.^[1]

Howard then became Switzler's girl band's manager to some success and hired Blumburtt for a backstage position.^[1]

• Phil Blumburtt was protrayed by Tim Robbins in the film Howard the Duck (1986).

• Decades after his part in Howard the Duck, Robbins was considered to play another Marvel character, Howard Stark in Iron Man 2 (2010), but the role went to John Slattery.^[2]