Hello & welcome to a special edition of Vs. Normally, I would not do something like this but I've had this idea in my head for the longest time. Today, two Disney superheroes go head to. From St. Canard, it's the terror that flaps in the night. When there's trouble, you call his name. It's Darkwing Duck and from Duckberg, blathering blatherskite, it's Gizmoduck. The categories for this Vs. include Origin (1), taking a look at how these two became the heroes they are, Alter Ego (2), taking a look at who has the better alter ego. City (3), their home city that they protect. Arch-Enemy (4), who has the better arch-foe and finally, Why?, this round looks at looks why these two became heroes.
Origin
This show has provided many different alternate origins for Darkwing but I think there are two episodes that clearly set it up but first, I want to talk about one of the alternate origins. Some of them have been quite outrageous such as The Secret Origins of Darkwing Duck that is essentially a Superman parody revealing that DW and NegaDuck were twin brothers that came from the same planet and raised differently. However, I think going by the Darkwing Duck Wiki, there are at least two episodes that can clearly pinpoint his true origin. These episodes being Paraducks and Clash Reunion.
Starting with Paraducks, we see Darkwing and Gosalyn go back in time and there we see a Drake Mallard or Drakey as he's called, who is a bit of a wimp and being bullied into joining a gang. After some training from the future Darkwing, he becomes stronger and more willing to stand up for himself. We also see him as in that picture dressed up as hero. It's my belief that his encounter with Darkwing from the future may have given the inspiration to become a hero one day and now going to Clash Reunion, we still see that he was a bit nerdy and this episode was more about MegaVolt's origin but it does give a little detail about DW. I have to say that I really like that this show didn't jump right into DW's origin right in the first episode and instead sprinkled it throughout the series.
Gizmoduck
Now unlike DW, Gizmoduck's origin is set up right from his first appearance. The Gizmoduck suit was created by Gyro Gearloose but he can' seem to get it to work and he set up a word that he thought no normal person would know. This is where Fenton Crackshell comes in. Fenton works as a (literal) bean counter but quits that job to become an accountant for Scrooge and one day, he walks too close to the Gizmoduck suit and says his favorite expression of "blathering blatherskite" causing the suit attach itself to him and from that day on whenever he says the phrase, he becomes Gizmoduck and as Gizmoduck is Scrooge's security guard. I have to say that while Gizmoduck's origin is more straight forward, I find that I like the way, Darkwing's is handled more as it's more entertaining to me. For that reason, this round goes to...
Darkwing Duck
Alter Ego
Drake Mallard (Darkwing Duck)
Looking at Darkwing's alter ego of Drake, we have to remember that he is a Batman parody. In many ways, you could argue that Darkwing is the real person while Drake is the facade. Unlike Batman, who I feel needs to be Batman, Drake wants to be Darkwing. I mean in the first episode, we only see him as Darkwing. However being Drake keeps him grounded in reality and also in a way protects Gosalyn from his enemies. Now as for his alter ego of Drake himself, he is a bit conceited but he's still a good person and more importantly a good father. The only thing that always left me confused about DW is how did he afford all of his gadgets but suspension of disbelief, I guess. Well at least, we know how he got the awesome Thunderquack.
I'd also say that Drake shares many of the same traits as DW and it is hard unlike some other heroes to separate the hero from the alter ego.
Fenton Crackshell (Gizmoduck)
Unlike DW, it's easier to separate Gizmoduck and Fenton. While Gizmoduck comes across as being the strong heroic type while Fenton is more or less, smart and a bit hasty and perhaps a bit too smart for his own good. He's also a bit clumsy but I think that is just because of who he is and being Gizmoduck makes him stronger. In many respects, it reminds of how Clark Kent was presented being a clumsy guy in All-Star Superman. While I do like that, I must admit that I found Fenton annoying at times and personally, I think DW's alter ego leads to many more fascinating ideas and for that reason, I have to give this round to...
Darkwing Duck
City
Now for this category, we will be taking a look at the two cities that these two heroes protect.
St. Canard
Going back to the Darkwing/Batman parallels here. St. Canard was the Disney Duckverse equivalent of Gotham but just toned down. Sure, it's more comical than Gotham but it's still a dark place crawling with villains. It's a fun place and looks really dark at night and the atmosphere helps in selling it quite well. There are so many great things in this city such as the bridge and Darkwing is just the one to protect it.
Duckburg
Ah, Duckburg. Even before Gizmoduck came along, this was always a popular city and unlike St. Canard, it is a very bright and happy place but that does not mean it has it doesn't have it's fair share of villains. They lurk usually trying to steal something valuable from Scrooge. I think that another thing that Duckburg has going for it is that it seems to have more staying power and longevity then St. Canard. For this reason, I have to give this round to...
Gizmoduck
Arch-Enemy
NegaDuck (Darkwing Duck)
NegaDuck is most certainly DW's arch enemy. He is an extremely evil variation of our hero. Although, I think at times, he comes across as being smarter than DW. He has no boundaries and he'll go to great extremes. Even for him being a Disney villain, I'm convinced that he has no problems killing. Just as how DW has the gas gun as his main weapon, NegaDuck has a chainsaw that he uses and he's also been known to frame DW for the crimes that he committed. Just like Darkwing, NegaDuck seems to have two different origins but that's mostly because there are two different NegaDucks and in the episode, Life, the Negaverse, and Everything, we learn that he comes from an alternate universe that is the complete opposite of Darkwing's world. I just love how extreme and over the top he is.
The Beagle Boys (Gizmoduck)
Yeah, uh I couldn't really pinpoint down a true arch enemy for Gizmoduck. At best, all I could come up with were The Beagle Boys. They are certainly over the top villains that can get the job done but as I've said in the past, I feel that they work better as henchmen because they aren't smart enough to work on their own. Again, not a bad set of character but NegaDuck is just the all around better villain. For that reason, this round goes to...
Darkwing Duck
Why?
Darkwing Duck
As I said when talking about Drake Mallard in Alter Egos, he chose to be Darkwing. Not because of some traumatic event in his life but rather, he wanted fame and recnogtion. Not the greatest reason to become a hero but he isn't the only one to do that. He also proves himself to be a capable hero, when his ego doesn't get in the way.
Gizmoduck
In a way, Fenton didn't choose to become Gizmoduck. The Gizmoduck suit chose him once he said his favorite phrase fro the first time and from there on, he became one of the most beloved heroes, where he lives. I think that he proves himself to be a better hero because he doesn't let his ego get in the way and I think that the suit choosing him gave him the confidence, he was lacking before he became a hero. For that reason, I have to give this round to...
Gizmoduck
The End Result
By a score of 3 -2, Darkwing Duck is the winner. He is the better Duck superhero. Gizmoduck is a good hero but Darkwing is the more fun character. To celebrate DW's win, here ya go. His theme song.
I hope you enjoyed this special Vs. Peace!
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