Darkwing Duck deserves a spinoff. After several appearances in the new DuckTales series, the show has already done an immense amount of work to prove that the time for Darkwing Duck to return is now. We’ll be seeing even more evidence of that in an upcoming two-part DuckTales episode that features Darkwing Duck and the first appearance of Gosalyn in the new DuckTales continuity.
With so many appearances and big special about to air, could this be the sign that there’s trouble and Darkwing Duck needs to be called in for his own spinoff? We spoke with DuckTales Executive Producer Matt Youngberg and Co-Executive Producer Frank Angones and both were evasive in their answers. However they did say that the ultimate goal of every new (or old) character appearing in DuckTales is thinking about what more could be done with them. As Angones puts it, “we treat every episode as if it’s a pilot in trying to establish opportunities for storytelling going forward”
Even if the team behind DuckTales don’t know what will happen with them in the future of the show? They know that there are more stories to be told with all of those characters. That, of course, includes Darkwing Duck.
Putting this level of work into the characters is incredibly important to the team because they knew when starting work on the new DuckTales that they were inheriting a legacy. They don’t just want to keep it alive, they want to help reinvigorate it so it keeps going for a long time. The Disney Afternoon shows, which include Darkwing Duck, are a part of that legacy.
“They don’t have the history that the Scrooge, Huey, Dewey, Louie, and Donald franchise does,” says Angones. “We’re always going to see those characters popping up. Our goal was to try and make it so that we could keep all the [Disney Afternoon] characters alive and bring them back.”
So if Disney makes the call, the DuckTales team has laid the groundwork for more adventures with Darkwing Duck.
And what about any other DuckTales spinoffs? The Rescue Rangers have already made a cameo after all. While Youngberg lets slip there’s going to be a Tailspin episode later this season there’s no word yet on any other shows making an appearance. Although who knows, anyone from the Disney Afternoon could pop up in DuckTales at any time.
DuckTales’ Darkwing Duck special “Let’s Get Dangerous!” airs this Monday, Oct. 19, at 7PM ET/PT on Disney XD.