Here’s How Disney’s Darkwing Duck Reboot Took A Shot At Zack Snyder’s DCEU Era
Very few filmmakers and their visions are more universally hated than Zack Snyder’s bleak aesthetic of the DC Extended Universe which consisted of Man Of Steel and Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice prominently, along with Justice League which was a botched collaboration between Zack Snyder and Joss Whedon. Following these movies, Warner Bros. wanted to move away from them and course-correct with movies like Wonder Woman and Shazam towards a more uplifting DC Superhero era.
If you thought the Zack Snyder debate was over and we could peacefully move on then you were wrong, as another voice has sounded off on Snyder’s unique style of overt violence. This time it’s Disney’s Darkwing Duck reboot which is taking shots at the director with the new adventures of Darkwing Duck.
The DuckTales And Snyder’s DCEU Vision Similarities
DuckTales makes its stance on Zack Snyder, and the early DCEU, in season 2’s 16th episode, “The Duck Knight Returns!,” in which Uncle Scrooge (David Tennant) reopens an old movie studio he used to make commercials with. He’s trying to capitalize on the popularity of superhero films with Edgar Wright’s Alistair Boorswan as his director of choice for a Darkwing Duck reboot.
In this universe, Darkwing Duck isn’t a crime fighter, he’s a character from an old TV show. Down-and-out actor Jim Starling (Jim Cummings) gets wind of Uncle Scrooge’s plans, and rushes to the studio, thinking that he’ll be invited to reprise his role. However, he discovers Boorswan is a Snyder rip-off who believes superhero movies need to be grim and violent. What’s more is that, he casts a younger actor, Drake Mallard- the Darkwing from the original Disney cartoon.
Boorswan screens the trailer to demonstrate this isn’t your father’s Darkwing Duck, and it feels like a creative piece from Snyder. The clip shows St. Canard as a spin on Gotham and the soundtrack too mimics the one from Batman: The Animated Series. A shadowy figure jumps from rooftop to rooftop, seemingly sticking to the essence of the character by parodying Batman. However, as the narrator speaks more about this version of Darkwing, it becomes clear he’s poking fun of Snyder. Consider these lines:
“There is no right or wrong, no heroes or villains…only darkness. There is only one man who can fight the darkness…with more darkness!”
The trailer then shows clips of citizens running from “the Darkwing,” and there is also St. Canard’s answer to Jim Gordon on the police station’s roof, telling Darkwing he’s not helping- he’s terrifying people. Darkwing offers a sinister smile, indicating that he’s enjoying this.
If this isn’t enough then just look at the title of the movie- Darkwing: First Darkness. This is accompanied by a warning that says:
“This film is not suitable for children.”
Also Read: The Batman Movie Rumored to Be Set in the ’90s
DuckTales And The Zack Snyder-Joss Whedon Justice League Debacle
Boorswan says that “grim and gritty” is the way to go, but when it doesn’t impress young Dewey then Scrooge thinks that he is missing the demographic. Scrooge thinks that there must be some fun involved and so he hires Dewey to take over the project and guide an annoyed Boorswan. Sadly, Dewey also goes off the hinges, wanting aggression and explosions amid the heroics, leaving the audience with a snapshot of what happens when people don’t understand the properties they’re adapting. What’s left is two directors bickering, and leaving fans with the impression this is how Warner Bros. ended mixing Joss Whedon’s vision with Snyder’s, resulting in Justice League.
New episodes of DuckTales debut on Saturdays at 7:30 a.m ET/PT on Disney Channel.
(Source: cbr.com and tv.avclub.com)
