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Darkwing Duck
First appearance	Darkly Dawns the Duck
Created by	Tad Stones
Voiced by	Jim Cummings
Aliases	Drake Mallard

Drake Mallard, better known as Darkwing Duck, is the main protagonist created for the Disney animated series Darkwing Duck. His first appearance was in the pilot episode "Darkly Dawns the Duck". He is voiced by Jim Cummings.

[edit] Darkwing Duck

Darkwing's main weapon of choice in his crime-fighting escapades is his gas gun, which functions much like a grenade launcher. It fires grenades with a variety of different gases (smoke bombs, laughing gas, tear gas, etc.), as well as some more direct offensive weapons (including boxing gloves and cartoon bombs). It also has a retractable line and grappling hook for transportation purposes, and can fire other random objects that are loaded in its barrel. His main forms of transportation are the Thunderquack (a small airplane-like vehicle shaped like Darkwing's head that was built and is piloted by Launchpad) and his motorcycle, called the Ratcatcher (a name shared with a Batman villain, maintaining the theme of superhero homages and parodies).

Darkwing often demonstrates a large degree of clumsiness and lack of common sense that is hampered by his tremendous ego. However, unlike Inspector Gadget and similar cartoon heroes, Darkwing is actually extraordinarily competent as a superhero - once he puts aside distractions and ego and focuses completely on the case. This moment of transition was marked by Darkwing's catchphrase "Let's get dangerous".

In some episodes, Darkwing is sent on missions as a freelance agent of S.H.U.S.H., a covert crime-fighting organization that deals with criminal activity that the normal authorities cannot handle, though he is not officially employed by them. Darkwing's S.H.U.S.H. missions most often have the aim of thwarting various evil schemes of the Fiendish Organization for World Larceny (or F.O.W.L.).

While he is known (to an extent) as a hero in St. Canard, he frequently deals with citizens misunderstanding him. Numerous episodes bring up the fact that he's very unpopular, due to his intimidating tactics and dark appearance, to the point where the episode "Let's Get Respectable" was devoted to making him over as a more likable hero with nicer language, a brighter costume, and flower petals instead of smoke and gas. Once it interfered with the episode's case, however, the makeover quickly ended. In some episodes, people fail to recognize Darkwing, and at times, do not even know who "Darkwing Duck" is. This lack of popularity and recognition often clashes with his inflated ego.

Even though he is referred to as a "superhero" (by himself and other citizens), Darkwing has no true superpower. Instead, he relies on his weapons, finesse, and intellect to solve crimes and stop villains, much like Batman.

[edit] Drake Mallard

When not fighting crime Darkwing spends his time as his alter ego Drake Mallard, Gosalyn Mallard's father. Most of the show is based on their father-daughter relationship. Darkwing and Gosalyn forged a close bond in a short period of time because they were so much alike. Drake Mallard's real occupation has never been revealed. This has led to inquiries by some fans as to how Darkwing makes money to pay for his house, supplies, and equipment. On one episode, "The Merchant of Menace," Drake once worked as a salesman for Quackerware. The only people who know Drake's secret identity are, of course, Gosalyn, his sidekick Launchpad McQuack and Gosalyn's best friend Honker Muddlefoot. In later episodes, Morgana Macawber, with whom Darkwing has an on-again-off-again relationship, also discovers his secret identity. Drake and Gosalyn Mallard, along with Launchpad McQuack, live at 537 Avian Way, St. Canard, located in the fictional state of Calisota, the setting of other Disney cartoon cities.

[edit] Secret Identity

Although the first episode shows that Darkwing lives in his lair in the Audubon Bay Bridge, he purchases a home and starts using his alter ego again only after adopting Gosalyn Waddlemeyer. This hints that he, for some reason, may not truly even need his alter ego anymore and only uses it to give Gosalyn some semblance of a normal life—as well as similar to an aspect of Batman, in that instead of being a citizen who dresses in a costume to fight crime, the costumed hero is the "real" person who disguises himself as a citizen.

Despite this, Darkwing has been seen going out of his way to protect his secret identity from being discovered. Drake does not seem to act any differently as Darkwing, yet even those close to him, such as his next door neighbors the Muddlefoots, cannot tell they are one and the same. He has even dressed up as Darkwing Duck while attending a Halloween party, with many patrons stating he was too short to pull off being Darkwing Duck convincingly. However, Launchpad, Gosalyn, and Honker, who have no alter egos, are all often seen with both Darkwing and Drake, yet no one questions this. Megavolt once claimed to know that Gosalyn and Launchpad are "the Darkwing Duck fan club", while holding them captive. Since Gosalyn actually does run a Darkwing Duck fan club, it seems many villains simply see her and Launchpad as normal people who frequently follow Darkwing around and do not make the connection between Drake and Darkwing. Gosalyn also makes an effort not to refer to Darkwing as "Dad" when she follows him around crimefighting, although she occasionally does. Launchpad almost always calls both Darkwing and Drake "DW". However, since Drake's middle name is never revealed to the audience, one can assume that the characters might think that Launchpad is merely calling him by his first and middle initials, which isn't unusual and thus wouldn't bring up any tough questions^{[original research?]}. It is also worth stating that NegaDuck, being the Darkwing of an alternate dimension, would know of Darkwing's true identity and relationship to Gosalyn but never seems to use this information against him, although one possible reason for this is that he may not have decided to start using his alter ego again after adopting "Nega-Gosalyn" (Bushroot's Negaverse counterpart says that "Negaduck" is her guardian as opposed to "Drake Mallard", implying that he may not use his secret identity at all) and it just never occurred to him that Darkwing might have.

[edit] Catchphrases

Darkwing is characterized by dramatic entrances; they usually involve mysteriously appearing in a cloud of smoke, and frequently include some version of the following speech (Which is remincient of a well known Batman phrase "I am vengeance, I am the night, I am Batman!")

I am the terror that flaps in the night,

I am the [noun] that [verb]s your [noun] (Alternately, "I am the [noun] in/on the [noun] of Justice"),

I am DARKWING DUCK!

The metaphor in the middle line often consists of Darkwing comparing himself to something annoying, such as "I am the bubblegum that sticks in your hair", "I am the special news bulletin that interrupts your favorite show" or "I am the termite that devours your floorboards." Others tend to make very little sense, such as "I am the cat that lays kittens in your bed," (although having a litter of kittens in bed could be considered a nuisance). This middle metaphor often has something to do with the villain at hand; e.g. when facing Bushroot, he will often work plants into his metaphors.

Darkwing Duck's catchphrase "Let's get dangerous" originates from the second episode of the series, "Darkly Dawns the Duck Part 2". While chasing Taurus Bulba's airship, Darkwing Duck asks Launchpad to blow a hole in it.

DW: "We need to blow an entry hole in that thing."

LP: "I don't know, DW, that sounds dangerous!"

DW: "Yeah? Well, then, let's get dangerous!"

The phrase is usually used whenever Darkwing starts to put aside distractions and follow through on a case.

Darkwing also has several other catchphrases he uses. Before Darkwing fires his gas gun at his adversaries, he often uses the catchphrase "Suck gas, evildoers!" Darkwing also often employs alliteration in his speech, e.g. "Clearly the crafty criminals committing the crime wave..."

[edit] Origins

There are several completely different accounts given throughout the series regarding Darkwing's origins and a story some people believe is another origin story called "Darkwing Doubloon"— all these stories contradict each other.

Perhaps the most outrageous of Darkwing's purported origins is "The Secret Origins of Darkwing Duck", in which we learn that both Darkwing Duck and Negaduck both came from a doomed planet in a tale paralleling the origin of Superman. Darkwing acquired his mask, gas gun, and combat training from a variety of sources who figured that they "could come in handy some day". Among numerous other pop culture references in the episode, he receives martial arts training in a monastery inspired by David Carradine's Kung Fu. This episode takes place in the future and is told in a series of flashbacks by a museum janitor, who looks suspiciously like an aged Darkwing Duck, relating the story to two children who look like descendants of Honker and Gosalyn. Given the nature of the story - particularly since the narrator often seems to be uncertain of the story himself - and the revelation a few episodes later that NegaDuck hailed from a parallel dimension, this episode is more than likely a tongue-in-cheek parody, not meant to be taken seriously. Even the title is a comic book reference, nodding towards the DC magazine Secret Origins, which chronicled the beginnings of DC heroes.

"Darkwing Doubloon" is a period episode taking place several centuries in the past (Darkwing himself says 300 years) and featuring the entire Fearsome Five and the Justice Ducks as pirates. The continuity problem posed by such an episode is rather glaring and absurd (for example, it is not explained how Bud Flud's ancestor came to be made of water, nor how Stegmutt's became a dinosaur), but the episode does not actually claim to portray the truth - merely a tale told by Darkwing of "another masked Mallard who fought for justice 300 years ago", which may or may not have some basis in real history. It is most likely an homage to alternate-version stories like DC's Elseworlds or Marvel's What If. Three of Darkwing's ancestors have appeared in the present day of the series, so the idea that Darkwing Doubloon is related to Darkwing Duck by blood is not impossible. This story of a remarkably similar ancestor fighting for justice in the days of the pirates parallels that of The Phantom.

The story which is most likely Darkwing's true origin is revealed in the episode "Clash Reunion," in which a young Drake Mallard disguises himself as Darkwing at his high school prom in order to stop a classmate turned villain (Elmo Sputterspark, later known as Megavolt), which is, in itself, a parody of the pre-Crisis Batman. This story is actually made plausible by two former students at Drake's reunion who want to watch Darkwing in action again.

The episode "Kung Fooled" revealed that Darkwing received martial arts training from the sensei Goose Lee, indicating at least part of the "Secret Origins" episode was based on truth. It is unclear whether Darkwing received his training before or after defeating Elmo Sputterspark. In various episodes, Darkwing makes passing references to skills he has learned from others around the world, giving his origin an additional Batman-like quality.

Several episodes show that Darkwing may have been inspired to become a hero before his battle in high school. In the episode "Paraducks", Darkwing and Gosalyn go back in time and meet the nerdy young Drake Mallard, who is a complete coward. He is about to be involved with a criminal gang, but Darkwing trains him to stand up to them, and in the end the young Drake dons a mask and helps Darkwing defeat the bad guys, taking on the identity of Darkwing Drakie. In this episode, Darkwing actually becomes an inspiration to himself, creating a time paradox.

Some of these accounts seem intentionally over the top, and given Darkwing's ego problem, it is not hard to imagine that perhaps he exaggerates his true origins. As there is no one true story depicting how he came to be, most just shrug it off, saying that it adds to his character's mystique and charm. On the other hand, it has been argued that the unsure and convoluted origins of the character is a further nod to the superhero genre that the show repeatedly satirizes.

One episode {"A Star is Scorned"}, in which Darkwing is almost replaced by Bushroot as the hero, shows that Darkwing and the other characters are actually actors employed by the Dizzy studio. However, this episode ends with a short framing scene showing Drake and Gosalyn turning off the TV, indicating that all of the episode's previous events were merely part of a show that they were watching. In addition, a previous episode ("Twitching Channels") stated that a real-world TV producer discovered Darkwing's adventures through the use of a helmet; although the helmet was destroyed, it's possible that Darkwing and the others found some other way to maintain contact with the real world.

[edit] Posiduck

Posiduck was the embodied good half of Darkwing Duck, created by Megavolt's tron-splitter device. Posiduck was exceedingly kind and gentle, as well as lenient and (generally) pacifistic. He (kind of) helped Gosalyn Mallard and Launchpad McQuack find his dark side, Negaduck, and was later "galvanized" by a second blast from the tron-splitter into a being of pure positive energy. In this form, Posiduck was able to combat the identically "galvanized" Negaduck. As they battled, Megavolt reintegrated them into the "normal" Darkwing. A second version of Posiduck (likely to had been Posiduck II as opposed as Negaduck II) intended to made an appearance in the fourth season to cross over his dimension (presumably the Posiverse as opposed as the Negaverse) to help Darkwing battled Negaduck.

[edit] DarkWarrior Duck

[edit] Plot and appearance

The episode "Time and Punishment" features the only appearance of DarkWarrior Duck. The following is a brief synopsis of the episode:

Quackerjack and Megavolt, using a larger version of Quackerjack's Time Top, accidentally wound up taking Gosalyn Mallard along for the ride when she attempted to stall them in their plan to visit the future and enjoy its higher technology. Once in the future, they witness a much deadlier version of Darkwing, calling himself DarkWarrior Duck, harassing a pedestrian and sending him to spend 'a year in the pen,' simply for jaywalking. Quackerjack and Megavolt are arrested, but Gosalyn is able to make her way to Darkwing's old base within the Audubon Bay Bridge. There, she runs into an older version of Launchpad McQuack, who reveals that Darkwing went mad after a time of depression, believing that Gosalyn had run away because he would not allow her to help him in his work. Rediscovering his purpose, he quickly cleaned up the city of supervillains and F.O.W.L. agents, but then proceeded to rule St. Canard with an iron fist as DarkWarrior Duck. DarkWarrior proved to be far deadlier than NegaDuck, and succeeded where the Fearsome Five could not, in that he actually conquered St. Canard and instituted a permanent state of city-wide martial law-style lockdown. He would viciously punish malefactors for even slight offenses. (Launchpad is no longer a sidekick after DarkWarrior accused Launchpad of being "too soft on crime" because Launchpad thought that criminals should be arrested "before giving them the electric chair"!)

Upon discovering that the Time Top could travel into historical or future eras, DarkWarrior became even more fanatical in his views of suppressive law and order: he would go back in time to pivotal points in the history of law and order and subvert the events by changing them more to his style of punishing crime.

DarkWarrior briefly attempted to reconcile with the time-displaced Gosalyn for his perceived wrongdoing, fashioning her a suit of protective (and pointy) armor that she could wear while going out with him to rid the city of crime. Gosalyn was unhappy with DarkWarrior's fanatical take on crimefighting (as well as with the armor, which was so overdone that she could not move while wearing it, and it could stand by itself when she was not in it!). When she protested vehemently, DarkWarrior, who had been twisted by his years of isolation and violent behavior, turned against her and sent her to prison. She led Launchpad, Quackerjack, and Megavolt in a jailbreak so that she could return to her own time and prevent the future timeline of DarkWarrior. When Gosalyn tried to stop DarkWarrior from killing the two villains, he points his "Gas Gun" into her face. (She says that she's not afraid of his "Gas Gun," but unfortunately for her, Darkwarrior had not used a "Gas Gun" in years, and switches it into a missile launcher.) He again turns against her—this time citing all of her past misbehavior (which he considers "a list of criminal tendencies") as signs that he should've recognized her "as a bad egg from the start" -- but once she's backed against the wall, his still-nascent love for her seeps out, and prevents him from pulling the trigger. Shortly afterward, Launchpad knocks his old friend out, allowing Gosalyn, Megavolt, and Quackerjack to escape to their own time, thus preventing DarkWarrior Duck from ever existing.

[edit] Powers, skills, and weapons

DarkWarrior Duck apparently designed several forms of machinery, including robots capable of flight, hovering and programmed police tactics; an updated version of the Thunderquack jet; and a powerful tank outfitted with dual side-mounted missile racks. He was also armed with a variety of weapons in each vehicle, and even his trademark "Gas Gun" has been upgraded with multiple weapon systems implemented inside it, including a built-in missile-launcher. (DarkWarrior claimed that he hadn't used his "Gas Gun" in years, though he was presumably referring to the original non-lethal model.) He was also presumably just as physically capable of combat as he originally was; like his earlier alter ego of Darkwing Duck, he is still a master of the martial arts. DarkWarrior Duck's battle armor, however, had increased his bulk considerably, indicating that he likely relied more on brute force tactics than any finesse his earlier version might have displayed.

DarkWarrior is also shown flying the updated Thunderquack, which means he had in the intervening years learned how to pilot aircraft—the earlier Darkwing often complained about not knowing how to fly.

In some ways, DarkWarrior still retains his Darkwing roots, including having his vehicles and robots in his image. He also retains his entry monologue, although modified for his tastes: "I am the terror that hunts in the night! I am the jackal that gnaws at your bones!" (The accused jaywalker tries to edge away; DarkWarrior uses a tank round as a warning shot while saying "I'm not finished!") "I am DarkWarrior Duck!" However, instead of appearing from nowhere in a cloud of blue smoke, DarkWarrior gives this speech over the tank's loudspeakers, and appears from the hatch in a gush of red smoke.

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