Darkwing Duck
Cast & Key People
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Our Review
Darkwing Duck is the smartest show the Disney Afternoon ever made, about a washed-up actor named Drake Mallard who plays superhero in his own backyard in Saint Canard. The joke that carries the series is that nobody in the city recognizes Darkwing without the fedora, and the best episodes keep asking whether a man this vain deserves the cape at all.
The villain bench is among the best in kids animation: Dr. Draken, Bushroot, Megavolt, Quackerjack, each one built as an ego foil to Darkwing’s own. Launchpad is the perfect straight man, Gosalyn gives the show its heart, and the opening theme remains the earworm of a generation.
The action is genuinely tense for Saturday morning television and the jokes land for adults too. The pilot movie, Darkly Dawns the Duck, is still the best thing the block ever produced. Our score: 8/10. Worth a watch tonight.
