Characters rarely stay dead in comics, and Bleeding Cool has learned that Happy Hogan is set to return after spending nearly two decades at rest.
Created by writers Stan Lee and Robert Bernstein and artist Don Heck, Happy first appeared in Tales of Suspense #45 in 1963. Initially Tony Stark's chauffeur and personal assistant, they soon became firm friends, and Happy was one of Iron Man's most loyal allies.
During the Civil War storyline in 2006, Happy, who was married to Pepper Potts at that time, was attacked by Spymaster. The villain hoped to use him as bait to draw out Iron Man, but desperate to protect his wife, Happy threw himself and Spymaster several stories below. He was then left in a coma and died of his injuries.
However, there was some ambiguity surrounding his death, as Pepper pleaded with Tony to use his Extremis-based powers to quietly shut off Happy's machines and let him die peacefully. While never confirmed, it seemed as if a devastated Iron Man did exactly that.
When and where will Happy return? We don't currently know, but it's taken a surprisingly long time. In 2008's Iron Man, Jon Favreau played Happy, serving as Tony's loyal driver and bodyguard. The filmmaker and actor went on to reprise the role in several projects, including Avengers: Endgame, Spider-Man: No Way Home, and Deadpool & Wolverine (he became a major part of Spidey's franchise).
Despite Happy's recurring presence on screen, he's remained dead on the page. Now, that's set to change, and what he brings to the Armoured Avenger's corner of the Marvel Universe promises to be very interesting.
Earlier this year, Favreau was asked about his absence from this summer's Spider-Man: Brand New Day. "I could give you a big spoiler: I'm not in it 'cause he lost his memory. He doesn't remember me anymore. He might meet me again someday; I don't know."
"But isn't that how the last one ended, with him forgetting everything? I don't know anything about it other than—if I'm in it, they better hurry up 'cause they're running out of time."
He continued, "I had a lot of fun. I got to be in three of the Spider-Man films, a bunch of the Marvel movies. The smartest thing I ever did was give myself a cameo in that first one because that put my kids through school."
Are you excited to see Happy Hogan's Marvel Comics return? Stay tuned for updates as we have them.