Who is Abril in The Rookie? Character details from the ABC police procedural, explored

Abril Rodas quickly became one of the standout villains on ABC’s The Rookie. Played by Gigi Zumbado, she showed up in Season 4 and shook things up, taking over as La Fiera’s successor and diving into cartel drama.

Critics and viewers both noticed how Abril changed over time. She started as this shadowy figure with serious connections in the criminal world. Pretty soon, though, she was right in the thick of things. Her unpredictable moves and shifting loyalties kept the LAPD guessing. Gigi Zumbado played her with real intensity, and that stuck with viewers. Abril became one of those villains people remembered, and she got plenty of praise for it.

Here, we will dig into Abril’s path through The Rookie, why she mattered so much to the story, and what her legacy could mean for future episodes.

Abril Rodas in The Rookie

Abril Rodas showed up in Season 4 of The Rookie, right after the LAPD took down the notorious cartel boss La Fiera. She had been La Fiera’s right hand, but once her boss was out of the picture, Abril didn’t waste any time. She took control, filled that power gap, and quickly became a real force in the cartel world: a ruthless, sharp opponent for the detectives to deal with.

Abril first showed up in The Rookie, Season 4, Episode 1, Life and Death. With La Fiera gone, the city spiraled into fresh cartel wars, and Abril wasted no time making her presence felt. At first, she lurked in the background, pulling strings and making bold moves to keep her organization steady.

As the season moved on, especially in The Rookie Episode 9, Breakdown, she went after the LAPD’s weak spots, hit up their known contacts, and tightened her grip on the cartel scene. What set Abril apart wasn’t just her criminal smarts. She knew how to twist situations in her favor and build alliances that kept everyone guessing.

Fans picked up on the subtle shifts in how she talked and carried herself from her first scenes to later episodes, which led to a bunch of online chatter about just how deep and consistent her character really was.

Then came The Rookie Season 5, and Abril’s power only grew. In Episode 15, The Con, she was already involved in a very big plot: hoaxing, staging negotiations, and mastering the game. Her collaboration with Elijah Stone, yet another major antagonist, reached the highest point in Episode 17, The Enemy Within. They united their evil forces and spread chaos all over the city and, consequently, made the LAPD almost surrender.

Abril’s story got even more interesting in her scenes with Monica, Elijah’s lawyer. Those moments hinted at hidden motives and a more complicated past than anyone expected. Reddit threads and episode recaps from that time zeroed in on how unpredictable she became, and on the way her actions shook up long-time characters like Angela Lopez and John Nolan.

Abril’s story didn’t end in The Rookie Season 5. She showed up again in The Rookie: Feds, stepping into the spotlight as the main villain for a handful of episodes. Her run finally hit a wall in Season 1, Episode 17 of the spinoff, when the FBI caught her after yet another murder.

Federal agents shot her, closing the book on a character who stirred up trouble across both shows. Fans talked about how tracking Abril’s arc meant you had to watch both series, which made her story feel bigger and more connected.

At first, Abril came across as mysterious and genuinely intimidating. But a lot of fans felt the writers tweaked her character over time, and some of that original edge got lost along the way. Even with those complaints, Zumbado kept delivering. Her performance held the spotlight and fueled the tension in the cartel storylines.

What is next for Abril and her legacy in The Rookie

Abril is dead, so don’t expect her to pop up in person again on The Rookie: Feds, unless it’s a flashback or someone drops her name. Still, her influence lingers. All those cartel ties, shady deals, and unfinished business are ready-made fuel for future storylines. Fans who followed both The Rookie and the spin-off got some closure with her exit. But if you know these types of shows, old enemies never really disappear. Their shadow sticks around, shaping what comes next.

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People are already guessing how the writers will use Abril’s legacy. Some think the cartel will just pick up where she left off, maybe with a new boss, and start causing trouble for the LAPD all over again. With her unfinished business with Elijah and Monica, there is a good chance those threads will get tugged on soon.

Season 7 has already been greenlit by ABC, and the main actors are still with us. Abril is gone, but the chaos she created is still there. What hooks people most is the way the series pairs the past villains with new issues coming up. It provides freshness but is still aware of the history that brought us to the present.

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