Damsel in Distress or Laura Croft
 

When it comes to April O'Neil being depicted do you prefere her being a damsel in distress like how she was in old toon or a kick butt highly skilled Laura Croft fighter nearly un par with the turtles and Casey like how she was depicted in the 2007 movie?

I don't care for either extreme.

Why can't April just be normal?

April wasn't all that helpless in the Original Toon, she just got in over her head far too often. Any human being wouldn't be much of a match against an army of androids, two muscle bound mutant punks, and a well armed ninja crimelord packing Dimension X technology.

I think the Archie Comics have done the best job with April so far, making her a capable physical thread but doing it gradually. Given the choice, though, I'd prefer the Old Toon version over the "Laura Croft" portrayal of the new movie.

Yeah, I'm with CyberCubed.
I prefer Middle of the Road April.

I've no problem with them saving her when they first meet her in the comic. They save her, then they all work together, followed by her saving them by taking them in.

Her learning martial arts, sure! Love the idea. Think it only makes sense, seeing as she's on the run from a hoard of ninjas. But her suddenly knowing enough martial arts to defend against a foot army after a single training montage? Yeah, not so much.

I liked how they depicted her in the 2k3 series. She's no damsel in distress, but she isn't Rambo either. She has enough skills to defend herself, taught by Master Splinter later in the series, but she isn't invincible.

Even before being taught some ninjitsu, she was already a smart and capable woman. 4Kids' April is a good medium and I like that.

^ I agree with all that. The 2k3 April was just perfect. Not a helpless liability like she was in the OT, but a reasonably capable woman who gradually developed the ability to defend herself (and others) when necessary. I didn't like how she was like a master ninja in the 2007 movie, though. That was a bit much.

I prefer a mix of the two. More of a woman who needs help from time to time but cantake care of herself if the need arose.

I'm also on the 2k3 bandwagon. If I were forced between the title choices though, I'd go with the damsel in distress... I guess my preferance is based on my liking OT April better then TMNT April. In TMNT she wasn't believable at all... in archie she was though.

She can have some skills, but frankly I don't want her to be beating up on characters who spend their entire life in those skills that she developed withing a few months...

I prefer a DID to Laura Croft any day.

Lara Croft, people. LARA.

I like the idea of the medium, especially 2k3. She was at a good mix of both.

Frankly, I thought that the new movie picked April up after the storyline in the old comics where she was trained. That made her skills much more understandable. Either way, on the whole I prefer just such a progression. She should start out as a smart, capable woman (although, the OT works, where she is always in over her head because she's after a story), but eventually is trained to be more combat capable.

Having a medium sounds like the best option of the ones already mentioned, but in that case we still end up with the same problem we always have with the April character: she begins as a link of the turtles with the human world, but then we meet Casey, who does that too but is also a powerful fighter in his own style. If she learns self defense we still end up with a second Casey Jones.

We would need a fourth option, to have her with her own ability to aid the group, and it doesn't have to be fighting. How about having April being the expert of the paranormal in the group? With so many portal and time traveling going on, she could be of use. And we could make Don a technology expert only.

Something like that was done in 2K3, where she worked best as a communications expert and provider of information, like Oracle in the Batman universe. Wich is something I personaly don't like much as it is a passive role.

Also: LaUra Croft is actually a Playboy model.

http://www.1800-sports.com/images/la...april-2007.jpg

Archie
 

I prefer Archie April, who begun just like the 1987 cartoon April, before Splinter taught her martial arts. But 1987 cartoon April at least had some driving skills...

So true! Those pilot episodes were especially good at portraying her competency with the wheel! I was inspired to make this a while back:

[URL LINK OBSOLETE]
(It's Download only since I haven't been able to host it anywhere because of music restrictions.)

Thank You!

A "Laura Croft" April would have a interesting twist...

thought I'd prefer a middle way between a damsel in distress and Lara Croft

IN THE KITCHEN.


How about neither? Just an average girl with nothing going on until the turtles show up.

Normal, like in the first movie.

Ditto CyberCubed. Can't she just be a normal person like in Mirage, the first three movies, and the 4Kids cartoon?

You know, where she's not exceptionally helpless or an action hero?

If you write the character well enough, you shouldn't have to shoehorn her into the group's action though. She should be interesting enough sans any kind of role in their actual adventures. Mirage, I think, did a great job with this up until Volume 4. And it's easily avoided when she has the reporter gig (although I don't prefer it). Hell, her feeling like she's losing the connection could even be part of her character. I'm just not down with the whole "She needs to help out with missions" thing.

Come to think of it, even the 4Kids version got a little over-the-top in that regard.