History WesternAnimation / DarkwingDuck

* HeroesWantRedheads: Gosalyn is a redhead and it's [[ShipTease hinted that Honker might have a crush on her]].

* ADogNamedDog: One of Bushroot's plants was simply called Daisy. It was also referred as "he" making it also a case of GenderBlenderName.

Darkwing Duck makes some appearances in ''WesternAnimation/DuckTales2017'', both as a ShowWithinAShow of which Launchpad [=McQuack=] is a diehard fan and as an actual character. Starting in the second season the character was defictionalized in-universe, and Season 3 included an hour-long special establishing Darkwing as an active hero in St. Canard and reintroducing Gosalyn. In addition to this, the show also incorporated Darkwing's mythology to its plot througth the presence of the agencies S.H.U.S.H. and F.O.W.L. with Bentina Beakley, Scrooge [=McDuck=]'s housekeeper, being established as a former S.H.U.S.H. agent and F.O.W.L. appearing in as villains in a season one episode and later as the main antagonists in season three, including Steelbeak. Both agencies also feature characters from previous Disney media outside ''Ducktales'' in its ranks. Shortly after the crossover, it was [[https://variety.com/2020/tv/news/darkwing-duck-reboot-disney-plus-1234830283/ announced]] that a reboot of the show was being created for Creator/DisneyPlus, but no one from the aforementioned ''Ducktales'' will be involved, instead being headlined by Creator/SethRogen and his production company Creator/PointGreyPictures. Series creator Tad Stones has stated in an [[https://youtu.be/AhtNlEBqTJU?t=4181 interview]] that, though officially retired, he will be consulting on the reboot. As a sort of ProductionForeshadowing, Darkwing himself makes a cameo in another Disney Afternoon reboot, ''Film/ChipNDaleRescueRangers2022'' where he is seen complaining about the Rescue Rangers getting a reboot over him.

* ArcWords: "Blathering blatherskites!" Overlaps with CatchPhrase, but since it causes whoever says it to transform into Gizmoduck there's a bit more to it.

** One of Darkwing's [[CatchPhrase catchphrases]] whenever he makes an entrance most definitely belongs in this trope. For example:

* CatchPhrase: Start at the beginning...

* CatchphraseInterruptus: Every other time DW does his "I Am The Terror" schtick, he gets interrupted.
* ChainedToARailway: Lampshaded. The villainess does just this to Darkwing and Launchpad. DW lectures her for resorting to such and old cliche, but is forced to admit that while not terribly original, tying someone to a railroad track is indeed ''effective''.

* SpellMyNameWithAnS:
** Darkwing or [=DarkWing=]?
** Negaduck, Nega-Duck or [=NegaDuck=]?
** Morgana [=McCawber=] or Maccabre?
** [[WesternAnimation/DuckTales1987 Once again:]] Gizmoduck, Gizmo Duck or [=GizmoDuck=]?
** Darkwarrior Duck, [=DarkWarrior=] Duck or Dark Warrior Duck?

''Darkwing Duck'' was a superhero cartoon produced by Creator/{{Disney}} that ran from 1991 to 1992. It followed the adventures of a masked duck, who was somewhere between Franchise/{{Batman}}, ComicBook/{{Sandman|MysteryTheatre}}, Radio/TheGreenHornet and Radio/TheShadow, parodying many superheroic tropes and characters along the way. Nevertheless, it was one of Disney's DarkerAndEdgier series (not as much as ''WesternAnimation/{{Gargoyles}}'', but it did go places that most of Disney's works wouldn't dream of going), fondly remembered for things like total aversion of NeverSayDie and an episode featuring ''{{Satan}}'' (albeit a comical version) as the MonsterOfTheWeek (though that episode ended up getting banned from syndication).

* CaptainErsatz: Most of D.W.'s RoguesGallery were obvious villain archetypes, but Dr. Reginald Bushroot's name and powers both evoke Dr. Jason Woodrue, the "Floronic Man" from Franchise/TheDCU. Liquidator's powers are similar to those of the Spider-Man villain Hydro-Man and his origin is suspiciously similar to how Jack Napier became ComicBook/TheJoker. Megavolt, meanwhile, has much of the powers and personality of Creator/MarvelComics' Electro with just a dash of Magneto thrown in, and Darkwing himself heavily resembles Franchise/{{Batman}}, up to the point of having a gender-flipped Robin.

** Darkwing himself briefly became an Expy for Franchise/SpiderMan when a mutated spider-bite resulted in his growing four extra arms and gaining the ability to climb walls and spit webbing from his beak. Once he learned to control his extra limbs, he temporarily changed his name to Arachno-Duck, resuming the name Darkwing when his spider-powers wore off.

* WilyWalrus: The walrus Tuskernini is a failed film director turned supervillain. He is also an {{Expy}} of the Franchise/{{Batman}} villain The Penguin.

Darkwing Duck makes some appearances in ''WesternAnimation/DuckTales2017'', both as a ShowWithinAShow of which Launchpad [=McQuack=] is a diehard fan and as an actual character. Starting in the second season the character was defictionalized in-universe, and Season 3 included an hour-long special establishing Darkwing as an active hero in St. Canard and reintroducing Gosalyn. In addition to this, the show also incorporated Darkwing's mythology to its plot througth the presence of the agencies S.H.U.S.H. and F.O.W.L. with Bentina Beakley, Scrooge [=McDuck=]'s housekeeper, being established as a former S.H.U.S.H. agent and F.O.W.L. appearing in as villains in a season one episode and later as the main antagonists in season three, including Steelbeak. Both agencies also feature characters from previous Disney media outside ''Ducktales'' in its ranks. Shortly after the crossover, it was [[https://variety.com/2020/tv/news/darkwing-duck-reboot-disney-plus-1234830283/ announced]] that a reboot of the show was being created for Creator/DisneyPlus, but no one from the aforementioned ''Ducktales'' will be involved, instead being headlined by Creator/SethRogen and his production company Point Grey. Series creator Tad Stones has stated in an [[https://youtu.be/AhtNlEBqTJU?t=4181 interview]] that, though officially retired, he will be consulting on the reboot. As a sort of ProductionForeshadowing, Darkwing himself makes a cameo in another Disney Afternoon reboot, ''Film/ChipNDaleRescueRangers2022'' where he is seen complaining about the Rescue Rangers getting a reboot over him.

* OffModel: The show fell victim to this every so often. The episode "Whiffle While You Work" is a particularly good example of this, as Whiffle Boy changes sizes pretty frequently like most of the characters.

* TheTeam: The Justice Ducks.
** Darkwing Duck is TheLeader. He organises and gives orders to the others - when his ego and desire to get all the credit for himself don't get in the way.
** Gizmo Duck is TheLancer, as he is more traditionally heroic and level-headed than Darkwing, and is the most likely to get in a battle of egos with him.
** Neptunia is TheSmartGuy. She is short and antisocial and resents being called upon to save the surface world (with which she has a rather adversarial relationship), but tends to be one of the more skilled of the group at strategy.
** Stegmutt is TheBigGuy. He's not very bright and is incredibly naive and childlike, but his huge size and strength are valuable assets to the Justice Ducks when properly directed.
** Morgana is TheChick, able to use her feminine wiles and magical abilities to charm, then defeat the team's enemies.

* ImplausibleDeniability: Tuskernini claiming his innocence of a bank robbery in court. Darkwing presents security footage, a signed confession and dozens of eye witnesses. Tuskernini claims this is flimsy evidence, then upon the whispered advice of his [[EverythingsBetterWithPenguins penguin lawyers]], he accuses Darkwing of framing him.

* HotScientist:
** Dr. Sara Bellum. SHUSH's gadgeteer genius is a tall, feminine woman with long hair. She has a bit of a dark sense of humor. In one episode, while other agents were trying to tell apart Darkwing Duck and Negaduck (who dressed and acted identical to each other), Sara offered to kill them both. When the other agents protested, she lowered her weapon and claimed to have been joking.
** Dr. Rhoda Dendron. Bushroot's original love interest, a beautiful female scientist who treated him kindly. When he turned into a murderer, he scared her away.

%% * {{Sexophone}}: For [[HotScientist Rhoda Dendron]], in "Beauty and the Beet".

* BatmanParody: Darkwing has a similar bat mask, dark outfit, cape, automobile and even shows a similar light signal across the street.

* LaughingGas: Due to his WeaponOfChoice being a gas gun, the titular character usually employs this in his arsenal, though with varying degrees:

** One episode has Launchpad feeding some doggie treats to a chihuahua. He mentions the brand name as Canine Crunchies, which are from a commercial shown in ''WesternAnimation/OneHundredAndOneDalmatians''.

--->'''Gosalyn:''' Oh, dad...

--->'''Gosalyn:''' But, dad...!

* ILoveNuclearPower: A bunch of people got mutant superpowers thanks to their parents being exposed to various radioactive items. Darkwing was envious of all their powers, and supposed he'd just get a rash if he was exposed to something radioactive.

* GoofyFeatheredDinosaur: In "Jurassic Jumble", Darkwing gets turned into a dinosaur covered in white and green feathers. Despite being large and strong in this from, he still remains comically inept as ever. Interestingly, this was before feathered dinosaurs became known to science.

* {{Camp}}: UpToEleven. Which is what makes it so wonderful. In fact, it's so over-the-top that it could even be seen as a camp parody, from the moment that Bushroot claims to have a "telepathic link with plants" onward, or even before then.

* UnexpectedlyDarkEpisode: ''Darkwing Duck'' may have been ''much'' DarkerAndEdgier by the standards of WesternAnimation/TheDisneyAfternoon, but it's a Disney show; even with the characters averting NeverSayDie and really dark things happening it's still lighthearted and comedic by most shows' standards. Then we get "[[Recap/DarkwingDuckS1E50TimeAndPunishment Time and Punishment]]", an episode in which Gosalyn visits a BadFuture caused by Darkwing reinventing himself as a KnightTemplar after she disappeared. While Darkwarrior had a fairly humorous ideal (based largely on DisproportionateRetribution for crimes like jaywalking) the episode he was in, for the most part, took itself seriously.
** The episode ''Beauty and the Beet'' has been called by Website/{{Wikipedia}} as the darkest episode of the show and for a good reason. It has elements of a Sci-Fi and a horror story with Bushroot mutating himself into a half plant half duck monstrosity and snapping after being emotionally abused and violently murdering his enemies. And apart from a few puns during an autopsy scene all this is played grimly straight.