The Defenders of the Night are back — sort of. In the series finale for Disney’s DuckTales on Monday night, the animated series paid the ultimate tribute to Gargoyles, the hit Disney show from the 1990s. Throughout the reboot’s three-season run on Disney XD, Matt Youngberg, Francisco Angones, and the other creative behind the show have slipped in nods to whatever classic Disney properties they could squeeze. With the finale on the way, that means the creative team decided to squeeze in a Gargoyles homage whatever way they could.
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The homage comes during a sequence when Manny the Headless Manhorse manages to get a version of his own head back. Even though the character has been a part of the reboot since the very beginning, this final transformation was drawn to look exactly like the Gargoyles bursting out of their stone encasing.
Better yet, the transformation also gave Manny a voice: that of Keith David himself. In the finale, Manny yells “I live again!” as he breaks out of his mold. If you watched Gargoyles, you’ll recognize the line ripped straights from the series. David, of course, voiced Goliath throughout the entirety of the original Gargoyles show, making it the perfect homage on several fronts.
While the DuckTales nod wasn’t necessarily reviving Goliath himself, it did serve as a pretty hefty Easter egg for those involved. When we spoke with the actor in 2019, he told us he’d love nothing more than to reprise the role yet again.
“You know, those of us who were involved from the beginning… I’ve always wondered why they stopped it in the first place,” David told us of the show’s initial cancellation after three short seasons. “[We’ve wondered] why we haven’t come back to a reboot. I mean, I would love nothing more than to revisit Goliath.”
He added, “You know, he was absolutely one of my very, very, very, very favorite characters. I’ve always maintained that when I grow up, I want to be like Goliath.”
DuckTales and Gargoyles are both streaming on Disney+.
What other classic animated Disney shows would you like to see brought back to life? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section!
