Donatello, nicknamed Don or Donnie, is a superhero and one of the four main characters of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles comics and all related media. He is the smartest and often gentlest of his brothers, bearing a purple mask over his eyes. He wields a bō staff, his primary signature weapon in all media. He is the adoptive and mutated son of Master Splinter, as well as the younger brother of Leonardo and Raphael, and older brother of Michelangelo. He is the third eldest/second youngest brother of the turtles, and second-in-command of the team. A common trait in the franchise is that he is the tallest ninja turtle, demonstrated in the original comics (however very slightly), the IDW comics, the DC crossover film, the 2014 reboot, and most notably, in the 2012 animated series. Donnie often speaks in technobabble with a natural aptitude for science and technology. His ninja skills are the lowest of the four turtles; as he relies on gadgets over combat skills. Like all of the brothers, he is named after a Renaissance artist; in this case, he is named after Italian sculptor Donatello. He is the favorite turtle of co-creator Peter Laird, who served as the basis of Donatello's personality.