“Let’s Get Dangerous!” is Darkwing Duck’s motto. He’s the crime-fighting “Masked Mallard” and purveyor of all that is good in St. Canard, the fictional city filled with ducks, bears, and dogs. Part of The Disney Afternoon television block, Darkwing Duck‘s title character has two pals—Launchpad, who appeared in DuckTales, and Gosalyn, his overzealous stepdaughter. Together they solve mysteries, protect the innocent, and, well, get dangerous in the city. Born as a spinoff of DuckTales—the idea for the duck-billed super hero and even the costume made an appearance in episode 91—the show makes parody of super hero films and television shows of the past, but with a modern ’90s twist. Drake Mallard lives in a normal suburban neighborhood, next to the Muddlefoot family—Herb, Binkie, and their two sons, Honker and Tank.
His alter ego Darkwing Duck wears a flowing pink and purple cape,
which is paired with a turquoise turtleneck sweater and double-breasted jacket that has large gold buttons on it. It’s all too fantastically reminiscent of the color palette of the early ’90s. Even the theme song has that early ’90s synthesized instrumental thread through it, with, of course, a catchy rapping chorus thrown in—“When there’s trouble you call DW.” As one of the most original series created for The Disney Afternoon, Darkwing Duck brought new characters to the lineup, including Morgana Macawber, an obvious nod to Elvira, and Stegmutt. For Stegmutt, imagine a younger-looking version of Elliott from Pete’s Dragon with orange pants. The wacky heroes and villains are fan favorites, and the series is a reigning testament to the popularity of Disney Television Animation’s The Disney Afternoon.
