This article is about Bradford Buzzard. You may be looking for his biography.
“
After all, I'm a businessman! Not a villain...
”
– Bradford Buzzard
Director Bradford Buzzard is a major antagonist in the 2017 reboot TV series DuckTales. He serves as a minor character in the first and second seasons and the main antagonist of Season 3. He is also a minor antagonist in the reboot comic series.
Bradford is the grandson of Isabella Finch, founder of the Junior Woodchucks. Being the first of the Junior Woodchucks, Bradford served as chronicler of the Woodchucks, and later as a S.H.U.S.H. accountant. He was the co-founder and director of F.O.W.L. and simultaneously served as the C.E.O. and board chairman of McDuck Enterprises as a cover. While he and his clones Bentley and Buford Buzzard long served as Board of Directors for Scrooge's business empire, Bradford had secretly positioned himself to become Scrooge's true arch-nemesis though he goes out of his way never to identify as an actual villain. His supposedly noble goal was to bring a permanent end to Scrooge's adventuring ways and its supposed ill effects on the world and economic stability. This also would allow Bradford to ease his own traumas from his youthful escapades with his grandmother, which he resented.
Bradford comes across as rigid, professional and totally dedicated to business and work; with no patience for any unnecessary spending or tomfoolery. Even after being revealed as the leader of F.O.W.L., he retains his professional demeanor and demands the same of his subordinates. However, behind this façade is a heartless and sadistic monster, who is determined to force all others to obey his totalitarian view of world order or be destroyed. Having been traumatized by the adventures with his grandmother in his youth, Bradford has a fanatical hatred of adventure and chaos and is determined to destroy them. He sees Scrooge McDuck as the source of all adventures and focuses most of his hatred towards him. Perhaps his greatest personality trait is complete denial of his own nature and a constant displeasure towards displays of villainous personality traits, such as maniacal laughter in his subordinates. In addition, he is shown to be a massive coward who refuses to endanger his own life in any way, and will run and hide the moment things don't go well for him. Despite planning to take over the world and kill or destroy the lives of a number of people just for being adventurers, Bradford constantly insists that he is not a villain, that F.O.W.L. is not a villainous organization, and that all his actions are for the greater good as a "counter-chaos agent."
In "The Last Adventure!", under the influence of the Sword of Swanstantine which magnifies its wielder's true nature, the depths of Bradford's evil are laid bare for all to see. He does not hesitate to kill several of his own F.O.W.L. agents for having always been chaotic individuals who had now outlived their usefulness to him. After he finally coerces Scrooge into signing a contract magically binding him from ever adventuring again, Bradford casually admits to being a villain as he tries to kill Scrooge's nephew Donald Duck despite having just promised that Scrooge and his family could live out adventureless lives. This suggests that at least a part of Bradford had always recognized the villainy in himself. Bradford then fails to foresee or understand why the contract soon voids itself on the technicality that that having a family is an adventure. This shows that he never truly understood what having a family really means. With his secrets exposed, all supernatural artifacts and powers taken from him, and faced with his own decisive defeat, Bradford still vainly repeats that he is not a villain, his objections now only sounding hopelessly, feeble and dishonest.
Genius-level intellect: As a founder and director of F.O.W.L., Bradford is incomparable in making plans to take over the world and destroy his opponents. He is much much smarter and more reasonable than anyone in F.O.W.L., even than Black Heron, which in terms of intelligence is second to him.
Financial Competence: Bradford is very well versed in financial matters. In fact, he even discovered from the world's financial disruptions during the times of great adventures that adventures makes the world completely unpredictable and therefore dangerous as he claimed himself in "The Last Adventure!".
Junior Woodchuck Knowledge: Being the very first Junior Woodchuck Bradford learned a thing or two during this period of his life. For example, he received a carpentry badge of the 3rd level as he claimed himself in "The Last Adventure!". However, his knowledge of this topic remained very superficial - for example, he did not learn how to tie knots.
Upon wielding The Sword of Swanstantine Bradford acquired the following powers:
Superhuman Strength and Agility: Bradford easily could fight multiple people at once (even able to defeat Scrooge) and make incredibly long and high jumps.
Energy bursts: Bradford could shoot beams of energy from both The Sword of Swanstantine and from his hand.
Equipment[]
The Sword of Swanstantine: Ordinarily a weak old man, wielding this weapon granted him incredible strength.
This has gone too far. The Ducks almost cost us the world today. And without the world, who would we larceny against? The pieces are finally in place. It's time to come out of the shadows, take control, and end Clan McDuck. If the McDuck family wants an adventure, we'll give them their last.
”
-Bradford revealing his affiliation with F.O.W.L. and decision to destroy Scrooge's family
Oh, I created you to help me defeat Scrooge McDuck once and for all. And with this you just did!
”
-Bradford telling to Webby about her purpose after getting The Papyrus of Binding
“
Well, let's get down to business.
”
-Bradford to knotted Scrooge
“
Granny Finch claimed these dangerous excursions were "fun" and "educational". Well, I did learn one thing: the world is full of chaos, and it's only getting worse. [...] So I dedicated my life to containing that chaos. First at S.H.U.S.H., then F.O.W.L., even as your CEO.
”
-Bradford informing Scrooge of his past and goals
“
And all these [chaotic] events over the past century have one man in common. Who? Could? It? Be?
”
-Bradford hints that Scrooge is the main source of world chaos
“
After all, I'm a businessman! Not a villain...
”
-Bradford's motto
“
Now, on to new business!
”
-Bradford upon wielding The Sword of Swanstantine
“
Must everything be a fight with you?
”
-Bradford during the fight against Scrooge
“
I have torn you apart once before. [...] How do you think Della found out you built The Spear of Selene?
”
-Bradford reveals the shocking truth to Scrooge
“
Normaly, I wouldn't indulge in petty villainy, but since this is a special occasion...
”
-Bradford gives free rein to his wild villainous nature and throws Donald in Solego Vortex
“
NO! No more adventures!
”
-Bradford loses his temper as his plan started to fail when Solego Vortex was turned off
“
Look what you've turned me into! A base villain!
”
-Bradford still in denial of his own villainous nature
“
No. No! NO!! I will not lose to Scrooge!
”
-Bradford after The Papyrus of Binding's destruction, and dropping The Sword of Swanstantine
Being one-quarter finch through his grandmother, Isabella Finch, Bradford is the second known interspecies hybrid character in the 2017 TV series' continuity (the first being Gladstone Gander).
Bradford is similar to Huey due to their mutual love of order, they're both have history as Junior Woodchucks, and while they're both usually level-headed, they become unstable when things don't go the way they planned, usually responding with anger and/or anxiety.
The fact that Bradford claimed he wasn't a villain but then subsequently turned into a vulture is ironic, given the fact that in some media tropes, vultures were referred to as the pets of villains.
