Quackerjack is a recurring antagonist of the Darkwing Duck franchise. He is a toymaker who went insane after the advent of video games put him out of business and became a harlequin-style jester-themed supervillain to seek revenge. While he lacks powers, he wields an arsenal of toy-themed weaponry, such as his trademark doll, Mr. Banana Brain, which Quackerjack treats as a sentient sidekick, and mechanical chattering teeth toys of various sizes. He's also a member of Negaduck's Fearsome Five.
Background[]
He was once the owner of a toy company called "Quackerjack Toys" that went out of business after the "Whiffle Boy" video game market expanded. Understandably, he has a particular hatred of "Whiffle Boy" video games and toys. He became a deranged supervillain who commits various crimes to aid his toymaking ventures, as well as various schemes to get people to buy his dangerous creations. He uses his toys to aid him for his crimes in most episodes. His catchphrase is "It's PLAYTIME!"
Quackerjack seems to be influenced by the classic clownish archetype of supervillain that includes the Joker, the Trickster, Punch and Jewelee, the Harlequin, the Prankster, Toyman, and the Clown. He also has a doll named Mr. Banana Brain (a parody of Mr. Potato Head), whom he carries around and talks to. Generally, he adapts a high pitched voice to have the puppet talk back in rhyming form. Other dangerous toys used by Quackerjack are a Giant teddy bear robot which destroyed a "Whiffle Boy" warehouse before self-destructing; a giant "Crying Crissie" doll with which he tried to unsuccessfully flood "Whiffletown", a pair of chattering teeth, an apathy causing hypnosis toy called Mr. Relaxatron, and his most fiendish torture device- - Mr. History Doll, a talking trivia doll which repeats useless historical facts endlessly over and over!
In most of his appearances, Quackerjack either works alone or with Megavolt. He is also a member of the Fearsome Five. (led by Negaduck and including Bushroot, Liquidator, and Megavolt).
Personality[]
He is generally hyperactive and clownish, with a jolly attitude. However, his mood can flip on a dime, going from extremely jubilant and happy to explosively angry in a matter of seconds. Quackerjack tends to view everything as a game, but that doesn't mean he won't work toward his goal of winning or get upset when things don't go his way.
Powers and abilities[]
Like Negaduck, Quackerjack possesses no superhuman abilities, though that makes him no less dangerous than any other villain. He does not have any superpowers officially but does claim his "Wackiness" was taken from him in the episode "Jailbird" in which Negaduck uses a magical gem to steal the abilities of the rest of the Fearsome Five.
A brilliant inventor, Quackerjack prefers to battle with an arsenal of toy and gag themed weapons; his favorite being chattering teeth that can bite and chew through anything. He once even invented a time machine called the Time Top (due to its design being based on a spinning top). While no martial artist, Quackerjack is also incredibly athletic, capable of performing perfect backflips and impressive leaps. All in all, his acrobatic affinity, arsenal of lethal gadgets, and unpredictability make him a top tier villain.
Appearances[]
Darkwing Duck[]
Quackerjack first debuted in "Whiffle While You Work", in which he first met Darkwing (though he seemed to know him from somewhere, Darkwing didn't know him) and their rivalry was established.
In "The Haunting of Mr. Banana Brain", he stole a haunted jack-in-the-box that contained a demonic entity named Paddywhack, who possessed his doll for a little while and fed on the emotion of suffering that he causes others. Quackerjack noticed a change in the voice of his doll (Paddywhack's voice was far deeper than the high pitch Quackerjack used for the doll himself) but seemed unsurprised that the doll was moving and talking under its own power. This means Quackerjack likely is not aware of the doll lacking the life of its own (though he seems aware that it is a doll), suggesting insanity and draws a parallel to Batman's almost contemporary villain the Ventriloquist (created in 1988, only three years before Darkwing Duck). In the episode, he was forced to team up with Darkwing Duck to get rid of Paddywhack, or submit to eternal torment specifically designed by Paddywhack with Quackerjack in mind: Paddywhack would fiendishly (from Quackerjack's point-of-view) force Quackerjack to adopt "normal" modes of behavior. This was raucously characterized by the depiction of Quackerjack dressed in a business suit.
In "Toys Czar Us", he forced the manager of a toy store to stock shelves with his personal brand of fun, despite protest.
In "Quack of Ages", he went back in time using his Time Top to eliminate the very first yo-yo. In Darkwing's attempt to thwart this, he inadvertently gives out the idea, which keeps history and technology on track as intended.
In "Time and Punishment", he used the top to travel into the future with Megavolt to discover more advanced toys. Thanks to an accidental kidnapping of Gosalyn, he turned Darkwing into the revenge-crazed DarkWarrior Duck.
As a member of the Fearsome Five, Quackerjack appeared in the episode "Just Us Justice Ducks".
In "Stressed to Kill", Quackerjack teamed up with Megavolt again, and, using a toy called Mr. Relaxatron, the two had the city in an apathetic daze as they robbed it blind and caused mass mayhem. Throughout the episode, he constantly annoys Megavolt by calling him "Sparky".
A friendly, more gentle Quackerjack is seen as one of the members of the "Friendly Four" in "Life, the Negaverse, and Everything". He's still insane but more docile and actually has somewhat of a conscience, being he still makes toy weaponry but only to use against Negaduck while he gives normal toys to children.
He appeared as a Fearsome Five member again in the episode "Jail Bird". When Negaduck stole the powers of the other four members, it was revealed that Quackerjack's superpower was "wackiness" (a euphemism for mania), without which he became depressed and whiny.
Goof Troop[]
In the episode "Axed by Addition", Quackerjack makes a cameo on Max's watch.
DuckTales (2017)[]
In the episode "Beware the B.U.D.D.Y. System!", an actor playing Quackerjack is shown in the Darkwing Duck television series that Launchpad is a fan of. The actor playing Quackerjack is shown robbing a bank, along with the actors playing Liquidator and Megavolt, but they are defeated by Jim Starling, the actor playing Darkwing Duck.
The real Quackerjack later appears in the Season 3 episode, "Let's Get Dangerous!", summoned by Taurus Bulba via Ramrod in a plan to take out Darkwing Duck and destroy the city of St. Canard. During the plan, Darkwing, Gosalyn, and Launchpad spy on Quackerjack planning to take over the Cranky Frank's toy store, just as Quackerjack controls a gigantic robotic version of himself just as he chases the trio across the city. The three manage to hide from Quackerjack just before Liquidator arrives and prepares to attack the trio. Furthermore, Darkwing plans to face Bulba and the rest of the villains he summoned.
Later, Gosalyn and Launchpad notice Quackerjack, Liquidator, and Megavolt attacking Darkwing in combat via W.A.N.D.A. to which the two plan to save Darkwing from the villains. Arriving at the area where the Ramrod is at, Gosalyn, Launchpad, and Darkwing perform a surprise attack and fight against the Fearsome Five in combat to which during battle, Quackerjack prepares to throw explosive bananas at Darkwing and Launchpad to which Darkwing reflects Liquidator's ability on Quackerjack to which the duo manages to foil them. With the Ramrod activated, Quackerjack and the rest of the villains (with the exception of Bulba) are sucked back into the rift to which afterwards, the rift closes.
Printed media[]
Darkwing Duck comics[]
Quackerjack reunites with his comrades in the first issue of Boom! Studios' Darkwing Duck comic book.
In the series' comic book revival under Boom! Studios, Quackerjack's character was revamped. In the first arc, "The Duck Knight Returns", he became eviler after Negaduck, having learned Darkwing's secret identity, belittled Quackerjack and destroyed his Banana-Brain doll. He worked for Quackwerks much to his joy since he could apply his ideas to the company, but then he really snapped after no one would listen to his ideas. He became the leader of the Fearsome Four (minus Negaduck), destroyed a Crime-Bot with his bare hands, and blew up buildings with exploding action figures of himself.
After he was carted away to prison, Quackerjack later escaped and, in the single-issue story "Toy With Me", got a device that would turn St. Carnardians into soulless little toys. It is revealed he has a girlfriend named Claire. Darkwing manages to stop his plan and make him think things through, but Quackerjack escapes and seemingly turns himself into a toy at Claire's doorstep (which could also count as a suicide), claiming it is all he'll ever be.
In Boom!'s final arc, "Dangerous Currency", Quackerjack is revived, transformed into a sentient jack-in-the-box, after getting touched by the slime that Magica De Spell uses to take over Duckburg and St. Canard. He is eventually returned to his original state by being zapped with the antidote. However, this story arc was never approved by the Walt Disney Company and is not considered canon.
Quackerjack plots his vengeance in the final issue of Joe Books' Darkwing Duck comic.
Canonically, Quackerjack is shown to have been resurrected in a one-page cameo in "Dawn of the Day of the Return of the Living Spud II: Army of Starchness", published in issue #8 of the continuation by Joe Books. He is shown watching a news report on TV while working on a plan he has in store for St. Canard's upcoming toy expo, setting up what would've been the story arc for the comic's next three issues. It is unknown how he was changed back from a doll, and due to Disney cancelling the comic and firing writer Aaron Sparrow from the later Dynamite Entertainment title,[1] it will likely never be explained, though Sparrow has hinted that Quackerjack may have never actually turned into a doll in the first place.[2][3]
Quackerjack reappears in the second issue of Dynamite Entertainment's Darkwing Duck comic, thereby negating his story arc from the Boom!/Joe Books series. It is implied that he inadvertently learns Darkwing Duck's secret identity, due to Drake Mallard saying "That's not how my catchphrase goes" (in response to a Darkwing Duck doll saying "IT'S PLAYTIME!"), within earshot of Quackerjack; however, this is never brought up again, not even when Quackerjack appears again with the rest of the Fearsome Five a few issues later. This is one of many reasons why, unlike the Boom!/Joe Books series, the Dynamite comic is not considered canon to the cartoon.
Video games[]
Darkwing Duck[]
Quakerjack appears as a boss character in the video game. Darkwing battles him at the end of the bridge level.
DuckTales: Scrooge's Loot[]
Once a player equips the Inventor costume, they can use an attack where there is a Quackerjack-In-The-Box.
Disney Heroes: Battle Mode[]
Quackerjack appears as a playable character in the game. Character interaction dialogues have him befriending Lock, Shock, and Barrel, who take an interest in his dangerous toys, while one questline has him asking for help from the cast of Toy Story to try and find the missing Mr. Banana Brain.
Gallery[]
Trivia[]
- Quackerjack is an expy of the superman villain Toyman, specifically the second incarnation Jack Nimball who was most remembered as being a member of Lex Luthor's Legion of Doom in the Superfriends cartoon.
- According to an interview with Tad Stones on the fansite Flapping Terror, Quackerjack was intended to be a darker character, much like The Joker, but he ended up being written as a more silly, eccentric type villain, which Stones was disappointed with. The original take on Quackerjack was brought back within the 2010 comic series.
- "Toy With Me"'s cover was taken from the Batman one-shot The Killing Joke, which gave some backstory and development to the Joker such as revealing him to have become the way he was due to a "very bad day."
- Quackerjack's real name was never revealed in the series.
- He and Negaduck are the only Darkwing Duck characters to retain their original voice actors for the DuckTales reboot.
Citations[]
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