Best versions of Daphne in Scooby-Doo

The Scooby Doo is one of the longest-running animated franchises of all time. The Mystery Incorporated Gang has seen not only 13 television shows, but also nearly fifty films released in theaters over the last half century. Scooby and Shaggy are often the focus of individual storylines in these adventures, but Daphne Blake has also developed her own huge fan base.

While Daphne has been seen in many forms and played by many actresses since her first appearances in the late '60s, there are some versions and subplots of Daphne that have worked better than others.

Updated November 5, 2024 by Chris Harkin: The Scooby-Doo franchise continues without regard to anything other than constant fun and success in various media. It may be hard for fans to believe how many versions there are of Scooby himself and his Mystery Inc. friends. Daphne Blake remains an icon in her own right and has managed to move from animated film to live-action film and to both games and comics without hesitation and without losing any of the appeal that her no-nonsense attitude had on the gang of Mystery Inc. exercises. With Daphne and all of these characters finding new life around every corner, there will likely be more updates on their various changes in the future.

9 Girl boss Daphne

Surf, design swimwear and catch bad guys like a boss

• Appeared in Aloha, Scooby-Doo!
• Published in 2005

There's often something going on with Daphne Scooby Doo films, and the variety of things she has accomplished is truly impressive. But one of the most casually amazing things of all is here Aloha, Scooby Doo When the gang went to Hawaii to help the locals, they wanted Daphne to design a swimwear collection for them.

When a monster showed up to disrupt the island's surfing competition, Daphne even bravely stepped in and showed off her surfing skills while using herself as bait to lure out and capture the monster. This version of Daphne was a laid-back badass and her own boss, brave and strong, and with great business acumen.

8 Buffy Daphne

The hard-hitting live-action bombshell that changed Daphne forever

• Appeared in Scooby-Doo and Scooby-Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed
• Published 2002–2004

The list of the best versions of Daphne has to include Sarah Michelle Gellar. The 2002 Scooby Doo The film is one of the few truly great examples of live-action casting for an animated film. The whole Scooby Doo Gang was brought to screen perfectly and Daphne was no exception as Gellar took the role and made it her own.

The traditional view of Daphne as a damsel in distress was completely undone by Gellar's take, which had the character learning karate and kicking her own ass. This Buffy-style take on the character was a brilliant way to bring the role into the 21st century.

7 Reporter Daphne

Not a fighter, but an independent woman at the top

• Appeared in Scooby-Doo on Zombie Island
• Published in 1998

One of the early ones Scooby Doo Movies saw Daphne in a different role that made a lot of sense. When the gang heads to a mysterious island that turns out to be crawling with zombies, Daphne directs and hosts a hit TV show and looks for new information from the strange inhabitants.

This Daphne had her own drive and was even the one who led the gang on this adventure. It was great to see her take charge and solve the mystery. She was even Fred's boss, as he worked as a cameraman on her show, which gave her an element of control in the group that had often been missing until then.

6 Pilot Daphne

Learn new skills and look great doing it

• Appeared in Scooby-Doo! Moon monster madness
• Published in 2015

Daphne's journey in Moon monster madness is a little different, but the character's development and the journey she goes through are both important and hilarious. At the beginning of the film, Daphne fails a driving test and laments her attempts to finally gain independence.

But after Scooby and Shaggy win a trip to space, Daphne learns many surprising new things as an astronaut and comes into conflict with Velma, who expects to be the better astronaut. All of this ends with Daphne and Velma's relationship being even more confirmed and Daphne figuring out how to pass her driving test.

5 Leader Daphne

The first time Daphne took charge

• Appeared in The 13 Ghosts of Scooby-Doo
• Published in 1985

The 13 Ghosts of Scooby-Doo was a strange show. Suddenly Velma and Fred had been abandoned and later returned to work while Daphne's plane went off course and landed in the Himalayas with her, Scooby, Shaggy and Scrappy.

The gang changed a lot in this series, and Daphne most of all, as she suddenly found herself playing the roles of herself, Fred, and a bit of Velma to boot. It was a great leadership role for her and an impressive character arc that deserves to be revisited Scooby-Doo and the Curse of the 13th Ghost This time with Fred and Velma.

4 Clown Daphne

Becoming something completely different to solve a mystery

• Appeared in Big Top Scooby-Doo!
• Published in 2012

Big Top Scooby Doo was the last film in which the gang finally took on a werewolf. This happened when they were working undercover as part of a circus, trying to find out the identity of the werewolf who wanted to scare everyone away. So the gang learned all the circus acts and Daphne began training as a clown.

Daphne, a character always obsessed with her appearance, didn't exactly have an easy time becoming a clown and learning to act in completely different circumstances. She also had to break down the hardened, jaded other clowns in the circus and eventually became friends with them. It was a completely different moment in Daphne's story than usual.

3 Daphne & Fred finally

A long-awaited, enchanting meeting

• Appeared in Scooby-Doo! Stage fright
• Published in 2013

The relationship between Daphne and Fred has long attracted great interest Scooby Doo Viewers. Sometimes the two are together, sometimes they tease getting together, but often they don't seem to be together at all, even though it makes a lot of sense.

Scooby-Doo stage fright It's rare that the audience finally comes together again after such a long wait. The duo is part of a talent show where they will sing together, and the gang tries to bring out a phantom at the same time. Throughout the film, both question themselves and try to figure out how to ask the other out until they finally come together in the film's climax.

2 Apocalyptic warrior Daphne

Something completely different that has to be seen to be believed

• Appeared in Scooby Apocalypse
• Published from 2016 to 2019

There are few times where the Scooby gang has ended up in as much of a mess as they did in the DC Comics series Scooby Apocalypsein which the gang is set in a post-apocalyptic setting where the entire world has been infected and turned into mutated creatures that the gang must fend off, giving Daphne a major overhaul as a character.

The crazy stories told as humanity is overtaken and the gang tries to help were shocking, and the things Daphne had to do were horrific, including dealing with the loss of Fred. But through it all, she has proven once and for all that Daphne is the strongest member of the gang and a born survivor.

1 Existential crisis Daphne

To see how far it was from the original

• Appeared in Scooby-Doo and The Cyber ​​Chase
• Published in 2001

One of the best versions of Daphne is when she had the opportunity to confront the earlier, original version of herself. In Scooby-Doo and the Cyber ​​ChaseThe gang encounters their past selves in cyberspace and is given the opportunity to interact with the versions of themselves that the original TV show began with. Scooby-Doo, where are you?

It was great to see Daphne's simple version compared to the more polished and modernized character. It showed the past, the original versus the modern and was a great film. It was also one of the first direct-to-video films to feature a more mature version of Daphne as a character.