Darkwing Duck gains an unlikely sidekick as he uncovers a dark conspiracy tied to one of the Missing Mysteries and one of Scrooge's employees.
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Tropes:
- Accordion Man: Briefly happens to Darkwing after he gets hit by the filing cabinets, complete with sound effect.
- Actor Allusion: Dewey plays around with Darkwing's smoke bombs, whilst shouting "Smoke bomb!".
- Adaptational Angst Upgrade: Gosalyn in the original series didn't know that Bulba ordered her grandfather killed. Here, her grandfather was thrown into an alternate dimension by Bulba, with there being little hope of ever finding him again because she herself had to destroy the Ramrod to save reality.
- Adaptational Attractiveness: Taurus Bulba has a more noble-looking face and lacks the rugged facial features of the original version. Subverted by the end of Part 1.
- Adaptational Backstory Change: Unlike in his original story, Solego isn't an ancient sorcerer trapped inside a crystal. Rather, according to the Junior Woodchucks Guide, he was a "mad thinker" in the same vein as Ivo Shandor, who developed a circuit capable of allowing travel in between dimensions.
- Adaptational Badass:
- The original Gosalyn was a Badass Adorable, but often she'd be out of her weight class when fighting supervillains and Bulba successfully used her as a hostage against Darkwing. Here, Gosalyn is more badass, as shown that she can take on supervillains, and she ends up saving Drake from Bulba when he's facing a public execution.
- In the original, Bushroot was barely even a villain, being primarily a bumbling nerd who serves as comic relief, with his plant powers usually being fairly inconsequential in comparison to the more deadly abilities of the other villains. This version of Bushroot is a silent, zombie-like being who effortlessly blocks off the ways in and out of St. Canard, is treated as a threat by the triplets, and gives Darkwing a solid fight.
- Adaptational Curves:
- Like the in-universe TV show, Liquidator is top-heavy in contrast to his original version not having such a build.
- Dr. Waddlemeyer's weight is more evenly distributed compared to the original Professor Waddlemeyer, whose weight appeared to be entirely down in his legs.
- Adaptational Mundanity: Unlike the original incarnation of the character, Solego appeared to have been a Mad Scientist rather than an Evil Sorcerer.
- Adaptational Nice Guy:
- Darkwing's first encounter with Gosalyn in the original series involved him accidentally kidnapping her when saving her from Bulba's men. They also get in a super adorable tickle battle that Gosalyn wins. Here, Darkwing is genuinely sympathetic despite the fact that she kicked him in the face. He also isn't going to just attack someone on her word alone.
- It's downplayed with Taurus Bulba. He's still a ruthless villain, but he's a genuinely friendly guy and, as a fan of Darkwing Duck, he's quick to proclaim the real Darkwing Duck as a hero. His friendliness doesn't even seem to entirely go out the window with his villainous turn; his plea to Gosalyn that they could build a better reality with her grandfather in it certainly appears genuine on the surface. He's also a Benevolent Boss to the Fearsome Four to contrast the original incarnation's Bad Boss. Unlike his Tim Curry version, he didn't try to kill Gosalyn after getting what he needed.
- Adaptational Nonsapience: Bushroot is now a plant monster that doesn't speak and only makes shrieking noises.
- Adaptation Origin Connection: There was absolutely no connection between Taurus Bulba and Solego on the original Darkwing Duck, as Solego was originally a Canon Foreigner who only appeared in The Legend of the Chaos God (which Bulba wasn't included in). Here, Solego has invented a circuit that Bulba copies and uses in the Ramrod.
- Adaptational Personality Change: Probably wisely, Stephanie Beatriz doesn't even try to imitate the late Christine Cavanaugh's iconic squeaky voice, resulting in Gosalyn coming across as far less childish and more cynical after losing her grandfather.
- Adaptational Ugliness:
- Bushroot is given a more creepy and corpse-like appearance, almost looking like a withered plant, in contrast to his original and kid-friendly appearance.
- While Bulba is more friendly-looking at first (see Adaptational Attractiveness), by the end of part one, he gains a scar on over his right eye and breaks a horn.
- Added Alliterative Appeal: Darkwing, after saving Gosalyn from falling off the building:Another dastardly deviant deposed and defeated, thanks to Darkwing—
- All for Nothing: Even with all the heroes' best efforts, Gosalyn was forced to destroy the Ramrod to save reality, jeopardizing any chance to bring back her grandfather. However, Drake promises that he and Fenton will help find another way.
- Alternate Universe: The Ramrod summons items from alternate dimensions, or deposits items in them. Megavolt, Bushroot, Quackerjack and Liquidator emerge from an interdimensional rift and start wreaking havoc. Meanwhile, Scrooge and the triplets get deposited in the DuckTales (1987) universe. Dr Waddlemeyer is believed to be in one, although this isn't confirmed in the end.
- Ambiguous Situation: We'll ultimately never know what happened the night that Grandpa Waddlemeyer went to warn Bulba that the project was too dangerous. We find out later that the Ramrod becomes unstable, so an accident could have led to Waddlemeyer getting trapped in an unknown dimension. On the other hand, Gosalyn suspects the worst because Bulba claimed sole credit on the Ramrod and responds violently to her suggestion about using the Ramrod to find her grandfather and get his side of the story. There are hints that Bulba wants to recreate reality to create a world where Waddlemeyer's disappearance never happened, as he tells Gosalyn at the end, because he regrets it. Whether or not he deliberately trapped his partner or it was an accident, he was responsible regardless.
- Amusing Injuries: True to his roots, Darkwing tends to suffer these quite a lot. However, it's deconstructed a bit, since said injuries sound a lot more realistically painful for him. In one such example, when he and the others attempt to sneak into Taurus Bulba's office, he hits the floor hard when he falls from the ceiling, and when he gets up, he has to readjust his jaw back in place.
- An Aesop: As Launchpad tells Gosalyn, you can do the right thing when it’s easy, but it’s when you do things that are hard that makes you a hero.
- And the Adventure Continues: W.A.N.D.A. informs Darkwing, Gosalyn and Launchpad that a crime is in progress, and the three suit up and shout, "Let's Get Dangerous!!"
- Arc Words:
- "Let's get dangerous." Bulba uses the Borrowed Catchphrase at the end of Part 1 when he summons the supervillains, and Scrooge points out that the world is more dangerous now that he knows Bradford is part of F.O.W.L.
- "Reality". The Ramrod brings things from alternate dimensions and threatens to destroy reality, Bulba wishes to create a new reality even if it means destroying the old one, and Gosalyn needing to accept the reality of possibly never seeing her grandfather again. Scrooge also mentions that their reality has become much more dangerous now that he knows Bradford is part of F.O.W.L.
- Ascended Meme: A popular meme from the classic Ducktales series involved Scrooge angrily crying "A sea monster ate my ice cream!" In the special, Scrooge ends up trapped in a dimension that features him reenacting that very scene on loop.
- Back Door Pilot: The special episode has all the elements of one even though at the time of its airing, no news or rumors of a Darkwing Duck reboot were circulating. Shortly afterward it was announced that a reboot is being produced by Seth Rogen's production company, Point Grey Pictures, although it remains to be seen if it will be following this episode's premise or not.
- Be Careful What You Wish For: Darkwing wanted more crime to fight. Thanks to Taurus Bulba, four supervillains from the In-Universe TV show wreak havoc across all of St. Canard, much to Darkwing's despair.Gosalyn: You said you wanted more crime to fight!
Darkwing: Yeah, but those are super villains, they got superpowers and everything! - Bitch in Sheep's Clothing: Taurus Bulba acts as a kindly scientist, but underneath it he's a terrorist who won't think twice about backstabbing his own boss if they stand in his way.
- Bittersweet Ending: Gosalyn is forced to destroy the Ramrod to save the world before she can find her grandfather, but Drake takes her in and makes her his crimefighting partner as they continue working on a way to find him. Additionally, Launchpad decides to split his time between Duckburg and St. Canard so he can continue working for Scrooge and going on adventures with the family while also fighting crime with Darkwing Duck and Gosalyn. Meanwhile, Scrooge and the nephews learn that Bradford and F.O.W.L. have been plotting against them and their reality just got much more dangerous.
- Blatant Lies: After WANDA says there is no crime in St. Canard:Darkwing: But there was! So much! You just missed it!
WANDA: No, there wasn't.
[Darkwing hits a button to switch WANDA off.] - Borrowed Catchphrase:
- Bulba says Darkwing's iconic catchphrase, "Let's get dangerous", before summoning the Fearsome Four.
- When ambushing Bulba, Gos does DW's "I am the terror..." shtick.
- Both Sides Have a Point: Darkwing and Gosalyn's conflict over Taurus Bulba veers into this. Darkwing points out that she's coming to him with nothing more than hearsay about a reputable citizen so he has nothing to legitimately work with; plus she's already committed breaking and entering twice within twenty-four hours. But Gosalyn is heavily implied to be correct that Darkwing isn't willing to act because of the risk to his own reputation or ego. Eventually, Darkwing agrees it's acceptable to at least investigate.
- The Bus Came Back: Zan Owlson also makes her first appearance this season after leaving Duckburg to find her own fortune. She's become mayor of St. Canard at some point.
- Call-Back:
- Taurus Bulba knew about Louie thanks to Louie Inc.
- Dewey offers to be Gosalyn's Webby, in reference to his search for Della in Season 1.
- Among the trophies in Darkwing's lair is the lunchbox that truly started his crimefighting career.
- Bradford rants about the McDuck family's exploits, which led to Magica De Spell breaking the Money Bin and the Moon invasions, which in turn are reasons why F.O.W.L. is becoming involved.
- The Cameo:
- Bonkers D. Bobcat appears as a police officer getting beat up by the Darkwing Duck villains on four separate occasions.
- As Gosalyn searches the Multiverse for her Grandfather, one of the Realities is of the Fluppy Dogs!
- Canon Welding: This episode brings Gosalyn and Taurus Bulba, two characters from Darkwing Duck, into the DuckTales canon. It also properly introduces four of the Fearsome Five into the series after being shown as characters in the Show Within a Show by having them cross over from that show’s dimension. Bonkers D. Bobcat is also revealed to exist in the series' setting.
- Catchphrase Interruptus:
- Darkwing is making his big introduction to Launchpad and Dewey, only for the latter to interrupt him as he gets to the "I am Darkwing Duck!" part.
- He later does it to himself as Gosalyn starts running away during the speech.Darkwing: I am- hey, not done yet, get back here!
- Chekhov's Gun:
- Dewey playing around with smoke bombs comes in handy, as he uses one to distract Bulba from attacking Gosalyn.
- Darkwing's first appearance in the episode is him trying to glide down from his tower hideout. He fails spectacularly at it, but Gosalyn helps him on the next attempt.
- Commuting on a Bus: Invoked. Launchpad resolves to do this at the episode's end, spending the day in Duckburg and the night in St. Canard, while sleeping on the drive in-between.
- Company Cross References: When Darkwing nearly calls it quits during his Heroic BSoD, his lines are not too dissimilar to a certain space toy, both commenting on how their lives had been a sham, but at least complimenting their outfit at the time as looking good.
- Consummate Liar: Taurus Bulba. Outside of the characters who know the real him, the only person who doesn't instantly buy into his lies is Huey. Darkwing Duck only sees through him by pointing out an inconsistency in his stories.
- Continuity Nod:
- After Scrooge states that he's never seen Darkwing before, the vigilante brings up the time he starred in his movie or when he helped fight the Moonlander invasion and how Scrooge even dressed up as him.
- After Bulba compliments him on Louie Inc., Louie responds that it was doing good work "until a monster tried to kill me."
- Costume Evolution: All of Darkwing Duck's enemies have noticeable yet subtle changes to their designs: Liquidator is now buff & towers over the others and Bushroot has no pupils while looking a more muted shade of green (making him noticeably creepier). Quackerjack and Megavolt are closer to their original designs, with the latter skinnier and the former with a deranged look that turns his grin into a Slasher Smile.
- Cruel to Be Kind: It's implied to be the reason why Darkwing doesn't take Gosalyn with him when WANDA reports about the Ramrod going off for the last time. He didn't want to disappoint her in case he would be forced to shut it down. Alternatively, he was going to rescue her grandfather or die trying and wanted to make sure he could deliver on his promise.
- Cut Lex Luthor a Check: Bulba’s intentions for the Ramrod's use are relatively mundane, malice-free, and beneficial to the world ...until he loses his marbles at the end of Part 1 and summons a quartet of supervillains from another dimension.
- Daydream Believer: According to his entry in Finch's journal, Solego was a "mad thinker" who believed all fiction to be windows into other worlds, experimenting with his circuit design to reach them.
- Death Glare: The triplets all give one to Bradford when they overhear him muttering about how is he going to cover up Scrooge being thrown into another dimension by Bulba.
- Deconstruction: A few kids' shows and anime dubs in the 90s would use someone "tossed into another dimension" as a means to bypass mentioning death. Here, Gosalyn is desperately trying to find her grandfather in a parallel universe because he may as well be dead given he's essentially gone from her life. Since everyone dies eventually, it means he will in another universe when enough time passes. Gosalyn breaks down sobbing when she's forced to destroy the Ramrod and say goodbye to the chance of finding Grandpa Waddlemeyer.
- Disneyfication: A lighter and softer version of Darkwing Duck not showing his overconfidence, arrogance, short temper, and egotisticism.
- Don't Wake the Sleeper: The triplets and Bradford encounter Dr. Bushroot sleeping in a room covered by his vines. Dewey warns the others not to disturb the vines or they will wake up Bushroot as they cross to the other side. Ironically, Dewey trips over one while fooling around and they all barely escape as Bushroot attacks them.
- Double-Meaning Title: The episode title not only refers to Darkwing Duck's catchphrase but also a change in status quo when Taurus release the villains from the dimension of the Darkwing Duck show into the real world as well as when Scrooge and family find out that F.O.W.L. is still active.
- The Dulcinea Effect: Platonic Papa Wolf example. Gosalyn has this effect on Drake, motivating him to become a better hero and eventually a parent. While at first, he's suspicious of her claims that Bulba is a thief, he tries to investigate on her behalf and realizes that she was right about Bulba's character, diving dramatically to save her life. Launchpad later reveals that Darkwing has been up for days because he's working with Fenton to find a way to save Grandpa Waddlemeyer, protesting that there has to be a way despite the Ramrod's instability. Darkwing later goes alone to face Bulba and the Fearsome Four, without taking Gosalyn or Launchpad, in a desperate attempt to honor his promise to her.
- Evil Counterpart: Bulba is revealed to be a Loony Fan of Darkwing Duck, the counterpart to Drake Mallard/Darkwing Duck. Drake loves Darkwing but won't endanger anyone consciously to live out the show. Bulba deliberately summons the classic villains to give Darkwing a heck of a fight, and just 'cause it's cool.
- Evil Former Friend: Dr. Bulba and Gosalyn's grandfather Dr. Waddlemeyer were best friends before the incident. Bulba also used to be on friendly terms with Gosalyn herself, judging by the cute picture of the three of them together.
- Eviler than Thou: Taurus Bulba finds that Bradford doesn't approve his plan with the Ramrod, feeling it's too risky. Bulba responds by throwing his boss into a cell before continuing on with his plan anyways.
- Extra-Long Episode: The first hour-long episode in the series that isn't a season premiere or finale.
- Face Palm: Bradford does this when Black Heron shows up in a helicopter with the F.O.W.L logo on it, exposing his identity.
- Failed Attempt at Drama: When Bulba dramatically reveals the RAMROD to the McDucks, he comments that it probably would've worked better if he had put a tarp over it.
- Five-Second Foreshadowing: Right after escaping the crosshairs of Quackerjack's giant robot, a short verbal altercation between Darkwing and Gosalyn leads Launchpad to think they're dehydrated. Less than five seconds later, Liquidator arrives.
- Freeze-Frame Bonus:
- Taurus Bulba was apparently "Bull of the Year" on the cover of Swine magazine.
- Before Darkwing attacks the "robbers", you can see the broken mirror on the ground beside them.
- Some of the writing in Isabella Finch's journal can be read regarding Solego and his reality-altering pattern.
- For a split second, you can see Drake react to Launchpad's suggestion that he sleep on the drive between St. Canard and Duckburg.
- Fun with Acronyms:
- In the Ramrod's name, the first three letters stand for "Reality-Altering Mechanism".
- "WANDA" is implied to be an acronym, though it's unknown what it stands for.
- Genre Savvy:
- Having watched several Darkwing Duck episodes with Launchpad, Dewey knows touching Bushroot's vines and roots will wake him up and warns the others not to touch them. Doesn't stop him from tripping over the vines himself, though.
- Villanous example: Bulba apparently is a fan of the old Darkwing show. He summons the Fearsome Four and orders them to kill Darkwing, or bring him in for a public execution. When Darkwing shows up at the lab and bangs the door, the Fearsome Four suspect it's a trick but Bulba tells them that it's not and bring Darkwing alive to him. He's proven right.
- Drake and Launchpad attempt to invoke this while fighting Quackerjack by remembering how the fictional Darkwing defeated him in the old TV show, except they couldn't remember how it went, and instead started singing the show's theme song.
- In the finale, the duo are able to use their knowledge of the villains in the show to defeat them.
- Get A Hold Of Yourself Man: Said verbatim to Darkwing by Gosalyn.
- The Greatest Story Never Told: By the episode's end, Gizmoduck is given the credit for "saving" St. Canard, while the rest of the city remains oblivious to the efforts of Darkwing and the McDucks.
- Gut Punch: Most of the two-parter is lighthearted, with the hope that the Darkwing family can rescue Grandpa Waddlemeyer. Eventually, however, Gosalyn is forced to shoot the Ramrod to save reality, forfeiting her chance to save him. When the deed is done, she collapses and starts crying. All Darkwing and Launchpad can do is comfort her.
- Haggis Is Horrible:
- Louie tries some haggis created by Bulba's machine, and finds it disgusting. Scrooge, however, seems to enjoy it.
- Both Huey and Louie gag after learning it's made with a sheep's bladder, even though Huey didn't try any of it.
- Hammerspace: It is shown that Huey keeps his phone, the Junior Woodchuck Guidebook, the Lost Journal of Isabelle Finch and the blueprints for the RAMROD inside his hat. He tries to claim it's Dewey's hat.
- Heel–Face Town: Thanks to the efforts of Mayor Owlson, St. Canard has gone from being a Wretched Hive to having (supposedly) zero crime. Subverted in the ending, with Darkwing heading out to fight more crime.
- Hero of Another Story: Gizmoduck spends the entire second half in an epic battle against Bushroot's plants as they try to destroy a bridge, which is so impressive he's lauded as the real hero.
- Heroic Sacrifice: A non-lethal variant when Gosalyn destroys the Ramrod and any hopes of finding her grandfather in order to save St. Canard and all of reality.
- Heroic Vow: Darkwing promises Gosalyn to find her grandfather.
- I Ate WHAT?!: A horrified Louie runs off to throw up upon Scrooge revealing that haggis is made using a sheep's bladder.
- I Can Explain: Said by Darkwing to the security team after they turn up in the lab.
- I Choose to Stay: Subverted. Launchpad decides to stick with Darkwing and Gosalyn and continue being a crimefighting team, but declares he'll simply split his time between them and the McDuck clan so he can keep working for Scrooge and hang out with the kids too.
- Idiot Ball:
- Black Heron, of all people, isn't wise enough to use another helicopter that doesn't have the F.O.W.L logo and by using it, gives away Bradford's identity to the McDuck family.
- For that matter, there was no real reason for Bradford to come to Saint Canard in person to yell at Bulba. Had he simply stayed safely out of the way and called by phone he could have kept his cover a little longer.
- I've Come Too Far: It's hinted that Bulba has some regrets about making Grandpa Waddlemeyer disappear, but keeps pressing forward with the Ramrod. He can't ignore the potential or be stopped now.
- Impact Silhouette: Bulba leaves one in the side of the building after Gosalyn and Darkwing fall off the side trolley.
- Internal Reveal:
- Within seconds of Dewey and Launchpad making unsubtle puns, Louie figures out that Drake is Darkwing Duck.
- Bradford is outed as a member of F.O.W.L. and Scrooge learns Black Heron is alive.
- Ironic Echo: Taurus Bulba uses Darkwing Duck's catchphrase, "Let's get dangerous", when summoning the Fearsome Four to the main universe.
- Irony: In previous episodes, Bradford has preached the idea of being subtle in their schemes to his underlings in order to keep F.O.W.L. off the radar... Yet it's ultimately him that blows the organization's cover in front of members of the McDuck family.
- Is This Thing Still On?: In the beginning of the episode, Scrooge is having a video call with Bradford and tried to hang-up on him, then starts to bad-mouth him only for Bradford to tell him that he is still on. Hoping to avoid further awkwardness, Scrooge again tries, but has trouble turning the call off until Huey correctly does it for him.
- I Will Find You: Gosalyn is searching for her grandfather after he gets stranded in another dimension.
- Jerkass Has a Point: Bradford wasn't pleasant even before he was outed as a villain, but he wasn't wrong upon telling the triplets not everything the McDuck family does has to be a death-defying adventure. Louie agrees with him and says he tells his family that all the time, but also that nobody ever listens to him anyway so there's no point.
- Leaning on the Fourth Wall: Dewey is still recording for his webshow when the gang first encounter Gosalyn, which is what he is referring to here - but it could also be a nod to Gosalyn appearing on DuckTales itself.Dewey: Hi. I'm going to need you to sign a waiver to appear on this show.
- Let's Get Dangerous!: Naturally, being the trope namer, Drake gets two of these moments throughout the episode.
- After spending nearly half the episode as a bumbling hero who has barely encountered any crime or shown any level of competence as a crime fighter, when Bulba threatens Gosalyn after she exposes him, Darkwing really steps up and is able to take the massive bull on in a hand to hand fight. Gosalyn is visibly impressed.
- In the second half, when Bulba summons actual supervillains into their world, Darkwing spends the episode either trying to avoid them or getting pummeled by them. But when Bulba activates the Ramrod for the last time, Darkwing and his team confront the villains and manage to take them all down and destroy the Ramrod.
- Light Is Not Good:
- Taurus Bulba wears a white coat and acts chummy to hide a more sinister agenda, which contrasts with Darkwing's Dark Is Not Evil outfit.
- The Ramrod is white and shiny, but can also summon supervillains and is dangerously unstable.
- Lighter and Softer: The plot is very similar to "Darkly Dawns The Duck," the pilot episode of the original Darkwing Duck series, but with a lot less mention of death.
- Likes Clark Kent, Hates Superman: Not knowing Fenton and Gizmoduck are one and the same, Drake hates Gizmoduck for getting so much praise and attention that Darkwing Duck doesn't. Meanwhile, he thinks Fenton is a swell guy and is grateful towards him for supplying his crimefighting tech and doing scientific research for him. Ironically, Drake thinks that Fenton doesn't like working with Gizmoduck.
- Limited Wardrobe: Lampshaded by Launchpad in this exchange, when the heroes arrive at the Audobon Bay Bridge dripping wet after fighting Liquidator:Darkwing: You two get some rest, I have some things to take care of.
Gosalyn: You mean, 'OK, everyone, change your clothes 'coz we're going back out there!'?
Launchpad: You guys have other clothes? - Lizard Folk: Humanoid lizard Solego is confirmed to have existed in this world's history, although it's unclear whether he's a regular Funny Animal since this world's normal populace appear to be birds and non-primate mammals.
- Loony Fan: Bulba reveals he is also a huge fan of Darkwing and demonstrates knowledge of the old show. When Darkwing busts him for lying about the Ramrod, Bulba summons the Fearsome Four from another dimension and looks giddy about them terrorizing the city.
- Magic from Technology: In his original continuity, Solego was a sorcerer, but here is described as a "mad thinker". He developed a design Huey calls a circuit that in function is closer to a sigil, presumably well before any technology existed, to access other universes. This same sigil was developed by Professor Waddlemeyer from an entirely scientific perspective and is the central element that allows the Ramrod device to function.
- Manipulative Bastard: Taurus Bulba. Initially he manages to get Darkwing Duck on his side by praising him as a hero, and it takes until halfway through the episode for DW to see through his lies.
- Motive Rant: After barely escaping Bushroot with the triplets, Bradford rants about how the Ducks' "foolhardy adventuring" and "meddling with forces you don't understand" puts them and the world in jeopardy and needs to be ended. He proceeds to list major events and how they were in a real sense the Ducks' fault.Bradford: I've never been closer to death thanks to your constant foolhardy adventures! If you didn't meddle with forces you didn't understand, Magica de Spell would never have broken the Bin, the Moon would never have invaded Earth, and all of reality wouldn't be in jeopardy! Someone has to put an END TO THIS!
- Multiverse: While other dimensions and parallel lanes of existence have been seen before, these episodes introduce the concept of Alternate Universes.
- Mundane Utility: Taurus demonstrates the Ramrod by using it to make haggis for Scrooge.
- Mythology Gag:
- The original Darkwing Duck had an episode where it was revealed that Negaduck (who formed the Fearsome Five) was an evil Darkwing from an Alternate Universe. This time the group is coming to the home reality of Darkwing (and, unbeknownst to anyone, Negaduck).
- Bushroot's new zombie-like appearance evokes the appearance of the dead husks of himself he left behind in the Darkwing Duck episode "Twin Beaks". Confirmed deliberate by Word of God.
- The Ramrod device from the original Darkwing show's pilot "Darkly Dawns the Duck" appears. Instead of making things float, it’s a "reality altering mechanism" that summons things from other dimensions.
- In a flashback, Gosalyn is seen wearing her shirt from the original Darkwing Duck. She uses a crossbow frequently in the episode, an allusion to her Quiverwing Quack identity.
- Launchpad's collectable cards of Darkwing Duck villains are numbered with the exact episode numbers from the original series in which they each debuted.
- Bulba's sweater under his lab coat is the same shade as his original business suit.
- During his entrance in front of Bulba, DW says, "I am the scourge that pecks at your nightmares", which was the original fixed phrase that followed in the pilot before it became a Mad Libs Catchphrase.
- After being caught by Bulba, DW says, "Yep, yep, yep", which was a Verbal Tic he had in the original series.
- Solego’s Circuit is the key to the Ramrod, which is really a device that accesses alternate realities, basically a crossover device. Solego was the main villain in The Legend of the Chaos God, a Cross Through story between Ducktales, Darkwing Duck, Talespin, Chip & Dale's Rescue Rangers, and Goof Troop that ran in Disney Adventures magazine in 1994. Louie also asks about setting the Ramrod to rubies, which is the gem Solego was trapped in. Ironically, elements of all five shows exist throughout this show's universe.
- At one point, Gosalyn shouts, "Keen gear!", which was her Character Catchphrase in the original series.
- There are multiple references to the Darkwing Duck opening sequence. From Mayor Owlson paraphrasing it asking for Darkwing Duck's help, to Dewey humming it as he sneaks past Bushroot's roots (with Bradford pretending to play a saxophone like in the instrumental version that played over the credits), to the end of the title sequence being shown on the Ramrod before the Fearsome Four emerge.
- A few notes of the "Little Girl Blue" song play as background music when Gosalyn tucks in an exhausted Darkwing. A reversal of the scene in "Darkly Dawns the Duck" where Darkwing and Gosalyn sing the song as he tucks her into bed. There, the lyrics were revealed to be the activation code for the Ramrod.
- Launchpad and Gosalyn gain entry into Bulba's building by dressing up as Darkwing's minor antagonists Jambalaya Jake (and Jumbo) and the Bugmaster, respectively. Quackerjack lampshades this by calling them C-string villains.
- Darkwing and Launchpad reference the episodes “Beauty and the Beet” and “Just Us Justice Ducks” from the original series, even using their correct real-world episode numbers.
- It's probably not a coincidence that Darkwing was subjected to Metronomic Man Mashing just after “Just Us Justice Ducks” was mentioned, as him being put in that situation was a Running Gag from that episode.
- Scrooge, Huey, Dewey & Louie get sent to another reality ...namely the original series episode "Catch as Cash Can", where Scrooge jumps around the kitchen repeatedly shouting, "A sea monster ate my ice cream!". When the four are rescued, Louie questions what "Quackaroonie" even means, and Dewey questions why their heads were so round. However, in the original episode, neither of the nephews were wearing their hats, Dewey was not seated, and they were with Mrs. Beakley and Webby.
- At one point the Fluppy Dogs are seen on the Ramrod's screen. Their show was about them using a crystal key to travel to different worlds, much like how the Ramrod works here.
- In the original series, F.O.W.L. rescued Bulba from his injuries in the pilot only for him to immediately double-cross them: here, he's one of their longtime assets and he breaks ties with them after becoming a Card-Carrying Villain to their Pragmatic Villain.
- Bulba gets a scar over his right eye, which is where his Cyborg identity, the Steerminator, had a robotic eye in the original Darkwing Duck.
- Bonkers has unpleasant encounters with each of the Fearsome Four. Fitting, as Jim Cummings voiced both the bobcat and Drake/Darkwing on their original shows.
- When Gosalyn opens Drake's closet, what looks like Megavolt's Tron-Splitter weapon from the episode titled "Negaduck" is glimpsed there.
- Just like "Darkly Dawns the Duck," Drake only appears out of costume in the final scene as he takes Gosalyn in.
- Michael Bell reprises his role as Quackerjack.
- Named by the Adaptation: Professor Waddlemeyer is given the first name Thaddeus, as shown on a science award given to him and Taurus.
- Nice Job Fixing It, Villain:
- If it weren't for Taurus Bulba going rogue (combined with Bradford showing up in person and away from his usual office), the McDucks wouldn't have a chance of realizing that F.O.W.L. was around and led by Bradford.
- Taurus eventually gets tired of Darkwing escaping with his life from the Fearsome Four and decides to give the duck a public execution. This gives Launchpad and Gosalyn time to mount a rescue.
- No Conservation of Energy: Lampshaded and ultimately averted. Huey questions how the RAMROD can work as Bulba claims because it's physically impossible to create objects out of nothing. Turns out the machine actually teleports the objects from other dimensions.
- Not Even Bothering with the Accent: In the original series, Bulba spoke with a vaguely European/Russian accent. Here, Iglehart simply uses his natural American accent.
- "Not So Different" Remark: Dewey reaches out to Gosalyn by admitting that he knows what it's like to look for a family member who was lost for so long. He even claims that he'll be her "Webby" to help her.
- Not What I Signed Up For: When the supervillains arrive in St. Canard, Darkwing Duck initially freaks out and wants to run. When Gosalyn points out he wanted to fight crime, Darkwing explains he wasn't expecting to go up against actual supervillains who have powers, just regular criminals committing normal crimes.
- Not What It Looks Like: When Darkwing hears glass breaking and sees a group of muscular men taking furniture out of a building, he assumes they're burglars and confronts them. Turns out they're just a regular moving company that has night hours and the glass that broke was a mirror they accidentally dropped.
- Offscreen Moment of Awesome: Darkwing's battle with Liquidator isn't seen, with the trio returning to the lair completely soaked and Darkwing mentioning getting repeatedly hit by a fist of water.
- O.O.C. Is Serious Business: When do any of the directors show up at any of McDuck Enterprises' facilities? Almost never, especially not unannounced. The fact that Director Bradford was even there in person seemed rather strange to the triplets.
- Overly Narrow Superlative: Drake describes Quackerjack as Darkwing Duck's "most dangerous toy-based villain."
- Papa Wolf: Both Darkwing and Launchpad immediately become protective of Gosalyn the minute she's in danger. Launchpad declares himself her Honorary Uncle at the end and decides to split time between Duckburg and St. Canard to make sure she’s safe in Drake's care. Drake takes her in and says they're going to keep searching for her grandfather.
- Poorly Disguised Pilot: Played with. While there's nothing to suggest that an Angones-led Darkwing Duck reboot was in the works at the time of this being made, given what a DW fanboy Angones is, this episode can easily be read as his pitch for such a project.
- Pragmatic Villainy: Bradford is quick to get on Bulba's case when he uses the Ramrod to summon the villains from Darkwing Duck into their reality, pointing out that people are bound to get suspicious of how four fictional supervillains from an old TV show are currently wreaking havoc across Saint Canard and will most likely trace them back to the Ramrod and F.O.W.L. As he angrily reminds Bulba, F.O.W.L.'s modus operandi is subterfuge, not blatant supervillainy that draws attention to themselves.
- Properly Paranoid: The triplets (Huey especially) grow increasingly suspicious of Bradford's behavior before the big reveal.
- Pull the Thread:
- When Gosalyn tells Darkwing that her Grandpa Waddlemeyer isn't dead, but lost in another dimension thanks to the Ramrod, and intends to use the machine to find him, Taurus claims that it wouldn't work as it was unstable. Darkwing then notes that Taurus had said that the Ramrod was perfectly safe before, and as such should have no problems with him using it to find Waddlemeyer, while Gosalyn claims that her grandpa should be able to tell them all what really happened. It's this that causes Taurus to reveal his true colors, activating the portal with the intent to banish them both to another dimension.
- After Bradford's rant about how dangerous the McDuck family is, he tries to cover it up by claiming that he hasn't taken his brain medicine. Huey, who is suspicious, says "You mean the medicine in your hand?", referring to the tracking device/intercom he dropped. When he says yes, Huey asks that he take it, so Bradford swallows it to keep up appearances.
- Huey notes that Bulba has to be lying about the nature of the RAMROD since you can't just create something from nothing.
- Punctuated! For! Emphasis!: Taurus Bulba introduces the RAMROD:Taurus Bulba: This! Is! The Future!
- Race Lift: Gosalyn is implied to be Hispanic, since she's voiced by Stephanie Beatriz and she has brown feathers, just like Lin-Manuel Miranda's Fenton.
- Real After All: While initially introduced as TV characters in their debut, this episode reveals that Quackerjack, Megavolt, and Liquidator (as well as Bushroot) do exist in another dimension.
- Real Dreams are Weirder: Launchpad says that working with a real superhero is "like every dream I've ever had, only my hands aren't made of waffles... right?" Then he licks his hand to make sure it's not a waffle.
- Reasonable Authority Figure: While Mayor Owlson explicitly makes it clear she does not want a surge of more vigilantes like Darkwing Duck running around, she still awards him the key to the city for his heroism and is willing to make a public announcement calling him for help when the Fearsome Four begin terrorizing the city.
- Right in Front of Me: After hanging up on Bradford, Scrooge begins complaining about him ...until Bradford points out that he's still on the line. Scrooge repeatedly tries hanging up before Huey does it for him.
- Sanity Slippage: Taurus Bulba seems to gradually become crazier throughout the episode, especially after getting hit in the head by the Ramrod, what with his frequent Evil Laugh, refusing to listen to common sense, turning on F.O.W.L. after Bradford challenges his crazy plan and his insistence that he can build a new world despite knowing it will destroy everything, as well as summoning a bunch of supervillains just so he can beat Darkwing Duck.
- Saying Too Much:
- Bulba tries to talk Gosalyn out of trying to use the Ramrod to find her grandfather, saying that the machine is unstable. Darkwing calls him out on it, since he said he had said the machine was working just fine earlier. Bulba soon gives up on trying to maintain the lie.
- Bradford loudly rants how the McDuck family's adventures often lead to disaster (Magica's invasion, and the Moon invasion). Luckily, the triplets don't catch on to his rant, even though he was never there with them.
- Severely Specialized Store: A neighborhood rather than a store, but St. Canard apparently has an "abandoned toy warehouse district".WANDA: There's an entire district for that?
- Shout-Out:
- Darkwing has various outfits hanging on mannequins in his lair, similar to another caped crusader.
- WANDA is a snarky A.I. assistant to a Badass Normal superhero. In addition, the shots of Fenton inside his Gizmoduck suit mirror the shots of Tony speaking from inside the Iron Man suit.
- When the boys encounter Bushroot, Huey speculates if he's a scientist mutated by an experimental growth serum. Which he was, mind you. Of course, Swamp Thing was a major influence on the character's design...
- The main crux of the episode is very evocative of Spider-Man: Into the Spiderverse, with an imposingly built respected figure trying to activate a device that opens holes into other dimensions, aided by other members of the hero's Rogues Gallery. Meanwhile, the hero of the story is still learning how to be a superhero, is taking on the mantle from a predecessor, and works with a motley group of allies to achieve victory.
- Sigil Spam:
- Darkwing Duck has put his logo on all his gizmos, from his motorcycle to the tips of bolts. Gosalyn accuses him of having a complex.
- When Heron picks up Bradford in a helicopter, it has the F.O.W.L. logo plastered on it, much to Bradford's annoyance. This ultimately exposes his involvement with the organization.
- Spanner in the Works: Bulba and Heron's actions lead to Bradford being exposed as the director of F.O.W.L. Bulba's use of the Ramrod forces Bradford to personally confront him about it. After Bulba imprisons Bradford and he's forced to team up with the triplets, they get suspicious of his actions and his ranting about their adventures. What finally got him exposed is Heron calling him at the worst possible moment and revealing he's the director of F.O.W.L. and evacuates him in a helicopter with the F.O.W.L. logo on it, rather than an unmarked one.
- Spared by the Adaptation: Gosalyn's grandfather was tossed into a dimensional rift and lost to the farthest reaches of the multiverse instead of being killed on Bulba's orders. While he’s effectively out of the picture due to Gosalyn having to destroy the Ramrod, he’s assumed to still be alive somewhere.
- Special Edition Title: Similar to "Astro B.O.Y.D.!", the opening credits are condensed to just the title, dyed in Darkwing purple.
- Squee: Launchpad, In-Universe, after Darkwing invites him and Dewey to fight crime with him.
- Stating the Simple Solution: When Bulba asks for suggestions to prove they mean business, Liquidator suggests killing Darkwing Duck. Bulba makes him his vice president.
- Superhero Paradox:
- Ironically enough, this is Bradford's motive for working against Scrooge. He's sick of everything being at risk over some crazy adventure that invites chaos like marauders from the moon or sorceresses seizing shadows and wants an end to it while performing perfectly mundane but practical crime. Once F.O.W.L. takes over, in his mind, no more dangerous villains.
- Downplayed with Darkwing and Bulba. While Darkwing did escalate the situation and give Bulba the idea to summon the villains from the TV show, Bulba’s Ramrod would have eventually had catastrophic effects on reality had Darkwing not gotten involved.
- Owlson's motivation for not wanting more costumed crimefighters like Darkwing showing up can be boiled down to this. She doesn't want more wild chaos in her town, on her watch, but at the same time recognizes it's necessary after four supervillains start tearing the city apart.
- Sure, Let's Go with That: When the triplets ask why Bradford is at Bulba's lab, Bradford tries to lie and say that he was concerned about Scrooge and the boys and wanted to make sure they were alright. Huey sees through the lie, and instead accuses Bradford of just trying to save money for the company. Bradford fakes a sheepish confession to this in order to conceal his involvement with F.O.W.L.
- Throw the Dog a Bone: While Scrooge doesn't remember him at all and he has no crime to fight, Darkwing does get some recognition from the public with help from Bulba's endorsement. Mayor Owlson also rewards him the key to the city and later asks him for help when the Fearsome Four attack St. Canard, implying some level of respect for him as a hero.
- Title Drop: The title of the 1 hour episode special along with Darkwing's catchphrase plays out through almost every scene. Most of the time it's said by Darkwing, but at one time it's said by Bulba.
- Verbal Backspace: After Huey starts asking Taurus Bulba questions:Louie: Hubert, please don't pester the man who's going to make me- us- Scrooge rich.
- Verbal Tic: Just as in the original series, Liquidator speaks in advertising clichés.
- Villain with Good Publicity: Taurus Bulba is highly respected among the public, to the point Darkwing is reluctant to act in suspicion of him merely on Gosalyn's word.
- The Voiceless: Despite his original version being very talkative, Bushroot only speaks with stock sound effects of animals roaring.
- Was Too Hard on Him: After Gosalyn tells Darkwing "You're not my family!", she admits to Launchpad that she knows she was being hard on him, but she needs to find her grandfather.
- Wham Episode: Gosalyn and Taurus Bulba are introduced, the Darkwing villains are confirmed to be Real After All in an Alternate Universe, Zan Owlson is now the mayor of St. Canard, and the McDuck Clan finally learns that Bradford is working against them as head of F.O.W.L. As Scrooge says on that last point, their reality just got a lot more dangerous.
- Wham Line: "He's not dead, he's in another dimension!" This is said by Gosalyn before we're shown Huey spotting the connection between the Ramrod and Solego's Circuit.
- What the Hell, Hero?: Gosalyn gave Darkwing one when he refused to fight the Fearsome Four, pointing out that when he decided to become a hero, that meant fighting supervillains in addition to petty criminals. It worked.
- You're Not My Father: Gosalyn claims Darkwing can't tell her what to do, because...Gosalyn: You're not my family!
