THEHEROSTORIES

Knowing Carl Barks' characterization of Donald Duck (especially his flaws) it would seem almost a contradiction in terms to perceive the primary character as a hero. Still Barks managed to portray Donald as a hero in a number of stories. Granted, there is a wide gap between Donald seeing himself as a hero and him actually being one, and the stories exhibit both possibilities. The examples chosen for this page are roughly divided into main groups presented in chronological order.

PSEUDO HERO

WDCS128 'Knight Night' - 1951

Synopsis: Daisy's drama club is putting on a dramatic play and Donald and Gladstone both want to be the star of the show...

Comments: Donald has always been fascinated by the theater spotlight and he sees himself as a real star in a number of leading hero roles. But when he is suddenly called to an audition it becomes clear that he has a lot to learn. In the end the covered part of Knight Potskettle goes to - the three nephews!

WDCS176 'The Hiccuping Ghost' - 1955

Synopsis: Donald grows tired of the nephews' love of western films and he decides to show them the real West.

Comments: Barks pokes fun of the typical image of the Wild West hero by dressing Donald in a decorated gun belt complete with pearl-handled, filigreed firing irons, as the flabbergasted 'ghost' sheriff exclaims. Still, Donald looks the part although the heavy artillery is nothing but a pair of Trigger Strongheart cap pistols!

WDCS188 'Olympic Tryouts' - 1956

Synopsis: Due to a massive incapacitation of the stronger athletes Donald is chosen to represent Duckburg in the Olympic Games.

Comments: Donald tries hard to win the competitions, but all goes wrong except that he manages to finish the last race (after the spectators have long gone home). But the nephews are not discouraged; they see their uncle as their hero and present him with a cup in admiration. How about that for parental success?

MUSCLE HERO

WDCS069 'Donald the He-man' - 1946

Synopsis: Daisy is fascinated by strong men so Donald has to start building up some muscles in order to comply with the fair maiden's wishes.

Comments: Although Barks wrote more stories in which Donald uses his muscle power, this is the only one in which Donald actively tries to upgrade his physique. Still, his nephews have to help him convince Daisy that he has turned into a he-man.

WDCS107 'Superhero Donald' - 1949

Synopsis: The nephews read nonsense about a super snooper and Donald gets angry. But he accidentally acquires super powers himself...

Comments: Donald happens to drink a potion that is supposed to make rats as strong as horses, and soon he enjoys having supernatural, superman-like powers that even come in handy on a few occasions.

WDCS292 Instant Hercules - 1965

Synopsis: Donald runs a booming diving and salvation business until one day he encounters a giant sea monster in the Aegean Sea...

Comments: During a diving mission Donald uncovers the monster and an amphora containing a strange liquid. Upon drinking the bronze-age cola Donald acquires supernatural powers, and he is able to lick the monster.

TRADITIONAL HERO

WDCS089 'Night Watchman' - 1948

Synopsis: Donald is starting at his new job as a night watchman. But will he be able to stay awake when he is used to actually sleep at night?

Comments: During his rest on a spiked bed Donald dreams of being a gunslinger from the Wild West. The traditional shootout also takes place in real life, where Donald happens to round up a bunch of thieves.

FC0199 Sheriff of Bullet Valley - 1948

Synopsis: Donald takes the nephews on a holiday trip to the formerly oh-so Wild West where he volunteers to catch some cattle rustlers. He claims to be an expert...

Comments: Still, without any prior experience Donald succeeds in catching the ruthless, cattle rustling criminal, despite the fact that the villain had almost killed the assistant sheriff in an earlier shootout.

WDCS198 'Hero of the Ball' - 1957

Synopsis: Donald is invited to a costume party and he dresses up as a knight in shining armour. That proves to be a wise decision!

Comments: It is quite rare to see Donald ending up as a genuine, old-fashioned hero, but he does so in this story, in which he saves many people from the claws of an agitated pride of lions.

PATRIOTIC HERO

WDCS114 'Skiing with Serum' - 1950

Synopsis: Donald finds himself delivering much needed medicine to Codfish Cove on skis. But he has never skied before and there are a couple of spies on his tail!

Comments: The two spies get an unwitting Donald to transport stolen blueprints for their foreign and subversive organisation, but Donald manages to neutralize them.

FC0308 Dangerous Disguise - 1951

Synopsis: Donald stays at the French Riviera where he is contacted by a sinister looking man. A major spy story complete with good and bad guys unfolds...

Comments: Donald helps his country as an agent and, along with one of the good guys, agent Georgia Cornpone, he unravels a major spy organisation.

WDCS278 Have Gun, Will Dance - 1963

Synopsis: The nephews have bought what they think is a toy model of the army's latest ray gun. But the weapon is very real and must not fall into the wrong hands!

Comments: 'The wrong hands' being Brutopian spies who are working for their Workers' Paradise. In the end Donald manages to disarm them all.

DEATH-DEFYING HERO

FC0108 Terror of the River - 1946

Synopsis: Donald becomes the owner of a houseboat and travels down the river with his nephews. But the river is haunted by a sea serpent...

Comments: ...which is artificial and maneuvered by an insane person, who kidnaps Donald and almost kills him. In the end Donald overpowers the unscrupulous criminal with his own life at stake.

WDCS167 'The Salmon Contest' - 1954

Synopsis: Donald is checking on how to catch the biggest salmon in a contest in order to win a Snobmobile. But Gladstone is checking in, too...

Comments: During their bout Donald is catapulted into a driverless motorboat with a frightened little girl onboard. Donald manages to stop the speeding boat just in the nick of time.

WDCS288 Hero of the Dike - 1964

Synopsis: A small hole in Duckburg's dike is discovered and Gladstone runs for help while Donald puts his finger in the hole to close it up. Not a long-term solution...

Comments: This remarkably unselfish and highly heroic action initially prevents the protective dike from crumbling in thus saving the entire Duckburg area from being flooded.

RELATIVE(!) HERO

WDCS033 'The Lifeguard' - 1943

Synopsis: Donald is a lifeguard at the beach - and he has a special attitude towards sharks!

Comments: Donald acts as a great lifesaver to impress a lady duck, but in the end he manages to actually rescue his nephews from an angry shark.

FC0029 The Mummy's Ring - 1943

Synopsis: The Ducks are presented with a special Egyptian ring, which interests some shady characters.

Comments: Huey mysteriously disappears during a visit to Duckburg's museum, and Donald thinks that he has been kidnapped. He travels to Egypt to free him.

VP1 'Vacation Time' - 1950

Synopsis: The Ducks are on vacation in the deep woods and Donald tries to take pictures of a deer.

Comments: Donald rescues the nephews' lives in a big forest fire that would have killed them all, had Donald not been clear-sighted enough to know what to do.