Della Duck

Lore & Background

Della was first mentioned in a 1937 Donald Duck Sunday strip on October 17, 1937, in which she writes a letter explaining to Donald that she is sending her sons to stay with him. This first appearance referred to Della as Donald's cousin, though later depictions would refer to her as Donald's sister. One year later, Della was mentioned in similar fashion in Donald's Nephews (1938), which opened with Donald receiving a postcard from his sister (addressed 'Dear Brother' and signed 'Sister Dumbella').

In a 1990 Duck family tree by Carl Barks, Donald's sister appears as 'Thelma Duck'. In the 1993 Duck family tree by Don Rosa, she was renamed 'Della'. Her first appearance in comics as an adult was in a 2014 Dutch-language Donald Duck comic, 80 is Prachtig!, depicting her as a successful test pilot, the first woman to fly across the Atlantic Ocean, and stranded in space after test-flying a rocket ship that accidentally propelled her to near light speed.

During 2017, Della appeared every month in the Dutch Donald Duck comic strips, appearing in a total of 22 stories, focusing mainly on her childhood with Donald.

Reader's Guide

Della Duck embodies the spirit of exploration and maternal love within the McDuck clan. As Donald's twin sister and Scrooge's niece, she shares their adventurous DNA but channels it into aviation and space travel. Her character arc centers on sacrifice and return; she left her sons to pursue a dream, only to be stranded in space for years. She possesses exceptional piloting skills and combat readiness.

Her defining moments include her unauthorized launch in the Spear of Selene, the years of presumed loss that haunted Duckburg, and her dramatic rescue which reunited the triplets with their mother. Ultimately, she represents resilience, proving that family ties transcend even the vacuum of space. She balances recklessness with deep care for Huey, Dewey, and Louie. Her return shifts the dynamic of the household significantly, bringing closure to a long-standing mystery while adding new layers of conflict regarding her past experiences.

Della uses one of her brother's signature phrases, 'Aw, phooey!' and also has her own signature catchphrase, 'Nothing can stop Della Duck!' DuckTales showrunners consulted with the Amputee Coalition on the depiction of Della as an amputee. Show producer Francisco Angones explained that it was important that Della's injury and amputation does not define her, and that rather than simply depicting her as 'the amputee hero', he wanted the show to make clear that 'she's a person who has a prosthetic and she's dealing with her limb loss but she's dealing with a lot of other things.'

Did You Know?

• Della's first speaking appearance was in the DuckTales season 1 finale 'The Shadow War!' on August 18, 2018, voiced by Paget Brewster.
• Della was forced to amputate one of her legs due to injuries from the rocket crash and built a robotic prosthetic leg as a replacement.