April O’Neil
A.K.A.: April, Ape, Babe
Occupation: Broadcast Journalist, Computer Systems Specialist, Lab Technician, Shopkeeper, Arts & Antiques Dealer
Age: Mid-late twenties
Height: 5’8″
Weight: 115 lbs.
Eye Color: Green/Brown
Hair: Auburn/Brown
Chosen Representative Colors: Casual Clothing (usually something in yellow)
Personal Weapons: Katana (training) or something to smash over someone’s head… or even her purse
Personal Skills: Computer Programming, Video/Still Camera Operation, Vehicle Operation, Investigative Journalism
Personal Talents: The ability to scoop a rival news team, can sense danger nearby, natural charisma that draws undivided attention, can hack into any computer system
Level of Education: Master’s Degree (Computer Programming)
Character Profile:
Mirage Comics: April O’Neil, a laboratory technician, began what seemed to be a promising career working for the genius Baxter Stockman in the early 1980s. When she discovered his intent to hold the city hostage with his anti-rodent robots known as Mousers, April was in real danger. Stockman wanted her dead and sent his machines after her. She was only able to elude them in the sewers beneath the laboratory for a short time, but when it seemed her end was near, the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles came to her rescue.
1987 Cartoon: Channel 6 Ace reporter April O’Neil was on the crime beat. A huge crime wave was plaguing New York City. But as the journalist pointed out, it seemed only hi-tech warehouses and labs were being hit… and suspectedly by Ninja! When she got too close to cracking the case, she’s chased into the sewers by a gang of punks. Luckily, the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles were nearby and came to her rescue! Besides her short cropped auburn hair, yellow jumpsuit and white go-go boots, April is known for little else than constantly going insane with joy that she’s getting “the scoop” only to complain without end about losing the film or destroying her camera. Well, she is also known for her spectacular driving skills. “Gun it, April!”
Archie Comics: Always leading the TMNT to a story or playing liaison to the human world, April O’Neil didn’t really stray from her cartoon personality all that much. Not until after some really close calls with mercenaries in the Amazon, killer fishermen and some crazy mutant TV news hater guy did April decide it was high time she learned how to kick some ass. She began training with Splinter, dressing in cowboy boots and tank tops, fighting demons in Japan and flirting with Warrior Dragon/Chinatown firefighter Chu Hsi. Spending too much time away got April fired from Channel 6, but luckily she got her friend Oyuki to learn how to use a camera. Suddenly the pair were an unstoppable freelance journalism team, earning high profile coverage on world-wide stories.
TMNT: The Movie (1990): Channel 3 Ace reporter April O’Neil proclaims on her newscast that the city is in the midst of a silent crime wave… Everything from purse snatching to warehouse burglaries are being reported to the authorities, but police can’t get one single suspect. April’s sources say that the crime wave is reminiscent of something that happened years ago in Japan—where a secret Ninja organization known as The Foot was involved. Unfortunately, City Hall isn’t cooperating and even April herself has been victimized. Luckily, her attackers were defeated by shadow warriors that never showed their faces. But April was targeted after getting too close to finding out the truth. Again April was attacked—this time in the subway. Again, she was lucky that there was someone there to help. After being knocked out cold, April revived in the sewer lair of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, where she met Raphael the Turtle who came to her rescue!
But the attacks don’t stop there. April’s boss’s son Danny is a misfit who wants nothing more to be accepted, so after spotting the Turtles at her apartment/junk shop “Second Time Around,” he squeals to his surrogate mama The Shredder. Ninjas attack the place, ultimately resulting in a raging fire that burns the building to the ground. Lucky April has an old farmhouse she and the Turtles and newfound vigilante buddy Casey Jones can go hide out at. After some serious reflection from the Turtles and serious flirting with Casey, April and the guys head back to NYC to kick some Shredder butt… Again, lucky April is the only reporter on the scene and she gets her old boss to beg her to cover the story.
TMNT II: The Secret of the Ooze: April O’Neil is now the highest paid investigative journalist in Manhattan. Unfortunately, her managing news editor thinks her story on Techno Global Research Industry is old news. But April’s nose for a story leads to Splinter revealing that TGRI was in fact the manufacturer of the ooze that transformed them all into mutants. Unfortunately, she also leads the Shredder right to it, who quickly creates two mutants of his own. Tired of playing the damsel in distress, April just wants the TMNTs to move out of her apartment and fight crime on their own.
TMNT III: Turtles in Time: April needs a vacation… Too much exposure to goofy Turtles? Maybe. So she decides to hop the next time travel scepter back to Feudel Japan in the hopes that the Turtles won’t follow. But brainiac Donatello finds a way to get them all stuck there and now she’s stuck with four highly over-sexed mutant teenagers (note the constant “Sha-wing!” lines). The faster they kill the bad guys and reunite estranged families and thus effectively negating the “feud” in “Feudal Japan,” the faster they can go home and April can finally get as far away as possible. Maybe that’s why she never appeared in the Next Mutation.
4Kids TMNT Cartoon (2003): April O’Neil is a young lab tech, who’s ecstatic about working with THE Baxter Stockman… Unfortunately, he’s a nutcase and almost had her eaten alive by his Mouser robots. Luckily, the TMNT came to her rescue and she’s been their friend ever since. Jobless, she turned to her father’s junk shop “Second Time Around” which earned some income until the Shredder blew it up with a thermite grenade. After earning a reward for finding some missing jewels, April was able to rebuild her shop and apartment and hold her own for a while. Still, April finds time to train with Splinter and go gaga over meathead Casey Jones.
TMNT (2007): April O’Neil is an arts and artifacts dealer with some high-profile clientele. She’s been commissioned by billionaire Max Winters to track down the last in a collection of ancient stone statues, which is somewhere in Central America. It’s also where Splinter sent Leo to train to become a better leader, and April’s been hearing village tales of a jungle guardian who protects the townfolk from bad guys who make off with their goods. She manages to track down the wayward leader and convince him to return home to the family who needs his guidance.
In addition to dealing art and domesticating the loveable lug Casey Jones, April has become quite the skilled fighter. She knows how to use a katana and can hold her own against the likes of Foot Clan leader Karai. But true to her original cartoon roots, the girl still can’t drive a van—She may have been able to use it to lure the 13th monster necessary to break an ancient curse, but instead of a nice clean parallel parking job, she manages to crash into a building and overturn the van.