Characters / DuckTales 2017: Scrooge McDuck

DuckTales (2017) character index
Main Characters: Scrooge McDuck | Donald Duck | The Duck Triplets | Della Duck | Webby Vanderquack
McDuck Family Household and Employees | The McDuck-Duck Extended Family | Citizens of Duckburg
Antagonists: Major Antagonists | The Beagle Boys | F.O.W.L. | Minor Antagonists
Others

Scrooge McDuck

"You kids are nothing but trouble. Curse me kilts, have I missed trouble!"

Voiced By: David Tennant, Arturo Mercado (Latin American Spanish), Jean Claude Donda (French), Mitsuru Ogata (Japanese), Göran Engman (Swedish)

"I'm Scrooge McDuck! I made my name by being tougher than the toughies and smarter than the smarties! And I made my money square!"

The world's richest duck. Once a world-famous adventurer, Scrooge has seemingly retired. But the arrival of his nephew Donald and great-nephews Huey, Dewey, and Louie has re-sparked his old ambitions.

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A-M

• The Ace: Not only the richest duck in the world but with a host of famous accomplishments and discoveries under his belt. The triplets are all very excited to meet him for varying reasons.
  • His Ace-ness is such that Zeus, king of the gods, threw a tantrum and banished him from Ithaquack because he felt inferior to Scrooge when he kept showing the god up.
  • Goldie puts him in various tight situations she fully expects him to be able to get out of because, "You're Scrooge McDuck".
  • Magica goes further, calling him "the world's greatest adventurer" and a "shrewd, conquering, hero of legend." Her respect for him is almost as great as her hatred of him.
  • Bradford goes further still, convinced that because "you're Scrooge McDuck" even being erased from existence wouldn't get rid of him permanently and instead opts to try to make an ironclad deal with Scrooge to force him to cease being a threat. He even plants Finch's journal for Scrooge to find as he knows Scrooge will succeed at locating the missing mysteries where his own vast resources kept failing.
• Action Dad: More like an action uncle. He had multiple adventures with Donald and Della when they were children (not to mention all the adventures he goes on with Webby and the triplets and is widely regarded as being the greatest adventurer on the planet. Played completely straight as of the finale when its revealed that Webby is his Opposite-Sex Clone and biological daughter.
• Adaptational Angst Upgrade:
  • The Spear of Selene incident both estranged him from Donald and led him to give up adventuring for a decade.
  • In the comics, he had a very good relationship with his father Fergus. Here their relationship is severely strained, even more so than his one with Donald.
• Adaptational Nice Guy: Much like the original cartoon, Scrooge's greedy miser persona and more immoral qualities are noticeably toned down here:
  • In the original comics, he became estranged from his family because he became too greedy and ruthless. Before the events of "Christmas on Bear Mountain", Donald had only met Scrooge once before as a child — the day he severed ties with Hortense and Matilda. Here it's implied he never became that greedy ^note According to Word of God, Scrooge is more addicted to adventure than money in this iteration, as he seems to have been on good terms with his family, especially Donald...at least before the Spear of Selene.
  • At the end of the pilot, Scrooge brings back The Jewel of Atlantis, which he offers as a source of clean energy to power all of Duckburg for the next fifty years, provided they sign up with McDuck Water and Electric. This establishes Scrooge, while still vain and money-minded, as interested in cultivating a philanthropic public image, which he otherwise never attempted to do before.
  • Likewise, in "The Great Dime Chase!", Scrooge defends his employees against a board of directors who want to lay them off for better corporate management and downsizing. Scrooge in the comics tended to be shown as an exploitative boss who hired cheap because he could get them to do dangerous jobs for little pay and zero insurance (and his bringing along his family for adventures was often little more than press-ganging them as cheap free labour), but Scrooge defending his employees—who are depicted as eccentric and more or less unemployable in anybody else's eyes—makes him come off as a Benevolent Boss, especially when he admits that, actually, they're all completely insane.
  • In the original series, Scrooge was often angered by Launchpad's constant crashes, to the point where he would fire the pilot on a regular basis. Here, while not exactly happy at the regular crashes, Scrooge not even once considers firing Launchpad (and even pays for the damages). The reason for this is tied to Scrooge being an adventure junkie rather than money-hungry: Launchpad's as crazy as Scrooge is, and so is one of the only people outside of his family willing to follow him into whatever madness occurs.
• Added Alliterative Appeal: His dialogue is peppered with this, particularly "bless me bagpipes" or "curse me kilts". He has a few Minced Oaths that follow this, such as "that gelatinous jalopy" or "you sourpuss sorceress!" This habit was even termed "Scrooge-y Alliteration" by Della.
• Adventurer Archaeologist: He loves exploring ancient ruins to find treasure.
• Affluent Ascetic: "I'm Scrooge McDuck! I don't spend one PENNY more than I need to!" Accepting his standard of "need" (which includes protections against magic antagonists and travel to the most distant parts of the globe), he speaks the truth.
• Age Lift: Rather than advance his origins away from his classic incarnations to fit a more modern timeline, this version of Scrooge hails from the same era of history as his original counterparts and is at least 145 years old.
• Alone with the Psycho: In "The Shadow War Part 1" it takes a while for Scrooge to realize that it isn't exactly Lena who's with him—it's Magica.
• And I Must Scream:
  • Scrooge and Goldie spent five years stuck in a glacier, unable to move, and fully conscious. He doesn't seem to have minded all that much, though.
  • At the end of "The Shadow War Part 1", Magica seals Scrooge inside his Number One dime, the face changing to show him stuck in a perpetual stare of shock.
• Arson, Murder, and Jaywalking: He hates all kinds of magic: curses, incantations, card tricks...
• Aw, Look! They Really Do Love Each Other: His relationship with Donald is extremely turbulent to say the least. By his own admission he sees Donald as a "moocher who lives in my pool and eats my food" and as someone who drives him crazy. And yet it's shown multiple times throughout the show that, just like with the rest of Scrooge's family, Scrooge cares about Donald more than anyone else in the world.
• Back in the Saddle: He stopped his adventuring sometime before the series starts, but the triplets galvanize him into jumping back into the action. He might be old, but that doesn't stop him from being a skilled adventurer.
• Badass Boast:
  • He gives his iconic rousing cry in the pilot episode: "I'm Scrooge McDuck! I made my name by being tougher than the toughies and smarter than the smarties! And I made all my money square!" Later on in the show, it would simply be shortened to "I'm/you're Scrooge McDuck!" whenever someone brings up his status as a The Ace.
  • "You grab a club from a Scotsman's hands, you best be prepared to knock him out with it!" The fact that it's Dewey he's yelling it at makes it a bit tougher to listen to, but still.
• Badass Normal: While his enemies might employ either or both super-science and magic, Scrooge relies on nothing but his wits and a good pair of spats to see him through most of his adventures.
• Be Careful What You Wish For: A downplayed example in "Last Christmas!": after the Ghost of Christmas of Past takes Scrooge to a spot where he can finally get away from his family and responsibilities, Scrooge quickly becomes sick of it and decides to go home.
• Belligerent Sexual Tension: He and Goldie have a love-hate relationship with each other. They are mutually attracted to each other, but while Goldie is more than willing to screw Scrooge over to get the treasure all for herself, Scrooge is not easily tricked.
• Benevolent Boss: Though he's often grumpy about his employees' antics, he's a rather nice boss despite his employees' many faults and wouldn't hear twice about firing them, even if it meant saving costs by downsizing his company (i.e Scrooge won't lay off his employees):
  • He keeps Launchpad despite the fact he's a horrible driver — and once paid for his hospital bill when he ate too many hotdogs. We later find that he actually admires Launchpad for being as crazy and dangerous as he is, this fondness being great enough apparently for him to overlook and even sometimes pay for Launchpad's accidents.
  • Gyro is very brilliant but also very rude to just about everyone — but Scrooge's reaction is to just gently remind him to be polite to others.
  • He was such a great boss to his late butler, Duckworth, that he eventually comes back as a ghost just to keep serving him.
  • To Fenton; he pays for his hospital bill without even knowing him, and immediately shows him more respect and encouragement than Gyro ever did.
• Berserk Button: He has several:
  • Don't tell him he "used to be a big deal".
  • Never insinuate he's uncaring towards his family. Louie telling him the above just annoyed him, Dewey telling him the latter enraged him.
  • Trying to blame him for the Spear of Selene isn't a good idea either.
    • Della Duck. He's effectively unpersoned her by hiding every picture of her and belonging she had hidden away in a secret room in his archives. According to Webby, some junkmail for her showed up at the mansion, so Scrooge bought the post office and arranged it so the unlucky post man never came again. The fact she stole the Spear of Selene might have something to do with it. It's eventually revealed that he blames himself for her loss, since he built the spaceship in question and she used it before he was ready.
    • Bradford revealing that he caused the incident by telling Della about the Spear of Selene makes him absolutely furious.
  • He has zero tolerance for laziness and mooching — Louie found that out first-hand.
  • Question his business expenses or the necessity of his staff? He will go into very angry rants on why they are necessary.
  • Do not suggest that he made his fortune by any other means than hard work.
  • Don't take a golf club out of his hands unless you are prepared to knock him out with it!
  • He's a very proud Scotsman so don't you dare get the country mixed up with Ireland.
  • He hates all types of magic, as he sees the supernatural as shortcut to success.
  • Don't talk about his age. Or say that he is so old. Very, very old. (He nearly came close to punching Donald out for saying exactly that, only to be stopped by Huey.)
  • Do not mention Santa Claus or set up any images of him in his home, and don’t ask him why. Scrooge won't allow it; "He knows what he did," and "That churlish chimney chaser's not to be trusted!"
• Beware the Nice Ones:
  • As revealed by The Last Crash of the Sunchaser, the board made Scrooge stop searching for Della as it was too expensive, so when it comes to them sacking his staff, Scrooge makes a threat - sounding completely like he isn't making a threat - that if they sack Gyro and Quackfaster, then the two will come after the members for revenge. The casual way he says it implies that he would not stop them either.
  • His response to the Ghost of Christmas Past selfishly forcing him to hang out with just him all the time? Leave him all alone in the past.
• Big Eater: In "The Shadow War - Part 1", Scrooge has hundreds of pizza boxes lying around his house. It's Post-Stress Overeating at driving his family away.
• Big "SHUT UP!": Scrooge uses a nonverbal one where he strikes his cane to make a gavel-like boom. It's usually a sign that he's on his last good nerve.
• Birthday Hater: Scrooge is a Downplayed example; he's doesn't hate his birthday, but he doesn't like people celebrating the fact that he's older than everyone he knows. He prefers that everybody leaves him alone so he can spend the day doing absolutely nothing.
• Blatant Lies: In "The Last Crash of the Sunchaser!" he claims to be happy after Donald and the boys go back to the marina and Beakley, Webby and Duckworth take an extended leave of absence, leaving Scrooge all alone. He is very clearly not happy. He keeps insisting that he is happy that everyone's gone in the first part of "The Shadow War!", but it's very clear he is in denial.
• Black-and-Gray Morality: While still having shades of altruism, Scrooge can surprisingly fall into gray moral areas at times. In fact, as of "The Ballad of Duke Baloney!", it's revealed that his whole rivalry with Glomgold was caused by Scrooge's questionable ethics.
• Blood Knight: Scrooge loves a good challenge in terms of fighting, adventures, or any sort of competition.
• Boring, but Practical: While he's still got a number of fancy manoeuvres, he prefers to avoid unnecessary road bumps and complications on his expeditions, such as trying to go around three dangerous locations on the journey to Atlantis. Given that one of his mantras is "Work smarter, not harder," this isn't necessarily a surprise.
  • Applies to those he employs and why keeps them around, as he admits out to his board that many of his most trusted employees are probably all nuts, and getting rid of them is probably way worse than just keeping them on payroll, and by proxy, making sure Scrooge is keeping an eye on them.
  • During his prospector days, he eventually ended up making more money selling equipment and supplies to fellow prospectors than finding actual gold.
  • He has his own film studio, but he mainly uses it to film training films (starring Donald) for his own company since film-making is very risky and expensive, and by his own admission he hasn't been to "the picture-house" since the 1930s. Scrooge eventually pulls the plug on a "Darkwing Duck" blockbuster when the production becomes an unsalvageable money sink.
  • Long ago, even before Christmas was established as a tradition, he went about selling coal during the winter to help people warm their homes. This is deconstructed as Santa instead goes for warming people's hearts with gifts and toys and, while combating the cold is one thing, generosity is another. He also notes to Santa in the present day that he should probably give out gifts by country rather than alphabetical order.
• Brave Scot: You can't become a capitalist adventurer without this trope.
• Break His Heart to Save Him: A downplayed version of this trope. When Magica gets ahold of Gyro, she asks Scrooge if he is a good friend or just a business acquaintance. Scrooge bluntly states that he is the latter, but given that Magica was out to destroy everything Scrooge cared about, it could also very well be the former. Even though the whole exchange is Played for Laughs, it's clear that Gyro is hurt.
• Broken Ace: In spite of his many talents and achievements, he was (at the start of the series at least) estranged from his remaining family and despite all the resources at his disposal was never able to rescue Della from space. When the nephews come into his life, his desire to live up to his impossible reputation is a source of conflict because of his Pride.
• Broken Pedestal:
  • Dewey feels this way about Scrooge at first, especially when the latter starts whining about his family, but it changes when Scrooge reveals his lighter side.
  • At the end of "The Last Crash of the Sunchaser!" Scrooge becomes this to the triplets, and even Webby, after they find out about the Spear of Selene.
• Brutal Honesty: At the end of "Happy Birthday, Doofus Drake!" when he comforts Louie after he got cheated out by Goldie:
  Scrooge: I'd say you get used to it, but that would be a lie.
• Bunny-Ears Lawyer: He's fond of these, with the doofy, prone-to-crashing Launchpad as his driver/pilot, the mad scientist prone to making "wildly misunderstood" robots Gyro Gearloose as head of the R&D department, and Ax-Crazy Emily Quackfaster as the librarian. Arguably, he can be one himself; as the board of directors note, he puts far more value in his fortune than he should, especially the #1 Dime being a ten-cent coin that deserves an expensive velvet pillow.
• Butt-Monkey: Scrooge becomes one in "The Town Where Everyone was Nice!", enduring the humiliation and hilarious gags which is usually Donald's lot. He doesn't even have anything to do with defeating the Evil Plant (though he does free himself on his own, using his cane like a sword).
• Cane Fu: Can kick ass with his hooked cane, much like in the original show and comics. Scrooge is a master of Bataireacht (Gaelic Stick Fighting). Scrooge is shown able to walk perfectly fine without it and it seems to be more accessory than need. In a fight, you can bet he will be putting the cane to use in kicking butt.
• Character Catchphrase:
  • Whenever Scrooge falls into bad habits and wants to adventure solo, he says some variation of “Nobody helped me then, and I don’t need help now!”
  • "Curse me kilts!" As it was in the 1987 version.
  • "Bless me bagpipes!" Is another common one.
  • As always, he attributes his fortune to being "Smarter than the smarties and tougher than the toughies," though for this series he adds "Sharper than the sharpies". And he'll remind you that he "made his money square".
• Charles Atlas Superpower: Apparently the only reason he can dive into his money bin without hitting the surface as though it were the ground is because he spent years upping his muscle strength and dexterity. It's a power unique to him (and one he's famous for in-universe, for that matter), while all other characters follow normal physics and must walk on it or, as in the case of Louie, very laboriously trudge through it (by the end of season 1 Louie manages to learn to money swim himself).
• Children Raise You: Chances are Scrooge really would have ended up the cold, selfish old miser he's often accused of being if the job of being Donald and Della's foster father hadn't been dumped into his lap. It also takes his grandnephews entering his life to pull Scrooge out of the stew of self-pity Della's disappearance left him in for ten years.
• Collector of the Strange: He has amassed a lot of artifacts in his years of adventuring before the Triplets arrive. Setting off the spooky artifacts in his garage drives most of the action of the first half of the pilot.
• Comfort Food: In "The Shadow War", after everyone leaves him in the previous episode, Scrooge drowns his sorrows in pizza. Lots of pizza.
• Competition Freak: He treats a family game night as Serious Business, trying to outsmart his family members the same way he outsmarts his various enemies.
• Control Freak: He tends to get frustrated and annoyed when the kids run off contrary to his instructions — this is because he couldn't get Della to come back and he doesn't want a repeat with the kids.
• Cool Old Guy: Switches between this and Grumpy Old Man, depending on the circumstances. But, as this trope, he's an experienced explorer who takes the four main children on daring adventures. He also takes a shine towards hiring a bunch of lunatics and eccentrics.
• *Crack!* "Oh, My Back!": He throws out his back in "The Town Where Everyone was Nice!", a harsh reminder that he really is getting old. Justified as he had to keep a bad, hunching posture in order to help Donald keep up his facade. Being thrashed around in the final battle puts his spine into proper shape again.
• Crazy-Prepared: He spends fifteen million dollars on magical defenses.
  Scrooge McDuck: Do you have any idea how many vengeance curses I have on my head?^note The answer, in case you're wondering, is at least three. Glomgold, George Mallardy, and Magica have all "cursed" Scrooge in some way.
• Create Your Own Villain: "The Ballad of Duke Baloney" reveals he was inadvertently responsible for Glomgold becoming a villain. When Glomgold's younger self gave him a spat shine, Scrooge tried to replicate his own experience by giving the boy his own #1 Dime. Instead, Glomgold saw it as the richest duck in the world trying to cheat him out of his deserved pay and vowed to get revenge by becoming richer than Scrooge, and pickpocketed Scrooge's money clip which contained two million dollars to start his own empire.
  • "The Life And Crimes Of Scrooge McDuck" suggests that this is the case for several of his nemeses, as crossing paths with (and being outwitted by) Scrooge inspired them to become even worse than they were initially. At the same time, the inverse is true; because they constantly opposed Scrooge, they helped shape him into the canny hero he is today.
• Dark Is Not Evil: His main colors are red and black, which is mostly a color used by villains, which is probably why he wore blue in his 1987 incarnation. But Scrooge is actually a noble person who deeply cares for his family.
• Dating Catwoman: Scrooge and Goldie's interactions are similar to Batman and Catwoman's interactions. Despite their mutual attraction for each other, Goldie continuously tries to steal from and scam Scrooge, who doesn't trust her one little bit. Scrooge (mostly) comes out ahead but Goldie always manages to get away in the end.
• Deadpan Snarker: Being the most experienced member of the cast, he has his moments.
• Defrosting Ice King: He's very grumpy and antisocial in the first half of the premiere. He cheers up considerably during the second half.
• Desecrating the Dead: He did this sort of thing to Mallardy's Skeleton in "The Impossible Summit of Mt. Neverrest!", only for Huey to call him out on it.
• The Determinator: It took a lot of persistence for Scrooge to become as rich as he is. Then there's the fact that he spent over a decade sending rockets to orbit to search for Della and only stopped because his board of directors made him as he nearly bankrupted himself and his company doing so.
• Didn't See That Coming:
  • He is completely blindsided when the nephews turn on him after he tells them about the Spear of Selene and as such he's unable to control his temper.
  • He didn't expect that the Ghost of Christmas Past was really planning to keep him in a time loop so that they can be together forever. He thought he was being taught a lesson about what Christmas really is.
  • He is left in stunned silence when he and the kids find Della at the door of his mansion.
  • He suffers a massive one in the Season 2 finale, where he is utterly dumbfounded when he sees that Lunaris had foreseen his plan of attack by putting a hologram of it over his mansion, to the point of sending him into a Heroic BSoD.
• Digging Yourself Deeper: In his attempt to explain about the Spear of Selene he ends up angering everyone who listens, because Della Duck is his Berserk Button.
• Disappointed in You: He feels this way about Della after discovering the damages she and Dewey caused in the doomsday vault, having expected her to have learned something over the decade she has spent on the moon only to see that she's still impulsive.
  Scrooge: (to himself) Can't you never think anything through, Della?! It's been over a decade and she's still the same headstrong kid jumping into danger or space or any other disaster without a thought of the damage she leaves behind!
• Distracted by the Sexy: He has a moment of this when he sees Goldie after she's changed into her adventuring gear. (He did not have this reaction to her in a slinky gold dress, so apparently Scrooge has a type.)
• Do Wrong, Right:
  • After the kids inadvertently awaken several ancient evils and almost get him killed twice, Scrooge concludes that the kids are nothing but trouble... and boy has he missed trouble. He then figures that he should teach them how to get into trouble properly, and invites them in on his adventures.
  • When the triplets are using Nerf guns, he looks like he's about to scold Dewey about using them indoors, except he's actually suggesting that his great-nephew not be a Screaming Warrior (so as to not lose the element of surprise).
• Does Not Like Magic: Scrooge considers magic "a shortcut to hard work," according to Webby. He doesn't allow spellbooks in his mansion, and even hates sleight-of-hand stage magic like card tricks. Then again, considering how often Scrooge deals with the supernatural, he's probably just being cautious. He does seem to make an exception for magic meant to protect people from other magic, and despite Lena's worries Scrooge doesn't resent that some of his allies or magic or otherwise supernatural.
• Doting Parent: Uncle in this case. Scrooge built the Spear of Selene as a surprise gift for Della so that the family could go out into space.
• Drink-Based Characterization: Nutmeg tea, prepared a very specific way to save him money.
• Easily Forgiven:
  • So very much averted. The nephews immediately blame Scrooge for their mom's absence and it takes days and a talking down to from Mrs. Beakley before they decide to forgive him.
  • Played straight in "Last Christmas!" where the Ghost of Christmas Past is quick to forgive him despite Scrooge leaving him to rot in the past and becoming a wendigo as a result. Granted, Past was asking for it.
• Embarrassing Nickname: In "The Impossible Summit of Mount Neverrest!", he reveals that after failing to climb up to the summit of Mount Neverrest, he got the humiliating nickname "Neverrest Ninny". Although nobody knows that the Ninny is the same person as the richest duck in the world, Scrooge still thinks he can never live it down unless he can actually climb the mountain.
• Establishing Character Moment: Two moments in "Woo-oo!"
  • The triplets gush about the many past exploits of "the most exciting duck of all time!" followed by a Description Cut of Scrooge himself looking bored to death at a tedious business meeting regarding the actual running of his corporate empire, showing that while Scrooge is a self-made trillionaire, he doesn't enjoy the actual business of making money as much as he enjoys adventuring. Yet, he's retired from and dearly misses his adventuring days.
  • After He's Back!, he defeats a ghost pirate that the kids accidentally released in less than a minute.
    Scrooge: Oi beastie! What's it gonna take to shuffle you off to the afterlife?
    Ghost Pirate: The head of Scrooge McDuck!
    Scrooge: [in a tone that just screams Bring It] Would you settle for his hat?
  • Dragging Louie off to show him the value of a hard day's work as well as explaining exactly why he can spend his money as he pleases but Louie needs to earn his keep in "The Great Dime Chase" shows that he has a deep set hatred towards moochers, layabouts, and those who try to get something for nothing. It gets further cemented in his frosty interactions with Gladstone, who rides through life due to being Born Lucky without having to work for anything or better himself.
• Experienced Protagonist: He's already a master explorer and legendary adventurer by the time the story starts. He's even Famed In-Story not just as the richest duck in the world, but a great adventurer and a man who can cheat death on any occassion.
• Explain, Explain... Oh, Crap!: In the first part of "Woo-oo!", Scrooge is admonishing his nephews and Webby for sneaking into the garage. To make a point, he accidentally hits a cursed gong. The kids respond with a gasp, which causes Scrooge to dismissively explain how the gong only releases a curse after being hit three times before realizing...
  "...And you already hit it two times, didn't ya?"
• Failed a Spot Check: He is so depressed in "The Shadow War Part 1" that he doesn't catch onto Lena attempting to drug him, or her talking of great revenge schemes.
• Fatal Flaw: Pride. It's nearly cost him his family multiple times, and almost taken away everything he had. While Scrooge definitely deserves to be confident about his abilities, he also has a stubborn streak a mile long, confident that he can handle any situation, despite being in over his head. His bravado to succeed in "The Impossible Summit of Mt. Neverrest!" almost gets him, Huey, Dewey, and Webby killed, while "The Missing Links of Moorshire!" has it almost ruin their chances at escaping being turned to stone. His not wanting to face up to the loss of his niece in "The Last Crash of the Sunchaser!" leaves Huey, Louie, Dewey, and Webby with the impression that Scrooge stood idly by and refused to lift a finger to save Della after she had stolen The Spear of Selene to take it on an unauthorized test flight and became lost in space (had he just been able to spit it out, they'd all have learned that that was absolutely not the case -- that he actually had to in the end be physically restrained from mounting any more rescue attempts by his board of directors). This caused all of them to desert Scrooge — with Duckworth leaving for good measure. Then in "GlomTales!" he's so confident that he'll win his and Glomgold's bet that he decides to take the family on an adventure during the last two days rather than keep tabs on his foe to make sure he doesn't pull off any last minute schemes to win. It winds up causing him to lose the contest and it's only thanks to Louie's scheming that Scrooge didn't actually lose his company. Ultimately, it's because of his ego that he never considered that the completely invincible Bombie can be stopped with a simple act of humility, and only realizes this when Louie shows it. Frank Angones said as much in a Tumblr response to "The Ballad of Duke Baloney":
  Scrooge’s biggest failings are ego and overconfidence. Scrooge believed he was doing something great for a fellow shoeshine; there is NOTHING more valuable to Scrooge than a Number One Dime. But his ego prevented him from realizing that not every young entrepreneur is like he was. Some are lousy schemers who don’t believe in making money square. Duke never had it in him to be a Scrooge, but Scrooge believes he can change that via his own mythologized origins. And then his ego got the best of him when Duke threw the dime back in his face and he ended up in a shouting match with a child ... he ended up enabling a dark version of himself to become a lifelong enemy ... he can’t stand the idea that he was ever bested by Glomgold ... so he stupidly agrees to a bet that he’s SO SURE he can win. After all, he’s Scrooge McDuck! (Beware of people who refer to themselves in the third person; they’re overcompensating for something).
• Fearless Fool: He was shown to be this during his first mission with Beakley in "From the Confidential Casefiles of Agent 22!", charging headfirst into Black Heron's hideout, loudly announcing his presence, and even eating a berry to test if it was poisonous (it wasn't, but it was still a bad idea).
• Fish out of Water:
  • Having never seen a movie since the 1930s, he thinks color films are a trend and insists the villain must have a mustache to twirl.
  • He also still genuinely believed that coal was a suitable gift for people due to its practicality and value back in the nineteenth century, unaware that nobody uses coal anymore in the twenty-first century and that it represents naughtiness during Christmastime.
• Foil: Each of the three nephews represent Scrooge's main aspects in different ways.
  • Huey is smarter than the smarties, but to a point that he has a need to always be smarter.
  • Dewey is tougher than the toughies, but is also incredibly foolhardy and reckless.
  • Louie is sharper than the sharpies, but is such a good conman that he can't find the motivation to lift a finger to do even the most mundane of tasks.
• Forgiveness:
  • After days alone and being trapped in his own dime by Magica, Scrooge holds no ill will to his family for leaving him. Subsequently, they forgive him for Della's fate when Beakley reveals that he almost bankrupted his company in his quest to find her.
  • In "Last Christmas!", Scrooge forgives the Ghost of Christmas Past for his attempt to trap him in a time loop to keep him to himself, upon seeing that he turned into a wendigo from despair after leaving him all alone in the past in retaliation for said attempt. In return, the spirit forgives Scrooge for abandoning him when he wishes to keep spending Christmas with him.
• Freudian Excuse: His father Fergus was never openly impressed by Scrooge's achievements or gave him open affection resulting in Scrooge's prickly personality.
• Friend-or-Idol Decision: When he had to choose between his fortune or saving Della, he chose to save Della to the point he nearly emptied his Money Bin (the money he made personally) and almost drove his company into bankruptcy until the Board forced his hand.
• Friend to All Children: Zig-zagged, he tends to be very awkward around children, but he's usually polite and encouraging towards them .... as long as they're not acting bratty. When Duke Baloney began acting all huffy over being paid a dime for a spat shine, Scrooge lost his temper and said he regretted trying to be nice to the boy.
• Furry Baldness: He has thicker feathers around the sides of his head than other male ducks, seemingly to simulate male pattern baldness. Confirmed by Goldie O'Gilt in "The Outlaw Scrooge McDuck" when Scrooge dons the top hat for the first time, noting that it covers his bald spot.
• Generation Xerox: Him and his dad are estranged just like Scrooge is with Donald. And they've been that way for over a century.
• Gentleman Adventurer: Well, "Adventure Capitalist" since he's a Self-Made Man, but the trope still applies since he's extremely wealthy and could live in wealth and luxury if he wanted to, but he prefers to be In Harm's Way.
• Get Out!: When Dewey throws Scrooge's "family is nothing but trouble" back in his face, Scrooge gets angry and yells this at the kids. Very loudly. Twice.
• Go to Your Room!: As he is carried off into the sky by the gold-eating dragon in "Woo-oo!", he shouts to the kids "TO YOUR ROOOOOOOMS...!".
• Good Is Not Soft: Scrooge is generally a nice guy and can be quite forgiving even to hated foes if they are repentant or rendered harmless, but at the same time he can be quite merciless towards his enemies if he thinks the situation calls for it, and won't be likely to lose any sleep over the deaths or fates worse than death that he may end up subjecting them to. For some examples:
  • Early in the series Scrooge notes matter-of-factly that many people have died cursing his name.
  • His extremely turbulent relationship with Donald is the exact opposite of what he has with the kids — even when Donald forgives him over Della's disappearance they still snipe, bicker, and snark at each other.
  • Beakley, Webby and Scrooge have no problem using lethal force against Black Heron.
  • When the Ghost of Christmas Past tries to trap him in a time loop to keep him to himself, he abandons the spirit in the past without a second thought, condemning him to rot there for many years. Scrooge is saddened when he finds out the spirit ended up going crazy and turning into a Wendigo, and readily reconciles once Past recovers, but he makes no apology for his actions either.
  • While it likely was too late regardless, he makes no effort to save Ponce de Leon from aging to death, given the man had just tried to drown him.
• Good Old Ways: Scrooge dresses fairly old-fashioned and he still holds on to the values of his time, such as the importance of hard work, a value that he believes has been lost in the modern day.
• Green-Eyed Monster: In "The Missing Links of Moorshire!" he soon gets jealous of Dewey's golf ability once the latter starts to perform better than him.
• The Grinch: Subverted. "Last Christmas" initially makes it seem like he hates Christmas and appears to be setting up Yet Another Christmas Carol, complete with the "Bah, humbug!" line, but it turns out to be an act. He not only enjoys Christmas, but spends each year with the the Ghosts of Christmas Past, Present and Future visiting the best Christmas parties in history - he just pretends to hate the holiday to make sure his family won't interfere with the partying. Also has an element of Double Subversion when it turns out that even though the Christmas hatred was faked, Scrooge really does have a personal vendetta against Santa Claus. For...some reason.
• Grumpy Old Man: To Donald and just Donald — especially in "The Town Where Everyone Was Nice" where Scrooge complains about the Three Caballeros exactly like a cranky old neighbor would.
• Guile Hero: While he's certainly quite capable physically, Scrooge knows this is of limited usefulness against many of the supernatural foes he faces. Yet he tends to handle them just as confidently and competently, with his wealth of knowledge expertly working out various means to negate their abilities or even make them defeat themselves. It helps that many such beings are prone to making deals, taking on challenges, etc. that Scrooge can take advantage of.
• Hair-Trigger Temper: Played for drama; when Scrooge gets really angry it's not a good sign. It usually means a Berserk Button has been hit — usually something related to his Pride. And when he gets angry he usually ends up hurting those closest to him. Luckily, he's able to usually apologize and make amends. The key word is usually; in "The Last Crash of the Sunchaser" he's so hurt by the accusations he was too cold-hearted and stingy to find Della, the tongue-lashing that ensues drives everyone away.
• Hands-Off Parenting: He doesn't care what his youthful guests get up to as long as it doesn't personally inconvenience him, including cutthroat war games in the hallway outside his bedroom.
• Harmless Freezing: Scrooge and Goldie were frozen in a block of ice for five years, and apparently suffered no ill effects (other than Scrooge's broken heart after Goldie left him). Scrooge claims that he was kept warm by his hatred of Goldie (which soon evolved into something else).
• Hats Off to the Dead: In the episode "The Golden Lagoon of White Agony Plains", Scrooge tearfully takes off his hat when he thinks Goldie has just plummeted to her death into boiling molten gold. This immediately allows Glomgold to knock him out with a pickaxe to the head and capture him.
• Heel: His wrestling persona when fighting Jörmungandr is the Millionaire Miser, a greedy old... miser who collects taxes from the audience and (seemingly) backstabs his family for the prize.
• He's Back!:
  • After a period of implied hermetic retreat where a headline notes that he hung up his spats, Scrooge is making a comeback:
  Scrooge: I'm back... Uncharted territory... bold new discoveries!
  • Once Scrooge is released from being trapped in his Number One dime, he's back in his full glory, and he thanks Magica for bringing the family all together again.
• Hero Worship: He has an idol in Isabella Finch, whose exploits inspired him to become the adventurer he is today.
• Heroic BSoD:
  • After Goldie falls into the molten gold, Scrooge is so shocked that he doesn't fight back, so Glomgold can easily knock him out and tie him up to his Death Trap.
  • Goes into a really prolonged one after Della disappears and the Board pulls the plug on his efforts to find her.
  • After the events of "The Last Crash of the Sunchaser!" Scrooge is not in the best condition since his family and friends (except for Launchpad) have walked out on him, to the point that Magica-in-Lena's-body is alone in the mansion with him and he doesn't even care.
  • He is absolutely stunned when Glomgold seemingly wins the bet by pooling all the riches of their worst enemies together and Louie helped him out. Until Louie reveals it was all a scheme so that Glomgold would lose.
  • He is left not knowing what to do after Lunaris outsmarted every single one of his plans, and he has to turn to Glomgold for a dumb scheme to thwart Lunaris.
• Honest Corporate Executive: He prides himself on making his fortune square, unlike Glomgold. At the end of the pilot, he offers the Jewel of Atlantis as a clean source of renewable energy for Duckburg on behalf of his company.
• Honorary Uncle:
  • Becomes one to Webby at the end of "From the Confidential Casefiles of Agent 22!". Although this is subverted as of the series finale when it turns out that she was created by F.O.W.L. using his DNA, making him her biological father.
  • Donald's cousins Gladstone and Fethry both address Scrooge as their uncle despite not technically being related to him.^note Scrooge is Donald's maternal uncle, while Gladstone and Fethry are Donald's paternal cousins
• Human Popsicle: He spent five years frozen in ice in the Klondike. And Webby indicates in "Timephoon!" that there was a second time it happened to him.
• Hypocritical Heartwarming: He considers Donald "a moocher who lives in [his] pool and eats [his] food" yet never once does he throw him out or charge him rent.
• Hypocritical Humor: He brushes off Beakley's frustration from the triplets and Webby wreaking havoc in the manor, saying that "[they've] all got to make sacrifices." When he catches Donald using his private bathroom, however, McDuck lays down a new law: Everything goes, except for inconveniencing him.
• I Gave My Word: Being an Honest Corporate Executive, Scrooge is a man of his word. If he agrees to deliver on a deal, he will do it no matter what.
• I Own This Town: He has the deed to the land on which the city of Duckburg rests. He leases it out to the town for a tidy profit. The Beagle Boys hate him for this because they claim he stole the deed from Grandpa Beagle (albeit Grandpa Beagle had stolen it himself). It's later revealed that he tried to buy it fairly, but Grandpa bet it on a rigged arm-wrestling match, and Scrooge managed to expose the con and beat him anyway.
• Informed Attribute: Claims to hate all forms of magic...except his Ghost Butler, his Sealed Evil In A Dime, his countless number of Magical Defenses that he pays money for, any given magical object he's used to defeat his various arch enemies...it's a long list, and it's likely easier to count the forms of magic he wouldn't use. In the first episode no less he even applies the infinite-energy-producing Heart of Atlantis to his companies energy department AND uses the Medusa Gauntlet to defeat Pixiu, both of which are magical.
  • Given how much he deals with it on a daily basis though, it's likely more cautionary frustration than outright rejection of it as a concept.
• Innocently Insensitive: In "Beware the B.U.D.D.Y. System!" he constantly goes on about purchasing a B.U.D.D.Y. robot or even several, failing to notice how much this bothers Launchpad even though he had no intention of replacing him.
• Insistent Terminology: In multiple episodes, Scrooge refers to games with a screen as "video-graphic games". Huey finally corrects him in "How Santa Stole Christmas!", although it remains to be seen if it'll stick.
• It's Personal: What his relationship with Glomgold evolves into. Originally Scrooge viewed Glomgold as nothing but a distraction at best, even wanting him to be genuinely happy. It isn't until he finds out that Glomgold stole his money clip (which, according to Word of God, had $2 million in it and became the seeds of his business empire) as a boy in South Africa that Scrooge begins to hate Glomgold as much as Glomgold hates him.invoked
• Jerk with a Heart of Gold: He's not the nicest guy even to people he likes. However, for a man who claims that "family is nothing but trouble" he'll do anything to protect them when they're in danger. In "Last Christmas!", he pretends to hate Christmas so he can hang out with the Ghosts of Christmas by spending other Christmases throughout history. That said, his beef against Santa Claus is no act.
• Jerkass Has a Point:
  • He is bitterly petty about George Mallardy, wants to outdo his success out of spite and mocks his skeleton, but does point out to the kids that he was cut loose so Mallardy could keep going and wound up with an undeserved reputation, and nearly died into the bargain.
  • "The Last Crash of the Sunchaser!" reveals a few things about the Spear of Selene which showed that Scrooge was being a jerk, but he had a point for doing what he did. It turns out that Scrooge wasn't responsible for the tragedy of the Spear of Selene, as he shouted at Donald in "Woo-oo!", at least not entirely. He did made the Spear, but it was an experimental prototype meant for family trips into space. It wasn't ready beyond the testing stages, and certainly not ready for a solo flight. Della was the one who made the choice to test out the rocket alone, after she had the triplets, only leaving a note behind for Scrooge and no word at all for Donald. His anger at Della is thus acknowledged by Della as completely understandable, given she hadn't learned to curb her reckless nature which is why she was lost from her family for a decade, even after getting back from the moon. It takes the truth coming to light about the Spear and Della's own in-universe admittance that Scrooge has every right to be mad that the rift between them can finally start to heal.
• Jerkass Realization:
  • In "The Missing Links of Moorshire!" after Scrooge's jealousy of Dewey's natural talents boils over into a shouting match, he realizes he was being petty and obviously feels guilty about it.
  • In "The Shadow War!", he realizes how wrong he was to drive away his family and friends, when Lena calls him out for it. Especially because that's what allowed Magica to regain her power and full form.
  • "Last Christmas!" has him realizing that spending Christmas away from your family is not okay. He has another one when he sees that the Ghost of Christmas Past turned into a wendigo as a result of being left alone by him in the past for years.
  • In "How Santa Stole Christmas!", seeing a child play with the lump of coal he swapped in for the actual gift Santa had intended to deliver makes him realize Santa was right about the benefits of giving away toys for free and Scrooge was the one being a jerk.
• Laser-Guided Karma: In "Jaw$!" Beakley tries to help Scrooge avoid it, but Scrooge pretty much seals his own punishment when he loses his cool during the interview and yells that he's glad Glomgold's office got wrecked. In the end, karma punishes Scrooge big time for his callous disregard of the collateral damage his adventures cause, as well as the fact that he's unwilling to share his wealth with his family.
• Lonely at the Top: He's the richest duck in the world but he's unmarried and childless at an age when he should be surrounded by grandkids. His only family is his estranged nephew and his grand-nephews with whom he has no contact until the start of the series.
• Made of Iron: Honestly, Uncle Scrooge would have been dead by the time "Woo-Oo!" was halfway through were it not for this trope.
  Scrooge: [clutching onto Flying Dragon's back] HA HA~~!! It'll take more than some fancy flyin' to shake ol' Scrooge you cash cannibal!
  [Dragon CRASHES through multiple buildings]
  Scrooge: [covered in cuts, contusions and dishevelled feathers] Wheeze.... It'll take more than a... bruised spine to shake ol' Scrooge.... ye... bad dragon dog ye!
• Mad Libs Catchphrase: Whenever he's particularly shocked, horrified, or angered by something he'll stop in the middle of his sentence and go "IS THAT-?!"
• Mentor Archetype: He acts as a mentor for Louie in Season 2, teaching him how to be "sharper than the sharpies" and run a business.
• Mess of Woe:
  • His mansion and especially his garage have this element before the triplets get him back in action; jewels are lying in an apple bowl, rooms lie empty while vast treasures rest in his garage, and a general air of sadness pervades the mansion until the kids start to help clean up.
  • Bitter and depressed over the fight with his family at the end of "The Last Crash of the Sunchaser!", Scrooge has let himself go big time. He's wallowing around in his underwear with his mansion littered with junk food. Enough that even Magica is disappointed as she was expecting to find Scrooge - "the greatest adventurer" - not the sorry mess she sees before her, and gives him a pep talk before trying to steal his dime.
• Minced Oaths: Scrooge uses expressions like "bless me bagpipes" and "curse me kilts", along with various creative insults towards his enemies. Many of which alliterate.
• Misblamed: In-universe. The family blames Scrooge for building the Spear of Selene, a rocket meant for family adventures, and tempting Della into taking it by herself. Though he should have told Donald that he had built the rocket in the first place, Scrooge didn't make Della go up in it when it was still an untested prototype, or to travel through a cosmic storm. He even tried to guide her through it and nearly bankrupted his company trying to find her when she vanished, until the Board of Directors forced Scrooge to pull the plug. Unfortunately for Scrooge, rather than explain why he's not at fault, his pride causes him to have a Moment of Weakness and lash out, causing him to look even worse.
• Misery Builds Character: He is appalled to learn the zen mermaid society has no issues, and so brings up Donald for an example of someone with character.
• Mistaken Nationality: In "Jaw$!", during the mock interview Beakley gives Scrooge so he's prepared for what he'll be asked in the real interview, she asks him, "I love your accent. What part of Ireland are you from?" Scrooge, being a Scotsman, doesn't take kindly to that, especially when he's asked the very same question by the real interviewer.
• Mistreatment-Induced Betrayal: He invokes this to the Board of Directors when he defends the competency of his staff, only for a now-insane Little Bulb to crash through the wall. At this point, Scrooge just flat-out tells the board that his staff is filled with loonies who would probably seek revenge on them if they were fired. They're forced to reconsider their decisions immediately.
• Morality Pet: For Goldie as it's shown a few times that he's probably the only person in the world whose opinion matters to her.
• Mr. Vice Guy:
  • Greed. While every iteration of Scrooge McDuck has greed as a fault and this version is no exception, it's downplayed compared to other works — at most, Scrooge's greed is Played for Laughs. His Xanadu-like mansion would've been considered a frivolous waste by his comic counterpart. Though it becomes more prominent as the show goes on — the prime example is when we find out he uses the same teabag for a month — he enjoys it because he can "taste the savings". "How Santa Stole Christmas!" reveals that Scrooge's hatred of Santa stems from their partnership ending because Scrooge didn't want to go through with Santa's idea of being generous and giving presents to people for free.
  • Pride. Scrooge didn't get to be the richest duck in the world by settling for second place. From the very beginning, it's obvious Scrooge's pride is a driving force in his ambitions. Being told by Louie he "used to be big deal" in the pilot breaks Scrooge out of his funk and drives him to go adventuring again. It's also his Fatal Flaw as he hates being second best, and his attempts to prove otherwise nearly doom the kids and himself in "The Impossible Summit of Mt. Neverrest!" and "The Missing Links of Moorshire!" Luckily he snaps out of it in the nick of time. Unfortunately, Scrooge doesn't snap out of it at the end of "The Last Crash of the Sunchasers" to tragic consequences. When the kids finally learn about Della, they immediately blame Scrooge for her disappearance and accuse him of not caring about her. Scrooge is unable to keep calm and explain how he nearly bankrupted his company to find her until the Board of Directors pulled the plug; as a result, Scrooge lashes out at everyone and drives them away. He only snaps out of it after Lena tells him off in "The Shadow War - Part 1: Night of DeSpell!".
    • His ego also causes him to be stubborn in his deeds and opinionated as to what the best course of action is. He tries to give young shoeshiner Duke Baloney (the future Flintheart Glomgold) a #1 Dime like he was given as a lad out of a desire to repeat his own origin, never considering that Duke might not be the same young entrepreneur that Scrooge was, and wouldn't accept the gesture in lieu of what he considers his deserved pay. This results in Scrooge cultivating a lifelong enmity. Ultimately, it never occurs to Scrooge that he can stop the Bombie with a simple act of humility, which he scoffed at as "sentimental hogwash", though Scrooge realizes it after following Louie's example (and the Bombie furiously roars at him for insulting him).
      Frank Angones: Scrooge's arrogance comes from straight up arrogance. He worked his butt off his whole life and is confident that he's the best.
• My Greatest Failure: The Spear of Selene fiasco is this: not only had he failed to keep his adventure-loving niece from stealing an untested prototype spacecraft, he couldn't bring her back to Earth, either by talking her through the sudden space storm that appears, nor by further attempts that have him so focused on Della that he can't see he was about go bankrupt, harming the welfare of those who are employed by Scrooge. Sadly, YMMV if the Board of Directors were trying to stop Scrooge's either to be Cruel to Be Kind or For Your Own Good...

N-Z

• Never My Fault: Played with. While he does accept the blame for quite a bit of his actions (see: My Greatest Failure), he reacts badly to other people calling him out on them. Both "The Last Crash of the Sunchaser!" and "The Ballad of Duke Baloney!" see him willing to show kindness in the face of the trauma of his friends and enemies until he realizes he's been slighted. Then all bets are off.
• New Media Are Evil: Seeing that he is from a much older generation, Scrooge has a problem with video games in general, as shown by his reluctance to so much as set foot in Funso's when the kids insist on going. Scrooge says that he considers video games an inferior substitute of the real thing, since he has adventures all the time. However, Scrooge also develops quite the interest in a skee-ball machine while he's there. Tellingly, F.O.W.L. has a secret base beneath Funso's because it was supposedly the one place that Scrooge McDuck would never go into.
• Nice Job Breaking It, Hero: In "The Last Crash of the Sunchaser!", during the climatic argument, Beakley initially tries to calm the boys down, even managing to get out, "Now, boys, you don't know..." before being interrupted. Once Scrooge lashes out at Webby and snarls she isn't family, Beakley immediately goes to Webby's defense, costing Scrooge the one ally he had who not only knew the full story but could also help calm the kids down.
• No Good Deed Goes Unpunished: He made the Spear of Selene as a gift to Della to celebrate the triplets' birth. It was meant to be a surprise. Della found out and, inexplicably, decided it would be a good idea to take it for a "test flight" after leaving Scrooge a hastily written note.
• No Hero to His Valet:
  • Both Mrs. Beakley and Donald have known the real Scrooge, who in addition to being a rich, hard-working, intelligent man, is also exploitative, insensitive, and demanding. That said, they know he has a noble side to him.
    Mrs. Beakley: [to Webby] Dear, you are safer in a sunken city with Scrooge McDuck than you are locked in a vault in Fort Knox.
• Noodle Incident: He's a wellspring of these:
  • Apparently he's been part of more than one rebellion if "The Living Mummies of Toth-Ra!" is any indication.
  Scrooge: This is the dumbest rebellion I have ever been part of.
  • This includes squashing a rebellion in a "timeless demon dimension." Of which there are several.
  • In "The Impossible Summit of Mount Neverrest!", he implies he had some kind of incident with Santa Claus. Something happened to make him view him as a mortal enemy, to the point of rigging the mansion's fireplace with a Santa trap:
  Scrooge: That man is not allowed in my house! He knows what he did.
  "That churlish chimney chaser's not to be trusted!" in "Last Christmas!"
  • Also in "The Impossible Summit of Mount Neverrest!", it appears that a lot of people die cursing Scrooge's name.
  Scrooge: If I had a nickel for every person who cursed me with their dying breath, I'd be twice as rich as I already am.
  • "Last Christmas" has him (casually) reveal that he is doing something to prevent the Midgard Serpent of Norse myth from destroying the Earth. This one's eventually shown later on in the next season.
  Scrooge: My family, my business, secretly keeping the world eating serpent Jörmungandr at bay...
• Not So Similar: To Flintheart Glomgold. Of course, the key difference is Scrooge has morals and is surrounded by a close, devoted circle of family and friends, who can (usually) keep him on a (somewhat) even keel and from giving in to his worst vices. Glomgold has no morals, cares only about himself and is totally without any friends or family.
  Scrooge: See, you could never beat me, Flinty, because I have my family to keep me grounded.
• Old Shame: Invoked. While no one knew that Scrooge was the Neverrest Ninny, he still takes it personally how he was a laughingstock seventy-five years ago.
• Oh, Crap!:
  • Scrooge and Donald's reaction when they realize they are on Ithaquack.
  • He has this reaction when Lena grabs his Dime and reveals that Magica was possessing her.
• Older Than They Look: In "The Impossible Summit of Mt. Neverrest", Scrooge states that he first attempted to ascend the summit 75 years prior, just after he'd earned his first million dollars. This would conservatively put Scrooge's age in this continuity as somewhere in his 90s or 100s. Then we learn that his backstory of being part of the Klondike Gold rush is still in continuity, which took place in the 1890s. He and Goldie explicitly say their time trapped in a glacier was a hundred years ago. Turns out he spent some time in a "timeless demon dimension", which slowed down his aging. Then we learn that he got his Dime in 1877, and he was 10 then. Finally, Webby explicitly begins a presentation on Scrooge to Lena at their sleepover stating that he was born in 1867, meaning he must be about 150 years old. Although as mentioned, given that he's been frozen twice (the time with Goldie gets shown and he doesn't age at all during those five years) and trapped in timeless dimensions on more than one occasion, he's a bit physically younger than that, explaining why he hasn't died of old age yet.
• O.O.C. Is Serious Business:
  • In his previous adventures he prioritized the kids' safety over his need to accomplish his goals. In "The Impossible Summit of Mt. Neverrest", Huey calls him out for tossing most of their supplies, navigating through rocky terrain that's crumbling beneath them, and not knowing when to turn back. Scrooge to his credit promises that he will keep the kids safe, but it's obvious the need to conquer the mountain is battling with his common sense. That and his younger self telling present Scrooge this as a chance at redemption from being the "Neverrest Ninny," and Huey trying to keep Scrooge safe since this need could kill Scrooge like it had many others (including the Dirty Coward who'd cut him loose nearly to his death and branded him with an undeserved reputation that haunts him to this day).
  • Scrooge has something of a cavalier attitude on danger so when he refuses to bring the kids along to rescue Mrs. Beakley from Black Heron you know something very serious is up indeed.
  • He spent huge amounts of his fortune to try and save Della. He only stopped when his vultures forced him to.
  • While fussing over a few missing coins from his Money Bin is nothing unusual for him, offering millions of dollars as a reward for capturing the thief is a clear sign that he's lost his mind.
  • When he finds Della at his doorstep, he is absolutely stunned that he drops a magical crystal quill that will guide them to greater riches, not caring that it breaks.
  • Despite hating to use magic, he was forced to use it in order to keep the Bombie imprisoned.
  • When all of his plans to defeat Lunaris fail, he resorts to turning to Glomgold for help, which actually shocks his allies.
  • The trillionaire who is normally unfazed by monsters or paranormal activity becomes absolutely terrified at seeing humans.
• Outliving One's Offspring: He raised both Donald and Della after their parents' deaths. Della's disappearance was devastating for him not just because he essentially lost a daughter, but also the fact that the circumstances behind it led him and Donald to be estranged for a decade. Fortunately, the season one finale reveals that Della is still alive on the moon, and the two reunite part way through season two.
• Papa Wolf: It would be unwise to try harming the triplets, Della, Donald, or Webby in front of him. Doing so is a surefire way to shorten your lifespan.
  • When Glomgold took Donald hostage in the pilot, Scrooge did not hesitate to fold and give into Glomgold's demands. Then, when he threw Donald to the ground, the look of absolute hate and disgust Scrooge levels on Glomgold for it is legendary.
  • He nearly sends himself into bankruptcy to find Della, until the Board forces him to relent.
  • During "The Shadow War", Scrooge's first instinct is to protect Lena with his body when Magica attacks them.
  • He warns Louie about working with Goldie, knowing full well of her Chronic Backstabbing Disorder.
  • In "Timephoon!", he stops Webby from getting trampled by Tootsie.
  • He dives to rescue Huey from being tackled by humans.
  • A few episodes later, he dives to save Dewey from a chair someone threw at him during a wrestling match for the end of the world and gets hurt enough to be out of the game.
  • After he finds out that Webby is his cloned daughter in "The Last Adventure", he tries putting a heavy life vest on her as they're flying away at the end of the episode.
• Parents as People:
  • He does love the kids, is very protective, and is adamant that even though they live in mansion they learn the value of hard work and not act like spoiled brats. That said, he's still new to being a guardian, so he's still learning the ropes — and his Pride does cloud his judgement on occasion.
  • It is clear that he loves both Donald and Della (who are basically his son and daughter) equally and dearly, but that did not stop Scrooge from committing acts that had Donald believing that Della's the favorite.
• Parental Favoritism:
  • He raised Donald and Della after the death of their parents but, although he loves them both equally, he connected more with Della and seemed to favor her over Donald.
  • This is not a problem with Webby, Huey, Dewey, and Louie, thankfully. Scrooge seems to have learned from his mistakes.
• Parental Substitute: It's implied Scrooge was like a father figure for both Donald and Della. Something that's confirmed in the time travel sequence for "Last Christmas" where we see a pre-teen Donald and Della are living in the mansion and seem to have been there for sometime.
• Phrase Catcher: "Curse you, McDuck!" He's apparently heard it so often that he claims if he had a nickel for each one he'd be twice as rich as he already is. So far Flintheart Glomgold, Magica DeSpell and George Mallardy (posthumously, anyway) have used it in-series.
• Pooled Funds: Naturally; Scrooge diving into his money bin is the page pic for this trope. The trope has been exploited in the pilot where he survives a hundred-meter fall by landing in gold coins, as well as deconstructed in "The Great Dime Chase", where he tells Louie that the only reason why he can do it is a lot of experience - anyone else trying it would end up with a cracked skull.
• Post-Stress Overeating: "The Shadow War - Part 1: Night of DeSpell!" shows Scrooge has gorged on hundreds of pizza pies in the aftermath of the falling-out from the previous episode.
• Rags to Riches: Clan McDuck had been wealthy in the past, but had long fallen into poverty by the time Scrooge was born. Scrooge then took it upon himself to become the Richest Duck in the World through cunning, determination, and hard work.
• Ragtag Bunch of Misfits: He has a tendency to employ the unemployable, or at least those who wouldn't find work anywhere else. He hires Gyro, who's an Insufferable Genius Mad Scientist whom no one would touch with a ten-foot pole, and Miss Quackfaster for the same reason, and he even keeps around the Buzzards as Board of Directors because they are the only ones cheaper than he.
• Really 700 Years Old: "The Other Bin of Scrooge McDuck" reveals that he was born in 1867. As of 2017 (the year the series premiered) he is one hundred and fifty years old. (Not counting the time spent in Demogorgona, of course.)
• "The Reason You Suck" Speech: He gives quite a succinct one to Glomgold while at the same time chastising himself.
  Scrooge: I can't believe I wasted an entire day obsessing over somebody I don't like! And it almost got me killed! Who am I? You?
• Reasonable Authority Figure:
  • In "The Impossible Summit of Mt. Neverrest!" he lets Louie stay behind at the town when his nephew learns there's no treasure at the top of the mountain. It shows that despite Scrooge's grudge against Santa Claus that he has some empathy for his nephew's displeasure.
  • Given all Fenton has done throughout "Who Is Gizmoduck?!", Scrooge would have every right to press charges against Fenton for the theft of company property by stealing the Gizmosuit after being fired, allowing it to be exploited and later worn by one of his business rivals, and finally putting one of his great-nephews in danger. However, he also acknowledges the fact that Fenton saved Duckburg (including Huey) and nearly died for it, and acknowledges that as a dedicated adventurer, he will not always be around to protect Duckburg, so he chooses to let Fenton continue to wear the Gizmosuit as a paid employee for McDuck Industries.
  • When he finds Lena and Webby in his Other Bin, Scrooge is very concerned that they could have gotten hurt and tells them to just ask next time.
• Rebuilt Pedestal: After becoming a Broken Pedestal for the kids in "The Last Crash of the Sunchaser!", Scrooge regains both their respect and Donald's in Part 2 of "The Shadow War!".
• Red and Black and Evil All Over: Inverted. Scrooge's main outfit is a red suit with some black in it, a black top hat, black spats, and carries around a black cane. But, he's one of the main heroes.
• Red Is Heroic: As in the original comics, his outfit is red.
• Refugee from Time: While the show is set in the 2010s, Scrooge is born in 1867 and participated in the Klondike Gold Rush in the 1890s just like in the original comics, making him around 150 years old in this continuity.
• Related in the Adaptation: In the original series, he was merely Webby's Honorary Uncle. Here, he's her biological father via cloning.
• Retired Badass: Back in the 1960s he became a freelance spy and Mrs. Beakley was his partner.
• Rich Boredom: When he's not adventuring, his life is shown to be this. The actual, tedious business of running his corporate empire is shown to bore him to tears, and his life in McDuck Manor is one of isolation and loneliness.
• Rich in Dollars, Poor in Sense: Not usually, but the money clip Glomgold stole from him as a child carried $2 million, making you wonder exactly why Scrooge needed that much as pocket money.
• Sanity Slippage: Goes completely off his rocker in "The 87 Cent Solution!" over some coins missing from his Money Bin, worsened by him getting sick and Glomgold messing with him using a time-stopping device.
• The Scapegoat: Donald and the triplets rather unfairly blame him for Della being lost in space —- he built the rocket that Della stole, and thus in their eyes it makes him responsible for her actions.
• Scotireland: Averted, and the trope is a Berserk Button for him. In "Jaw$!", Roxanne Featherley deliberately asks him what part of Ireland he's from to anger him.
• Screw Destiny: While Scrooge has a lot of vengeance curses on his head, none of them have come to pass since he spends a lot on magical defenses.
• Screw the Money, I Have Rules!: While Scrooge is still a greedy businessman through and through, he never values money over the wellbeing of his family and employees. This is best exemplified in the aftermath of the Spear of Selene incident: Scrooge spends an enormous amount of money in an effort to find Della and return her home safely (including building even more spaceships for the search), dwarfing all of his company expenses and burning through his Money Bin in the process. He only stops the search when his Board of Directors literally drag him kicking and screaming from the communications equipment.
• Screw This, I'm Outta Here:
  • When he is unsure if he can win his fight with the Ghost of Christmas Past, who plans to trap him in the past with him, Scrooge tricks the spirit so he can take his time-travelling umbrella and hightail out of there.
  • After everything goes downhill during the Darkwing Duck movie's production, culminating in Dewey filming over the fight scene with a dancing video, Scrooge declares the whole thing off and that there will never be a Darkwing Duck movie.
• The Scrooge: Downplayed and played for laughs. He uses a flip-phone while everyone (even the perpetually unemployed Donald) uses more expensive smartphones. (That being said, it's still a golden flip-phone.) His idea of a "gift" for the triplets is a bag of marbles that they have to return when they leave (he counted them). He also uses a Promethean Candle rather than buy new candles for birthday cakes each year. This is in direct contrast to the original series, where the first episode spent a good five minutes showcasing how cheap Scrooge was. However, it's implied he was even cheaper in the past.
  • "The Great Dime Chase" has Scrooge's Board of Directors actually deconstruct just how much Scrooge isn't The Scrooge, given that despite his cheapness in many things he actually spends a lot of money and resources on some things that he doesn't really have to. He also gives a speech to Louie when the latter gets a little too comfortable in Scrooge's mansion that he can spend money because he's earned it and appreciates the effort that went into acquiring it, while Louie hasn't.
  • In "From the Confidential Casefiles of Agent 22!", Scrooge refuses to spend a penny of his own sizable fortune at an auction to obtain a priceless page of a tome said to contain powerful alchemic secrets and sticks to the £60,000 budget given to him by S.H.U.S.H. He'd much rather brave a dangerous hideout and steal it from a nefarious criminal organization like F.O.W.L. than pay out of his own wallet. Lampshaded by Mrs. Beakley.
    Mrs. Beakley [through clenched teeth] You are a billionaire!
  • Later episodes, however, such as Jaw$ , make it clear Scrooge still loathes preventable money loss, to the point of having a near nervous breakdown when some of his bin's money gets out on the streets. Later on it's even established he uses the same teabag for an entire month so he can "taste the savings". This comes back to bite him in The Last Crash of the Sunchaser! as the boys, having witnessed the lengths Scrooge will go to save money, assume that Scrooge was too cheap to fund a full rescue mission for Della and gave up when it proved too costly, when actually it was the opposite. But, it's clear he won't spend on things that don't provide him any gain, as all his other adventures do. In "The Town Where Everyone was Nice!", he considers the vacation a frivolous enough expense that he is angered at having to hand out R$251.47 (the rough equivalent of a paltry 68 US Dollars) to pay for a meal and only agrees to maintain Donald's Mock Millionaire act so he won't have to pay for the trip. And then in "The 87 Cent Solution!", it took a mere 87 cents missing from his Money Bin to drive him to madness.
• Seen It All:
  • He isn't so easily taken in by so-called "tourist traps", as he's seen them all and knows they're just a waste of time and money.
  • He is not very fazed by seeing his future self walk through the door at a Christmas party.
  • It says a lot about his life when he thinks Huey and Della geeking out over a video game is more wrong than Webby and her female friends fighting a werebear or Beakley and Dewey dealing with a literal tempest in a teapot.
  • When he sees the Bombie, now broken free from his magical prison and chasing Louie in Duckburg, his response is an annoyed "Him again?!" rather than being scared.
• Self-Made Man: Made his fortune through hard work, and becomes offended when it is implied that it was due to luck. Unlike his enemies (and Goldie), he never cheats or steals. He had a little help from his dad, Fergus. Scrooge wasn't having any luck with his shoe-shining business so Fergus gave an American dime to a ditch-digger friend, muddied his boots and sent him Scrooge's way. Scrooge never found out until centuries later.
• Silent Snarker: While he's trapped inside his Number One Dime. Complete with eye roll and everything.
  Magica: (shouting after she messes up her monologue) Don't roll your eyes at me! I've been plotting this for more than fifteen years! I'm entitled to at least a few minutes of Evil Gloating!
• Skewed Priorities: "Daytrip of Doom" has this Played for Laughs. When Scrooge finds his grandnephews and Webby playing an intense war game, he's completely fine with it, to Mrs. Beakley's dismay. However, when he finds Donald doing laundry in his bathroom, he finds that a serious offense and calls for a house meeting.
• So Proud of You: To Louie in "The Richest Duck in the World!", when the younger duck gets a slice of Humble Pie and shows kindness to the Bombie. He tells him learning humility made him a better billionaire than himself.
• So What Do We Do Now?: After going on so many adventures, Scrooge, Donald, and Della had run out of places on Earth to explore. Della's solution was to take the next step and go exploring in outer space.
• Speaks Fluent Animal: Or at least speaks bear, as he easily communicates with one he tamed.
• Staring Contest: Scrooge and Glomgold begin "The Infernal Internship of Mark Beaks!" locked in a "vision-based battle of wills".
• Stepford Smiler: He's happy to have Della back in life, but the fact she's still as reckless as she was ten years ago is something that really angers and disappoints him.
• Strong Family Resemblance: As seen in this family picture, Scrooge looks a lot like his father.
• Suicidal Overconfidence: In "The Last Crash of the Sunchaser!" when he takes over the controls of the Sunchaser, Beakley asks when he learnt to fly a plane. Scrooge brushes off the concern by pointing out that if Launchpad could do it, how hard could it be? Naturally, the plane crashes soon after.
• Supporting Protagonist: In this series, while he's still The Hero, most of the actual development is centered on the kid characters.
• Sure, Let's Go with That: In "The Living Mummies of Toth-Ra!", after he fails to convince the villagers to rise up against Toth-Ra to gain freedom, they decide to rebel anyway so they can have more of Launchpad's burritos. Scrooge starts to argue, but then realizes any motivation is better than none and agrees to charge! For burritos!
• Surrounded by Idiots: He certainly felt this way in "The Living Mummies of Toth-Ra!" when trying and failing to convince the pyramid inhabitants to rebel against Toth-Ra. Launchpad managed to rouse them up with promises of getting burritos.
  Scrooge: This is the dumbest rebellion I've ever been a part of.
• Take Me Instead: After Louie receives the curse of the Bombie in "The Richest Duck in the World!", Scrooge tells him to give him back his old status so that the Bombie would stop chasing his grandnephew and come after him instead.
• Team Member in the Adaptation: Despite the presence of Launchpad, Scrooge never appeared on Darkwing Duck. This version has Scrooge as a former member of that series's SHIELD-expy, S.H.U.S.H.
• Technologically Blind Elders: Scrooge is just not good with modern technology. Heck, he still uses a flip phone.
• This Is Gonna Suck: He has this reaction when he finds Goldie in his mansion, and that Louie has become her apprentice.

• Thrifty Scot: The thrifty Scot.
• Thrill Seeker: His most defining trait in this continuity. Some of the hum drums of running a financial empire bore him to death, but the kids' efforts to stop and save him from the dragon give him a new lease of life. Donald, however, does not approve, calling his uncle a "crazy old man" who "only cares about his next adventure". That said Scrooge does not believe in putting himself or others in unnecessary danger if it can be avoided.
  • "Last Christmas!" has him remembering that he is this. He spends the first part of the episode wanting to have a break from his family and responsibilities, so the Ghost of Christmas Past takes him back to the very first Christmas he spent in Duckburg: at a humble campsite in the woods. Scrooge enjoys the peace and quiet... for a few seconds before he becomes sick of it.
    Scrooge: ...curse me kilts, this is boring.
  • "The Richest Duck in the World!" shows that while he finds running his business empire to be less interesting than adventuring, he still far prefers it to doing nothing productive. It takes him only a short period of lazing about like Louie before he gets so dissatisfied with it that he opts to try to start a new business from scratch. Clearly, he's not ready to retire any time soon.
• Trade Your Passion for Glory: He's a great adventurer and a wealthy businessman but it's clear that being an adventurer is what he most enjoys doing and in "Woo-Oo!" he's totally silent and glum on hearing from his Board of Directors that he should downsize the parts of the company dedicated to historical research and making experimental equipment (such as the submarine he and Launchpad use to find Atlantis).
• Trademark Clothing: His spats. When at a general store in the Yukon, he's informed they don't carry any. So he buys a pair of boots and then uses a knife to make them into spats.
• Tranquil Fury: When he finds a giant animatronic figure of Santa Claus right in his mansion, he calmly and furiously asks who put it up.
• Two Decades Behind: He tends to be a little out of touch with certain aspects of society by several decades if not an entire century. For example, he's unaware of most modern movie tropes due to not having seen one since 1938 and insists that villains need big, twirlable mustaches. He also thought coal was still a good gift to give children due to its practicality back in the 19th century, until Webby points out that nobody in the 21st century uses coal to warm their homes and that during Christmas it is a symbol of naughtiness.
• Vague Age: Subverted. A few characters question how old he is, but it's mostly played for laughs. The story follows the Don Rosa timeline, which puts his birth at 1867, making him around 150 years old today.
• Violent Glaswegian: He's from Glasgow and you do not want to mess with him.
• Volleying Insults: Most of his interactions with Goldie O'Gilt are this.
• Wanting Is Better Than Having: While Scrooge's Greed is universal to the character is very much present here, Word of God confirms that he cares more about the thrill and danger of adventuring than keeping his fortune at its peak. This is the lesson that he continuously tries instilling in Louie, who shares his greed but not his willingness to work for it.invoked
• The Worf Effect: Fairly often, particularly in the first season, he's one of the first characters to get taken out to show just how dire a situation is.
• Wouldn't Hurt a Child: In "The Shadow War!", he refuses to fight Lena, who is practically a minor, but he finds out the hard way he's dealing with Magica in a 15-year-old's body.
• You Will Be Beethoven: Frank Angones confirmed that T. E. Lawrence was in fact Scrooge lost in time due to the Timephoon.
• You Fight Like a Cow: When fighting an enemy, he often delivers witty insults.

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