Ponce de Leon is a one-shot character from the DuckTales reboot and the main antagonist of the Season 3 episode "The Forbidden Fountain of the Foreverglades!". He is a conquistador who wants to stay young forever through the enchanted waters of the fabled Fountain of the Foreverglades.
Background[]
Prior to the events of the episode, Leon discovered the Fountain of the Forever glade's ability to sap the youth of young and old people 500 years ago. With this knowledge, Leon was able to divert the fountain's water to his hotel pool as a way to lure in and trap unsuspecting teenage vacationers.
Physical Appearance[]
Ponce de Leon is an elderly lion with long grey hair tied together with blue hair bands and yellow eyes with black pupils. He wears a light green polo t-shirt with starfish patterns on it and a pair of tan khaki pants.
During his time as a conquistador, Leon wore grey armor and green clothes. His helmet also had a red feather sticking out.
Under the effects of the Fountain of the Forever glade's water, Leon has dark brown hair.
Role in the series[]
Leon was introduced in the Season 3 episode, "The Forbidden Fountain of the Foreverglades!".
In the episode, Leon (during his duty as a hotel manager) tells the audience that nowadays, visitors can experience the rejuvenation of youth at the Conquistador Inn resort. As the McDucks arrive there, Scrooge McDuck approaches him as Leon gives him a key for his hotel room while talking about the Inn's spa and crystal-clear pool surrounded by casual elegance. It is then known Leon was able to trap all of the teenage vacationers in his hotel and drain them of their youth to keep himself young before his true nature revealed. Later, Huey, Dewey, and Louie approach Leon, who is kindly catering the guests and later asking them for gelatin on their plates to which the guests agree. Back at the lobby, Louie, who's looking for more water, gazes upon Leon locking up some of it very securely in the manager area, much to his suspicion.
Huey, Dewey, and Louie figured out his scheme by noticing the hotel manager is identical to the painting of Ponce De Leon in the hotel lobby, which he overhears, so he forces them at sword point into the private manager room. He then explains his backstory about how he drained the water from the Fountain and transferred it to the Conquistador Inn resort, revealing his true nature to the nephews and traps them in a tube there to steal their youth from them later after he's done with his other hotel duties. Scrooge and Goldie approach Leon and confront him for his betrayal, and it is found out the pool water is actually from the Fountain of Youth, despite his resort being rated five stars. As Leon prepares to kill Goldie using his sword, Scrooge grabs a cane and blocks his strike just as Scrooge and Goldie corner him with the weapons they are wielding. Leon convinces Goldie to give up her elderly age and become young forever. Scrooge remained hesitant about the offer, but immediately changed his mind after he notices one of the pool visitors started aging after diving into the pool. John D. Rockerduck and Jeeves approach him just as Rockerduck drinks some of the Fountains's water to regain his strength.
Noticing Leon and Jeeves attacking Scrooge, Goldie and the nephews confront the two just as Goldie gives Fountain water to Jeeves (causing him to be turned into a baby) in order to save Scrooge. Having defeated Rockerduck and Jeeves, Leon later engaged Scrooge and Goldie in a lengthy sword fight that ended with both Leon and Scrooge falling into the pool and slowly regaining their normal age. Goldie rescues Scrooge, leaving Leon to die from aging back to his old self.
Trivia[]
- Ponce De Leon is based on and named after Juan Ponce de Léon, a 15th century Spanish explorer who is affiliated with the discovery of the Fountain of Youth.
- Ponce De Leon has a striking resemblance to Scar from Disney's The Lion King.
- Ponce De Leon shares some similarities with Mother Gothel:
- Both are evil individuals who wanted to remain young forever through a specific method; the youth essence of teenage vacationers via the Fountain of the Foreverglade's water for Leon and the Sundrop Flower for Mother Gothel.
- Both locked the protagonists inside, such as Huey, Dewey, and Louie in Leon's office and Rapunzel in Gothel's tower.
- Both have a sharp weapon, such as Leon's sword and Gothel's knife.
- Both met their demise through aging to dust.
- He is one of the few antagonists in the DuckTales reboot to explicitly die onscreen.
