The show balances comedy and the seriousness around Donald’s character. The comics rarely reflected on the responsibilities Donald was thrown into when his sister disappeared/left the boys with him. He’s in his mid thirties. This means he was in his mid twenties when he lost his sister and assumed guardianship of the boys.
He’s single a parent. He’s lost his support network. (You can argue Donald pushed Scrooge out, but the point stands that afawk Donald was on his own raising the boys.) Knowing his luck, he had many jobs but they were always short termed.
Being a single parent to one child is difficult. Being a single parent to triplets is a war game on its own. Somehow, Donald did it. He did it on his own through trial and error.
As consequence, he had to rewrite his thinking. Impulsive and reckless adventuring took his sister from him. The last remainder of his immediate family. Scrooge, whom he trusted, lied to him and encouraged his sister’s less than responsible traits.
That hurts. He had to deal with those losses and push through for the boys, and worst yet, he buried the pain so deep that he never talked about Della or Scrooge to the boys. HDL didn’t know they were related until Donald brought them to Scrooge’s doorstep.
Donald didn’t say Della’s name until season two. He kept a tight lid on his sister’s name and legacy. His pain over losing Della is similar and different to Scrooge’s, and I am a little disappointed no one addressed this when dealing with Scrooge’s grief. But I think it’s intentional. Donald’s is more subdued and subtle.
Donald sacrificed a lot for the boys. His adventurous side. His mischeviousness. The levity that comes with living a single life, and we know he doesn’t regret it.
He’s grown a lot, and sometimes, growing up means leaving the people you love behind. Storkules was an unfortunate casualty to that. He was left behind. The only good thing Zeus has done was kicking him out, as this gives Storkules the chance to grow up and resume a healthy relationship with Donald.
This is a new, different Donald, but he still possesses the same fiery heart Storkules fell in love with.
