Clan McDuck
The Clan McDuck is a fictional Scottish clan of cartoon ducks from which Disney character Scrooge McDuck is descended. Within the Donald Duck universe, the clan is related to the American Duck family through the marriage of Hortense McDuck and Quackmore Duck, Donald and Della Duck's parents, giving both of them partial Scottish ancestry.
Clan McDuck was created by American comic book author Carl Barks, who also created the character of Scrooge McDuck. Barks' 1948 story "The Old Castle's Secret," in which Scrooge and his nephews search for hidden treasure in McDuck Castle, introduced the backstory of the clan. Other authors built on Barks' work, most notably Don Rosa in his 12-part comic saga The Life and Times of Scrooge McDuck (1992–94) which introduced Scrooge's immediate family.
Ancient McDucks[edit]
Scrooge Shah and Prince Donduk[edit]
Scrooge Shah was the last king of Sagbad and the earliest known ancestor of Scrooge McDuck. A young King Khan Khan (2050 BC-1967 BC) sacked the city of Sagbad in 2033 BC, but Scrooge Shah and Prince Donduk, his heir apparent, managed to escape. Khan Khan lost their tracks, but would much later locate their distant descendants. Scrooge Shah features in the story "King Scrooge the First" (1967) by Carl Barks and Tony Strobl.
Postclassical McDucks[edit]
Eider McDuck[edit]
Sir Eider McDuck (880-946; from earlier Eider MacDuich) was the chief of Clan McDuck during an Anglo-Saxon invasion in 946 (despite England and Scotland signing a peace treaty in 945). Eider was killed during the Anglo-Saxons' siege of McDuck Castle after his serfs abandoned him. He had refused to buy them arrows because they were too expensive, and only paid his serfs, collectively, 30 copper pieces an hour.[10][11] Eider McDuck is first mentioned in Barks' The Old Castle's Secret (1948).
Friar Juicy McDuck (910-971) and Sir Smokt McDuck (b. 931) are buried in the McDuck cemetery as seen in the Carl Barks painting Dubious Doings at Dismal Downs.
Eider makes a cameo appearance in the 2017 DuckTales series episode, "The Secret(s) of Castle McDuck!", both as a statue in front of the titular Castle McDuck and as a ghost.
Quackly McDuck[edit]
Sir Quackly McDuck (1010-1057; from earlier Quackly MacDuich) was clan chief when King Macbeth was killed in 1057. That same year, Macbeth offered Quackly a treasure chest in exchange for his support in the ongoing war for the throne. Quackly agreed and served the king during the war, but became obsessed with protecting the treasure, eventually trapping himself inside the castle walls with it. Quackly and his treasure became a McDuck legend, and it is believed that his ghost continues to protect the treasure and the castle.[11]
In 1877, Quackly's ghost saves a young Scrooge McDuck from the Whiskervilles of Dismal Downs. Without revealing his true identity, he suggests to Scrooge that he travel to America and work for his Uncle Pothole, thus serving as the catalyst for all of Scrooge's adventures. In 1885, Quackly again tries to save Scrooge, but his action unintentionally brings about Scrooge's temporary death. In heaven, Quackly is reprimanded by his relatives for interfering in earthly events.[10][12] Quackly McDuck is first mentioned in The Old Castle's Secret (1948) by Carl Barks, and first appears in The Last of the Clan McDuck (1994) by Don Rosa.
Murdoch McDuck[edit]
Sir Murdoch McDuck (?-1066; from earlier Murdoch MacDuich) was a businessman who patented the longbow. Most notably in 1066, when the Normans invaded England, he had the latter sign a contract with him so they would have enough longbows to fight off the invaders. However, they did not have enough arrows as Sir Murdoch charged extra for them. He is also the last of the Dark Ages McDucks and the one who modernized their family name "MacDuich" to the more familiar "McDuck". He only appears in the unfinished sketch-only story "The History of the Clan McDuck" (written and drawn approx. in 1992 by Don Rosa, but not released until December 2011), which was meant to serve as a prologue to "The Last of the Clan McDuck" before it was scrapped.
In the 2017 DuckTales series episode, "The Secret(s) of Castle McDuck!", Downy McDuck relates Murdoch's history (which remains intact) to Huey, Dewey, and Louie Duck, and Webby Vanderquack. His longbow is later used as a clue that the boys use to uncover the mystery behind their mother, Della's, disappearance.
Roast McDuck[edit]
Sir Roast McDuck (1159-1205) succeeded his father, Stuft McDuck, as clan chief, while Clan McDuck was one of the richest clans in Scotland. However, in 1189, Roast offered much of the clan's wealth to the king of Scotland, William the Lion, after William asked for his help in paying tribute to Richard I of England. This act of patriotic generosity led to financial ruin for the clan. Aside from this imprudence, Roast is primarily remembered for his gluttony. In 1205, he raided the king's pantry and ate himself to death. Roast's memorial suit of armor displayed in Castle McDuck holds a knife and fork in its hands.[11][12] The character is first mentioned in The Old Castle's Secret (1948) by Carl Barks. He has a small speaking role in The Last of the Clan McDuck (1994), but makes his first appearance in The New Laird of Castle McDuck.
His ghost makes a cameo appearance in the 2017 DuckTales series episode, "The Secret(s) of Castle McDuck!"
Swamphole McDuck[edit]
Sir Swamphole McDuck (1190-1260)[13] succeeded his father, Roast McDuck, as clan chief and inherited its financial problems. In 1220, Swamphole sealed the dungeon of Castle McDuck, which he claimed was an attempt to decrease maintenance costs. He did, however, create secret passageways in the castle leading to the dungeons. (These passageways would later be useful during subsequent sieges.) After his death in 1260, Swamphole was not buried in the clan cemetery; rather, his skeleton was placed inside his memorial suit of armor, which was placed in Castle McDuck. Swamphole McDuck is first mentioned in The Old Castle's Secret by Carl Barks.[11] In The Old Castle's Other Secret or A Letter from Home (2004) by Don Rosa, it is revealed that Swamphole sealed the dungeons not to reduce maintenance costs, but to conceal a treasure.
In the 2017 DuckTales series episode, "The Secret(s) of Castle McDuck!", he is stated to be a treasure hunter (like Scrooge) who constructed secret passageways underneath Castle McDuck and let loose a demon dog to protect his treasure. His ghost later appears to ward off said demon dog alongside the ghosts of several of his family members.
Donald McDuck[edit]
Sir Donald McDuck, nicknamed "Black Donald" because of his foul temper, is said to have invented golf, the hammer throw, and the caber toss in 1440. His temper while playing golf resulted in James II of Scotland outlawing the sport. Black Donald is mentioned in "The History of the Clan McDuck" by Don Rosa.
In the 2017 DuckTales series episode "The Missing Links of Moorshire!", Scrooge McDuck relates the story of how "Black Donald" McDuck invented golf and subsequently got it banned due to his temper to Dewey, Louie, and Webby before participating in a golf tournament in Scotland.
Simon McDuck[edit]
Sir Simon McDuck (1437-1509) was the treasurer of the Knights Templar and hid their treasure beneath McDuck Castle. He is mentioned in The Old Castle's Other Secret or A Letter from Home (2004) by Don Rosa.
In the 2017 DuckTales series episode, "The Secret(s) of Castle McDuck", Scrooge McDuck states Simon was the "accountant" to the Knights Templar who had stolen and hidden their treasure somewhere underneath Castle McDuck, and he had returned to his father Fergus to reluctantly ask for his help in finding it since he knows where it is. His ghost appears later in the episode to stop a ghost hound from attacking Scrooge's grandnephews, Huey, Dewey, and Louie.
Early modern McDucks[edit]
Malcolm McDuck[edit]
Malcolm "Matey" McDuck (1530-1564?) was a McDuck relative who settled in England and is suggested to be a previous incarnation of Scrooge McDuck. Malcolm served in the English Navy, and in 1563 he became first mate of the frigate HMS Falcon Rover, serving under Captain Loyal Hawk. The Falcon Rover raided Spanish targets in the Caribbean Sea between 1563 and 1564. Also serving on the Falcon Rover was the boatswain, Pintail Duck, whose descendant, Quackmore Duck, would marry Malcolm's descendant, Hortense McDuck. The two were the parents of twins Donald and Della Duck.
Malcolm is said to have lost his life on 9 December 1564 when the Spanish fleet sank HMS Falcon Rover. However, in 1579, Malcolm was also said to have commanded the newly founded Fort Drakeborough, an establishment that in 1818 was taken over by Cornelius Coot and renamed Fort Duckburg.[14] Malcolm first appears in "Back to Long Ago!" (1956) by Carl Barks.
He is mentioned on Webby Vanderquack's family chart in the 2017 DuckTales series.
Locksley McDuck[edit]
Locksley McDuck was an 18th-century McDuck relative. Sometime after 1707, he became an associate of Scottish outlaw Rob Roy MacGregor who is characterized as a noble thief who would "rob from the rich to give to the poor". Locksley's alliance with MacGregor would come to an end after Locksley was unable to "give to the poor" after having robbed the rich. He is mentioned in The History of The Clan McDuck by Don Rosa. His name is derived from the English village of Loxley, the traditional birthplace of Robin Hood.
Silas McDuck[edit]
Silas McDuck was a member of Clan McDuck and Scrooge's great-great-grandfather. He was very wealthy and built Castle McDuck for his large family to live in. Despite the ground being cursed by druids, Silas finished the constructions and the McDucks moved in, only to be scared away by the frightening Hound of Castle McDuck. Spending what little he had left from erecting the castle, Silas built Cottage MeDuck, where the family lived in poverty until Scrooge left for America.
Hugh McDuck[edit]
Captain Hugh "Seafoam" McDuck (1710-1776) was a McDuck relative who settled in Glasgow in 1727, as the clan had been driven from their ancestral home of Dismal Downs in 1675. Hugh turned to the sea for a living and became a successful merchant. He obtained his own ship, the Golden Goose, and became known by the nickname "Seafoam".
In 1753, Seafoam McDuck signed a contract with Swindle McSue to deliver a cargo of horseradish to Jamaica. But McSue sabotaged the Golden Goose and the ship sank before reaching Jamaica. Upon returning to Scotland, Seafoam McDuck learned that his contract with McSue contained fine print stating that if the shipment was not completed, McDuck would forfeit all his possessions to McSue. Seafoam escaped with nothing but the clothes on his back, a silver pocket watch, and the golden dentures in his mouth.[15] It is later presumed that Seafoam was involved in the American Revolutionary War and died in 1776. His descendant Quagmire McDuck inherited the silver pocket watch. Seafoam McDuck first appears in The Horseradish Story (1953) by Carl Barks.
His ghost makes a cameo appearance in the 2017 DuckTales series episode, "The Secret(s) of Castle McDuck".
Modern McDucks (1st generation)[edit]
Dingus McDuck[edit]
"Dirty" Dingus McDuck, was Scrooge's paternal grandfather. He worked as a coal miner,[16] married Molly Mallard, and had three sons – Angus, Fergus, and Jake. He appeared in Don Rosa's illustrated family tree, but has not appeared in any comic book stories. A 1960s story by Bob Gregory and Tony Strobl identifies Scrooge's grandfather as Titus McDuck.
In the 2017 DuckTales series episode, "The Secret(s) of Castle McDuck", Dingus is revealed to have had an antagonistic relationship with his son, Fergus (not unlike that of the latter and his son, Scrooge). In fact, knowing he would seek out Simon McDuck's treasure, he left his son a note telling him to work hard and not accept hand-outs inside a hidden chamber underneath Castle McDuck.
Molly Mallard[edit]
Molly McDuck (née Mallard) was the wife of Dingus McDuck, Scrooge's paternal grandmother, and the mother of Angus, Fergus, and Jake McDuck. Her first and only appearance was in an illustrated family tree created by Don Rosa; she has not appeared in any stories. Coincidentally, her maiden name is the same as the title character of Darkwing Duck.
Her ghost makes a cameo appearance in the 2017 DuckTales series' episode, "The Secret(s) of Castle McDuck!"
Quagmire McDuck[edit]
Quagmire McDuck was Dingus McDuck's brother and Scrooge McDuck's paternal great uncle. He inherited a silver watch from his ancestor Hugh "Seafoam" McDuck and passed it on to his nephew Fergus. After his death, Quagmire's estate remained unclaimed. Quagmire appears in the Carl Barks story "The Heirloom Watch" (1955).[17]
His ghost makes a cameo appearance in the 2017 DuckTales series episode, "The Secret(s) of Castle McDuck".
Modern McDucks (2nd generation)[edit]
Angus "Pothole" McDuck[edit]
Angus "Pothole" McDuck (born 1829) is the first child of Dingus and Molly McDuck, and is Scrooge's paternal uncle. Angus was born in Glasgow in 1829.[10] He was first mentioned in "The Great Steamboat Race" by Carl Barks and later appeared in person in a handful of stories by Don Rosa.
Angus migrated to the United States during the late 1840s. In 1850 he was working as a cabin boy in the Mississippi riverboat Drennan Whyte when it sank. He was the only survivor.[18] He continued working on Mississippi riverboats and he had obtained his own by 1861, named Cotton Queen. Around the time of the American Civil War (1861–1865) he became quite successful as a river boater. Soon after the end of the war in 1865 he and fellow river boater Porker Hogg became the co-owners of Cornpone Gables, a Southern plantation that had gone bankrupt. The two were unable to settle their differences and they decided to have a riverboat race in 1870 to decide who would be the owner. Both riverboats sank. Porker had two more riverboats but Angus spent the next ten years as a professional card player.
In 1880, in a poker game with Porker, Angus won the rights to one of his rival's riverboats, named Dilly Dollar. Porker soon lost his other riverboat to Blackheart Beagle and his sons, the first generation of the Beagle Boys, a family of outlaws, and retired. Angus on the other hand hired his nephew Scrooge McDuck and a penniless inventor named Ratchet Gearloose as his crew. Business wasn't going well and Angus decided to retire in 1882. He left his riverboat to his nephew and settled down in New Orleans.[18]
He became the writer of a series of dime novels under the title The Master of Mississippi, based on a highly exaggerated description of his life. His dime novels became very popular and to have more material to add he occasionally traveled through the country.[19] In the story "The Vigilante of Pizen Bluff" by Don Rosa, he is seen appearing at Buffalo Bill's Wild West. After the show's money is stolen by the Dalton Gang, Angus rides out with Bill, Scrooge, P. T. Barnum, Annie Oakley, and Geronimo to stop the bandits.[19]
Angus' exact date of death is unknown.
In 1955, Porker's nephew, Horseshoe Hogg, and Scrooge McDuck would bring their uncles' steamboats back to the surface to finish the race for Cornpone Gables. Scrooge won, only to learn that 85 years of disuse made the mansion so fragile that he accidentally destroyed it with a sneeze.
A character based on Angus named "Catfish" McDuck appears in the 1987 DuckTales episode, "Once Upon a Dime", voiced by Peter Renaday,
Fergus McDuck[edit]
Fergus McDuck (1835–1902[20]) is the second child of Dingus and Molly McDuck and the father of Scrooge McDuck. As such he is a prominent character in The Life and Times of Scrooge McDuck.
He was born in Glasgow in 1835 to Dingus McDuck and Molly Mallard, who were both working as coal miners at the time. He spent most of his life as a mill worker.[10]
According to a story by William Van Horn, Fergus at some point had a short marriage with an unidentified woman, with whom he had the son Rumpus McFowl.[21] He later married Downy O'Drake, his wife in Rosa's stories, who became the mother of three of his children – Scrooge, Matilda, and Hortense.
The rest of Fergus' biography is shown in The Life and Times of Scrooge McDuck. In 1877 he encouraged his son to work to have his own money. Scrooge's obvious intelligence, skill at hard work and ambition made his father believe that Scrooge would be able to restore Clan McDuck to its former glory.[12] In the story Of Ducks, Dimes, and Destinies, it is revealed that Scrooge's Number One Dime came from Fergus, who gave it to the man who used it to pay Scrooge for shining his shoes.
In 1885 the Clan's hereditary lands would have been seized due to Fergus' inability to pay his taxes. But Scrooge spent his savings at the time ($10,000) to pay the taxes and become the new owner of their lands.[22] While Scrooge was away, Fergus and his family moved back to Castle McDuck, abandoned for centuries in Dismal Downs. The family continued to work to pay for the taxes, and Scrooge sent them money he earned while traveling. Fergus became a widower in 1897.
Scrooge became rich in the Klondike and returned to Scotland in 1902 as a billionaire. Scrooge's intention was originally to settle in Dismal Downs, but he quickly changed his mind and decided to settle in the United States. He wanted to take his family with him. His sisters accepted, but Fergus decided to stay. He died during the night, aged 72, and was re-united with his wife Downy and the rest of the McDuck Clan as his three children left Scotland.[20]
In Don Rosa's The Old Castle's Other Secret or A Letter from Home, it's revealed that Fergus tried to find the Knights Templar treasure hidden in the castle McDuck by one of his ancestors, a Knight himself. Even though Fergus decided not to tell Scrooge about the treasure, he learns about it through other ways and, like Matilda McDuck, thinks Fergus kept the secret from him because he disapproved of Scrooge. In the middle of their way to the treasure, Scrooge, Matilda and Scrooge's nephews find a letter from Fergus, who believed Scrooge would eventually find it, revealing the reason he hid the secret from Scrooge is that Scrooge would feel better building his own fortune instead of inheriting one.[23]
Fergus appears in the classic 1987 DuckTales episode, "Once Upon a Dime", which explores Scrooge's history. Here he is referred to as "McPapa." Fergus' name and image are also present in the 2017 DuckTales series, which draws heavily from the comics. He later appears in the episode "The Secret(s) of Castle McDuck!", having survived to the present day due to Scrooge rebuilding Castle McDuck using magic stones that granted his parents immortality. Scrooge and Fergus' relationship is initially tense, with the latter expressing apparent disapproval of the former; though in reality, he was upset because Scrooge had not been a part of his life. They later reconcile after Fergus reveals he was the one who gave Scrooge his Number One Dime, via Burt the Ditch Digger, in order to give him the gift of "self-reliance" since he was unable to afford a proper gift for him. Alan Young, who voiced Scrooge in the original series, was meant to provide Fergus's voice, but passed away before he could record any dialogue[24] and the role went to Graham McTavish.
In the 1993 NES game DuckTales 2, Scrooge and his nephews found a piece of a treasure map that led to the lost treasure of a character named Fergus McDuck. However, this Fergus is not Scrooge's father but Scrooge's great-great-uncle.
Downy O'Drake[edit]
Downy McDuck (née O'Drake; 1840–1897) is Scrooge McDuck's mother. She was created by Don Rosa and first appears in The Life and Times of Scrooge McDuck. She is of Irish origin and was born in 1840.[20]
She was a very devoted housewife and mother. She settled in Castle McDuck at Dismal Downs, Clan McDuck's old castle, along with her family in 1885. She died in 1897,[20] and was buried in the McDucks' cemetery.[20] She later appeared to her husband Fergus at his own passing, and together they joined various McDuck ancestors.
Downy's image and name are also present in the 2017 incarnation of DuckTales, usually alongside those of her husband. Alongside Fergus, she makes a physical appearance in the episode, "The Secret(s) of Castle McDuck!", voiced by Ashley Jensen.
Jake McDuck[edit]
Jake McDuck (1832–?) is Scrooge McDuck's uncle. He was mentioned in the story "A Christmas for Shacktown" (1952) by Carl Barks, in which Donald Duck dresses up as Jake in an attempt to trick Scrooge into giving money to charity.
The character was later used by Don Rosa, and appears in three of twelve original chapters of Rosa's The Life and Times of Scrooge McDuck. He lived in the same house as his brother Fergus McDuck and helped Fergus and his wife Downy O'Drake to raise their children.[12] He settled in McDuck castle along with his brother in 1885.[22] However, it appears that by 1902, Jake was no longer living there.
According to Rosa's sketches and timelines, Jake was born in 1832[10] to coal miners Dingus McDuck and Molly Mallard, and grew up to become a stockyard hand in Glasgow. His date of death is unknown, but it appears that both Scrooge and Donald believed him to be alive in 1952.
In the Dutch and Finnish languages, Scrooge personally drops the "Mac/Mc" from his last name while other members of his family retain it.
Donald Duck universe:
Real-life: