The Donatello Thread

[Donnie]

So here we have it! The Donatello Thread, now open as an outlet for fans to discuss the brains of the TMNT in all of his glorious incarnations. Donnie is without a doubt my favorite Turtle - the Turtle that would rather mix words before shelling out a more "holistic" (to quote Tom Waltz) approach.

Donnie has not undergone monumental changes (personality wise) in any TMNT universe (unlike Raphael, whose different mediums are sometimes contrasting.) He is always the tech genius/the wiz kid, providing the Turtles with ground breaking (and in the case of the OT, limitless) technology that increases their victory ratio. He uses his intellect in the clutch, and without Donnie the Turtles would have been severly handicapped in a lot of scenarios. He provides scientific data on a daily basis (in all realms of the study including earth, biology, physics) to help the Turtles understand and successfully emerge from their current situation/environment. Plus, he quotes Darwin on a regular basis in "Tales". What's not to like here? He's a handy Turtle, being the creator of all their forms of transportation, which are anything but legal in most scenarios. From these creative endeavors alone we know that Donnie is a natural mechanic to the highest degree.

Concerning his fighting skills, I may venture to say that Donatello is the least involved with his martial arts training. Donnie would rather be in the lab or reading a book. His head is in the clouds involved in his own world a lot of the time. He prefers the aforementioned to fighting, and in most incarnations Donnie only uses violence as a last resort. As has been discussed before here on the 'drome, out of the four, Don is the most pacifist-friendly. Nonetheless he is a very capable fighter, weilding the most resourceful weapon. Donnie is the one who gives the final blow to Shredder in volume 1 #1.

A big part of Donatello's character that I think few notice is his spiritual side. He is far from religious in the traditional sense, yet there are plenty of instances in various TMNT universes in which showcase Donnie having some sort of spiritual dilemma (Secret of the Ooze, for example.) He's always thinking about the purpose of the Turtles and why they were alive to begin with - if they were special, or just some random scientific mishap. My favorite portrayals of Donnie usually always focus on this side of Donatello - the sensitive, somewhat spiritual side.

Alright, alright. So which incarnation of Donnie do I like the best? I would have to say Mirage, although each medium comes close to rivaling it except for Image. Sometimes I think that movie 1's Donatello is my favorite adaption, for reasons I'll explain later. We see all of the facets of Don's personality that I mentioned above in the original Mirage books. Yet, the other incarnations do great justice to him as well: the second live-action film is very much Donatello centered, focusing on his sensitivity and his inability to accept that he and his brothers were just a mistake and not something "special". The OT shows Donnie perhaps at his most brainiest, as mentioned inventing limitless gadgets and methods of scientific inquiry. The OT was what made Donnie my favorite from the start. Next Mutation Don was fine by me.

In newer mediums I think Donatello was done much justice. The 2k3 is also one of my favorite adaptions of Donnie, capturing his tech-savvy side with his sensitive side in an awesome mold of...well, Donnie. I love the 2007 TMNT film's portrayal, too. I think it's an extremely notable adaption concerning Donatello - he is committed, mature, and has the technological world at his finger tips. In this movie Donatello also struggles internally as he is seen as the de-facto leader of the group in Leonardo's absence. I love the argument we see between him and Raphael in the beginning, and Donnie's relationship with Mikey is admirable as well (that goes for the first movie, too.)

What's somewhat odd is the first film's lack of ultra tech-savvy Don. He's seen tinkering with a gadget in the sewers, and he helps Casey fix April's beat up truck - these instances are shout outs to his ability in my opinion rather than displays of his actual skill. The first film still does a very good job portraying Donatello's personality sans the tech-wiz bit. Honestly, I like how he's not portrayed as the "know-it-all" tech guy. By not pegging him with the constant "Mr. Fix-it" stereotype, we were able to see another side of Donatello's character.

I know it's wildly popular here but concerning Donnie, the Image series is to me like a suppressed bad memory. Sure, let's celebrate the brains of the TMNT by having him get blown away on page 1 of issue 1. Cool. Some like the idea of a Cyborg Donatello (and I wouldn't have minded it as much as I do if not for that terrible bulky design they gave him) but Image's Don did not sit well with me. I don't think they wrote him that well, either. He seemed a bit rash and out of his usual element in Image. I really would have liked to see what Image had in store for Donatello's "spiritual crisis" that they teased about in the last few issues. Maybe that arc would have changed my mind about Image's story.

IDW's Donatello is, thus far, an interesting take on the character and one that deviates slightly from the typical Donnie ilk in the fact that he has so far been advocating a more aggressive approach towards group decisions. He was largely against what seemed to him a needless search for Raphael, he wanted to kill Old Hob, and he also has argued with Leonardo on almost any occasion he could. He has proven thus far to almost abnormally smart as in the OT, and his passion for machines has not been explained outside of his Micro issue, which did a decent job at showing the light-hearted side of Donatello. I loved how Donnie acted in the first 3-4 issues, yet I became a little disillusioned with IDW as Donnie became more aggressive towards Leo with every issue. It just seemed unnecessary. I will say, however, that exploring this more aggressive Donatello's character is most definitely very interesting and opens the door for a lot of good character development, and maybe even a bond with Raphael that was missing in past incarnations.

As for Nick's 2012 Donatello...we will see! By looks alone, Donatello is excellently portrayed. While I don't see the need in making him taller than the rest, I like the gap in the tooth and I also like how Donnie has the belt over his shoulder, like in movie 1. I also like how he has brown eyes, as opposed to the others, who have green eyes and blue eyes.

Discuss your favorite adaptions concerning the brainiest of the bunch!

[Powder]

Originally Posted by DonnyTMNT

A big part of Donatello's character that I think few notice is his spiritual side.

Most especially because you're imagining it to an extent.

I love OT Don, he practically always saves the day. Lavender is a cool color too. Mirage Don is neat, a level-headed kinda quiet turtle with a bit of a dark side, I like that. I freakin' LOVE the Image Don. He's just insane. I dig the fact that he was made into a cyborg quite a bit, and how insane he goes about it at first is "epic". I think Don in the movies is classic, though not always too true to character. Nonetheless he's got a great incarnation there, and I do appreciate him a good deal. Next Mutation, I dunno why, but I really like him there. Even though they went overboard with the geek thing & I liked his bandana style the least, he just worked for me. 2k3 I think had good potential, but I feel like he was the turtle who got the least attention in that series. The only time they really gave him on screen was when he whipped out some unrealistically over the top machine, usually vehicles. I know that was his steez in the OT, but they invented that, it shoulda stayed there. TMNT I feel was kinda the same case, too tech & not enough attention. I'm sure we all agree on that. He's pretty much the best character on earth in every TMNT game, his long range weapon kicks ass, most especially in Tournament Fighters (SNES) where spamming his high attack can bring you all the way to the end with ease. & as for Archie, I don't recall much but his future tense self was pretty rad too. All in all, I like Don a lot. He's numero doce in my favorite list, second only to Leonardo.

[Jester]

Donatello has become my second favorite Turtle, surprisingly because of the 2k3 Donnie. I love how much of a geek he is, though I agree the vehicles are a bit over the top. Re watching the OT makes I'm growing to like that Donnie too. Image Don...well...at first I wasn't a huge fan, but seeing him work out this "problem" and become his own person and not a host for the cyborg was pretty cool.

[Icegaze]

In all honesty, Donatello is my least favourite turtle in most TMNT universes (except the '87 show, where Raph takes the cake hands down). But I must admit that after reading the OP, I'm starting to see Donny in a different light. I just never felt compelled by his character/personality. I also saw him as the least talented fighter (whether true or not, he gave me those vibes).

Nonetheless, my favourite Donatello is by far the Mirage comics version. The original. He was bad@ss. He didn't look nerdy, just plain capable and bad@ss.
Excellent thread, btw.

[Eiko]

I love all the Donatello's Mirage, Archie all of em Don was my fav from the start.

[Herald7]

I love OT Donatello; he's got that sort of dry humor at times, similar to Raphael, while Leonardo and Michelangelo are the less cynical ones. It makes them seem more like brothers, when you can note how they're similar or different from each other.

I know a lot of people say Donatello seems out of character in the first movie, goofing with Michaelangelo and not really doing the scientific stuff. But I can kind of see where they were going with that characterization. I think they were trying to make him seem like the more thoughtful yet awkward one in the group. For instance he insists on taking his time before coming up with the appropriate victory cheer, and even when he does finally pick one, it's kind of bizarre, lol. Plus the actor in the suit was constantly holding or tapping his chin, again giving the impression that Donatello's always thinking.

I guess the difference is, OT Donatello would have told Casey Jones he's a claustrophobic and then diligently spent half the episode working on a cure (which of course will work because OT Don's is a freakin genuis), but then of course get no credit for it. Whereas the first movie Donatello makes the same astute observation, but uses it purely to taunt Casey, and ends up with the upper hand, lol.

Personally I think first movie Donatello is what OT Donatello occasionally wishes he could be. Corey Feldman as a brainy turtle, lol. (OT Don is an '80s kid after all! )

[Donnie]

Originally Posted by Icegaze

But I must admit that after reading the OP, I'm starting to see Donny in a different light.

Thanks, Icegaze! Glad you're seeing the light!

Adding to my initial post, I read in the Leonardo thread some stories that mirror my own - purple is my favorite color to this day, and there's no doubt in my mind it became my favorite color because I picked Donatello as my favorite Turtle as a kid. It was cool to read that some other members had a similar tale, only with their respective favorite.

I've been idolizing/looking up to/trying to be like Donny since I was a kid. I'm still influenced by his character. Actually, I think my love for earth science was triggered by my love for the character. I don't think it's silly at all to idolize a fictional character. They are ideals to live up to in a suspicious and immoral world. Our connection to them mentally makes them more alive to me than many things that are supposed to be "real."

Originally Posted by Powder

Most especially because you're imagining it to an extent.

Although I will admit that I exaggerate this aspect of Donatello because I like it so much, I am definitely not imagining it. Of course, Donny is naturally more scientific and the most skeptical of the bunch. However, there are plenty of instances that show Donny to be of the spiritual variety, too - some examples to prove my point would be in the Secret of the Ooze, like I mentioned in the first post - Donny's feeling inadequate and wanting to be "special" is by all means a spiritual dilemma. In the Mirage comics, v.1 #37 speaks for itself, and v.2 #1 does the trick. Even Image was going to give Donny a spiritual arc.

Donatello's immense love for animals is another aspect of his personality worth talking about, and I meant to mention it in my first post. It ties into his spirituality. He has admitted that he loves all animals, regardless if they are trying to kill him or not (see Tales #29). On page 1 of Tales #18, you can clearly see Donny's love for his "kin" - a baby slider. He is talking to it, establishing a connection to it, and calling it "sweetie." These displays of animal affection channel through the spiritual side of things rather than the scientific, at least in my eyes. So although I may sometimes exaggerate his spiritual side, I'm not just making it up, either.

Originally Posted by Herald7

I think they were trying to make him seem like the more thoughtful yet awkward one in the group. For instance he insists on taking his time before coming up with the appropriate victory cheer, and even when he does finally pick one, it's kind of bizarre, lol. Plus the actor in the suit was constantly holding or tapping his chin, again giving the impression that Donatello's always thinking.

Good point, I would agree with this assessment.

[Herald7]

Originally Posted by DonnyTMNT

Good point, I would agree with this assessment.

Thanks, I'm glad that made sense, lol.

I wasn't as crazy about second movie Donatello; he was a little too perfect. If you're going to have a brainy character, they need to have some personality otherwise they can start to get boring.

OT Donatello doesn't have this problem because sometimes he's a little goody goody, but other times he can get very annoyed with people, either for not appreciating him or for just being an idiot, lol. He's got that kind of neurotic New Yorker vibe, which gives him a lot of personality and charm.

[Donnie]

Originally Posted by Herald7

I wasn't as crazy about second movie Donatello; he was a little too perfect. If you're going to have a brainy character, they need to have some personality otherwise they can start to get boring.

I must disagree here. As I stated earlier, I think Secret of the Ooze actually shows a lot of personality for Donny, especially in his struggle to accept what he and his brothers are. But to each his own!

[Herald7]

Originally Posted by DonnyTMNT

I must disagree here. As I stated earlier, I think Secret of the Ooze actually shows a lot of personality for Donny, especially in his struggle to accept what he and his brothers are. But to each his own!

I actually was going to write "to each their own" but I forgot, lol. So thanks for putting it in there.

Moving on, I like the idea of Donatello being more of a pacifist, or at least a hesitant fighter. If only because so many scientists in history have sadly had to use their abilities to contribute to war and destruction.

Of course I have to mention the "Night of the Dark Turtle" episode, where at the beginning Donatello attempts to defend brains over brawn, but faced with taunts from the others, he quickly switches to proving his "manhood:" "Hey, I could take on Shredder myself if I had to!"
It's a very teenager thing to do; it's hard to be accepted by your group while still keeping true to your unpopular opinions, lol.

[Donnie]

Originally Posted by Herald7

Moving on, I like the idea of Donatello being more of a pacifist, or at least a hesitant fighter. If only because so many scientists in history have sadly had to use their abilities to contribute to war and destruction.

Of course I have to mention the "Night of the Dark Turtle" episode, where at the beginning Donatello attempts to defend brains over brawn, but faced with taunts from the others, he quickly switches to proving his "manhood:" "Hey, I could take on Shredder myself if I had to!"
It's a very teenager thing to do; it's hard to be accepted by your group while still keeping true to your unpopular opinions, lol.

Agreed. I really like how Donatello is the group pacifist - at least, he has a ton of pacifist tendencies, more so than the others. Many times in both the comics and in the 2k3 Donatello sat out during a fight in favor of scientific research or using his brains to solve the current dilemma. A very admirable (and essential) quality!

Good point about caving under pressure while trying to stay true to your beliefs. I think this is a common problem for many people especially during their teenage years, myself included!

[TheCanadiandrome]

Donatello has always been my favorite.

[ssjup81]

Originally Posted by DonnyTMNT

Thanks to Jester for getting the ball rolling with "The Raphael Thread" and ssjup81 for the idea in the "Favorite Turtle Duo" discussion.

Glad to have contributed. ^_^ Adding on, Donny is the one I wanted to talk about the most. ^^

That aside, since coming back to the fandom, I've grown really interested in Donny's character a lot. I never realized how interesting a character he was.

For the OT series, just like with Leo, as a kid, both were "just there", as I favored Raph and Mikey. Since going back to the OT series, I'm realizing just how great a character Donny actually was. I like the fact that he's brainy, but impulsive (imo) as well. I like the fact that he has flaws and isn't a perfect character, but this is what I've noticed since coming back, mind you.

I've noticed that Donny has an ego, lots of pride, a real dark side, and, imo, if you push him too hard, he'll snap on you. I also noticed the "spiritual" thing, but I'll get back into that later since I've noticed that for the comic mediums more so than say the OT (I've never seen 2k3 and I don't remember enough about TNM to comment on it).

Anywho, I like those sides of Donny. Night of the Dark Turtle shall be one of my all-time favorite Donnyesque eps because it exhibited that he does have a dark side and that he can snap if you push him to far (imo). I know the shock had a lot to do with that, but for that side to come out it had to have originally been there in the first place.

I felt the ego thing was exhibited in Donatello's Duplicate. Yeah, it was his clone, but he is a clone of Donny, which means that side has to be there. There are also other eps where he seems to think a bit highly of himself. Hm, guess that episode where Raph and Mikey were dragged to Dimension X along with Irma, April, and Vernon and ran into the Neutrinos. After Donny managed to get them home, Kala said something about being cute and thanks for helping or whatever. Mikey, obviously, figured she was talking to him, since they were the ones talking originally anyway. Raph thought she was talking about him so Raph and Mikey started arguing. Donny then butt in and was going on about how he's the handsome one or something. I just found that funny because the convo had nothing to do with him, and if the compliment would've been directed at anyone, it would've been Raph or Mikey since they were the ones who spent the entire ep with the Neutrinos. So yeah...to me, he thinks highly of himself.

Now, as for the pride issue...Donatello's Badd Time showed that very well. Instead of admitting he needed help or that he lost the van, he tried to do everything on his own. So, this could also show that he's independent to that of an actual fault. I'd go as far to say that Donatello Makes Time showed this a bit too. He ran off by himself.

Now, for the spiritual thing. In the OT series, I can't really say that that side of him was shown. In Mirage and Archie it seemed to show. For Mirage, I agree with what you were saying about that. In Archie, I noticed that it seemed that Donny's character was purposely set up to always encounter the supernatural. I loved the arc where Donny had the power to literally destroy the universe and how he could hear those beings and all that, or even the spirit his character encountered during the Japan arc (which also introduced Ninjara's character). I felt that arc was nice in exhibiting the whole spiritual thing for Donny.

Hm, let's see, I don't know which Donny would be my favorite, but seems I like him for all the mediums I've been exposed to. Seriously, OT series has made me like him so much since going back to the series, it's made me check out Archie and Mirage comics. I should check out Image someday. I have this feeling that I'd really like him there.

So...yeah. I would go on, but I think this post has gotten long enough already and still need to clean this apartment out since I have to move out of it tomorrow. lol

Originally Posted by Herald7

I actually was going to write "to each their own" but I forgot, lol. So thanks for putting it in there.

Moving on, I like the idea of Donatello being more of a pacifist, or at least a hesitant fighter. If only because so many scientists in history have sadly had to use their abilities to contribute to war and destruction.

Of course I have to mention the "Night of the Dark Turtle" episode, where at the beginning Donatello attempts to defend brains over brawn, but faced with taunts from the others, he quickly switches to proving his "manhood:" "Hey, I could take on Shredder myself if I had to!"
It's a very teenager thing to do; it's hard to be accepted by your group while still keeping true to your unpopular opinions, lol.

You know, imo, I know for a fact that Donny could take on Shredder by himself. In that annoying ep Name that Toon (I think it was), I swear Donny would've stabbed Shredder through the head with his bo if Shredder wouldn't have kicked him back! That battle was short, but heated. I guess this also shows that Donny has an aggressive side too, but for this particular fight, I'm curious why he seemed so aggressive in the first place.

I made clips for my cousin, so I'll share them here too.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Adr9FhWFPM
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SJuAdrprZlM

Edit: What the hey. This is another clip I made for my cousin. I just found Donny funny here (and impatient).

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xKSdoXxlXJE

[Donnie]

Originally Posted by ssjup81

I've noticed that Donny has an ego, lots of pride, a real dark side, and, imo, if you push him too hard, he'll snap on you. I also noticed the "spiritual" thing, but I'll get back into that later since I've noticed that for the comic mediums more so than say the OT (I've never seen 2k3 and I don't remember enough about TNM to comment on it).

Now, for the spiritual thing. In the OT series, I can't really say that that side of him was shown. In Mirage and Archie it seemed to show. For Mirage, I agree with what you were saying about that. In Archie, I noticed that it seemed that Donny's character was purposely set up to always encounter the supernatural. I loved the arc where Donny had the power to literally destroy the universe and how he could hear those beings and all that, or even the spirit his character encountered during the Japan arc (which also introduced Ninjara's character). I felt that arc was nice in exhibiting the whole spiritual thing for Donny.

Great post, ssjup81! I agree with you that Donny's dark side is a fascinating part of his personality, and I identify with it greatly. He is (along with Raphael) more on the cynical side of things, and there have been numerous times it was said that Donatello trusted humans the least out of his brothers. Whereas Raphael wears his dark side on his shoulders, I think it's cooler with Donny because he keeps his dark side deep within himself - and when it comes out, it comes out swinging!

Whereas you're well versed in the OT (and I used to be when I was younger) I am well versed with the 2k3, and I can tell you most definitely that if you like Donny in the OT, you'll love him in the 2k3, at least in my opinion. OT Donny was my favorite Donny from the start and I've liked him ever since, but I think I favor 2k3 Donny more. I'm glad you see the spiritual side of Donny, too!

Concerning the Mirage and 2k3 world, I think the way that Donatello would defeat the Shredder single handedly would ultimately be with his intellect, devising or seeing a loop-hole in Shredder's anger or pride and striking when the iron is hot, like Splinter did a lot in the 2k3. Whereas Leonardo might have the strength to defeat him by force, Donatello has strengths elsewhere.

Concerning OT Don though, yeah, he could take that Shredder, no sweat!

[RskimB]

how do Donatello fan's feel about Donny's technological prowess? Do you think its blown out of proportion or is it an integral part of what makes him Donatello?

[Herald7]

Originally Posted by RskimB

how do Donatello fan's feel about Donny's technological prowess? Do you think its blown out of proportion or is it an integral part of what makes him Donatello?

Well certainly some of OT Don's technical logic doesn't quite hold up ("Simple, we reversed the reverse gravity!"), lol. And perhaps the plot device of the Turtles always turning to Donatello in the end to fix things was a bit over used (they even make fun of this in one episode!). But that's part of the nature of the series. And at the same time, OT Donatello has his share of failures too, which led to great episodes like "Donatello Trashes Slash" where we see him lamenting how much he messes up, until he takes Splinter's advice and turns a failure into a victory.

[Donnie]

Originally Posted by RskimB

how do Donatello fan's feel about Donny's technological prowess? Do you think its blown out of proportion or is it an integral part of what makes him Donatello?

That's a good question. I think Herald did a nice job explaining how OT Don was certainly out of the realm of reality in many of his technological advances, but hey, that's the beauty of it.

I personally love Donny's tech prowess. I mean, yeah, it's probably over done in every adaption (except for possibly Mirage), but it's great. 2k3 Don was way more realistic-thinking than was his OT counterpart. In "Turtles Forever" one of my favorite moments is when OT Don is trying to convince 2k3 Don that his transdimensional portal-stick (aka a flash-light!) was going to work, and 2k3 Don was simply dumbfounded at the thought of it. Of course, it wound up working, but that's a moot point!

[DonatelloDomeHead31]

I've been saying it in the past threads, and I'll say it again:

Donatello is my favorite turtle due to the humor he gave in the first live action movie & I have to admit, there was some funny lines he delivered in the 3rd one as well.

As for the cartoons, my favorite due to his humor there as well.

[Herald7]

Originally Posted by donatello22

Donatello is my favorite turtle due to the humor he gave in the first live action movie & I have to admit, there was some funny lines he delivered in the 3rd one as well.

Yeah it was nice to see the original Donatello in the 3rd film, even if the film itself was disapointing, lol.

I've noticed that Donny has an ego, lots of pride

Something that always bugged me actually, OT Donatello always seem to be walking in and saying "Hey guys, check out my latest invention!" And of course, it messes up. But the weird thing is it always feels like this is the first time he's actually testing it. Like he didn't make sure it actually worked before unleashing it on the other turtles. He just has an idea, builds the machine and is completely confident it's going to work...until it doesn't, lol.

Definitely a bit of an ego trip there I think, hehe. Of course it's hard to blame him since most of the time he is brilliant, lol. And he's only like, what, 16 years old? Eventually he'll learn, even geniuses need to test their inventions beforehand! ; )

[ryukenden]

No matter which version of Don, it's his technical prowess that is the most fond of. The running gag in the OT of his inventions backfiring was pretty funny but I never found his bo always breaking funny at all.