Author's Note: Here comes the next chapter of Howard's Ducktales, one that everyone has been looking forward to for a while.
Now, before we begin, I have an announcement to make. I've been writing extensively for a while, but for now, I think I would like a break from uploading anything. It's just to recharge my batteries. Nothing serious. I'll be back in a few short weeks. So please, be patient until I return.
Anyway, enjoy the chapter. Any and all comments are welcome.
Deep within the sewers of St. Canard, a masked villain was ready to detonate a pile of bombs and blow up an orphanage. Thankfully, before he could set them off, he was cut off by a heroic figure who appeared from a cloud of purple smoke.
"I am the terror that flaps in the night!" the hero proclaimed. He had a purple mask covering the top half of his face except for the yes, a dark hat, a cape, and a shirt that was all purple. "I am the pebble in the penny loafer of depravity! I am…"
"Darkwing Duck." the villain finished.
"Ah, so you've heard of me. Let's get dangerous."
Darkwing Duck took his first step toward the villain only to detonate a mine which blew him up. Thankfully, he was used to extreme pain and was able to power through it. Same thing with the next mine and the next. Incidentally, he managed to fall on the villain before recovering and grabbing him by the front of his outfit.
"You think a few very painful explosions can stop me? Now, let's see who you really are." Darkwing Duck removed the villain's mask, only to gasp as he found a face identical to his own smiling back at him. "ME?!"
TO BE CONCLUDED…!
"Whoa, what a twist!" shouted a middle-aged duck to a crowd of people who gathered in front of a new furniture store. Among those people included Howard, Dewey, and Launchpad.
The whole Darkwing Duck scene was shown from the screen of an old TV. Launchpad couldn't help but clap when he viewed it.
"What?! I never saw that coming!"
"Wait, haven't you seen this episode?" Dewey asked.
"Seventy-five times, but never in a parking lot." Launchpad said.
"Wait. Is that really the last episode of the show aired?" Howard asked. "But where did this Darkwing clone come from?"
"Wow. Surprised you're actually invested in this, Howard." Dewey said.
"Well, I thought I'd catch up on some Earth media after moving here," Howard said, "And Launchpad insisted on showing me his Darkwing Duck DVDs. And after a couple of episodes, I actually liked it."
"Sadly," the duck next to the TV said, "Beloved TV show Darkwing Duck, starring me, Jim Starling, was canceled before we could end this story. But there's no end to the savings at Siesta Rick's Sofa Fiesta! Let's get comfortable!" He picked up a pair of giant scissors and used them to cut the red ribbon at the store's front door. "I'll be signing autographs for one and all. If one and all want one."
Most of the crowd wasn't remotely interested and walked away from the ribbon cutting. The despondent actor sulked and sat in his booth waiting for the few customers to come on up and get their autographs from him.
"You good?" Dewey asked Launchpad.
"Yep. Totally cool." Launchpad said. "Thanks for being here. You too, Howard."
"No prob." Howard said. "Though, is it just me, or does the Darkwing Duck actor seem kinda grumpy."
"Jim's kinda had it rough since the show ended." Launchpad said. "But no matter what, he's still my hero."
"Looks like it's not just you." Howard said. He pointed at another duck next to launchpad, a man with a purple plaid shirt and a baseball hat with the initials DW on it.
"Okay. Keep it together." he told himself. "'I am your biggest fan!' No. 'I have modeled my entire life after yours.' 'I wanna keep you in a big jar in my closet!'"
Howard laughed. "Oh, I gotta be here when you tell him that, stranger."
"Calm down, buddy." Launchpad said trying to ease the superfan down. "Jim Starling's just a regular guy. I've been to plenty of these signings, and one day, I'm actually gonna meet him."
"Wait. If you've seen him so many times, how come you've never talked to him?" the fan asked.
"Next!" Jim called out for Launchpad, who fainted immediately.
"This is why." Dewey answered.
With Launchpad down, Howard and Dewey struggled to carry him to the signing booth. Meanwhile, the fan already went ahead of them to get his prized flyer signed by the empathetic Jim Starling. He tried to introduce himself, but Jim wouldn't listen. He just signed it, took his money, and sent him away.
Suddenly, Jim's expression changed when he saw Dewey approach his booth. With a smile, he leaped out of his chair and cheered.
"A fresh-faced new fan! I knew the kids still love me! Who do I make this out to?"
Rather than give a verbal answer, Dewey and Howard held Launchpad up and laid him on the table. Jim's smile dropped.
"Oh, the fainter's back." Jim proceeded to sign on Launchpad's face.
"If it makes you feel any better, I'm a new fan." Howard said. "My friend here just introduced me to the series, and I gotta say, it's pretty enjoyable."
"I'd prefer the kid, but whatever." Jim said.
"I'm gonna go ahead and post this." Dewey said while typing on his phone. "#DarkwingDuck… Whoa! That's weird."
"What's weird?" Howard asked.
"Darkwing Duck is trending number one worldwide." Dewey said.
"What?!" Jim gasped loudly.
"You didn't know?" Howard asked. "Why is it trending, Dewey?"
"You're not gonna believe this." Dewey said keeping his eyes on his phone. "It says here they're making a movie of Darkwing Duck."
"They are? We am?" Jim asked before jumping onto the table. "DARKWING DUCK IS BACK, BABY!"
"HE IS?!" Launchpad asked suddenly coming awake.
Launchpad was kind enough to give Jim Starling a ride to the studio where the Darkwing Duck movie was being made. Howard and Dewey went with. But every time Launchpad looked in his rearview mirror and saw the Darkwing Duck actor sharing the same car at him, he fainted and stopped the car before Howard and Dewey kept him awake.
"Hey! Fragile cargo over here!" Jim called out. He then slouched back in his seat. "Back on top. Arriving on set for a big-shot movie in style. Thanks for the ride, fans."
"I can't believe it." Dewey said excitedly. "I'm actually going to real movie studio, where larger-than-life big-screen legends are born."
"And you get to ride there with a real-life movie star." Launchpad said.
"You mean Jim?" Howard asked. "Look, Launchpad, I know you love the guy, but don't you find it strange that Jim only JUST found out about the movie?"
"What do you mean?" Launchpad asked.
"I mean, why didn't they send a ride for him?" Howard asked. "Or even tell him the movie's happening at all? Is he really involved with the movie at all?"
"Of course, he is." Launchpad said. "They couldn't make a movie without him. Jim Starling IS Darkwing Duck."
"You're dang right, he is, buddy!" Jim called out."
"I'm his buddy!" Launchpad gasped before fainting again.
Howard and Dewey were about to wake Launchpad up again, but the car suddenly stopped. It crashed to the side of the studio. They both walked out to look at the damage.
"Oh, man." Dewey said. "I hope whoever owns the studio isn't mad at… Wait. WHAT THE…"
"What?" Howard asked before looking up and seeing what Dewey was seeing. His eyes widened when he saw the name of the video company.
McDuck Studios!
"It's official." Howard said. "That man has EVERYTHING!"
Scrooge McDuck was in a meeting room sharing a private conversation with two people. One was a swan with brown hair and a dull-purple scarf around his neck. The other was an older lark with large, orange sunglasses and a gray mustache that matched his thinning hair.
"Sorry." Scrooge said to the swan. "You need more money for…"
"The grand finale of my film. A psychological examination of man's inhumanity to man."
"First of all, Alistair Boorswan, this isn't just your film." the old lark said. "You wouldn't even be using the Darkwing Duck character if I hadn't allowed you to. Secondly, what did I tell you about focusing too much on the psychological element?"
"Mr. Lark, I am an artist." Alistair said. "I see Darkwing Duck, and I see an opportunity to open man's eyes to a battle not of fists, but of souls and morals."
"Really?" the old lark asked. "Because it seems to me that you're just using my character as an excuse to create a high drama film."
Alistair sighed. "You may be the producer, but I am the director. As long as I'm in charge, I can decide how to show the film."
"Alistair, don't get ahead of yourself." Scrooge said. "Look, I haven't seen a movie since 1938. This studio was built to make cheap office safety videos for my company. When you and Stan Lark came to me, you convinced me a 'fun little action movie' would double my profits, but you're already overbudget. If you want one penny more, I have to be consulted on all decisions."
"Very sorry, Mr. McDuck." Stan Lark said. "We're just a little torn over the direction the movie will take. But rest assured, once we find a middle ground, I guarantee your income will be so great, the costs made for this movie will seem like pocket change by comparison. People these days love superhero movies, you know."
"Splendid." Scrooge said. "The movie should be in color. Color's all the rage these days. Oh! And the villain is going to need a mustache to twirl whenever he does something evil."
"Wow. You really haven't seen a movie in nearly a century, have you?" Stan asked.
All of a sudden, the door was kicked open. Dewey ran inside, grabbed a cone-shaped desk ornament, and confronted Scrooge with it. Howard and Launchpad followed.
"You have a movie studio that could fulfill a starry-eyed boy's cinematic dreams!" Dewey shouted. "Why didn't you tell me?!"
"To avoid this exact conversation." Scrooge replied.
"…Yeah, okay. I can see that." Dewey said.
Suddenly, Jim slipped his hand into the room to turn the lights off. He creeped into the room while Scrooge turned the lights back on.
"I am the terror that flaps in the night! I am the comeback the audience demands! I am… a huge fan, Alistair Boorswan! I mean, I've never actually seen your work, but you're British, so I'm sure that it's very classy."
"Jim Starling?" Stan Lark asked.
Jim turned and dropped his smile to stare daggers into the producer. "Stan Lark."
"Who's that?" Dewey asked.
"No way! It's him!" Launchpad yelled out excitedly. "It's Stan Lark, the genius behind the Darkwing Duck character! He's basically the living icon of superheroes! Mr. Lark, I'm Launchpad McQuack! I'm such a big fan!"
"Well, nice to meet you, young man." Stan said.
"Don't get too close to him, Launchpad." Jim sneered. "I wouldn't trust Stan with my own jacket."
"Really?" Howard asked. "I would think you two worked together."
"It's… more complicated than that." Stan said nervously.
"Well, you didn't even tell me they were making a movie about Darkwing Duck." Jim said.
"I tried, but you blocked all my numbers." Stan said.
"You blocked him?" Dewey asked turning to Jim. "Why would you do that?"
"I'd rather not talk about it." Jim said. "I'd rather talk about me." He turned to Alistair. "So, sorry you had to work with that old fossil, but congrats on bringing my character back and on the big screen!"
"I have so many questions!" Launchpad said. "Is Darkwing's motorcycle in the movie? Is he still a noble hero who gets back up and fights for right, no matter what evil throws at him? You're keeping the theme song, right?"
Alistair shifted his eyes around and flashed a smile. "Would you like to see the trailer?"
Everyone took a seat as Alistair turned out the lights and turned on the projector. The Darkwing Duck trailer started off dark and mysterious, which lured everyone in at first. But then, everyone's hopes began to fall when the trailer showed scenes of buildings burning, people screaming and running at the protagonist, and a nonapologetic hero.
When the trailer ended, Alistair scanned around the room for everyone's reaction. Stan Lark, though, buried his face in his hands groaning in annoyance. Everyone else just stared blankly until Launchpad broke the silence.
"That is NOT Darkwing Duck!" DW would never hurt innocent people or set the city on fire. …Not on purpose."
"But are we all not both the heroes and the villains in our own story?" Alistair asked.
"What?" Launchpad asked confused.
"This is what I'm talking about, Alistair." Stan said. "If a devoted fan to the franchise like this man here…" He gestured at Launchpad. "…can complain about the movie that much after just seeing the trailer, we really need to reevaluate what this movie's supposed to be. I suggest we extend production so we can make necessary changes to…"
"Ugh! You would say that. Just like the TV show." Jim said with venom in his voice. "Me, personally, I kinda like it. Grim, gritty. Shows off my dark, smoldering side."
"I kinda hated it." Dewey said.
"What?!" Alistair gasped.
"I didn't understand what was happening or what the bad guy was doing or even who the bad guy was."
"I knew he needed a mustache." Scrooge said.
"Speaking as someone who just got into the Darkwing Duck franchise, I have my own grievances." Howard said. "Like, what's with the pearl necklace? I don't remember that being in the original show. What does it even mean? And 'fighting darkness with more darkness'? How does that even make sense?"
"Alistair wants to take a more psychological direction of the movie." Stan said.
"Really?" Howard asked. "It seems like too much of a thinker."
"So besides myself, that's two for the trailer and four against." Scrooge said. "Stan's right. We need some new ideas if we want this movie to be a success."
"And how do you plan to do that?" Howard asked.
"You know what this movie needs?" Dewey asked. "It needs aliens! Or ninjas! Or the streetwise sidekick who skateboards everywhere and talks in catchphrases, like ya Dewey!"
"This is your main audience, Alistair." Scrooge said. "If this fiasco is gonna make me money, it has to appeal to the most childish child I know."
"Well put, Mr. McDuck." Stan said. "In fact, I have an idea. From here on out, Dewey is our main consultant. Whatever issues we may have, we can ask him to be our mediator."
"You cannot be serious!" Alistair shouted.
"I actually approve of this plan." Scrooge said. "From here on out, nothing happens in this movie unless Dewey likes it."
"Perfect!" Dewey shouted. "Let's talk musical numbers! How many is not enough?"
"Take it easy, kiddo." Stan said. "Just because your opinion matters a lot, it doesn't mean you get to make big decisions like that. I mean, Darkwing Duck is a bit of a glory hog, but in this day and age, no one expects a musical superhero film. Although, that does sound fun. But for now, let's keep things simple and come up with rising tension as it goes along, okay?"
Dewey thought for a minute before smiling. "You got a deal."
"Thank you, true believer."
"Don't listen to these yahoos, Mr. Boorswan." Jim said. "Especially to Stan. He's a secret hater, and he doesn't like to admit it. So when do we start?"
"We're almost finished, actually." Alistair said.
"Ah, so we're shooting the Darkwing scenes last." Jim guessed.
"No."
"Of course, I'll be… put in with CGI."
"Actually, Jim," Stan said nervously, "You… don't have the lead role."
"What?!" Jim gasped.
"I tried to tell you, and even offer you a guest role, but like I said, you wouldn't take my calls." Stan said. "The fact is, we decided to use a younger actor, someone who is also a big fan of Darkwing Duck."
As if on cue, a new person entered the meeting room. Howard, Dewey, and Launchpad stared in surprise at who it was. It was the same fan they chatted with briefly at the autograph signing earlier.
"You?!" Launchpad asked.
"Well, ain't that a coinkidink." Howard said.
"Mr. Starling!" the man said excitedly. "It's such a huge honor. Do you have any words of wisdom for the man stepping into your cape?"
Instead of a verbal answer, Jim Starling jumped at the fan-turned-actor and attacked him. It wasn't long before the security team got involved.
Launchpad and Howard followed the guard out of the studio where Jim was thrown out from. They helped him up back to his feet.
"That is NOT the Darkwing Duck I know and love." Launchpad said.
"Yeah! It's not me!" Jim yelled out.
"I don't know, guys." Howard said. "I know the trailer was trash, but it looks like that Stan Lark guy's going to turn things around."
"Don't get fooled by his friendly charms, man!" Jim shouted. "Knowing him, he's probably going to pull the plug on the whole thing just like he did with the Darkwing Duck show."
"What?" Launchpad asked. "Stan Lark himself canceled the Darkwing Duck show?"
"Yeah." Jim answered. "Our show was on top of the charts. We signed on for even more seasons. We even had the script for the Darkwing Duck doubleganger arc finale. But then, from out of nowhere, Stan Lark announces that he's no longer supporting our show, and with him gone, so was Darkwing Duck! That's why the show was canceled!"
"That's a twist." Howard commented. "That's very twisty."
"I can't believe it." Launchpad said. "Why would Mr. Lark do that?"
"Who cares?" Jim asked. "The point is, he's already ruining the movie by replacing me with that Hollywood hack!"
"Well, what can we do about it?" Howard asked.
"I don't know." Launchpad said. "I wish there was some way we could show them how great the old—"
"Original." Jim corrected.
"Uh… original Darkwing is." Launchpad continued.
Suddenly, Jim gets an idea. "Hey, maybe there is." he said before jumping into the limo. He then came back out wearing his old Darkwing Duck costume. "Are you with me, sidekicks?"
"Sidekick?!" Launchpad asked before fainting.
"So we're doing this, huh?" Howard asked. "Fine. But don't call me a sidekick again. It sounds like I'm a slapstick victim."
The three returned to the front of the studio where they hid behind a bush. They peeked over to glance at the security guard who was reading a magazine.
"Okay. What's the plan?" Launchpad asked Jim quietly.
"I break onto the set, you find this new hack actor's trailer, lock him up. I replace him in the finale, they see I'm obviously better, I'm back on top."
"And what will I be doing?" Howard asked.
"Find Stan Lark. Make sure he doesn't interfere. He'll see me coming a mile away. Any questions?"
"Seven." Launchpad said.
"Pick the most important one."
"Breaking in. Locking up. Going behind someone's back." Launchpad listed. "Doesn't that sound… not heroic?"
"When the chips are down and everyone's against him, what does Darkwing Duck do?" Jim asked.
"Get back up and fight for right." Launchpad answered.
"And I'm Darkwing Duck, right?" Jim asked.
"Of course."
"Relax, Launchpad." Jim said. "It's not like we're trespassing. I mean, Mr. McDuck owns the studio, and we live with him… Well, I do, anyway. But all we're doing is diverting a couple of people. It's not like we're doing anything illegal."
"I like where you're head's at, kid." Jim said. "I'll have to disguise myself to get past the guard. Luckily, I can disappear into any role."
In an explosion of purple smoke, Jim appeared in front of the front gate guard. He was still wearing his Darkwing Duck costume, but with a delivery man uniform worn over it along with a package in his arm. He managed to use it to get through the gates, but he was immediately chased by all the guards.
In the meantime, Howard and Launchpad climbed over the front walls and made it into the studio grounds. Once they were over, they nodded and went their separate ways.
Howard walked along the studio grounds keeping an eye out. He read the signs as he passed along.
"The Wonderful World of Number 2 Pencils"
"How to Handle a Small Fire"
"Can You Play Games on Work PC"
"Sheesh. Guess any movie will liven up this place, even a bad Darkwing Duck." Howard said.
"I thought so."
Howard gasped in surprise as he turned and jumped off his feet. He saw Stan Lark standing there with his arms crossed and a small smirk.
"You? I mean, I don't… Fine weather we're having." Howard commented slightly.
Stan's eyebrow was raised. "Let me guess. Jim's planning to force himself into the movie, and he sent you to make sure I don't stop him. And I assume he got the big guy to go after the lead actor too."
"That is… surprisingly accurate." Howard said. "How did you…"
"Because that's exactly what he'd do." Stan said followed by a sigh. "Look, whatever he told you…"
"He told us that you pulled the plug on Darkwing Duck." Howard said. "Is that not true?"
"No, it's true." Stan admitted. "But it's more complicated than that. I'll explain it all when we catch up with your friend. What do you say?"
Howard was speechless for a moment. He didn't know what to say other than, "Uh… Sure. Man, it's hard to argue against you."
"I do have that kind of charm." Stan said leading Howard away.
Eventually, Howard and Stan reached the actor's trailer. It was locked, so Stan used his master key to open it. But when they did, they found the actor and launchpad playing with toys over a red-hot ironer.
"Your pyro-pandemonium is passe, Hot Couture!"
"Au contraire, Darkwing. I'm setting the fashion world on fire!"
"Launchpad!" Howard shouted getting Launchpad's attention.
"Oh. Hey, Howard. Hey, Mr. Lark." Launchpad greeted.
"What the heck happened?" Howard asked. "I thought you said you were gonna hold him prisoner, not play with him."
"Well, we kinda fought, but we stopped when I noticed all the Darkwing merch he has around the place." Launchpad said. "He even has some discontinued stuff. Anyway, one thing lead to another, and here we are."
"Kid, I think it's about time to clear the air." Stan said to the actor.
"I was just thinking that." The actor pulled out a Darkwing Duck lunchbox with a kid's face dented into it.
"What's with the box?" Howard asked.
"That's quite a story." the actor explained. "Now, shocking as it may sound, I was not the coolest kid growing up."
"Stop the presses." Howard said sarcastically.
"But one day, I saw this show about this hero. He was unstoppable. No matter how many times he was beat up or blown up or electrocuted…"
"No matter how many planes he crashed or how much property damage he caused…" Launchpad added.
"He always got back up and fought for what's right."
"So you got that lunchbox, everyone saw how cool you are, and they stopped beating you up." Launchpad asked.
"Oh, no. They beat me up much harder. But I kept getting up."
"Moving, isn't it?" Stan asked. "When this kid came up to me and told me that very story, it sparked back hope for the future of Darkwing Duck."
"So why did you pull the plug on the original show?" Launchpad asked. "Jim said the show had a future before you chose to leave."
Stan sighed sadly. "It's true. Darkwing Duck was on top of the TV charts. We were green-lit for at least three more seasons. But then, I got the script for the next episode."
"Was there something wrong with it?" Howard asked.
"Worse. Everything was wrong with it." Stan said. "The lines were cringy, the characters were doing stuff they would never actually do, and it was full of plotholes. I went to the crew and tried to convince them to hold off on production until we edit the entire script, but Jim shut me up. He didn't want to wait any longer than he had to for a return to the TV screen, so he won the crew over. I didn't want this to go on any longer. I knew that once this next episode was televised, it would sink Darkwing Duck to the bottom of the trash heap and all those fans would be disappointed. So I did the only thing I could do, and pulled my support from the show. And since Darkwing Duck was still mine, the entire show was immediately cancelled after I left."
"Yikes." Howard exclaimed.
"I never knew that." Launchpad said.
"It was a very hard decision." Stan said. "So when this guy," he gestured to the actor, "Told me his story, I was inspired to try giving the reboot an idea a try. Of course, that would mean I'd have to butt heads with a drama queen like Alistair."
"Look, I know the movie's not perfect," the actor said, "But I really want to make it better. Then, maybe, I can be on the lunchbox that inspires some other kid like me. And a cut of the toy sales would be nice."
"You are a true fan." Launchpad realized. "We can save this movie. We gotta tell Mr. Starling."
"That's probably not a good idea." Stan said. "After I decided to cancel the show, Jim was angry at me. Said that maybe I should be cancelled instead of Darkwing Duck. That doesn't make much sense, but I could tell he has a murderous attitude towards me."
"Me too." the actor said.
"It's been years. I'm sure he'll understand." Launchpad said. "Get your cape. We're gonna save Darkwing Duck."
"Well, we made it to the set." Stan said entering the Darkwing Duck studio with Howard beside him. "I just hope your big friend is right and they can get Jim to calm down."
"Just in case, be cautious." Howard said. "I know a lot of people who hold a grudge against me after many years."
"Well, I would assume that what feels like a long time for you might be short for aliens that have longer lifespans." Stan said.
"Well, I guess. But…" Howard froze and widened his eyes. He then looked surprised toward Stan. "Wait. You know that I'm…"
Stan nodded. "I helped create the world of modern fictional superheroes, Howard. I know an alien when I see one."
"And… What else do you know?" Howard asked.
"Not much." Stan said. "Although, I suppose you must feel at home here on Earth."
"I guess." Howard said unsure of himself. "Hey, I got a question."
"Ask away, true believer."
"Well, you always portrayed Darkwing Duck as someone who keeps fighting no matter what hits him or how many times he does get hit. How is that even possible? I mean, I pretty much ran from a lot of dangerous places in my travels."
Stan stopped and looked over at Howard with a smile. "Well, in certain circumstances, giving up is perfectly understandable. But it's one thing to give up something. It's another to give up on something. Darkwing Duck may be brash and showy, but at the end of the day, his main goal is to bring justice to evildoers and protect the streets of St. Canard. If ever stayed down when he knows he's the only one who can save the day, he'd be overwhelmed with failure not just on himself, but for the city he loves. And that's why giving up is never an option."
Howard pondered those words for a short time. "Is it really possible to have that level of perseverance? Like, in real life?"
Stan shrugged. "I guess we'll have to see it to confirm if it is."
Finally, the two entered the studio set up like the top of a rooftop battle. At the top of the rooftop was a very large mouse with a heavy coat and a plug on his head. He was reading his script while standing behind a ray gun.
The two approached Scrooge and Dewey who were overseeing the production.
"As per your specifications with a little twist on a few Dew-tails, we have set up the final battle." Dewey said. "What do you think?"
"I'm still on the fence on making Megavolt gorilla-sized," Stan said, "But I suppose it's okay for now."
"And I gave him a mustache to show the audience he's a villain." Scrooge said.
"Mr. Scrooge, how do you identify villains in real life?" Howard asked.
"So where's Alistair?" Stan asked. "I figured he'd be moody about this."
"He's off giving some final tips to the actor guy." Dewey said. "Hey, what's his name anyway?"
"Oh, him?" Stan asked with a chuckle. "That's right. We never told you his name, did we? Well, his name is…"
"Places, people!" Alistair announced. Everyone went silent while Darkwing Duck walked up to the rooftop where the Megavolt actor aimed his laser at him in the middle of electricity exchanged between two electrical rods.
During the set-up, Launchpad joined up with the others. Howard turned and saw the concerned look on the big guy's face.
"Hey, Launchpad, is something wrong?" Howard whispered.
"That's not the actor up there." Launchpad said. "That's Mr. Starling. He said the actor stubbed his toe and just quit."
"What?" Stan asked. "That's not right. He'd never abandon Darkwing Duck over something so…" He then gasped and looked up at the stage. "Oh, no. He's not."
"You can't defeat me! I'm awesome!" the Megavolt actor hissed deeply. "Surrender, and do it now!"
Jim dropped down to one knee. "I've lost… the ability to surrender to a two-bit, ten watt dim bulb like you!"
"What?!" Alistair asked from the side. "That's not the line! What's he doing?"
"Something more than dangerous. Insane, I'd say." Stan answered.
Jim jumped up to where the Megavolt actor stood and kicked him off knocking over one of the electrical rods. The collapse created a fire from those sparks quickly setting the stage ablaze.
"Quick! Cut!" Alistair cried out. He tried running to the camera, but Jim fired a bolt of lightning from ray gun and kept him away from it.
"No cuts!" Jim shouted. "Jim Starling never cuts!"
Howard turned and scowled at Dewey. "Did you actually bring in a real ray gun?!"
"It's called method acting." Dewey said.
"I'll film this finale if it kills me!" Jim yelled. "But before that…" He turned his ray gun aiming it at Stan Lark. "I'm taking you down first!"
Stan gasped. "Jim, stop! What are you doing?!"
"This is for reducing me to furniture store openings!" Jim cackled maniacally.
Suddenly, a voice echoed throughout the inner workings of the studio. Everyone looked around to find the source of the voice. "I am the terror that flaps in the night. I am the overstuffed burrito that spills on the lap of crime!" Finally, a cloud of smoke exploded on the upper railings of the studio revealing the actor in his Darkwing Duck costume. "I… am… Darkwing Duck!"
"NO, I AM!" Jim shouted before firing his ray gun at him. The actor jumped to avoid the blasts while Jim tried to shoot him.
"What is that idiot doing?" Alistair asked.
"Drawing fire." Scrooge realized. "Get everyone out!"
Most of the cast ran out of the studio leaving everyone else behind. Alistair went to the camera and began filming the fight. Meanwhile, Darkwing Duck joined up with Launchpad, Howard, and Stan taking cover behind a wooden crate. At that moment, the ray gun lost its power. Jim fought to restore it by beating it giving the heroes the opportunity to fight back.
"We've gotta stop the flames!" Launchpad shouted.
"I'll keep him distracted while you turn on the rain machine!" Darkwing Duck said. "Howard, you stay and cover Mr. Lark!"
"That, I can do!" Howard said. "But are you sure you want to mess with this psycho?! It's too dangerous!"
"Well then…" Darkwing Duck said before saying the iconic line along with Launchpad.
"Let's get dangerous!"
Launchpad ran to the ladder that lead up to the railings while Jim managed to create more power for his lightning gun. He turned and saw Darkwing Duck jump on top of a crate.
"What?!" Jim gasped. "I knocked you out cold! Like a lot!"
"I don't wanna brag," Darkwing Duck said, "But I'm incredibly strong and resilient!"
Jim saw that Darkwing Duck was standing on top of a crate full of explosives and smiled. "Oh, really?"
With a pull of the trigger, Jim fired a lightning bolt that struck the explosives crate catching Darkwing Duck in a fiery explosion. Everyone looked worried while Jim laughed, but their expressions changed to confusion when they saw that all the explosion did was cover Darkwing Duck in sizzling smoke. He recovered a bit before keeping on moving forward.
Jim fired his lightning gun, but instead, hit cut through the rope holding a piano overhead. It fell right on top of Darkwing Duck, but much to everyone's surprise, the purple-caped hero was only a little banged out with piano keys falling from his beak. He kept on running toward Jim, who continuously fired electrical blasts at him only for him to keep on going.
"Why won't you stay down?!"
"That's actually a good question?" Howard asked observing Darkwing Duck's resilience. "Any one of those attacks would kill a guy. But he's only treating it as an inconvenience."
Stan chuckled witnessing the heroic act before his eyes. "A real-life level of perseverance. It's like seeing Darkwing Duck come alive."
Howard gasped as he thought back to his earlier conversation with Stan. He then looked over and watched as Darkwing Duck kept on fighting despite the relentless lightning blasts. Eventually, the lighting gun became overheated, and Jim was forced to jump away to escape it when it blew up. He then found himself at ground level confronting Darkwing Duck face to face.
Darkwing Duck and Jim Starling engaged in a fistfight in front of the roaring flames. The two were evenly matched and were switching positions so much, it was hard to tell them apart since they both looked identical in their costumes.
"Uncle Scrooge, stop the bad guy!" Dewey pleaded.
"Which is the bad guy?!" Scrooge yelled. "If only one had a blasted mustache!"
During the fight, Launchpad managed to make it to the rain machine and turn the lever. A burst of water poured out raining down droplets onto the stage. The fires died, but that doesn't mean the danger's gone. With a deranged look in his eyes, he held up a chainsaw threatening to use it to cut apart Darkwing Duck.
"Show's over, Dead-Meat Duck!" Jim growled.
"STOP!" Dewey shouted. He raced over and jumped in front of Jim. "Don't you realize you're breaking a poor boy's dream?!"
"Dreams are for chumps, brat!" Jim shouted. "But if you want to get chopped up too…" He aimed his chainsaw over to Dewey instead, but suddenly…
"NO!"
Howard jumped from his cover and tackled Jim Starling. The two rolled over the broken stage until Jim stood over Howard, who was on his back. He was about to chop him up too, but Darkwing Duck kicked him from behind knocking him away before helping Howard up.
"You okay?" Darkwing Duck asked.
"No, I'm not okay! That maniac tried to tear me apart!" Howard shouted.
"Yeah, but you saved Dewey's life!" Scrooge shouted.
Everyone then heard Jim's heavy breathing. They looked over at him and saw the deranged look in his eye. He pointed his chainsaw at each of them waving it around violently.
"You sad, pathetic ingrates! Do you know who I am?! I'm Jim Starling! I am Darkwing Duck! Stan Lark may have created the character, but I was the one who put him on the map! I made all this possible, and this is the thanks I get?! Everyone ganging up on me?! Well, I'll see you all fricasseed before I let you forget me!"
Suddenly, Launchpad fell from the upper railings and landed on the base of the remaining electrical tower. Everyone turned to see him stand back up.
"STOP! You're not a villain! You're a hero! Our hero. No matter how hopeless things got, Darkwing Duck got back up and did what was right. For Darkwing Duck is bigger than one man. He is the hope that flaps in the night."
"This may be the most eloquent Launchpad has ever been." Scrooge said while Launchpad continued his speech.
"He knows a lot about this one thing." Dewey reminded.
During Launchpad's speech, the two Darkwing actors looked behind him and saw that the remaining electrical tower was getting brighter. It looked like it was ready to explode.
"Um, Launchpad…" Darkwing Duck said failing to get his fan's attention.
"Hey, dummy, it's about to blow!" Jim shouted. He then turned to Darkwing Duck. "You really can't stop him once he gets started."
"Well, yeah." Darkwing Duck said. "He's your biggest fan."
Those short words began to get to Jim. For the first time in a long time, he was beginning to think about his actions. He looked at the chainsaw he was holding and saw his reflection unable to bear the image of Darkwing Duck as a villain. He released his hold on the chainsaw letting it fall to the ground. But there was still the exploding electrical tower to worry about.
"I got ya!" Darkwing Duck shouted rushing over to pull Launchpad away.
"No, I got him!" Jim shouted giving Launchpad a shove strong enough to push him and Darkwing Duck away. Unfortunately, he remained too close to the tower and it exploded with him in the blast radius.
Jim Starling was gone. All that remained was a mountain of fire creating a black cloud of smoke reaching the ceiling. Everyone was stunned silent seeing the moment play out.
Along with the fire department to put out the fire, Della Duck came to the studio and embraced her blue son in a tight hug.
"Oh, my boy! Are you all right?!"
"Kinda." Dewey answered. "Although, I think my first ever movie just bombed. Literally."
"It was a crazy one, Della." Scrooge said. "The bad guy was threatening to kill Dewey. Thankfully, Howard managed to risk his life to save him."
"Wait? He did?" Della asked looking over at Howard.
"Um, yeah. I mean, sure. It's no big deal." Howard said.
"No big deal?" Stan asked. "My boy, that was the most selfless act of heroism I have ever seen in my entire life. When that crazed maniac threatened much harm to the lad, you threw yourself onto him and nearly got cut up yourself. You should have seen it, ma'am. It was indeed heroic."
Della smiled and pulled Howard in for a big hug. "Thanks, Howard."
Howard smiled and hugged back. "No problem, Della.
"Well put, Mr. Lark." Scrooge said. "Unfortunately, due to all the damage Jim Starling caused and all the footage lost in the fire, I'm afraid I have no choice but to cancel the movie."
"Fair enough." Stan said. He then saw Darkwing Duck and Launchpad facing the remains of the destroyed stage and approached. "How are you doing?"
"Not great." Darkwing Duck said sadly. "The movie's ruined, I lost my big break, my hero tried to kill me, and I blew him up. Oh, what am I gonna do now?"
"What Darkwing Duck always does: get back up." Launchpad answered. "You know, you could do this for real."
"What, be a superhero?" Darkwing Duck asked. "I mean, sure, I'm scrappy, I'm brave, I look great in a cape."
"Gizmoduck does it." Launchpad said.
"I am better than Gizmoduck."
"It's one thing to play a hero, and it's another thing to actually be a hero. Do it for Jim."
"He's right, kid." Stan said. "You know, this actually does sound like a good idea. The world's gotten pretty crazy recently. We all remember when all of our shadows helped an evil sorceress try to take over Duckburg. We could use some more heroes. And seeing you in action, I have a feeling that if Darkwing Duck was anyone in real life, he'd be you. I'll even lend you my support in any way I can. That is, if you'll accept it."
Darkwing Duck thought for a moment. "I don't know. This whole thing sounds like it could get…"
"Dangerous?" Launchpad asked. He then pulled out a Darkwing poster offering for his new friend to sign it. "You already got one fan."
Inspired, Darkwing Duck showed his acceptance by giving Launchpad his autograph. He signed his poster under his real name, which Launchpad read aloud.
"Drake Mallard. Never heard of you."
Stan smiled watching Drake and Launchpad walk away from the crime scene. They walked outside where he witnessed the light shine on them both. He couldn't help but be proud.
"First, an alien duck saves a child from impending doom at the near-cost of his own life. And now, my hero becomes real. It feels as though I have just witnessed the beginning of something new, something truly marvelous. I can only think of one word to describe the future which I predict… Excelcior!"
What no one knew was that despite being at the front of an explosion, Jim Starling survived, but worse than ever.
In the midst of the chaos, Jim somehow escaped into the sewer system. His costume then began to change. The purple dye began to leak out changing his costume. His suit was now yellow with a black mask and cape. His had was blood red. His already-deranged eyes looked villainously psychotic now.
"It was all a set-up! That hack put my fan in danger to steal the glory and humiliate me! They want grim and gritty, huh? Happy to play the part! Hehehehehe! HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"