What happened to Donkey Kong in Brawl, imo, is that he got much better.
Why?
"He's bigger, faster, and stronger, too!"
Yes, what applied in Donkey Kong 64 applies here in Brawl. Donkey Kong is a little bigger than his Melee counterpart. What does this mean? Yes, it means he gets comboed easier by characters like Mario and Zero-Suit Samus. But, it also means more range. For example: His F-Smash and F-Tilt BOTH outrange Marth's F-Smash. (I also think his second jab does as well, but I'll need more confirmation on that)
Faster? You bet. Not only is Donkey Kong faster in running speed, but every single attack of his <i>feels</i> faster than in Melee. His smashes seem to clap or pound to the point of a sonic-boom. His arials are out and in your face in a second. You can short-hop-double-back-air with DK, which is an amazing addition. Even the once-laggy Fair has nestled its way into my playing style.
Donkey Kong is one of the most exceptional powerhouses in Brawl. All of his smashes kill at around 80-100%, at least. His Up-Air is great for catching people in the air and sending them to their heavenly doom. The Back-Air is not only quick, but efficient. The Fair either spikes or sends them away, like Mario's, except a little slower and a lot stronger. The tilts always send people far enough away to edgeguard them. And for his Monkey Punch, upon activating it, he even has no flinch-frames. I've been attacked on two different occasions with a dash attack while I activated my Monkey Punch, and all that happened was a KO for me.
All in all, Donkey Kong is a very solid character, and I am proud to say that I main him.
