Donatello (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles)
| Donatello | |
|---|---|
| File:TMNTDonatello2007.jpg Donatello, the smartest member of the team. | |
| Publication information | |
| Publisher | Mirage Studios |
| First appearance | Eastman and Laird's Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #1 (October, 1984) |
| Created by | Kevin Eastman Peter Laird |
| In-story information | |
| Full name | Donatello |
| Team affiliations | Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles |
| Notable aliases | Don Donny Whiz Kid Don-san |
| Abilities | Highly skilled in Ninjutsu. Olympic-level agility, speed and strength. Master of stealth. Expert in science and engineering. Mastery of bojutsu. |
Donatello (or Don, or Donny), a fictional character, is one of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (TMNT). His bandana is typically portrayed as purple, his favorite color (although originally all four Turtles had red bandanas) and his weapon is a bō (quarterstaff), which he sometimes uses as a tool or a walking stick. Donatello is the whiz kid of the TMNT, being adept with machines, though other traits of his personality vary depending on the exact media in question. He is named after Donatello, the Renaissance sculptor. Template:Spoiler
Comic books
In the original comic series by Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird, Donatello is generally not the "spotlight" character (except perhaps the Mirage Volume 4 comics), but Laird has on occasions announced that Donatello is his favorite Turtle and Donatello has a large fan following due to his complex personality. He is universally portrayed as something of a geek, is good with technology, and invents many of the gadgets used by the other team members, thereby saving them on countless occasions. Something of a pacifist (although he fights alongside his brothers), he is the most introspective and nonviolent of the Turtles, preferring to use his mind and intellect to find a solution to a problem. Accordingly, his weapon appears less lethal than those of his brothers. He has even stated that he hates guns when he was forced to use one. Ironically, Donatello was the one who knocked The Shredder off of the roof in proxy to his thermite grenade in the first issue, as well as the one who finally put an end to Baxter Stockman, in the fourth volume.
In the Mirage Volume One comics, Donatello acted as something of a "right-hand turtle" to Leonardo, being sensible and compassionate and possessing good control over his emotions, unlike their brothers Raphael and Michelangelo. This was referenced in the 2007 animated TMNT film, in which Leonardo remarks to April that he was surprised Donny was not able to keep the group under control during his absence.
In the Image Comics incarnation of the TMNT, he became a cyborg after his body was partially destroyed from being shot and dropped out of a helicopter (he maintained a positive attitude nonetheless, although he was constantly at risk of losing his mind to the cyborg). This was not considered part of the "official" storyline, however.
In the current comics after a trip to South America, Don was shrunk to the size of an action figure by a group of Utroms living there and the effect could not be reversed, possibly due to his mutation. To make himself a bit more mobile, Don converted a robot (similar to the Fugitoid that the Turtles got while on a yet unseen return trip to Dihoonib) to look like a turtle and so he could control it from the inside. Don was also disconcerted by both his and Raphael's current transformation (Raphael having become larger and more dinosaur-like). They said it was like being in a Godzilla or Gamera movie.
1987 animated series
The original animated television series depicts Donatello as a genius capable of inventing revolutionary technology (despite an obvious lack of funding), usually to combat enemies, and he is apparently solely responsible for the design and construction of the Turtles' assorted vehicles as well. He has little appreciation for humans and has a dim view of interpersonal relationships. In the original North American version of the show, Donatello's voice actor is Barry Gordon, who also voices Bebop. Greg Berg was the 1989 alternate voice actor for Donatello as well as Bebop.
2003 animated series
In the new Mirage Studios and 4Kids Entertainment 2003 animated TV series, Donatello's personality is more akin to his previous comic book incarnation, although he is less of a pacifist. Like usual, he is the genius of the team and builds all the vehicles and gadgetry. He is closest to April O'Neil, who is a scientist like himself; at times, it is hinted that he has romantic feelings towards her, but later it is explained that he only loves her as a sister. He is somewhat shy and sensitive, acting less like Leonardo's "second-in-command" than he did in the comic books - although he is probably the most reliable turtle after Leonardo. Despite it being implicitly shown that he is the least skilled fighter of the group (unlike in other versions of TMNT), he does show his abilities as a fighter when the need arises. His lack of extreme skill can be explained by the fact that he seems more interested in his inventions and technology than his ninjutsu training.
Donatello is also very close with Leatherhead, another keen scientist. Testament to Donatello's complex personality is the fact that he is shown to have generally good relationships with all of his brothers. In the episode "Same As It Never Was," in an alternate, nightmarish, dystopian future, the Shredder rules the world, and the remaining three turtles split up after Donatello "vanished." It is Donatello who reunites the future versions of the Turtles for one last stand against the Shredder. At times, Donatello is also the center of trouble; he has been captured on a number of occasions, and recently, mutated into a monstrous version of himself, due to substances left over from Agent Bishop's mock alien invasion. It was up to the other three Turtles, along with Leatherhead, to break into Area 51 to get a cure from Bishop in exchange for the Heart of Tengu. Donatello is voiced by Sam Regal in USA and by Jacek Kopczyński in Poland.
In the fifth season, Donatello was the first to summon his more powerful form.
Movies
The first film never officially identifies Donatello as the group's resident whiz kid, though he is occasionally shown tinkering with various devices. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: The Secret of the Ooze, however, clearly established Donatello as the most scientifically-minded turtle as well as the most introspective. The first film plays up the relationship between him and Casey Jones, in all other versions of the TMNT, Raphael, not Donatello, is closest to Casey. This is apparently because the scene in which Donatello and Casey bond over the fixing of an old pickup truck was based on a similar scene involving Casey and Raphael in the Mirage comics. Corey Feldman famously provides Donatello's voice in the first and third live-action films, while Adam Carl filled in for the second movie during Feldman's stint in rehabilitation. In the third film, Donatello is the only Turtle who is not tempted to stay in the Feudal Japan of the past, saying that he can't live without technology. The films also portray Donatello as being close with Michelangelo, bantering with him during fight sequences, going off to the side when Leo and Raph are arguing and in general hanging out in their spare time.
In the 2007 movie, Donatello runs an IT tech support line to earn money for the family. He has a more confrontational relationship with Raphael, angry that the latter was not pulling his weight to support them, as a family and as a team member, when in actuality Raphael was moonlighting as the Nightwatcher. This disagreement is further explained in the prequel comics by the fact that Donatello does not trust Nightwatcher, because no one knows what side he is really on, and because he uses fear to accomplish his ends. Donatello states that Raphael uses many of the same tactics, and hints that perhaps he knows what his brother really does at night. Donatello also tries to guide Michelangelo away from the idea that vigilantes are heroes. Such action develops Donatello as an older brother, forced to be the responsible one in Leonardo's absence and teach his brothers what Leo would in his place. Don is voiced by Mitchell Whitfield.
Video games
In the video games based on the 1987 animated series, Donatello has the longest range, although he cannot inflict as much damage as Leonardo, who has the second-longest range; one notable exception is the first NES game, where Donatello both did the most damage and had the longest range, though his attacks were slow. This has been carried over into the games inspired by the 2003 animated series.
See also
External link
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