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But when next we meet, beware the great pirate, Don Karnage!
―Don Karnage

Captain Don Karnage is the main antagonist of the Disney television series TaleSpin.

Background[]

Don Karnage is a wolf and the cunning captain of a band of villainous Air Pirates, and frequently crosses paths with Baloo and his pilot-controlling mini-assistant Kit Cloudkicker. Karnage's secret hideout, Pirate Island, is located inside a volcano somewhere near the coastal city.

Personality[]

Don Karnage is renowned for his strange jumble of several accents, and can best be described as a combination of some types of French, Spanish, and Italian, as well as 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 a bygone era, dashing and debonair, but he's still a ruthless criminal.

Despite his usual criminal behavior, he is shown to be "a man of honor" in the episode "Stuck on You", in which he saves Baloo instead of killing him 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, later also questioning Baloo to see if they were even, as Baloo also saved his life.

He is very egotistical, which often motivates his crimes, and leads to his downfall. He is shown to be far more cunning than his crew members, and is very quick to temper when his crew messes up or fails to understand 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 indeed clever, 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 foolishly left Dumptruck in charge, despite Mad Dog (who is supposedly considered the first mate) being second-in-command.

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 betrayal and he eventually attempted to kill the boy for his defiance. Everyone else on his crew is considered an underling and treated harshly. Despite this, Karnage is under the impression that his crew (and even enemies) adore him, despite clear evidence to the contrary, including attempted mutinies. Karnage has been known to come up with schemes to keep his crew happy when they are bored, suggesting he at least cares enough to try and keep his crew appeased, even if he does use his "generosity" to boost his own ego.

Physical appearance[]

Don Karnage is a red wolf with orange-brown fur, a cream muzzle, a black nose, thick brown eyebrows, and a double triangle-shaped notch on his left ear. He wears a blue captain's coat with red and gold accents, light blue pants, and black boots. He carries a sword (presumably a cutlass) alongside him.

Abilities[]

He is an expert sword fighter, claiming in The 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.

Appearances[]

TaleSpin[]

Don Karnage and Baloo

Don Karnage in TaleSpin.

Don Karnage is a recurring character, serving as an adversary to Baloo and his friends. In the series' movie pilot, Karnage steals a stone from Khan industries and then tries to retrieve it from Kit Cloudkicker, who had stolen it from him in turn. In the series, 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 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.

Raw Toonage[]

Don Karnage makes a guest appearance as the host of Episode 2, where he seeks to instruct the viewers on how to find buried treasure. After many hapless attempts, he does stumble upon a chest of gold at the end of the episode, but is then attacked by Captain Hook with no warning. Karnage and Hook duel in a memorable sequence, only for Hook to pin Karnage to a coconut tree and take the treasure away on a lifeboat rowed by Mr. Smee.

DuckTales (2017)[]

DuckTales 2017 Don Karnage

Don Karnage in the DuckTales reboot.

A rebooted version of Don Karnage first appears in the crossover episode "Sky Pirates...in the Sky!" of the reboot. This version of Karnage is just as narcissistic and ruthless as the original, only to be absent-minded as well. Additionally, his megalomania drives him to literally hound the spotlight in show-stopping musical numbers he constantly leads his crew into. As a result, his treatment of said crew is more akin to an instructor rather than a captain, albeit a harsh one (still willing to eliminate underlings who fail him). The end of the episode sees him seemingly coming to terms with how his crew feels mistreated and admitting he is harsh because he wants to help them improve their individual flaws—although this may just have been manipulative lies to ensnare them back into his service.

Karnage encounters the McDucks after successfully plundering them. Karnage later captures Dewey after the latter made his way onboard the Iron Vulture. Unfortunately for Karnage, he is met with opposition by his own crew and overthrown. Forced to work with the McDucks to get his crew back, Karnage boards their plane to get back to the Vulture just as the crew revolts against Dewey. Karnage rallies his crew back before he fights Dewey himself, but he is ultimately foiled by the combined efforts of the McDucks, leading him to declare Dewey a bane on himself when the Vulture crashes into a mountain.

Karnage later appears in the Season 2 episode "GlomTales!" as one of the supporting antagonists in the episode and also one of Scrooge's greatest villains ever fought, planning to defeat the McDuck family. He joined the group to gain revenge on Dewey Duck. However, this scheme eventually falls apart once Flintheart Glomgold, who brought all the other villains together, reveals that he was just using them to combine their respective fortunes so that he could beat Scrooge and win the bet they made, with the full intent of stealing all their fortunes afterward for himself. This causes him and all the others to turn on him and subsequently give chase when he flees, effectively dissolving their temporary partnership.

Karnage appears in the Season 3 episode "The Lost Cargo of Kit Cloudkicker!". He was chasing Kit Cloudkicker who was delivering a box containing the Stone of What Was for F.O.W.L., but the stone's magic causes a chicken and goat to fuse; scaring Kit and causing him to drop it somewhere over the ocean. Some time later, Don Karnage returns to search for the stone and when he sees Dewey alongside Kit, he attacks his two "greatest arch-enemies". Kit cloud surfs and defeats Karnage and the pirates by destroying their planes. In the middle of the ocean, Karnage solemnly sings about another failure when he sees a piece of the stone, which was chipped off when the Ducks were getting it back from him, and plots his revenge.

He appeared in the series finale "The Last Adventure!", as a full-time member of F.O.W.L. He was last seen crashing into the Sunchaser's wing when facing Dewey one final time. He was not seen again after that, leaving his fate unknown.

Other appearances[]

He made a cameo appearance in the "Broken Karaoke" short "Evil as Can Be".

Disney Parks[]

Don Karnage often appeared 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. Some of his most recent appearances include Disneyland's 90s Nite in 2019 and Disney Channel Nite in 2024.

Gallery[]

Wiki
The Disney Wiki has a collection of images and media related to Don Karnage.

Trivia[]

TScomic-p33-Jim-Cummings-03

The section of Jim Cummings' interview directly addressing Don Karnage.

  • Don Karnage is the only main character in TaleSpin to wear footwear, while all the other animals in the show go barefoot, with the exception of some one-off characters.
  • Although he is revealed to be a wolf; possibly a Red Wolf (Canis rufus), he bears a resemblance to that of both a Red Fox (Vulpes vulpes) and a Dingo (Canis familiaris).
  • When asked about Karnage's nationality, Jim Cummings responded: "He's got some Cuban and some Spanish and a little Ricky Ricardo". He also later in the same interview stated Karnage also has a little French in him.
  • Fans have debated Karnage's species for years until an online interview with Len Smith confirmed that Don Karnage is, in fact, a wolf. This fact had actually been confirmed much earlier in an issue of the TaleSpin comic book in which Karnage answered the fan mail.
  • Don Karnage was originally going to have no pants and almost to be named Anthrax, but the name had to be changed because of an American heavy metal band of the same name.
  • He often calls himself "The Dread Pirate Don Karnage" as a nod to the Dread Pirate Roberts from The Princess Bride.
    • As a matter of fact, "The Dread Pirate" was initially going to be his title, and Jymn Magon says he was partially inspired by the Dread Pirate Roberts when creating Karnage.
  • According to Francisco Angones, Don Karnage in the DuckTales reboot is not the same Don Karnage, but someone who is taking on the legacy title.[1]
  • In the Disney comic Rise of The Pillager Queen, it is revealed his deceased uncle was also an Air Pirate, suggesting he had a pirate upbringing.
  • His middle name is although the episode "The Ransom of Red Chimp" hints that his middle name might be "Juan".
  • His last name is a modified form of the word "carnage", with the letter "k" in lieu of the "c" and pronounced with a flair on the last syllable, like a French person would.

References[]


v - e - d
TaleSpin Logo
Media
TaleSpin (Videography/Soundtrack) • Walt Disney's World on Ice: Double Feature... Live!Raw ToonageNES gameGenesis gameComic book
Characters
BalooKit CloudkickerRebecca CunninghamMolly CunninghamWildcatLouie LamountAirplane JaneClementine ClevengerKatie DoddPrincess GraceKing AmokLotta LamourPrince Nevarhas Bin-BroakBandar-logCaptain William StansburyJoe MageeDoctor CooperRick SkyWhistlestop JacksonNanukMyra FoxworthyDetective ThursdayInspector BurrowOscar VandersnootShere KhanKhan's PilotsDon KarnageAir PiratesIvanod SpigotSergeant DunderJack CaseDaring Dan DawsonAce LondonGeneral PattonTrader MoeThaddeus E. KlangKitten KaboodleIgnatiusDr. AxolotlDr. ZibaldoBuffy and Muffy VanderschmereDouglas BensonPrince RudolfChancellor TrampleEmperor Wan LoProfessor Martin TorqueSeymourCovingtonMacKneeSheriff Gomer Cleghorn and Deputy WendellCrazy EdieCool Hands LukeHans and Helga
Episodes
"I Only Have Ice for You" • "Time Waits for No Bear" • "A Touch of Glass" • "It Came From Beneath the Sea Duck" • "The Bigger They Are, the Louder They Oink" • "The Idol Rich" • "Stormy Weather" • "Plunder and Lightning" • "From Here to Machinery" • "Mommy for a Day" • "Molly Coddled" • "Polly Wants a Treasure" • "Vowel Play" • "Bearly Alive" • "Her Chance to Dream" • "All's Whale That Ends Whale" • "The Golden Sprocket of Friendship" • "For a Fuel Dollars More" • "A Bad Reflection on You" • "On a Wing and a Bear" • "A Star is Torn" • "A Spy in the Ointment" • "The Balooest of the Bluebloods" • "A Baloo Switcheroo" • "Whistlestop Jackson, Legend" • "Double or Nothing" • "Feminine Air" • "Last Horizons" • "Flight of the Snow Duck" • "Save the Tiger" • "The Old Man and the Sea Duck" • "War of the Weirds" • "Captains Outrageous" • "The Time Bandit" • "For Whom the Bell Klangs" • "Citizen Khan" • "Gruel and Unusual Punishment" • "Jolly Molly Christmas" • "My Fair Baloo" • "Waiders of the Wost Tweasure" • "Flight School Confidential" • "Bringing Down Babyface" • "Jumping the Guns" • "In Search of Ancient Blunders" • "Louie's Last Stand" • "Sheepskin Deep" • "Pizza Pie in the Sky" • "Baloo Thunder" • "Bullethead Baloo" • "Destiny Rides Again" • "Mach One for the Gipper" • "Stuck on You" • "The Sound and the Furry" • "The Road to Macadamia" • "The Ransom of Red Chimp" • "Your Baloo's in the Mail" • "Paradise Lost" • "The Incredible Shrinking Molly" • "Bygones" • "Flying Dupes"
Locations
Cape SuzetteHigher for HireLouie's PlaceWildcat's HouseboatKhan IndustriesThembriaPirate IslandWalla-Walla-Bing-BangMacadamiaTinabulaPanda-La
Songs
Spin ItI'm GoneHome is Where the Heart IsSky PiratesMonkey In Your TankFriends for Life
Objects
Sea DuckKhan TransportIron VultureSpruce MoosePirate FightersIdol of the Spirit-SwitcherThe Ruby WingsThe Three Bells of Tinabula
See also
The Jungle BookThe Disney Afternoon


v - e - d
DuckTales logo
Media
Shows/Movies: 1987 series (videography) • 2017 seriesWalt Disney's World on Ice: Double Feature... Live!Raw ToonageDuckTales the Movie: Treasure of the Lost LampChibi Tiny TalesThis Duckburg Life

Video Games: Video game (HD remake/Soundtrack) • DuckTales 2The Quest for GoldScrooge's LootDisney Heroes: Battle ModeDisney All-Star RacersDisney All-Star Party
Comics: Comic Books (IDW)
Books: The Secret City Under the SeaSphinx for the Memories and Sir Gyro GearlooseScrooge's Treasure HuntChristmas at the North PoleWebby Saves the Day

Disney Parks
DuckTales World Showcase AdventurePLAY!Donald's Duck Pond
Characters
1987 series: Scrooge McDuckHuey, Dewey, and LouieLaunchpad McQuackWebby VanderquackBentina BeakleyDuckworthChief O'HaraShedlock JonesGyro GearlooseLittle HelperYardarmDoofus DrakeFenton CrackshellDonald DuckLudwig Von DrakeGladstone GanderBubba the Cave DuckAbominable SnowwomanTootsie the TriceratopsSkittlesBlackjackPouponGene the GenieGlittering GoldieMad Dog McGurkFeathers GaloreBurt QuackarachMajor CourageMicro DucksAdmiral GrimmitzKing HomerQueen ArielShawebizadGandra DeeMcPapaMcMamaRoboticaBeagle BoysMa BeaglePeteFlintheart GlomgoldPhantom BlotDijonArgus McSwineMagica De SpellMinima De SpellPoe De SpellEl CapitanJoaquin SlowlyMerlock the MagicianCinnamon TealDracula DuckDr. NoGoodMillionara VanderbucksFritter O'WayLawrence LoudmouthBruno Von BeakArmstrongThe SirensCirceHarpiesYuckalindaQueen GriseldaDjinniTerra-Firmie KingOverlord BulovanSolegoGICU-2Magica's ShadowThe Fear DemonsVacation Van Honk

2017 series: Della DuckLenaBradford BuzzardBentley and Buford BuzzardCaptain PeghookManny the Headless Man-HorsePixiuGabby McStabbersonHack and Slash SmashnikovRoxanne FeatherlyToad Liu HaiMark BeaksFalcon GravesAmunetSabafToth-RaZeusSeleneStorkulesCharybdisBriar and BrambleDarkwing DuckGosalyn MallardMegavoltDon KarnageQuackerjackLiquidatorBlack HeronZan OwlsonFisherMannDrosera occidendumJosé CariocaPanchito PistolesFethry DuckJohn D. RockerduckJeevesGavinGrandpappy BeagleViolet SabrewingUnicornPercival P. PeppingtonNightmare BeastPaddywhackBushrootNegaduckDaisy DuckGoofyChip and Dale Monterey JackZipperGadget HackwrenchKit CloudkickerTaurus BulbaMolly CunninghamLieutenant PenumbraGeneral LunarisMoonlandersMoon MitesGilded ManNeighbor JonesSteelbeakIsabella FinchIndy and Ty SabrewingTri-Crested TittertwillAletheiaVeroKing HonestusEmma GlamourInspector TezukaAkitaStrongbeardHeckaJormungandrPonce de LeonMatilda McDuckEmutilda

Episodes
1987 series

Season One: "The Treasure of the Golden Suns" • "Send in the Clones" • "Sphinx for the Memories" • "Where No Duck Has Gone Before" • "Armstrong" • "Robot Robbers" • "Magica's Shadow War" • "Master of the Djinni" • "Hotel Strangeduck" • "Lost Crown of Genghis Khan" • "Duckman of Aquatraz" • "The Money Vanishes" • "Sir Gyro de Gearloose" • "Dinosaur Ducks" • "Hero for Hire" • "Superdoo!" • "Maid of the Myth" • "Down and Out in Duckburg" • "Much Ado About Scrooge" • "Top Duck" • "Pearl of Wisdom" • "The Curse of Castle McDuck" • "Launchpad's Civil War" • "Sweet Duck of Youth" • "Earth Quack" • "Home Sweet Homer" • "Bermuda Triangle Tangle" • "Micro Ducks from Outer Space" • "Back to the Klondike" • "Horse Scents" • "Scrooge's Pet" • "Catch as Cash Can" • "Merit-Time Adventure" • "The Golden Fleecing" • "Ducks of the West" • "Time Teasers" • "Back Out in the Outback" • "Raiders of the Lost Harp" • "The Right Duck" • "Scroogerello" • "Double-O-Duck" • "Luck o' the Ducks" • "Duckworth's Revolt" • "Magica's Magic Mirror"/"Take Me Out of the Ballgame" • "Duck to the Future" • "Jungle Duck" • "Launchpad's First Crash" • "Dime Enough for Luck" • "Duck in the Iron Mask" • "The Uncrashable Hindentanic" • "The Status Seekers" • "Nothing to Fear" • "Dr. Jekyll & Mr. McDuck" • "Once Upon a Dime" • "Spies in Their Eyes" • "All Ducks on Deck" • "Ducky Horror Picture Show" • "Till Nephews Do Us Part"
Season Two: "Time is Money" • "Super DuckTales"
Season Three: "The Land of Trala La" • "Allowance Day" • "Bubbeo & Juliet" • "The Good Muddahs" • "My Mother the Psychic" • "Metal Attraction" • "Dough Ray Me" • "Bubba's Big Brainstorm" • "The Big Flub" • "A Case of Mistaken Secret Identity" • "Blue Collar Scrooge" • "Beaglemania" • "Yuppy Ducks" • "The Bride Wore Stripes" • "The Unbreakable Bin" • "Attack of the Fifty-Foot Webby" • "The Masked Mallard" • "A DuckTales Valentine"
Season Four: "Ducky Mountain High" • "Attack of the Metal Mites" • "The Duck Who Knew Too Much" • "New Gizmo-Kids on the Block" • "Scrooge's Last Adventure" • "The Golden Goose"

2017 series
Season One: "Woo-oo!" • "Daytrip of Doom!" • "The Great Dime Chase!" • "The Beagle Birthday Massacre!" • "Terror of the Terra-firmians!" • "The House of the Lucky Gander!" • "The Infernal Internship of Mark Beaks!" • "The Living Mummies of Toth-Ra!" • "The Impossible Summit of Mt. Neverrest!" • "The Spear of Selene!" • "Beware the B.U.D.D.Y. System!" • "The Missing Links of Moorshire!" • "McMystery at McDuck McManor!" • "JAW$!" • "The Golden Lagoon of White Agony Plains!" • "Day of the Only Child!" • "From the Confidential Casefiles of Agent 22!" • "Who is Gizmoduck?!" • "The Other Bin of Scrooge McDuck!" • "Sky Pirates...in the Sky!" • "The Secret(s) of Castle McDuck!" • "The Last Crash of the Sunchaser!" • "The Shadow War!"
Season Two: "The Most Dangerous Game...Night!" • "The Depths of Cousin Fethry!" • "The Ballad of Duke Baloney!" • "The Town Where Everyone Was Nice!" • "Storkules in Duckburg!" • "Last Christmas!" • "What Ever Happened to Della Duck?!" • "Treasure of the Found Lamp!" • "The Outlaw Scrooge McDuck!" • "The 87 Cent Solution!" • "The Golden Spear!" • "Nothing Can Stop Della Duck!" • "Raiders of the Doomsday Vault!" • "Friendship Hates Magic!" • "The Dangerous Chemistry of Gandra Dee!" • "The Duck Knight Returns!" • "What Ever Happened to Donald Duck?!" • "Happy Birthday, Doofus Drake!" • "A Nightmare on Killmotor Hill!" • "The Golden Armory of Cornelius Coot!" • "Timephoon!" • "GlomTales!" • "The Richest Duck in the World!" • "Moonvasion!"
Season Three "Challenge of the Senior Junior Woodchucks!" • "Quack Pack!" • "Double-O-Duck in You Only Crash Twice!" • "The Lost Harp of Mervana!" • "Louie's Eleven!" • "Astro B.O.Y.D.!" • "The Rumble for Ragnarok!" • "The Phantom and the Sorceress!" • "They Put a Moonlander on the Earth!" • "The Trickening!" • "The Forbidden Fountain of the Foreverglades!" • "Let's Get Dangerous!" • "Escape from the ImpossiBin!" • "The Split Sword of Swanstantine!" • "New Gods on the Block!" • "The First Adventure!" • "The Fight for Castle McDuck!" • "How Santa Stole Christmas!" • "Beaks in the Shell!" • "The Lost Cargo of Kit Cloudkicker!" • "The Life And Crimes of Scrooge McDuck!" • "The Last Adventure!"

Locations
DuckburgAtlantisThe Money BinMcDuck ManorCastle McDuckFountain of YouthScotlandNotre DuckValley of the Golden SunsSt. CanardCape Suzette
Organizations
Air PiratesF.O.W.L.Junior WoodchucksS.H.U.S.H.
Objects
Number One DimeJunior Woodchucks GuidebookGizmosuitGene's LampMerlock's TalismanSun CoinSun ChaserHarp of TroyMillennium ShortcutGyro's HelicopterMolecular ManipulatorGolden GooseWebby's Quacky Patch DollHindentanicMagic MedallionRatcatcherJewel of AtlantisPep!Gummiberry JuiceIron VulturePirate FightersSpear of SeleneSea DuckRanger Plane
Songs
DuckTales ThemeThree Cheers for Bubba DuckBoogie Beagle BluesMoon Stage ThemeSky PiratesThe Three CaballerosHear My Voice
See also
Carl BarksThe Disney AfternoonDarkwing DuckQuack PackDisney XD (Netherlands)Let's Go to Disneyland Paris
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