The upcoming Darkwing Duck-centric Ducktales special is the latest, but possibly boldest, instance of the reboot series connecting itself to classic shows from the Disney Afternoon lineup.
In an interview with SyFy Wire, Ducktales co-creators Matt Youngberg and Frank Angones discussed how this special marks a major zenith in their shared universe strategy. "Darkwing is the [character] we've been building up to the most," Youngberg explained. "We've been really working on his storyline in the background for two seasons. It felt appropriate for him to be the big centerpiece for the season in terms of the Disney Afternoon additions."
As for Darkwing's connection to the Disney Afternoon cameos, Angones hinted that there's a purpose for their inclusion beyond mere fan service. "Narratively we can’t say exactly why [just] yet, but there is a reason that all of these Disney Afternoon cameos are happening within the narrative of Season 3, and why all of a sudden these characters are starting to pop up … We really wanted to show how it did lead to a larger world, both in a literal sense and in a meta sense."
Whereas the original Darkwing Duck took place in the same universe as the original Ducktales, this new incarnation began in a meta sense: a TV superhero from Launchpad McQuack's favorite show. After the show's former actor -- voiced by original Darkwing voice actor Jim Cummings -- went insane trying to sabotage a reboot movie getting made without him, the movie actor Drake Mallard (i.e. classic Darkwing's civilian identity), who turned out to be just as big a Darkwing Duck fan as Launchpad, decided to take up his idol's mantle in real life.
Alongside Darkwing, some other recognizable Disney Afternoon references/cameos include Season 1's depiction of gummibear juice from The Adventures of the Gummi Bears, Talespin antagonist Don Karnage being introduced as a regular foe, a cameo appearance by Chip, Dale and the Rescue Rangers in Season 3 and the entirety of the episode "Quack Pack." Most notably, Season 3 established the Darkwing Duck supervillain organization F.O.W.L. as its primary antagonist, secretly led by Scrooge McDuck's vulture lawyers.
"The [special] is hitting into this midpoint of the season where we wanted to make sure that a lot of the narrative threads that we've been weaving through the season are coming together," Angones further explained. "There are huge events that have massive ramifications for the rest of the season with regards to Scrooge and his family story, so it would feel weird not to have them be a part of that. Again, it's about building Darkwing as a part of this bigger Disney Afternoon-iverse that has a connection. That has a causality rooted in Scrooge, and again, there's a reason for that."
The upcoming two-part Season 3 episode of Ducktales, "Let's Get Dangerous!," will premiere Oct. 19 on Disney XD and DisneyNOW.
Source: SyFy Wire