NegaDuck
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- This article is about the character. For the episode, see Negaduck (Darkwing Duck episode).
| NegaDuck | |
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| First appearance | "Just Us Justice Ducks", part 1 |
| Created by | |
| Voiced by | Jim Cummings |
NegaDuck (sometimes spelled as Negaduck or Nega-Duck) is a fictional character created for the Disney animated series Darkwing Duck. He is the doppelgänger or "evil twin" version of the show's title character, and hates anything nice. He wears an outfit strongly reminiscent that of Darkwing, only with different, close to opposite coloring and often carries a chainsaw or various other weapons of destruction around. He is also one of the most recurring villains of the series, appearing in thirteen episodes.
His fighting skills and intellect are on par with his counterpart, but he is far more capable as he is nowhere near as egotistical. Fortunately, he lacks Darkwing's charisma and social skills, being a bloodthirsty sociopath incapable of maintaining allegiances. He can thus be defeated by any moderately skilled opponent who can win and keep allies.
However, NegaDuck remains one of Darkwing Duck's most dangerous enemies, especially while acting along with the Fearsome Five (where he is, of all evidence, the unquestionable leader of the five), being as well the only alliance he has ever kept with other villains, not without inner quarrels.
Like Darkwing, NegaDuck is voiced by Jim Cummings, only with a lower voice.
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[edit] Background
The recurring character NegaDuck, sometimes referred to as "NegaDuck II" (see 'NegaDuck I' below), first appeared in the two-part episode "Just Us Justice Ducks". NegaDuck wears the same outfit as Darkwing, but with an opposite color scheme and a black mask, and he also has a deeper voice. In "Just Us Justice Ducks", NegaDuck forms an alliance and leads a group known as "The Fearsome Five" with fellow villains Megavolt, Bushroot, Quackerjack, and the Liquidator acting as henchmen to his maniacal cause. NegaDuck is so fearsome that he can terrify the other four put together just by revving his chainsaw, even those (like the Liquidator) who have no real reason to be afraid of it.
NegaDuck's backstory was revealed in the episode immediately after "Just Us Justice Ducks" in terms of production order, "Life, the Negaverse, and Everything". According to that episode, NegaDuck comes from a parallel universe called "the Negaverse" where everyone is the opposite of who they are in the universe where the series is usually set. It is also stated in the episode that NegaDuck rules the negative St. Canard, if not the entire planet Earth of the Negaverse, completely and totally. The ineffectual heroes of this world are alternate versions of The Fearsome Five (minus NegaDuck), known here as "The Friendly Four". NegaDuck's Gosalyn is sweet and feminine, unlike the mischievous tomboy from the normal universe (although both versions are basically good, meaning that morality is not always reversed in the Negaverse), while the evil version of Launchpad McQuack is psychotic. Evil versions of the Muddlefoot family live next door. As Herb, Binkie and a bratty version of Honker are all dressed in biker clothes, Tank is actually polite, dressed neatly with a styled hairdo and wearing glasses and is a genius, completely different from the bushy-haired bully in the normal dimension. NegaDuck lives with the Negaverse version of Gosalyn in a Negaverse version of the same home where Darkwing's alter ego Drake Mallard resides in the normal universe. He never actually capitalizes on this information in order to win his battles.
One source of rage for NegaDuck is the fact is that on a Public Enemies' list he is #2—after Dr. Slug. Naturally, NegaDuck wants to be Public Enemy #1.
[edit] Evil Twin
NegaDuck is, as established in "Life, the Negaverse, and Everything", an evil twin of Darkwing, being basically the same duck but with a nearly polar opposite personality. Both are extremely intelligent and highly trained in similar martial arts (although Negaduck is more focused on his goals then his image and doesn't constantly want to be in the media spotlight unlike Darkwing), and even have similar styles in attire (the same coat, undershirt, cape, mask, and hat). Even their voices are similar; Darkwing's voice can reach NegaDuck's tones when he is upset or angry. NegaDuck has used this to his advantage more than once, whether to frame Darkwing for a crime spree ("Disguise the Limit") or to sneak into S.H.U.S.H. headquarters ("Just Us Justice Ducks"). Darkwing has done the same at times ("Just Us Justice Ducks"). Sometimes, such disguises occur at the worst times (NegaDuck is mistaken for Darkwing when Darkwing is most wanted; Darkwing disguises himself as NegaDuck when the Fearsome Five stage a mutiny). Some of NegaDuck's abject hatred of Darkwing likely stems from this resemblance.
[edit] "NegaDuck I"
| NegaDuck | |
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| First appearance | "Negaduck" |
| Created by | Tad Stones |
| Voiced by | Jim Cummings |
In the episode "Negaduck", which aired later than the episodes above but came earlier in production order (see List of Darkwing Duck episodes), we see what seems to be Darkwing's first encounter with an evil version of himself, when Megavolt's tron-splitter splits Darkwing into two separate beings - one good, the other evil. The negative Darkwing is later galvanized by the tron-splitter, making him even more evil and powerful, and in his galvanized state he names himself NegaDuck. This NegaDuck, sometimes called NegaDuck I by fans to distinguish him from the NegaDuck II of other episodes, never had the yellow, black and red suit of NegaDuck II. Before being galvanized his appearance only differed from the good Darkwing in his bushy eyebrows, and after being galvanized he resembled a black and white photographic negative of Darkwing. The two Darkwings were merged back together shortly afterwards, and this NegaDuck has not appeared since.
[edit] Reconciliation of the two NegaDuck characters
In an interview, Tad Stones explains the relationship between the two NegaDucks:
"After we did the Negaduck episode, I really liked this character and I wanted to bring him back. They said "how?" and I said, "What do you mean how? He's back." We just did it, and in the episode Life, the Negaverse and Everything we just created this whole alternate reality he supposedly came from."[1]
The home video release Darkwing Duck: His Favorite Adventures "Birth of Negaduck", contained the episode "Negaduck" but featured the longer running NegaDuck in yellow and red standing behind Darkwing Duck while the two appear to be electrified by a bolt of lightning. The glow-in-the-dark NegaDuck trading card that comes with the video features the recurring NegaDuck on the front but a bio of NegaDuck I on the back. Also, Negaduck I was slated to appear in the Season Four episode "Opposites Attack", in which he forms an alliance with Negaduck II, but this was not to be since the series was cancelled before they could make a fourth season.
[edit] Trivia
As previously mentioned, Negaduck hails from the Negaverse. It is unknown whether DIC were aware of this when the combined the enemies from the first and second season of Sailor Moon into one group called the Negaverse (they were originally two separate groups called the Dark Kingdom and the Black Moon Clan).
The word "nega" that's part of Negaduck's name is a pun to the word negative. For example, Negaduck is the opposite of Darkwing Duck, his darkside, or evil doppleganger.
[edit] References
- ^ Strike, Joe. The Tad Stones Interview, page 7. Animation World Magazine, July 12, 2004.
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