Launchpad’s Association with Della Duck: The Last Crash of The Shadow War
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Continued from Part 4
Both of these episodes threw me in the biggest loop...
When an earlier description for “The Last Crash of The Sunchaser!” was revealed, I immediately noticed how Launchpad wasn't mentioned. It was extremely odd to see an episode that takes place on the plane and having the word “crash” in the title, but not giving any details about LP’s involvement. Then again, I figured since Della was going to be the focus, that he would probably become preoccupied with something that takes him away from the action; like an injury ends up sidelining him since the description stated how Scrooge was the one struggling to flying the plane.
As the air date got closer, the promo aired and Launchpad was nowhere in sight. He wasn't even shown in his pilot chair. DisneyABC Press posted a screenshot from the episode to their site and included an even shorter description about the episode, but still, nothing about Launchpad. Now I really thought something big was going to happen to him for sure! This was so puzzling...were they retaining information? (I started to joke around with the thought of him falling out the plane. Haha, oof.)
Later on in the week, the episode finally premiered and...wow, that reveal was devastating. I was convinced the show had killed Della off! I remember seeing remarks here and there about how Scrooge's Money Bin looked so empty...I didn't think much of it before, but when an explanation was given for it through Scrooge's flashback...that really got me.
And Launchpad...I was so confused by his lack of reaction! He seems to stay very neutral...no questions, no remarks...was he even fully aware of what took place? If he doesn't know her, why wouldn't he want to ask more about her? Why wouldn't he be interest in who Scrooge's previous pilot was? If he knows her, why didn't he add any input to the situation?
I gave the episode another watch to try to figure things out and made some observations:
- When Scrooge accidentally says “I won't let anything happen to her.”, the next shot only goes to Beakley asking about this. And then when Scrooge tells LP to hand him the parachute, the pilot hesitates and gives a look of concern. Both Scrooge and Mrs. Beakley, especially, seem really surprised that he didn't just go along with the order. Scrooge just saved LP from falling out the plane. What reason would he have to doubt him all of a sudden? (And make Mrs.B look like that?) Either he suddenly reflected on Beakley's comments at that moment or he knows exactly who Scrooge was referring to.
- When the investigation crate tore open, we only got to see Mrs. B’s reaction focused on...again. It was far away, so maybe LP wasn't able to see what it was about? Or would his reaction reveal too much? When the torn piece flew over to Launchpad’s side, the opposite was facing him; he didn't get to see Scrooge and Della on it.
- Launchpad was the last one to come over to the window. Maybe he was focusing so much on counteracting the weight on the plane that he didn't catch everything being said? Or, again, his reaction had to be obscured so he wouldn't reveal himself?
- Something else that bothered me during my first viewing was how LP only seemed to be concerned about pausing the Darkwing Duck tape for Dewey when he got back rather than being concerned about his safety. But LP has been using the show as a distraction to keep the kids from worrying, so maybe he was still doing that here; encouraging Dewey to come back or trying to keep his own mind off the situation by trusting Scrooge would bring Dewey back safely.
- Since Dewey dumped the walkie-talkie, Launchpad didn't hear him mentioning the Spear of Selene to Scrooge. When they came back inside, Launchpad was on the opposite end of the plane. He was counteracting the weight again and remaining in the control area just in case something were to happen. But the fact of the matter is that LP was separated from something Della-related... AGAIN. And we don’t get to see his reaction...again.
- During my first viewing, I thought he had heard Scrooge's story about the Spear since the scene kept cutting from LP to the rest of the group at the end of it, but when he yells and tries to get everyone's attention that the plane is falling off the peak, no one can hear him until he uses the intercom, so it's very likely that he couldn't hear them either. (Or was it just because of the yelling and frustration?) The way the scene was cut makes you forget the distance between them and the barrier the cargo created around LP.
- When everyone wants to leave the mansion, we don't see Launchpad leaving. We don't see him going to check on Scrooge to see if he's alright either. We're left wondering where Launchpad is and how he feels about this. He's the only character in the episode who wasn't seen mad or wanting to leave at the end. Even Duckworth leaves and we haven't seen him since "McManor"! He's supposed to be Scrooge's most loyal servant, but even HE wants to leave at the end. So...where did Launchpad go? Was all of this too overwhelming for him and he needed some time to himself?
During my first viewing of “The Shadow War!” I had similar feelings as I did with watching “Last Crash”; Launchpad barely showing any sort of reaction and it was still very hard to tell if he was fully aware of what had happened and if he knew Della or not. I was very close to giving up on the Launchdad theory after watching the finale, but again, after going back and doing some analyzing...I realized more interesting things:
- So, maybe Launchpad really was completely aware in “Last Crash”, but he was trying not to focus on the situation. Was he suppressing his feelings for the sake of being positive? In “B.U.D.D.Y”, we find out that he's aware of the fact that he's a constant screw-up who can easily be replaced, but normally, that doesn't get to him. In “The World's Longest Deathtrap”, he looked at getting crushed by the trap as a “cozy hug you'll never escape”. And in “Last Crash”, he’s oddly unfazed by Louie freaking out about dying. Maybe he was trying to keep things light-hearted and tend to the family to ease the growing tension. (If not, he was informed during the time gap. The boat made its way from Scrooge's pool to back in the Marina somehow.)
- When he talks to Scrooge through the intercom in the beginning of the episode, he says “[...] Don't worry, I'm not here to check on you on account of everyone moving out because the boys blame you for launching their mom into space and orphaning them, [...]”
- He knows it's not Scrooge’s fault. Even still, he never personally weights in on the situation. Wouldn't he think negatively of Della abandoning her children? Does he think that Della just wanted to give her boys the stars? Or does he know another reason why she took such a risk? Does he know what she's like?
- I'm starting to wonder if he feels like he shares the blame for her disappearance or is guilty for part of it in some way...he puts emphasis on how the boys blame Scrooge and says how they believe Scrooge launched their mom into space. (Even though Scrooge just supplied the rocket. She launched herself.) Yes, the word “launch” is often used when things are sent into space, but that’s part of his namesake. What could his involvement be? Could Della have expressed her plans of wanting to go to space with him and he encouraged her? Could he feel bad for not being there to stop her? Perhaps this is a bit of a stretch when I mention this, but after Dewey blames Scrooge for the first time, the plane tilts forward to where LP is rather than backwards where the blame was being placed.
- If LP is responsible in some way, that would explain why he's so dedicated to Scrooge; he knows how much the guy went through to bring Della back and wanted to help fix the situation. I don’t think him recapping what happen in “Last Crash” was meant to come off as rubbing it in and make Scrooge feel bad, but to signify that the family crisis weighed heavily on his mind.
- During the scene where Mrs. Beakley guilt-trips HDL, I noticed that Launchpad seems to blink quite a lot...and it’s not like he’s doing much, he’s just listening intently to Beakley’s speech. Excessive blinking can be a sign of stress and he was visibly upset during her points of sarcasm...could he have been close to crying? Were his outbursts to prevent him from crying?
- After Launchpad yells about how Beakley knows a lot, she gives LP a "Why are you overacting?" type of look. Did he respond that way because he misunderstood the point of her sarcasm? Or is this indicating that he already knew what happened with Scrooge and Della and what Beakley stated really struck a chord with him? A combination of both?
- We never get to see Launchpad's face when Della is directly mentioned by name. When Della is name-dropped during this scene, Louie's reaction is focused on, but we see Launchpad's arm with his fist clenched. What if he can only manage to refer to her in a vague manner? What if saying her name or seeing his face when her name is said is the part that completely gives him away?
In the latter half of “Shadow War”, Launchpad mentioned crashing a lot because he was very determined to crash the Sunchaser into the bin. Then later, we find out that Della crash-landed on the moon. (How the heck is she alive?!??) This reminds me a lot about how Launchpad kept mentioning “I'm a pilot!” throughout the first half of “Woo-oo!” and then it's revealed at the end that Della is also a pilot. There’s a number of parallels happening in the finale and this could have been on of them.
- When the transmission came through on Della's TV, she places her hand on Launchpad, Dewey and Louie’s side. In the next shot, her hand isn't on the TV anymore. We now see Scrooge and HDL are reflected on her goggles and she takes them off to get a better look. (Despite the family being closely placed together, Scrooge and HDL are the only characters we see being reflected. This is either because that's who she was focused on at this point or the report switched to another scene.) This is when she says “Boys?”. It really seems like she didn't recognize her sons until she took off her goggles. So... does that mean she placed her hand on Launchpad? Why would she bother placing her hand over someone she's completely unfamiliar with? Why didn't she place her hand over Scrooge? This is supposedly the first time she’s seen him in years. He should have been the one she recognized the most. If she was thinking about the possibility of Dewey and Louie being her sons at that moment, why would she have their faces blocked? Wouldn't she want to look at them while she held her hand over the screen? Also...why was Donald excluded from the news report? There’s an empty space next to Launchpad where he could have gone.
- If this is the same timeline affected by Dewey’s time-traveling in “Last Christmas”, it’s makes sense that Della could have recognized Dewey first, but again, why would she block his face? And if she realized he was her son the moment she saw him, wouldn't she have gasped before or as soon as she touched the screen?
- I’ve been headcanoning Della wearing a teal shirt under her jacket like her scarf, but the ending revealed that it's actually green. So, now both Launchpad and Della are aviators wearing green shirts, teal accessories, brown jackets and tan lower garments...why are they matching even more now? As I noted in my first blog post, Launchpad wasn't even originally intended to wear teal and green; he was supposed to wear his chauffeur outfit consistently. And it's not like green and teal were required for him to wear; Scrooge was not looking for a new pilot. This is LP’s normal outfit. He choose to wear this. Why would he basically choose to wear Della’s colors? If LP doesn't know her personally, but is honoring her with his pilot outfit...then how did he know she wears a green shirt if it’s concealed by her jacket all the time? How could he have correctly guessed that? It’s hard to see this as a coincidence…
- When it came time to release the final version of LP’s Retail Incentive cover for Issue #6, it was so important for LP to be depicted in his adventuring pilot outfit, that IDW had to swap him out of his chauffeur outfit. Why? It’s not like he no longer wears it, it would have represented what he looks like on the show just fine. What, did it just look better? Similarly, we’re fourteen issues in and LP is still being shown in his chauffeur outfit while adventuring, but inside of the comic book, he’s wearing his adventuring outfit while adventuring. It’s very likely they had to go back and re-draw him wearing the latter.
- As we got more comic material with Della in it, I noticed that her outfit changed more times than I realized. The one she was depicted in in the pilot was not only reminiscent of Launchpad’s original outfit before the reboot, but also matches well with his chauffeur outfit. More so depending on what color they intended her scarf to be in the painting. I've seen some perceive it as pale red, but if it was meant to be gold or even a soft orange, that would be another color she shares with LP...so ultimately...they still could have ended up matching...? (Heh, what if it turns out LP had outfits that match all the color palettes they considered for Della?)
- “Last Christmas!” revealed that Della has been wearing green and teal, along with brown, ever since she was a child. In universe, these have been her colors for the longest time. Why would Launchpad choose to make his piloting outfit colors closely match what she wore first?
So where does the Launchdad theory go from here? Well...he and Della still could have dated, but he's very doubtful that HDL are his because she never told him. Maybe Della thought there wasn't much of a reason to tell him about the kids if they went their separate ways. Or Della could have ended up in a new relationship with a different guy and Launchpad thinks HDL resulted from that. He's convinced that there will always be someone better than him. Perhaps that seeped into his romantic relationships as well.
Maybe their relationship was interrupted in some way; There's still the concept of the father being hospitalized by a firecracker. Maybe Launchpad was believed to be dead.
- Could the chase scene where Launchpad loses Dewey's grip in “B.U.D.D.Y” symbolize how Della's relationship with him ended unofficially? Something out of their control possibly got in the way? There was a rock in the road and when Launchpad drove over it, Dewey was sent toward the sky in slow motion...I dunno.
- I'm doubting that he and Della were together for a very brief time judging by how much LP cares about Dewey and the fact that the pilots would get along very well because of their interests, but there's still a possibility. Launchpad’s return after reuniting with Oceanika in “The Depths of Cousin Fethry!” might have been hinting that he didn't stay entirely committed to everyone he’s dated. (If they were through, why did they pick up where they left off instead of keeping things platonic?)
- Something else I’m doubting is that LP could become HDL’s step-dad because that continues to leave the biological father unexplored or it creates a less interesting role for the mysterious character. And the fact that Donald pretty much has the step-dad role already: he stepped in to raise his nephews. If Launchpad is given a parental role, it would have to be more unique to have significance, but still, it's not ruled out.
Whatever truly happened, Launchpad has been involved in many romantic relationships. What could have set Della apart from the rest so much that he looks for work directly through her family, decides to stay there and choses to wear an outfit that emulates hers, on a daily basis?
I feel like the last season may have been LP not wanting to give up on Della coming back and maybe this season is him trying to come to terms that she’ll never come back...until he finds out she's alive. The iTunes description and the glimpse of her at the end of “Last Christmas” seems to imply Della will come back this season, maybe at the very end of it, so if LP and Della truly do have a connection, it could get addressed at that point and elaborated on in Season 3.
When I was first introduced to the suggestion of Delpad being a thing and rejecting the idea soon afterwards, I thought of some alternatives: Maybe they were friends, maybe he was simply a fan of hers, or maybe he was friends with the dad. He’s a pilot, so he’s bound to know something about her, right? Maybe someone will ask him what he knows...but we went an ENTIRE season and not one character has bothered to ask him! And he never bothers to say anything! We’re six episodes into the next season and still--nothing! Isn't that odd?! Yeah, he’s Launchpad, but would it have really hurt to ask? And how long does it take to say something like “I didn't know her, but I would have liked to meet her.” or “I met her before, she was pretty cool. I'm sad she's gone.”? The fact that this elephant in the room keeps getting avoided after many opportunities to address it, seriously seems to hint towards something big happening. Now that Della's case is out in the open and the family drama has settled and if he was suppressing any feelings, maybe he'll be more willing to talk about her later on in Season 2 and finally reveal what he knows about her.
That’s all I have for this update! Thanks for reading!
TL;DR: Stop sleeping on Launchpad! He’s important!
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