Warning: Spoilers for Scooby-Doo, Where Are You? #127 ahead!
Back when Scooby-Doo first aired, Daphne languished in the role of damsel in distress, earning her the unfortunate nickname of “Danger-Prone Daphne.” With decades of character development having transformed her into Mystery Inc.’s resident badass, the modern comics take a playful jab at her origins by giving her nickname a cheeky update.
In Scooby-Doo, Where Are You? #127, Fred has the dubious notion of leading Mystery Inc. on a team-building exercise. This results in a visit to a brand new (and of course, haunted) laser tag arena. When the gang proves to be hopelessly inept on the field of laser combat, Daphne is quick to take charge.
Daphne charges into battle while the rest of Mystery Inc. cowers, directing her team to find cover. Always one for a cheeky quip, Fred remarks “I guess that makes you Laser-Prone Daphne” as he and Velma dash to safety, referencing Daphne’s outdated nickname of “Danger-Prone.”
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Daphne Has Gone From Danger-Prone to Dangerous
In the original airing of the 1969 series Scooby-Doo, Where Are You?, Daphne had a penchant for walking into traps and being abducted by the monster of the week. This earned her the nickname of “Danger-Prone Daphne” as early as the series’ fourth episode, “Mine Your Own Business.” Later adaptations of the franchise gradually leaned into Daphne actively pushing away from her danger-prone origin, with features like the 2002 live-action Scooby-Doo film and 2009’s Scooby-Doo and the Samurai Sword emphasizing her newfound position as a martial artist. Meanwhile, the much-maligned HBO series Velma uses the term “danger-prone” to cast Daphne as a violent delinquent.
However, Daphne embraces her role as an action hero most strongly in the Scooby-Doo comics – especially when Mystery Inc. teams up with Batman. Daphne doesn’t hesitate to cross swords with none other than Ra’s al Ghul in 2022’s The Batman & Scooby-Doo Mysteries #1; subsequently, the very next issue has her filling in as Batgirl when Barbara Gordon is taken out of commission by Poison Ivy. Rather than constantly needing to be rescued, modern-day Daphne is unafraid to leap into danger in order to protect her friends – and has the skills to do so.
Creeps and Criminals Had Best Beware Dangerous Daphne
“Laser-Prone Daphne” is a cheeky way to highlight how Daphne has grown from being the damsel in distress to the member of Mystery Inc. that bad guys need to fear the most. Fearless almost to a fault, modern Daphne shows no hesitation about jumping into the fray, guns blazing and skewering her legacy of being Scooby-Doo’s “danger-prone” damsel once and for all.
Scooby-Doo, Where Are You? #127 (2024) | |
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