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The world doesn’t love millionaires the way they used to, but Scrooge McDuck appears to be the exception to the rule. Is it because he’s fictional? Could the fact that he’s a duck have anything to do with it? Diana Gabaldon has her own ideas.

Gabaldon is a bestselling author who is known for writing the Outlander book series. She’s also written scripts for Disney comic books, which gave her a unique perspective on Scrooge McDuck. So, what is it that makes Scrooge different from other millionaires?

“The short answer is Carl Barks,” Diana Gabaldon says during New York Comic Con 2022’s Titans of Fantasy panel. “[Banks] was the creator of Scrooge McDuck and wrote him exclusively for 20 or 30 years. After that it sort of diffused among several other writers of whom I had the honor of being one. But why it works so well, well partly it was Carl Barks’ grasp of Scrooge McDuck’s character.”

“The guy is technically a miser. He’s got a money bin and all this, but the thing is he just loves money. He’s not out exploiting the poor to get it or robbing banks. He just really likes money and diving around in his money bank. Everybody can identify with that [laughs].”

You’ve got to admit; there is pure joy in Scrooge’s eyes whenever he jumps into that money pit. It’s hard not to find that endearing. Maybe the world would be a better place if more of our millionaires were like Scrooge.

Are you interested in more Diana Gabaldon? Check out our guide to learn how to read Outlander in release and chronological order.