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Jim Cummings Out as Voice of Disney+ Darkwing Duck
It looks like the terror that flaps in the night will sound a little different on his next adventure. Voice acting icon Jim Cummings has revealed that he will not be returning to voice Drake Mallard (a.k.a. Darkwing Duck) in the long-in-development Disney+ reboot.
Speaking recently about the project, Cummings shared that despite recording a pilot for the series a few years ago that received overwhelming praise, Disney has decided to move in a new direction for the core voice cast.
“I did a pilot for it several years ago, to see the viability of it coming back, and everybody went nuts,” Cummings revealed. “And they are bringing it back, and they’re hiring somebody else to do Terry McGovern’s role of Launchpad, and they’re hiring somebody else to be Darkwing Duck. I hope they get…everything they deserve. Crazy, I don’t know what to tell you.”
The original Darkwing Duck series ran from 1991 to 1992 across 91 classic episodes, capturing the hearts of Disney Afternoon fans everywhere. Alongside sidekick Launchpad McQuack and adopted daughter Gosalyn, Drake Mallard became an indelible staple of ’90s nostalgia—fueled in large part by Cummings’ legendary voice performance.
Cummings confirmed that the recast isn’t limited to the hero himself. Disney is also replacing the late Terry McGovern’s iconic sidekick role of Launchpad McQuack, signaling a complete voice refresh for the rebooted series.
First announced in 2020, the project is being executive produced by Seth Rogen, Evan Goldberg, James Weaver, and Alex McAtee via Point Grey Pictures. Updates on the reboot have been scarce over the past few years, making Cummings’ comment one of the first major structural developments fans have heard in a while.
The news arrives during a period of intense fan support for Cummings. The prolific voice actor—who has voiced over 1,500 characters across a legendary 40-year career, including Winnie the Pooh, Tigger, and Ray from The Princess and the Frog—recently made headlines when fans spoke out about him being passed over for the official Disney Legend honor.
Sharing fan posts on social media reacting to the snub, Cummings simply captioned: “40 years. 1500 characters. The voice of generations. No comment.”
How do you feel about Disney recasting Darkwing Duck and Launchpad McQuack for the new Disney+ reboot?
