Launchpad’s Association with Della Duck: A Reflection
A lot has changed since my first two Association theory posts from ten months ago. It was waaaay back in January...we were only nine episodes in and about to experience the biggest DuckTales hiatus ever. Now we’re headed into Season 2 with more information about the things we pondered in the beginning of first.
Since so much has changed, I thought it would be best to take a look back before I dive into providing more possible hints that could support the idea of Launchpad and Della having a history.
Let's see what still holds up...and what I was totally wrong about.
For Part 1:
When I opened up my first theory post, I hypothesized that Launchpad could be working for Scrooge for Della-related reasons. This could still very well be true, but I don’t believe it’s to find out what happened to her. Now, I believe he’s involved to help Scrooge find her. I was so focused on Dewey and Webby’s search and focused too much on Scrooge trying to wipe out everything having to do with Della, that I didn't take that into consideration. If Launchpad read about the incident in the newspaper or by other means, he should already know Della got lost in space.
- It’s still hard to determine whether Scrooge could suspect LP to be the father of the triplets. In the original series, Scrooge first met Launchpad as a teenager. Could they have previously met before he was hired in the reboot continuity? Could Della have briefly introduced him to Scrooge? Could Scrooge have known that LP and Della were friends?
- Either way, Scrooge is doing a little too much for someone who just started working for him in the beginning of the series. He gave LP a place to stay at the end of the two-parter and pays for all the damages he creates. He could have hired someone who was more professional, but he chooses to hold on to Launchpad in spite of constantly getting annoyed by his antics. He didn't seem very interested in LP’s background, so why does he care about him so much? In the “Solving Mysteries and Rewriting History” book, Scrooge’s explanation was that LP keeps him from falling into a false sense of safety, but this might be a cover for deeper reasons.
- There was a lot of focus on the kids helping to bring Scrooge’s adventurous side back, but maybe keeping Launchpad is his way of showing gratitude for being a part of that. LP did try to bring The Drake Barrier Reef to Scrooge’s attention to get him interested in coming out of retirement (even though Scrooge was already looking at the article during the board meeting). Maybe Launchpad’s reckless driving reminded Scrooge of the adventurous lifestyle he used to share with Donald and Della. Maybe Launchpad reminds Scrooge of Della. Dewey reminds Scrooge of Della and he was being a bit ignorant towards him and other things that were reminiscent of his niece as well.
Launchpad is definitely smarter than he’s perceived and has shown surprising moments of maturity. Like how he remained calm when things started going south in “Last Crash”. He thought about the kids and wanted to distract them with Darkwing Duck so they wouldn't be worried. Also, the time where he explained the lesson in “Moorshire”, immediately after he proved himself to be insightful, he undercuts himself by “eating” a bunch of golf balls. Did he really think they were eggs? Or did he accidentally show how smart he truly was and needed a distraction? I’m having a hard time buying his act...it doesn't look like he was really choking, he could still talk and he was keeping the golf balls in rather than spitting them out. Possible proof that he’s playing dumb to an extent for some reason.
- Going into Season 2, There’s still a lot we don’t know about Launchpad. We have yet to see things like LP's scrapbook, what his adventures were like before he began working for Scrooge. (We have an idea, but we never get to see them.) Season 2 seems like it could be leaning further into his history and could be giving him an arc.
It's been confirmed that this version of LP has also had a very adventurous life with an extensive romantic history, so he really could have met Della in person at some point and the two could have dated.
Aw man, “Last Crash” confirmed that LP doesn't know Baloo. Oh well, maybe he’ll get to meet him, or Della could possibly know him. We haven't gone to Cape Suzette yet, but there are many hints that we will soon.
“Agent 22” seems to be the “Double-O-Duck” inspired episode being referred to during the D23 Expo panel from last year, but Launchpad was hardly in it. Maybe this is just the beginning and it'll lead into something more based on DoD. Beakley was wearing a Darkwing hat and cape in the slideshow for the San Diego Comic Con this year. She also shares a good deal of colors with DW already…
If the moments where Launchpad gets hurt doesn't symbolize what prevented himself from seeing Della again, maybe some of them were meta setbacks to keep him from revealing his association with her or something important about himself. For example, the snakes kept him away from Donald mentioning The Spear of Selene in the pilot. What if he knew what it was? That it wasn't an artifact and that it had to do with Della? His reaction could have been too revealing. Similarly, he drove away in the beginning of “The Great Dime Chase!” and was tasked to figure out what was wrong with the Sunchaser in the majority of “The Spear of Selene!”. If he knows Della, he could know about Selene because of her. It could have been too revealing if he was more involved; especially when Selene herself points out how similar Dewey, Launchpad’s best friend, is to his mother.
- Huey was the first to make sure LP was ok after getting a bunch of snakes dropped on him in “Woo-oo!”. Louie was the first to call LP family in “Neverrest”…But Launchpad considers Dewey to be his best friend? Even when their interaction prior to “Terror” was practically non-existent? Even Dewey was surprised by LP’s statement in that episode. We don’t even get to see Dewey apologize for setting off that snake trap. All he ever did was be his reckless self and Launchpad became attached to him. Dewey did eventually check on him by asking if he was ok when he returned from that side-quest in Macau, but Dewey wasn't the first one to care, he was the last. If LP’s friendship isn't purely based on seeing part of himself in Dewey’s personality, he could definitely be seeing Della.
I found out that there is actual proof that Launchpad may have been part of the military as a test pilot. A character introduction page from the older DuckTales comics had this to say about him:
It’s possible that the showrunners acknowledged this fact and merged it with LP’s rebooted character.
It doesn't seem like Magica and Della's arcs have anything to do with each other aside from the moon, so, that debunks Lena and Webby reflecting a friendship they could have had, but perhaps something will change in the future. Magica's still running around and will probably regain her powers. (And who’s to say Lena and Webby’s friendship isn't reflecting another one that Della could have had?)
Now that Donald has forgiven Scrooge, he’s becoming more prominent in Season 2 and will likely start joining the rest of the family on their trips from now on. Throughout most of the first season, LP and Donald have been very avoidant of each other and both were very avoidant of Webby. I've been theorizing that their interactions were being held off for Della-related reasons. Donald could definitely be reminded of his sister through both of them and Launchpad could be reminded of Della through Donald and Webby. I thought that LP would have already been shown having a strong connection with Webby since she hangs out with Dewey a lot, but we don’t see that until “Shadow War”. And with the praise Webby gave about Donald being a great adventurer, I thought they would talk about that together some time after, but again, we don't get to see them talking until “Shadow War” and it’s hardly a conversation. Now we have a better chance of seeing interaction between all three of them and discovering the true reason why they've been kept away from each other.
- When it comes to Launchpad’s confusion over who Donald was in “Woo-oo!”, I’m leaning heavily on the “uncle” title throwing him off. There is no way he can know who Scrooge, the Richest Duck in The World, is without knowing who’s been accompanying him for many years. The family is so famous, he should have known about Donald and Della’s existence prior to working for Scrooge. Maybe he thought the kids were actually Donald's children at first or he believed that they belonged to a cousin.
- There seems to be a trend where Launchpad understands part of a thing, but not in full. He knew Don Karnage was the plant scientist in “Sky Pirates”, but he thinks Don actually is a scientist. He knows Fenton is Gizmoduck, but he thinks Fenton is a robot. He knew it was the Beagle Boys in Woodchuck outfits, but he thought they genuinely joined as scouts. So he really could have previously known who Donald was, but never knew that Donald became an uncle because he wasn't told about Della having children.
For Part 2:
While revisiting Launchpad’s side-quest, I made some other realizations that could be hinting towards this moment being important: Ziyi was very likely a panda and not a duck. The cub Launchpad brought back could have been her kid. It doesn't sound like LP was able to find Ziyi when he came back. If so, then basically…Launchpad went on a mission to reconnect with his previous love interest, who left her offspring behind when she went missing. The same could be applied to Della.
- When stating that the panda being on Launchpad’s back was something he had to bear as in “endure” and how it possibly represents HDL being his sons, I somehow missed out on something else: Pandas are no longer considered bears, but are still referred to as such. If the cub was Ziyi’s she beared a child and Launchpad was taking care of that child. (He’s not the cub’s father since it would have been evident, but it’s a loose suggestion)
- Maybe the panda not only represents HDL being LP’s sons, but Dewey specifically. Launchpad could be seeing something special about both children. He’s could be reminded of both Ziyi and Della through them.
- Who else could the “war crime” family be representing? The DeSpells are still possible since there’s a mysterious blood feud going on between them and the McDucks, but could it possibly be The Beagles? The Greek gods? Who could have caused the storm? Zeus didn't answer Huey after he was questioned about whether or not he could control all types of storms. Where was Circe in “The Spear of Selene!”? She lived on Ithaquack in the original DuckTales series. And what's up with Selene?! She’s the goddess of the moon but she hasn't seen Della in years?!
Since the whole family is in on Della's story, they could all work together to bring her back, not just LP and Dewey as I had theorized.
Ha, I think I made Della a little too short in the color comparison I created, so here's a better version:
In the back of my head, I was starting to think I was making too far of a stretch with comparing Donald and Beakley to their co-workers, but now I think I could have been onto something. The two were being compared to each other in “Shadow War”; Donald took charge of the situation and devised a plan similar to what Mrs. Beakley was going to do. Meanwhile, she was instructed to protect Donald's houseboat and began saying his signature phrases in the process.
- Even before this special aired, I came across a promotional image where the main cast are placed in a way that suggests Mrs. Beakley and Donald have similar demeanors. It also implies that a character is missing:
- Notice how Scrooge is depicted in the center instead of being closer to Launchpad to balance the composition. Donald is leaning towards Beakley’s side and Scrooge stands straight. Also notice how the adult personalities seem to range from most strict to most lenient. If you split the group from the center, symmetry suggests that both sides should have one tall adult, one short adult and two kids. The other side is missing its short adult. Della would be way too fitting for this spot; she’s Donald’s twin sister, her personality is in between being not as serious as Scrooge can be, but probably not as lenient as Launchpad and while she’s an important character, she’s hardly ever seen. What reason would the artist decide to make the composition imbalanced in this way if there are an even number of characters? Who else would be a better fit for this spot? And if it’s suggest that Della is the one who’s missing from this, why is it suggested that she belongs on Launchpad’s side rather than Beakley’s?
- Also, the kiss remark from Louie has become a bit of a running gag now that could be leading up to a significant kiss: Donald and Beakley did not kiss, Scrooge and Goldie almost kissed, Huey and a mutated seaworm kissed, (ew, lol) but it was meant to be a joke and it wasn't enjoyed. So, according to the pattern, could we expect Launchpad and Della to be the ones to give a kiss that’s meant to be taken seriously?
- Something that could help strengthen this is the Patos de la PasiΓ³n show that MamΓ‘ Crackshell was watching in “Who Is Gizmoduck?”. There might be some foreshadowing going on: The show’s episode was about a long-lost sibling returning, the male leads have a beak design that closely resembles Launchpad’s and the lead female character has long hair like Della was revealed to have now. In addition to this, one of the male leads and the female lead almost kiss in the title card.
Ha, I was really hype about the “mummies and daddies” joke. I later realized another reason why it caught my attention: it kinda sounds like “If that's what the mom is like, I'd hate to see what the dad is like.”; A bit of a reflection from the audience. Even before the season ended, many fans had the notion that Della wasn't ready to become a parent. It was hinted that she’s pretty extreme, doesn't make the best choices and plays around a little too much. Now we know about how her recklessness and impatience lead to her disappearance.
- The father was more than likely someone who was ok with or able to keep up with Della’s fast-paced, adventurous lifestyle. There’s a high chance that he was an adventurer himself or something close to that.
- Most people already think negatively about the father for never being around and LP already comes off as incompetent, dangerous and dense. It’s not expected for him to be a parent and a lot of people don’t want to think about him being the father, but the fact that he’s a very well-traveled pilot, and that he’s someone with a personality type Della could get along with, he can’t be ruled out just yet...
- The reboot has already merged separate concepts to either create another character or to add on to them. Lena was created by merging the idea of Magica’s rebellious shadow from the original series episode “Magica’s Shadow War” and her niece Minima, who befriended Webby in an old DT comic. Flintheart Glomgold was treated similarly: The Duke of Baloni was the first to be titled “The Second-Richest Duck” and pre-dates Flintheart’s creation. The idea of this character was combined with Glomgold’s original South African history as well as his Scottish background that the first DuckTales series gave him.
- Launchpad shares enough traits with what little we know about the father (accident-prone, depicted with red hair, possible military involvement) and the traits he had before the reboot, compliment the idea well. Establishing Della as a pilot in 2014 with the “80 is prachtig”/”Family Ties” comic only increased his eligibility.
I’m feeling stronger about the hula girl bobble figure belonging to Launchpad and about it holding some sort of significance; being used as a form of motivation, something to help him de-stress or it was put on the dashboard in honor of Della. The figure was brought to the foreground in “Sky Pirates” and “Last Crash”. She was given a redesign with green and teal clothing and longer hair. Her hair is suddenly brown, and the flower is now orange, but her feathers remained gold. (This matches up with LP’s chauffeur outfit.) So, now she’s depicted as a long-haired female who shares colors with Launchpad. (I’ll talk more about colors later.)
- What adds on to possibility of the hula girl having significance, I feel like Launchpad’s Darkwing Duck bobble head is being used in a similar way. He brought it out for two urgent occasions: in “B.U.D.D.Y” when he was chasing the self-driving car and when he was ready to crash into the Money Bin in “Shadow War”. (He had both of the bobble figures out during the latter.)
I’m still feeling iffy about the mole comparison, but I guess it’s not too far-fetched, There were parallels being made between the movie and what was actually happening with the group. If I didn't catch what was being hinted at, maybe there’s something else.
- If Launchpad is HDL’s father wouldn't he feel really bad for not being in their lives for ten years? Would he see himself as a monster?
I haven't seen this argued in the open, but I think most who are not in favor of HDL's father showing up believe it'll diminish Donald's role. I don't think anyone who is hoping for that side of HDL's parentage to be explored wants to see Donald get tossed to the side. (I sure don't!) We're not trying to downplay Donald's importance in HDL's lives. If the father isn't dead or a jerk, it would be nice to see him included and get to know his family. Both of them, along with Della, Scrooge and Beakley can raise the boys together. Della and the father would have to turn to Donald and learn how to be good parents through him. He knows their children better than anyone else.
Ok, that's enough reflecting. I have a brand new batch of observations I want to discuss and quite a lot to say about the ending of Season 1.
Are you up for more reading? Continue here.
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