Unfortunately, even the beloved reboot that helped fix the reputation of cartoon reboots among the big three children's networks (Cartoon Network, Nickelodeon and the Disney Channel/Disney XD) is not immune to very divisive opinions. And they are as followed below.
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General
- The show has a bit more of a cynical streak due to the increased angst the characters go through. There are those who think the show is going a bit too far in copying some other shows and making things a slog to sit through, or those who praise the show for going in a bold direction.
- In a similar vein, the more heavy reliance on action and violence compared to the original series and comics is either seen as either trying too hard to be too shocking and placing more effort in looking good rather than actually being good, or those who think it works for what the show is going for, and the efforts to develop the characters make the moments all the more meaningful.
- Should the show even have violent conflicts between the heroes and the villains? Fans of the comics say it goes against everything the Duck comics stand for, while television viewers point out the fact that TV shows need to have faster-paced narratives with personal conflicts between the heroes and the villains. Adding onto this is the fact that the majority of the show's villains are more bloodthirsty than they are in the comics, which several fans believe necessitates the use of violence by the heroes to vanquish the villains and restore justice and peace.
- The art style. Some like the modern, sketchy, angular designs and the comic book-like visual style, while others consider it outright ugly and would prefer something closer to the Classic Disney Shorts or the 1987 series. The latter group sometimes brings up Legend of the Three Caballeros as comparison, as that show managed to pull off a "classic Disney" visual style in modern animation.
- The storytelling approach of the show. Half of the fans want the show to have more adventure arcs, fun one-shot episodes and rotating protagonists. The other half want more serialized stories, a more grounded tone, and a select focus on lasting character development.
- Does the show try too hard to appeal to today's kids? The inclusion of Mark Beaks, more focus on the kids over the adults, heavier amount of comedy, and some references to modern technology add to this idea. You can either put up with it or think it will date the show and make it less enjoyable. It is possible to have a show set in modern day without overt references and cues to it, and without trying to appeal too hard to a specific audience.
- Even the advertising reflects this. Back when the show was considered a Disney XD show, the commercials and shorts put a decent amount of focus on Scrooge even if the kids still had more prominence. This changes with the channel hop to Disney Channel, where the commercials and shorts put more emphasis on them, to the point that Scrooge is almost completely excluded.
- Some of the casting that ties into characters' backgrounds and actors' performances has also split the fandom. While there are those who supporting some of the casting such as David Tennant as Scrooge since they're both Scottish or having Nia Valadros as Selene since they're both of a Greek background, some of the other casting hasn't sat well, though usually not due to performance. For example, Jim Rash typically voices jerkish characters, and Gyro Gearloose is made an Adaptational Jerkass to play to his strengths. Another is making Don Karnage into a Latin character and casting Mexican actor Jamie Camil to play him even though his original voice actor, Jim Cummings, reprised the role of Darkwing Duck. Put simply, not all of the casting is met with a warm reception.
- Should the show have an overarching Big Bad? One side points out that while the original comics have recurring antagonists, they didn't have a be-all overarching villain despite a serialized narrative. The other side points out that what works in comics doesn't always make it way into television (which usually does not run as long as comics and thus needs a tighter narrative), and how serialized television always has an overarching villain.
- While relatively small, a huge amount of debates range over Lena not being adopted by the McDucks and instead being adopted by the Sabrewings. A huge factor mainly plays due to how a De Spell can be seen as turning good thanks to their involvement with the McDucks as well as the themes of family play on Lena finding a family with them (especially Webby), and the usual shipping of WebbyXLena. However some perfectly like the idea of Lena being adopted by the Sabrewings, especially considering Violet's parents are gay men, not to mention that despite not becoming a McDuck herself, Lena could still be seen as a family member thanks to the aforementioned Webby.
- Fans have mixed feelings on the increasing number of crossovers with other characters from The Disney Afternoon in Season 2 and Season 3. One the one hand, many love seeing the characters again after nearly three decades and enjoy the DuckTales characters interacting with them for the first time in fiction. Others feel the characters take too much focus away from the DuckTales characters and take away opportunities for the show to create storylines based on the original series and classic comic books.
- What family name Boyd goes by is a subject of hot debate among fans to the point it can lead to arguments. In one camp are the "Boyd Gearloose" fans who view the Drakes' apparent love for Boyd in negative light and cite Louie's assigning them his parents in his controls as reason to call their relationship fake and claim Boyd should go back to his "real father" Gyro. In the other camp are the "Boyd Drake" fans who view Mr. and Mrs. Drake's love for Boyd as more genuine and point out that, even if Louie assigned the roles, Boyd apparently loved them enough to stay with them even after asserting his identity as a Definitely Real Boy in "Astro B.O.Y.D." while Gyro abandoned Boyd and demonized him upon their reunion to the point of almost killing him for something that ultimately wasn't his fault, behavior that would have some major psychological impacts that Gyro should work hard to make up for.
Base Breaking Characters
- Mark Beaks. He's either a funny look at modern business tycoons who's a surprisingly clever, worthwhile new villain, or an unfunny attempt to keep the franchise relevant and lacking as a new member of the Rogues Gallery due to his rather harmless nature compared to the other members. This was reduced somewhat after "Who Is Gizmoduck?" and "The Dangerous Chemistry of Gandra Dee", where he becomes a Not-So-Harmless Villain and a fitting nemesis for Fenton/Gizmoduck, plus his final appearance in the series showing that his own desperation for relevancy was an intentional part of his character.
- Webby. While the consensus among the fanbase is that the new version of the character is a vast improvement, some people think that the show goes too far in making her proactive and made her too good for everything, stealing a lot of spotlight from the triplets. It doesn't help that the unfortunate reshuffling of the episodes early on gave her a lot of screen time, whereas things would have been more balanced if they had aired in the intended order. The fact that the Magica arc that's been one of the main plotlines for the first season has Webby as the primary focus character in each episode related to it thus far while the rest of the cast have all only had minor roles overall in it, including Scroogenote , also hasn't helped the case for people who view her as the latter. In morally grey conflicts such as the Della incident and other personal McDuck-Duck family matters, the writers also have a tendency to take Webby's side when she joins the argument. In fact, the few times that the writers don't side with Dewey on controversial matters, Webby is the one that is usually portrayed as being in the right.
- Dewey for similar reasons as Webby: some people love him due to his new adventurous personality, his following in Scrooge's footsteps, and last but not least his sympathetic moments, while others have grown to dislike him feeling he takes too much focus from the other characters, being the only one of the brothers tied up in the Della plotlinenote and appearing in more episodes than any other character, as well as often being at the forefront of many episodes and often more competent than some characters in spite of his Leeroy Jenkins attitude, and often at Scrooge and Donald's expense. Coupled with some of his controversial actions in later episodes that have the writers taking his side, such as in "Sky Pirates... in the Sky" or "The Secrets of Castle McDuck," some people are even starting to view him growing dangerously close to Creators' Pet territory. His increasing narcissism as the show goes on doesn't help either.
- It also does not help that even through Della is the triplet's mother, Dewey gets the lion's share of the stories revolving around her and what happened to her. Louie and Huey only get involved around the end of season 1 and briefly speak about her in the first episode of Season 2 but that's it. But then again, although Huey and Louie love her and want her in their lives, they seem to accept the fact that she's gone as far as they know and made mistakes much easier than Dewey does, so this may be intentional.
- Huey. Fans either love him for being an outstanding Junior Woodchuck, others think the Junior Woodchuck aspect of his personality has become too gimmicky and dominant, at the expense of Character Development, his supposedly nicer personality, and even at times his intelligence itself. Is he drastically underdeveloped when compared to his brothers, whose personalities make it easier for them to take spotlights in the episodes? Many fans want Huey to get a story arc of his own where he's front and center. Since Season 1 was Dewey's season and Season 2 is said to be Louie's season, here's looking at you season 3!
- Louie is also divisive, mainly from those who find his more jerkish, skewed behavior annoying and unlikable, or those who find him funny and appreciate his nicer moments and the character development he undergoes in Season 2.
- Launchpad's increasingly eccentric behavior. Some find him annoying and a poor man's Soos (they're both meant to be ditzy Friend to All Children.) who's more of an incompetent scaredy cat than the original version, some think he's hilarious and still has plenty of moments to shine, and some think that while the current version isn't bad, it would still improve the character to make him more heroic.
- Some fans consider Manny the Headless Man-Horse to be an Ensemble Dark Horse, while others consider him to be a Running Gag that has overstayed its welcome. This changes after the Grand Finale revealed that Manny is actually a Beast of the Apocalypse who's also an Expy of Goliath.
- Roxanne Featherly is also this, mainly in how later episodes make her more egocentric and concerned only with getting interesting news over the truth, in stark contrast to her neutral portrayal as a honest reporter in the pilot. She's still tolerated by some people though.
- Doofus Drake definitely qualifies, being a sociopathic, entitled brat as opposed to the dorky, good natured kid he is in the original. You love him or hate him.
- Gyro Gearloose being more of a jerk in this series is either seen as an insult to a character who's generally nice and laid back, or those who like, or at least, don't mind the change, given that he's more inclined to stand up for himself. This has decreased a bit as of "Astro B.O.Y.D.", which adequately explains why he became the way he is and gives him some Character Development toward being a kinder person.
- Flintheart Glomgold is either darkly hilarious and threatening or annoying and trying too hard to be funny. The fact he went through Villain Decay to little more than a nuisance has also split the fanbase, from those who think it's a step backward for someone who's usually a crafty planner and was introduced as such in the pilot, or those who think it works since it's meant to show how he's the opposite of Scrooge in trying to go too far with petty goals, and it's all just part of a plan to get his stride back.
- Magica de Spell. When she initially appeared, there are those who thought making her into a Knight of Cerebus was trying too hard to be like the competition, or those who figured it works since later episodes give her more of a darkly comedic edge. The other camp is split on her motives being mysterious and shadowed in illusion (since she wants to get rid of Scrooge for trapping her in his dime, and not much else), from those who think she's rather cliché or those who think the mysterious element works since it's just about building her up to be even more sinister and her backstory is still one with potential.
- Della is a base breaking character for choosing adventure over her kids for a short amount of time. The events of "Timephoon" and especially "Glomtales" have broken the base on Della even further. The fans are mainly divided on whether her punishment of Louie bordered on child neglect, was justified but went too far due to her inexperience, or was well deserved based on what Louie did in the two above mentioned episodes.
- A surprising aversion seems to be with Lena of all characters: When she was first announced, most people disregarded her and felt she would wanna pander to the "cool kids" crowd... only for the show to reveal that she was actually aiding Magica de Spell (who is her aunt), which quelled most concerns. Then the show went full fledged with disregarding most of the "cool kid" aesthetic Lena has and made her a full fledged broken and tormented character due to borderline controlling and emotional grasp Magica has on her, pretty much shattering the Broken Base around her. Nowadays, she is one of the most popular characters on the show and often regarded as the best newcomer to the show, to the point where it's almost considered to be Fandom Heresy to say that you don't like her.
