Crisis on Multiple (Duck-Based) Earths

September 12, 2016 9:29 AM

Last week was the 25th anniversary of the premiere of Darkwing Duck, a superhero-themed spinoff of the popular cartoon DuckTales. Except, according to the creator, the two shows were in different universes. Tad Stones told The Hollywood Reporter that "We work in the alternate Duckiverse". James Silvani, artist of the Darkwing comic book, has extended this interpretation into the comics as well, saying "[Darkwing/DuckTales crossover] Dangerous Currency never happened".

Stones also admitted "It drives fans crazy, but I was not a huge fan of continuity." Indeed, Darkwing Duck had multiple origin stories, as did his arch-nemesis Negaduck.

posted by Etrigan (34 comments total)

There is only one true Duckiverse continuity and its maker and custodian was Carl Barks. All else is apocrypha
posted by prize bull octorok at 9:36 AM on September 12, 2016 [5 favorites]

Launchpad McQuack for life. He's the one that gave my cynical childhood a gleam of hope in serendipity as a real thing, even via a cartoon.

It also had a killer theme song/intro. *off to youtube*
posted by RolandOfEld at 9:45 AM on September 12, 2016 [3 favorites]

There is only one true Duckiverse continuity and its maker and custodian was Carl Barks. All else is apocrypha

Disagree.
posted by Faint of Butt at 9:53 AM on September 12, 2016 [7 favorites]

Somewhere a gosling stares into a snow globe quietly, and dreams.
posted by delfin at 9:55 AM on September 12, 2016 [9 favorites]

Trapped in a world he NEVER made.
posted by Paul Slade at 9:58 AM on September 12, 2016 [7 favorites]

Oh, man, I miss Darkwing Duck. He made me want to live inside a bridge.
posted by I-baLL at 9:58 AM on September 12, 2016 [8 favorites]

It's like everything I've been taught has been a lie.
posted by drezdn at 10:02 AM on September 12, 2016 [1 favorite]

Disagree.

well shit, if this was going for something less than $64 on Amazon I'd be willing to consider revising my outlook, but...
posted by prize bull octorok at 10:08 AM on September 12, 2016 [2 favorites]

There's actually two Gosalyn Mallards as well. The one in the Darkwing Duck universe died as a younger small child before the start of the series, due to an accident stemming from DW's carelessness. Gizmoduck (who exists in all universes simultaneously, long story) offered DW a Faustian Bargain to go to the Duck Tales universe and steal the Gosalyn there and bring her back to be raised in his own universe, which he did. Had the series continued, Gosalyn would have become aware of her origin after NegaDuck gained the powers of the Gem of Cyttorquack and went on a rampage. When he attacked her with his new powers, they had no effect (something Gizmoduck briefly alluded to before the battle.)
posted by griphus at 10:11 AM on September 12, 2016 [15 favorites]

I never wondered, as a kid, why Darkwing, the Duck Tales crowd and Count Duckula never ran into each other more often.

I remember liking them, which is a sure sign that I should keep that memory close and never, ever rewatch them.
posted by mhoye at 10:14 AM on September 12, 2016 [1 favorite]

Fine! I'll watch the Count Duckula intro a bunch of times, but only because you insisted.
posted by Bulgaroktonos at 10:17 AM on September 12, 2016 [6 favorites]

I always figured Launchpad got fired by Scrooge at some point for incompetence and that's why he's working for "Dee Double-you!" on that show. That was an actual thought I had as a child.
posted by bleep at 10:19 AM on September 12, 2016 [10 favorites]

Oh yeah and also because I was an English major I can completely discount this insane and unnecessary information.
posted by bleep at 10:22 AM on September 12, 2016 [2 favorites]

Ha, glad I'm not the only one who rates Duckula high among the animated duck canons.
posted by praemunire at 10:31 AM on September 12, 2016 [6 favorites]

The one in the Darkwing Duck universe died as a younger small child before the start of the series, due to an accident stemming from DW's carelessness.

Not to get too 'fan-wanky' but technically Gosalyn died after the events of the series, although earlier in the linear timestream. It's DW's attempts to reverse the effects of the Time Feather on teenage DD-verse Gosalyn that ends up giving her tachyon poisoning and killing her in childhood, but note that by the canon's chronology this can only occur after the Muddlefoots release Megavolt's shadow-self at the end of Season 2.
posted by beerperson at 10:38 AM on September 12, 2016 [4 favorites]

A show I would throw good money at: Duck Tales + Darkwing Duck + Talespin + Chip and Dale's Rescue Rangers in a combined universe. Oh my goodness. It's like the MCU but with fur and feathers. And such.
posted by Major Matt Mason Dixon at 10:40 AM on September 12, 2016 [5 favorites]

There's actually two Gosalyn Mallards as well. The one in the Darkwing Duck universe died as a younger small child before the start of the series, due to an accident stemming from DW's carelessness. Gizmoduck (who exists in all universes simultaneously, long story) offered DW a Faustian Bargain to go to the Duck Tales universe and steal the Gosalyn there and bring her back to be raised in his own universe, which he did.

Darkwing Duck via Fringe. Sure, I'd watch that.
posted by Servo5678 at 10:50 AM on September 12, 2016 [6 favorites]

Ha, glad I'm not the only one who rates Duckula high among the animated duck canons.

I'm currently loving the Danger Mouse reboot on Netflix, and I hope they take on Count Duckula in the same vein (no pun intended).
posted by Faint of Butt at 11:18 AM on September 12, 2016 [3 favorites]

I had no idea of the alternate universe thing. Haven't heard of parallel/alternate universes in a kids show since Noozles.
posted by dr_dank at 11:42 AM on September 12, 2016

The Italian vigilante version of Donald Duck, Paperinik / Duck Avenger / Power Duck has even more alternate and convoluted timelines which could be worse than the DC Multiverse.
posted by Phersu at 1:42 PM on September 12, 2016 [3 favorites]

Three hails for paperinik!!!
posted by thegirlwiththehat at 2:19 PM on September 12, 2016 [1 favorite]

I distinctly remember a DuckTales comic in a Disney Adventures magazine circa 1992 (whaddup 90's kids!!1!) where Launchpad not only mentions the city of St. Canard but also says "I used to know this crazy duck and his daughter there" so is this what people mean when they talk about the Mandela Effect?
posted by Hey Dean Yeager! at 3:04 PM on September 12, 2016 [2 favorites]

One of the things that blew my kid mind was noticing that you can catch a brief glimpse of the Audubon Bay Bridge and St. Canard skyline in an establishing shot of Duckburg in Ducktales: The Movie.

Since Ducktales the Movie came out a few years before Darkwing Duck premiered, it's clear that someone was already laying the groundwork for a shared universe.

I always figured Launchpad got fired by Scrooge at some point for incompetence and that's why he's working for "Dee Double-you!" on that show. That was an actual thought I had as a child.

Isn't that canonical? I vaguely remember Launchpad introducing Fenton to Drake Mallard by mentioning that they used to work for, and were both fired by the same guy.
posted by RonButNotStupid at 3:33 PM on September 12, 2016 [2 favorites]

I had no idea of the alternate universe thing. Haven't heard of parallel/alternate universes in a kids show since Noozles.


There's no record of any cartoons about sentient free-floating koala bears that come from a dimension where everyone is birthed inside of giant incubator machines and where any trespassing humans are rounded up by fascist kangaroo cops to have their souls imprisoned inside the giant crystal palace for all eternity.

IT NEVER EXISTED. We were watching static the whole time!
posted by RonButNotStupid at 4:02 PM on September 12, 2016 [5 favorites]

"Isn't that canonical? I vaguely remember Launchpad introducing Fenton to Drake Mallard by mentioning that they used to work for, and were both fired by the same guy."

If that's the case then what the heck is this thread about?
Welp:
""It drives fans crazy, but I was not a huge fan of continuity," says Stones."

He seems to have a history of throwing alternate universes around when he's done thinking about a story point that took place in the past. This is why authorial intent is a dumb and boring thing to think about.
posted by bleep at 4:07 PM on September 12, 2016 [3 favorites]

It’s clear that the enthusiasm has continued for the series. Stones remembers a fateful encounter that says a lot about where the character is now. “Once somebody at Disney came up to me at San Diego Comic Con and said, ‘Fans are starting to age into middle management. You’re going to start seeing more,’”

Ha! Well, predictable or not, I loved the series and second a whole universe reboot with DT/TS/RR/etc.
posted by rosswald at 4:59 PM on September 12, 2016

Somewhere a gosling stares into a snow globe quietly, and dreams.

I would like to see crossovers with other feathered forces for fowl.
posted by Apocryphon at 7:48 PM on September 12, 2016

If you have a problem with rewriting history, it's fair to say that DuckTales at least prepares you for the possibility up front.
posted by perianwyr at 8:03 PM on September 12, 2016 [10 favorites]

Woo-ooo
posted by bleep at 8:22 PM on September 12, 2016 [3 favorites]

Trapped in a world he NEVER made.
And now that Disney owns Marvel there is ANOTHER Duckiverse under The Mouse. Considering Marvel's record with alt-universes and reboots, probably several. I'm just glad there are no major Muppet ducks.
posted by oneswellfoop at 9:05 PM on September 12, 2016

Are we all aware that The Life and Times of Scrooge by Tuomas Holopainen from Nightwish exists?
posted by Space Coyote at 11:16 PM on September 12, 2016 [2 favorites]

I suppose next you're going to tell me that Talespin and Jungle Book take place in separate universes.
posted by ckape at 12:06 AM on September 13, 2016 [3 favorites]

This is all going to come back to St Elsewhere isn't it?
posted by PenDevil at 1:52 AM on September 13, 2016 [2 favorites]

Animation brat here. My dad was a freelancer for that Disney Australia team, did storyboards and layout for a lot (most?) of Darkwing Duck. I was probably at the tail end of the target demographic when they were making it and thought the art was cool while in production, and just a bit too old for it by the time it screened and all "meh", although I was an exceptionally cynical 11yr old. To me that show is boring visits to my dad's place, staring at his back while he raced for a deadline, and a whole lotta cigarette smoke. Dude could design movement though, those limbs and capes and planes and stuff moving nicely around, my dad did that.
posted by threecheesetrees at 4:31 AM on September 13, 2016 [13 favorites]