Drake Mallard is the secret identity of the new Darkwing Duck. Unlike Jim Starling, he is a real-life superhero and crime partner of Gosalyn Waddlemeyer. ## Personality Appearance: he dons a dark purple top, along with a slightly darker hat. He wears a mask that shares a similar color with the rest of his outfit, and a black cape with a pink interior. Personality: Before the series, Drake Mallard was a kid who used to get bullied a lot, until he found Darkwing Duck. Inspired by his hero Jim Starling, Drake trained extensively in hand-to-hand combat and martial arts to be more like his hero, and as a result, he was able to beat up his former tormentors this superhero enthusiast was born, later starting the Darkwing Duck fan club. When he was given the role of Darkwing Duck for the new big-budget movie "Darkwing: First Darkness", he was excited and hoped to inspire a new generation of children. He was a huge fan of Darkwing when he was a kid and was taught by DW to "always get back up". He essentially is addicted to nostalgia, as many decisions he makes in battle are to homage to his favorite hero. Contrary to Jim Starling, Drake embodies the heroic and selfless image of Darkwing Duck. He was even willing to stop Jim from destroying the studio and risked his life to save Launchpad when McDuck Studio was set ablaze. Abilities Enhanced Durability: Drake has shown to be more durable than a normal person, being able to take several blows and stay standing and also managing to survive an explosion, piano, and large volts of electricity, all of which would have killed an ordinary person. He also has incredible endurance and stamina, as he can still get up and walk or fight after being injured. He obtained this ability as a result of years of training. Skilled hand-to-hand combatant/Master martial artist: As expected due to being a top-tier Darkwing Duck fan, Drake has trained extensively to improve his skills in hand-to-hand combat. Drake has excellent martial arts skills, nearly being on par with that of former secret agent Mrs. Beakley. Expert Tactician: Drake is a skilled tactician, able to come up with plans to achieve the best outcome, as he did in his fight against Jim Starling. Utilizes high-tech equipment and weapons: Drake as Darkwing Duck utilizes a range of high-tech equipment and weaponry when battling villains such as smoke bombs. Equipment Smoke Bombs: In traditional Darkwing Duck fashion, Drake carries with him smoke bombs, which when triggered produce a thick cloud of purple smoke, these can either be used during a getaway or an entrance and are mainly used to blind enemies and hide their location. As a result of Darkwing's base being built above Audubon Bay, the residue from these smoke bombs contains traces of salt water. Relationships Launchpad McQuack: Originally Jim Starling sent Launchpad to trap Drake in his own trailer. However, Launchpad and Drake instead began to bond over their love for the Darkwing Duck TV show and became good friends. After the fight with Jim Starling (the original Darkwing Duck) which leads to Jim's supposed death, Launchpad later convinces Drake to become a real crime-fighter remaining with the alias of Darkwing Duck. Gosalyn Waddlemeyer: Drake helps Gossalyn take down Tarus Bulba after he kidnaps her grandfather. After defeating Taurus Bulba, Gosalyn is left alone and Drake decides to make her his sidekick. Jim Starling: When Drake was a kid, Jim inspired Drake to never give up and keep on fighting. But when he attempts to get Jim's autograph, Jim shrugs him away. When it is revealed to Jim that he will not be playing Darkwing Duck in the new movie, Jim attacks Drake for stealing his star role. Drake and Jim later fight on the burning set because of Jim's outrage for not being chosen to play Darkwing Duck in the new movie. When Drake is done with the fight with Jim and Jim is about to attack him with a chainsaw, Launchpad tries to convince Jim that it isn't who he is. But while he's giving the speech, at the last second Jim shoves Launchpad out of the way from a large explosion caused by an overpowering light ray. Due to Jim's supposed death, Launchpad tells Drake that he should try being a real crime-fighter instead of acting like one. While Drake is hesitant at first, he decides to do it in Jim's memory as a hero. Fenton Crackshell-Cabrera/Gizmoduck: Drake has opposing opinions over each of Fenton's personas, unaware the two are one and the same. He openly trusts Fenton, who provides him with technological aid but is hostile towards Gizmoduck, whom he views as heroic competition. Trivia: Drake Mallard is also the civilian identity of Darkwing Duck from the original series. He was the president of the Darkwing Duck fan club. According to James Monroe Iglehart in Ducktalks, he was going to voice Drake Mallard/Darkwing Duck, but at the last minute, the producers changed the idea because Chris Diamantopoulos’ take on Darkwing sounded more like Jim Cummings’ Darkwing Duck. In contrast with his counterpart from the original Darkwing Duck series, Drake actually gets along well with Fenton Crackshell-Cabrera, the alter ego of Gizmoduck. The original Drake found Fenton Crackshell, the original Gizmoduck, equally irritating in both civilian and superhero personas.

Mr. Starling! We met at the signing. You fell on me, remember? It was a huge honor. Do you have any words of wisdom for the man to stepping into your cape?