- “The only thing she's ever dusted off were her fingerprints!”
- ―Scrooge McDuck[src]
Ma Beagle is a recurring antagonist from DuckTales. She is the matriarch of the Beagle Boys, a notorious crime family whose primary goal is to rob Scrooge McDuck’s Money Bin of its fortunes. Ma Beagle is crooked and devious, but shows genuine fondness for her boys. As a running gag, she almost always manages to evade arrest, with the promise to break her sons out “next time.”
Ma Beagle debuted in the episode “Robot Robbers” on September 25, 1987. She was inspired by the infamous “Ma Barker” of the real-life Barker–Karpis Gang. She was absent from the Carl Barks stories that would inspire DuckTales, though the Beagle Boys’ parentage was referenced in Only a Poor Old Man (Uncle Scrooge #1) in 1952.[1]
Background[]
Ma Beagle is the ringleader and mastermind of the Beagle Boy clan. The gang is comprised primarily of her sons, but also includes Ma’s nieces, grandchildren, and other extended relatives. Ma and the boys work primarily in Duckburg, but have terrorized regions across the country. Ma, herself, lives in a secluded cabin in the woods. According to “Once Upon a Dime”, she first encountered Scrooge McDuck during the miser’s early arrival to the United States. Ma, at the time, worked as a train robber and nearly ran off with Scrooge’s Number One Dime (though she ultimately passed it off as being worthless).
Ma is depicted as being far more competent than her children. She typically relies on her cunning and manipulation to pull off crimes, rather than brute strength like her sons. When out in public, she typically avoids suspicion by portraying herself as a frail senior citizen. A common inciting incident involves Ma breaking her sons out of prison by delivering cakes and other goods that are laced with jailbreak tools (such as bombs, dynamite, crowbars, etc.).
Whenever Ma Beagle appeared in the first season, she was often the only Beagle to escape successfully, a trait that notably seems to disappear in the later seasons. In the second season premiere, "Time is Money", it is implied that she was eventually arrested offscreen; when Big Time disguises himself as an elderly woman, Burger initially mistakes him for Ma, saying "She must've broke out of jail!" Additionally, two episodes in the show's later seasons, "The Bride Wore Stripes" and "New Gizmo-Kids on the Block", end with Ma Beagle being arrested and going to jail.
Appearances[]
DuckTales[]
Ma Beagle first appeared in the episode “Robot Robbers”, where she, Babyface, Bankjob, and Burger Beagle steal giant robots created by Gyro Gearloose to rob and terrorize the city of Duckburg. Scrooge McDuck joins forces with Flintheart Glomgold (who had commissioned the robots for his construction project) to defeat the Beagle Boys. Ma ditches her sons as she manages to escape, claiming that she had promised to visit their Uncle Bobo in South America.
Ma next appeared in “Hero for Hire”, where she enlist the help of Bankjob, Babyface, and Bugle Beagle in duping Launchpad McQuack into thinking he’s a movie star. Posing as “film directors”, the Beagles con Launchpad into robbing banks across the city, until Launchpad eventually catches wind of the scheme. Though the Beagles initially frame Launchpad for the crimes, their involvement eventually becomes known and the boys are apprehended while Ma, once again, manages to escape.
In the short episode “Take Me Out to the Ball Game”, Ma acts as the coach for the Beagle Brats’s baseball game against the Woodchucks. The Woodchucks, headed by Srooge’s butler Duckworth, is initially so poor that the Beagle Brats briefly consider playing the game fairly as cheating seemed pointless. As cheating is considered a “family tradition”, however, Ma encourages her kids to use an explosive “Beagle Ball” just in case.
Ma appeared in Scrooge’s flashback in the episode “Once Upon a Dime”, where she worked a train robber in Oklahoma. She robs Scrooge’s safe, only to find a single dime. She nevertheless collects the dime for herself, along with Scrooge’s kilt, and sneaks away to her hideout. Scrooge and some reinforcements storm the lair, using bagpipes to force the Beagles to surrender. Ma, for the first time, is seen being apprehended by law enforcements in the aftermath.
She briefly appeared at the end of the episode “Till Nephews Do Us Part”, in which she and the boys intend to rob a bank, only to find that it’s been reserved for a wedding between Scrooge and Millionara Vanderbucks. Ma and the Beagles nevertheless disguise themselves to see themselves in. After the wedding is called off, Ma and the Beagles seize hold of the bank and presumably rob the place.
Ma served as the overarching antagonist of the five-part serial “Super DuckTales”, where the Beagle Boys attempt to steal Scrooge’s Money Bin as a birthday present to their retiring mother. Their plans are consistently foiled by Scrooge and his allies, however, not the least of which being Gizmoduck, who sends the boys back to prison. Ma, still on the loose, stumbles upon Gizmoduck’s manual. She enlist the help of Megabyte Beagle to hack into the Gizmoduck suit and force the hero to rob Scrooge for all he’s worth. In doing so, Ma finally succeeds in her goal to become unfathomably rich. She rises up the social ladder and effectively seizes control of Duckburg, ruling over its elites with an iron fist. Scrooge’s nephews manage to free Gizmouck of Ma Beagle’s control, resulting in a battle that ends with the Money Bin being lost to the villains.
In “Beaglemania”, Ma Beagle’s attempt to rob a music competition inadvertently results in the Beagle Boys becoming overnight sensations. They sign a contract with Dukka Records (which is owned by Scrooge) and effectively “go straight” now that they are able to make an honest living, with Ma as their manager. Despite going straight, they abuse their status to bleed Scrooge dry in order to meet their lofty demands. After pushing the boys well beyond their limits to uphold their status, however, Ma is fired as their manager. Scorned and missing the criminal lifestyle, she teams up with Scrooge to ruin the band’s reputation.
In “The Bride Wore Stripes”, Ma bamboozles Duckburg’s government into believing that she and Scrooge were married, granting Ma partial control over McDuck’s fortune. Ma threatens to bankrupt Scrooge unless he signs their divorce papers and surrender half of everything he owns, but Scrooge refuses, forcing both the McDucks and the Beagles to live together in the mansion. In a turn of events, Ma grows accustomed to the lifestyle of a housewife. She comes to cherish the new family that her scheme has created, even harboring some affection for Scrooge as her “husband.” The Beagle Boys, however, would rather return to a life of crime. They team up with Scrooge to foil Ma’s plans, tricking her into confessing that she and Scrooge were never married. This results in Ma’s arrest, with the boys promising to bust her out.
Ma’s final appearance in the series was the episode “New Gizmo-Kids on the Block”, where she seeks to win the “Mother of the Year” contest held by Bramble Soups. As a means of expressing her love for her boys and impressing the judges, Ma breaks the Beagles out of jail and embark on a crime spree around town. Her efforts are ultimately thwarted by Webby Vanderquack, leading to the family’s arrest. In prison, Ma initially mourns the loss of the contest, but is comforted by a collective expression of love and appreciation from her sons. Ma, touched by their gesture, returns their sentiments, thus ending their arc on a tender note.
DuckTales (2017)[]
Ma Beagle returns as a recurring antagonist in the animated reboot of the original series, first appearing in the episode “Daytrip of Doom!”. She is, once again, depicted as the matriarch of the Beagle Boys crime syndicate. Rather than steal Scrooge’s fortune, Ma ultimately seeks to steal the deed to Duckburg and take over the city. As explained in “The Life and Crimes of Scrooge McDuck!”, the Beagles once ruled Fort Duckburg, having conned the deed from its original owners. As a child, Ma aided her Grandpappy Beagle in lording over the clan, until their power was usurped by a young Scrooge. Disappointed in Pappy’s failure, Ma displaces him as leader of the gang, declaring to one day reclaim both the deed and the city. Decades later, Ma, now living in the junkyard with her boys, continuously plots to best Scrooge. Some of her attempts include the episodes “McMystery at McDuck McManor!”, “The Golden Armory of Cornelius Coot!”, and “GlomTales!”, in which she joins forces with Flintheart Glomgold, Mark Beaks, Don Karnage, and Magica De Spell in defeating Clan McDuck.
Gallery[]
Trivia[]
- Although Ma's husband, Papa Beagle, does not appear in the TV series, he was seen on a wanted poster in Only a Poor Old Man.[2]
- In The Beagle Boys vs. the Money Bin, one Beagle Boy briefly mentions Ma Beagle when recalling the reason why he doesn't know his actual name.
- According to “The Billionaire Beagle Boys Club”, Ma Beagle was sent to reformatory school at some point in her life.
- As revealed in “Beaglemania”, Ma Beagle is a member of the fictional “Mothers of Criminals” social group.
- According to “McMystery at McDuck McManor!, Ma’s full name is Katherine Beagle, a nod to Kate “Ma” Barker.
External links[]
References[]
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