Captain Don Karnage is the leader of the Air Pirates on TaleSpin.
Background[]
Don Karnage is a red wolf and the sly leader of a band of villainous Air Pirates, and frequently crosses paths with Baloo. First, he is seen in the series movie pilot, "Plunder and Lightning", stealing a stone from Khan industries, and then trying to retrieve it from Kit Cloudkicker, who stole it from him in turn. Kit sought aid from Baloo in hiding from the pirate; however, it is unlikely that this was his first encounter with Baloo since it is shown that Karnage is well known in the area, and he even went into Louie's Place and commented on the typical quality of the drinks before being kicked out.
His secret hideout, Pirate Island, is located inside a volcano somewhere near the coastal city. His Air Pirates often patrol the outskirts of Cape Suzette in his flying fortress carrier called the Iron Vulture. There they lie in wait within the clouds for an unsuspecting pilots to pass so they can run an air raid. They have tried many times to get into the city to invade and plunder Cape Suzette, but are usually shot down by the artillery guns.
In the comic "Rise of The Pillager Queen", it is revealed his deceased uncle was also an Air Pirate, suggesting he had a pirate upbringing.
Personality[]
He is renown for his unusual jumble of several accents, and his misuse of the English language (such as often saying "salivations" instead of "salutations"). Karnage fancies himself a throwback to the image of a romanticized pirate from earlier times, dashing and debonair, but he's still a callous criminal.
Despite his typical criminal behavior, he is shown to be "a man of honor" in the episode "Stuck on You", in which he rescues Baloo instead of having him slaughtered due to the unfairness of the fight, and upholds his end of a truce between him and Baloo, even after the deal was technically over. In the three part comic The Gates of Shambhala, he also shows gratitude for Lucius saving his life, and agrees to work for him, also questioning Baloo to see if they were even later on, as Baloo saved his life as well.
He is very self-absorbed, which often motivates his crimes, and leads to his downfall. He is shown to be far more tricky than his crew members, and is extremely quick to temper when his crew messes up or fails to interpret his plans; however, he is still frequently outsmarted by Baloo and company, usually as they use his ego and emotions against him. In an interview with Jim Cummings, it was stated that he is clever indeed, but that his emotions often cloud his judgment. This is demonstrated in "Stuck on You", where he ruined his own effective plan for the sake of making a dramatic entrance, and unwisely left Dumptruck in charge because Gibber (normally his most trusted crewmember) infuriated him.
He is never seen particularly close to anyone, but at one point seemed to see Kit as a pupil; however, this ended with Kit's disloyalty and he eventually attempted to kill the boy for his bold disobedience. Everyone else on his crew is considered an underling, and treated unkindly. Despite this, Karnage is under the impression that his crew (and even foes) adore him, despite clear evidence otherwise, including attempted mutinies.
Physical Appearance[]
He is a skinny red wolf, with his left ear bitten. He wears a blue captain's coat with red and gold accents, white pants, and black boots. He carries a sword (presumably a cutlass) alongside him.
Abilities[]
He is an expert swordfighter, claiming in "Gates of Shambhala" to be a black-belt in it. He is also a skilled pilot, and is very clever, often devising a large array of plans with varying effectiveness.
Disney Parks[]
Don Karnage appeared often at the Disney Parks, particularly at Disneyland at the Disney Afternoon Avenue location of the park during the time of the initial run of TaleSpin and the Disney Afternoon. After that, he was not seen at any Disney Parks for many years. In 2014, he resurfaced at Disneyland during the villain takeover of the Show Your Disney Side event. To date, Don Karnage makes extremely rare appearances at the Disney Parks, being very hard to find.
Appearances[]
TV Series[]
- TaleSpin (1990/1991)
- Raw Toonage (1992)
Video Games[]
- TaleSpin (Capcom game) (1991)
- Mickey's Memory Challenge (1993)
Theme Parks[]
- The Disney Afternoon Live!: Plane Crazy (1991)
- Show Your Disney Side (2014)
- Disney Afternoon After Dark (2019)