F.O.W.L.

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The Fiendish Organization for World Larceny (F.O.W.L.) is a fictional group of villains that attempts to take over the world in the animated series Darkwing Duck. The group is led by High Command, three high ranking F.O.W.L. operatives hidden in the shadows. The organization originated in the DuckTales episode "Double-O-Duck", where it stood for the Foreign Organization for World Larceny, and they were led by Dr. Nogood. They constantly scheme to take over the world, only to be stopped by Darkwing, his allies, and sometimes S.H.U.S.H. operative Agent Grizzlikof. Other members of F.O.W.L. include:

  • Steelbeak - F.O.W.L.'s chief agent. He always wear a white Tuxedo and literally has a beak of steel. Whenever he comes up against Darkwing Duck, his plans always backfire into disaster like Wile E. Coyote. (Once when he wondered if he should disobey F.O.W.L. his reflection in a mirror reminds him that his predecessor who tried the same thing was put through six trash compactors).
  • Ammonia Pine - A former cleaning lady for a research lab who had accidental contact with an experimental bathroom disinfectant. Inhaling the fumes turned her into a cleaning-obsessed villain. She was later recruited by F.O.W.L. for their dastardly plans. She hates (and is even afraid of) dirt.
  • Ample Grime - Ample is Ammonia's messy, dirt-loving sister. No origin story is given for why she loves messes so much. She hates and fears cleanliness as much as Ammonia hates dirt, which proves to be a problem when the two are required to team up.
  • Major Synapse - The typical R. Lee Ermey type military man-he once sent an Eggmen military unit into an active volcano so it could be "captured"-, he steals S.H.U.S.H.'s Norma Ray, using it to turn his useless hippie underlings into superpowered malcontents. He later used it on himself, turning into a giant head with a giant brain that had major telepathic abilities-until his own stupidity caused his underlings "Hotshot" & "Flygirl" to be flattened by a cartoon anvil-which they are last seen crawling away under-and his own superbrain explodes.
    • Hotshot - One of Major Synapse's hippie underlings changed by the Norma Ray. He controls both fire and ice.
    • Flygirl - One of Major Synapse's hippie underlings changed by the Norma Ray. She can move things with her mind and can also fly.
  • Dr. Nogood - The former head of F.O.W.L. (an obvious parody of Ernst Stavro Blofeld as well as Dr. No), who plotted to render all the world's paper money worthless by making it blank using a special "vanishing spray." He was presumably killed falling into a vat of the chemicals used to make the spray. {Note-another Darkwing Duck villain, Liquidator, also fell into a chemical compound and was presumed dead - until he came back in "liquid" form.} His plan to make money worthless would later be attempted by High Command, with Ammonia Pine using cleaning agents to wash the ink off paper money. Dr.Nogood is also one of the few operatives of F.O.W.L that is not an anthropomorphic bird, but yet an anthropomorphic dog.
    • Feathers Galore - A parody of Pussy Galore, Feathers was an agent of F.O.W.L.'s as well as the girlfriend of Bruno Von Beak. She turned good after she fell in love with Launchpad McQuack.
    • Oddduck - Dr. Nogood's silent bodyguard, a large goon with a black bowler - an obvious parody of Oddjob.
    • the High Command - Are the head agents of F.O.W.L it seems that through out the entire series they never left their certain area (the area they were was possibly F.O.W.L HQ). Also they were aways hidden in the shadows, and their true names were never mentioned during the Darkwing Duck series run at all. The ones that usually talked were the one with a big head and fangs and the one the one with a hunched back  ; the one wearing the oversized hat never talked. It also appears that they were anthropomorphic birds.
    • Wolfduck - Was a character made up exclusively for the Darkwing Duck Capcom video game. As his name implies, he can turn into a werewolf at the sight of the full moon.

F.O.W.L. also employs several generic henchmen and soldiers dressed in all-yellow jumpsuits and white egg-shaped helmets. These are known as Eggmen, possibly a reference to Dr. Eggman from Sonic the Hedgehog.

The organisation is a parody of THRUSH, the antagonist of the classic television series, The Man from U.N.C.L.E. It may also be referencing KAOS from Get Smart or S.P.E.C.T.R.E. from James Bond

The F.O.W.L. is sometimes referred to as the Fiendish Organization OF World Larceny ("of" replacing "for") by various characters, including its own agents. This can be seen as a goof on the part of the show's writers, although it happens often enough that it is somewhat unclear which name is the correct one.

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