DuckTales Showrunner on Season 3’s LGBTQ+ Representation

DuckTales has been delighting audiences of all ages on DisneyXD for years now, bringing an irreverent and modern take on the adventures of Huey, Dewey, Louie, and Scrooge McDuck. Fans have been introduced to a wide array of characters throughout the reboot’s first two seasons, many of whom have reflected a more diverse version of DuckBurg. The show’s Season 3 opener continued that mindset in a pretty heartwarming way, by introducing two characters that fans have been hoping to see onscreen. Spoilers for the Season 3 premiere of DuckTales, “Challenge of the Senior Junior Woodchucks”, below! Only look if you want to know!

The episode revolves around a rivalry between Huey (Danny Pudi) and Violet Sabrewing (Libe Barer), in a contest to see who would become the “Senior Junior Woodchuck” of their scouting organization. The contest was cheered on by a small crowd of people, including Huey and Violet’s loved ones. Towards the end of the episode, Violet was congratulated by her two dads, marking their first canonical appearance on the show itself.

While Violet’s dads play a small role in the episode itself, their inclusion in the episode is still a heartwarming one, especially given the shift in positive LGBTQ+ representation in children’s television over the years. Co-creator Francisco Angones, who has been vocal about wanting to include more opportunities relevant LGBTQ+ diversity in the series, recently spoke about the moment in an interview with ComicBook.com.

“I think one of the things that’s important to realize, in making a series, is representation matters,” Angones explained. “We’ve taken that up in small ways, in big ways. It’s a strange thing to treat it like it’s a big deal in this day and age, I feel. While Violet’s dads don’t have a huge role in the episode, we’re acknowledging the fact in this show about family, that there are different types of families and the kinds that you haven’t traditionally seen in other shows. I think that matters. I’m not trying to get a pat on the back or anything. It’s a very small thing and we can certainly be doing bigger things, addressing those ideas.”

“At the end of the day, our goal starting out on Ducktales season one was to make this world more representative of the world that kids see around them every day. And we did it,” Angones continued. “We had a huge push for that in terms of representation globally, and the different cultures and different character types. And then doing a lot of exploration with the Amputee Coalition, through Della and her prosthetic. I think that’s just the way you have to approach every story. How can you make your world more representative of the world that kids encounter every day and don’t think twice about? Even if that world is full of cartoon ducks with no pants.”

New episodes of DuckTales Season 3 premiere Saturdays on DisneyXD and DisneyNOW.