TMNT: 10 Changes to Mutant Canon That Will Shock ’90s Turtles Fans

Many fans were introduced to the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles in the original ‘90s cartoon, and then continued enjoying TMNT content throughout every subsequent installment/reset, including the live-action/animated films/TV series, and the many comic book series that would follow as well.

With every iteration, the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles universe has changed just a little bit. This is a great way to keep the franchise fresh and exciting, but it can also be quite shocking, especially if some of the elements from ‘90s Turtles were compared directly to the most recent TMNT canon published by IDW Publishing. Under IDW, TMNT has an ongoing comic book series that effectively restarted the TMNT universe and molded past elements introduced in previous installments into a cohesive continuity. Here are the 10 changes IDW Publishing has made to classic TMNT mutants that will shock ‘90s Turtles fans.

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10 Bebop & Rocksteady Went From Goofy Goons To Brutal Killers

IDW Publishing’s Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #44 by Kevin Eastman, Tom Waltz, and Cory Smith

Bebop and Rocksteady are perhaps the most iconic TMNT mutant villains, standing out as being physically imposing, but impossibly dim-witted and hilariously goofy. The two made their debut in the ‘90s animated series, where they constantly messed up the villainous plans made by the Shredder and Krang. However, after they were introduced in IDW Publishing’s TMNT continuity, they were a bit less goofy, and a lot more brutal. Bebop and Rocksteady murdered Donatello on Shredder’s orders, beating him to death with a sledgehammer.

While Donnie was able to transfer his consciousness into a machine while his physical form was being artificially healed, his body had died as a result of Bebop and Rocksteady’s assault, and the fact that Donatello was able to cheat death doesn’t negate that.

9 Slash, The Genius ‘90s Cyborg Turtle Became A Hulking Brute

IDW Publishing’s Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #15 by Kevin Eastman, Tom Waltz, and Andy Kuhn

In both the IDW Publishing continuity and the original ‘90s cartoon, Slash was another mutant turtle who rivaled the TMNT – and that’s about where the similarities end. In the cartoon, Slash was a cyborg who was granted near superhuman intelligence after he stowed away on an alien ship belonging to an advanced race of interdimensional beings, and they imbued him with upgrades of every sort. In IDW Publishing’s continuity, Slash was introduced as a hulking brute who could physically take on all four Turtle brothers at once without breaking a sweat.

The biggest difference, however, has to be that IDW’s Slash became an honorary Turtle brother himself, and was even honored by every single TMNT hero after he sacrificed himself to save them all. In the ‘90s cartoon, Slash stayed a villain.

8 Venus, The ORIGINAL Fifth Turtle Was Given A Twisted Evolution

IDW Publishing’s Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #127 by Kevin Eastman, Tom Waltz, Sophie Campbell, and Pablo Tunica

TMNT fans are well aware of the fact that Venus first debuted in the infamous ‘90s live-action TMNT series: Ninja Turtles: The Next Mutation. She was the long-lost Fifth Turtle, but her inclusion was not received very well. In fact, once the show ended, Venus was all but erased from TMNT canon entirely, as she never made another appearance in any form ever again. At least, not until IDW Publishing’s TMNT #127, that is – and that storyline made the character one of the coolest in the series. In it, Venus isn’t just another mutant turtle the TMNT didn’t know about, she was originally a Punk Frog who was experimented on by a mad mutant scientist.

Venus went from being a flat (if not redundant) character no one asked for in Ninja Turtles: The Next Mutation to being incredibly interesting with a tragic and horrific backstory that immediately grabs fans’ attention. The differences between the two depictions are night and day, and truly one of the more shocking character-evolutions in TMNT history.

7 The Alien Triceratons Are Now Literal Dinosaur Mutants

IDW Publishing’s Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #76 by Kevin Eastman, Bobby Curnow, Tom Waltz, and Damian Courceiro

The Triceratons are the TMNT’s oldest villains, as they actually predate the Turtles within the TMNT established universe. Originally, they were a race of aliens that happened to look like anthropomorphic triceratops, but had nothing to do with the dinosaurs of Earth. But, in IDW, it was revealed that the Triceratons were not only directly connected with triceratops, but they weren’t even technically aliens. The Triceratons became Earth’s first ‘mutanimals’, as they were triceratops who were exposed to the Utrom’s ooze in the prehistoric age.

This is a pretty significant mind-blower, especially considering they were originally a race of vicious cosmic conquerors, not mutant dinosaurs.

6 Punk Frogs: The Chill ‘90s Turtles Allies Turned Into Hardened Criminals

IDW Publishing’s Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #125 by Kevin Eastman, Tom Waltz, Sophie Campbell, and Pablo Tunica

When the Punk Frogs were introduced in the ‘90s animated series, they were Hawaiian shirt wearing, beach-bum kind of dudes who were totally misguided by Shredder into thinking the Ninja Turtles were bad guys. When the Frogs learned who the real villain was, however, they promptly teamed up with the Turtles, becoming their allies and friends. But even when these Punk Frogs were at their most ‘villainous’, they were still reluctant to go against their inherently chill nature – something that cannot be said for the newer iteration of the team.

The Punk Frogs in IDW Publishing’s TMNT canon were much more on brand when it comes to embodying the classic ‘punk’ aesthetic. These Frogs wore torn leather, had sleeve tattoos, and were true anarchists angry at the world they lived in while finding happiness with only each other. IDW’s Punk Frogs couldn’t have been more different from the original, though in many ways, they were a huge upgrade.

5 Man Ray: TMNT’s Answer To Aquaman Is Now A Mutant Terrorist

IDW Publishing’s Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutanimals by Paul Allor and Andy Kuhn

Unlike some of the other original mutants in TMNT canon, Man Ray didn’t debut in the ‘90s cartoon, but rather the original comic book continuation of the animated series published by Archie Comics: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Adventures. That’s where Man Ray was revealed to essentially be TMNT’s answer to DC’s Aquaman, as Man Ray was a champion of the sea who would jump at the chance to take down a villain threatening ocean life.

In many ways, IDW’s new Man Ray is similar to the original, but with a few shocking differences. While he still fights for what he believes in, the new Man Ray is – by all counts – a terrorist who’s been responsible for multiple domestic bombings along with his partner, Old Hob. Plus, he’s not the colorful ‘champion of the deep’ anymore, he’s a dark, gritty soldier hardened by the traumas of his past.

4 Armaggon, A Forgettable Villain Has Evolved Into A Multiversal Threat

IDW Publishing’s Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Armageddon Game – The Alliance #4 by Sophie Campbell

Like Man Ray, Armaggon was a character who also originated in TMNT’s Archie Comics continuity. He was a goofy mutant shark from the future who never really amounted to more than just a villain-of-the-week for the TMNT spinoff team, the Mighty Mutanimals. All-in-all, Armaggon was pretty forgettable – until now. TMNT writer/artist Sophie Campbell turned this boring ‘90s villain into a cosmic entity capable of biting through timelines and manifesting in increasingly horrific versions of itself, with the form of a giant shark being its most terrifying.

Armaggon is more than just a villain from the future, it’s a villain capable of literally eating the future, and even all of time if left unchecked. It’s for this reason that Armaggon is probably the most shocking revamp, as he went from being a nothing villain to a cosmic horror practically beyond comprehension.

3 The Mutant Rat King Is Now A Literal TMNT God

IDW Publishing’s Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #36 by Kevin Eastman, Bobby Curnow, Tom Waltz, and Mateus Santolouco

The Rat King originated as a mutated human with the power to control rats with his flute in the ‘90s cartoon. While there was a version of the Rat King in the Mirage Studios universe who technically predates this one, his time as a TMNT villain is too short-lived to be fully fleshed out, as opposed to his recurring role in the animated series. But, either way, the character is essentially the same, with the comics version being just a bit darker. Once the character was brought into the IDW Publishing continuity, however, the differences between his past iterations became much more pronounced than a simple tonal style.

The new Rat King isn’t a mutant human who can control rats, he’s a literal god. This deity belongs to a family of gods who call themselves the Pantheon, and while they mostly exist outside mortal perception, sometimes they like to play games with the lives of the living – and that’s exactly what the Rat King did in The Armageddon Game. While the details of that event are compelling, the real takeaway is the fact that the Rat King was originally a human who could control rats, but evolved into an actual god.

2 The Comic Relief Groundchuck & Dirtbag Evolved Into A Horrorshow

IDW Publishing’s Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #143 by Sophie Campbell, Kevin Eastman, and Gavin Smith

Groundchuck and Dirtbag weren’t too dissimilar to Bebop and Rocksteady in the ‘90s TMNT cartoon, as they were created by Shredder to beat up the Turtles, but ended up amounting to little more than mere comedic relief. It wouldn’t be until they were introduced in IDW Publishing’s continuity that TMNT fans would stop laughing, and start having nightmares. In Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #143, the Turtles break into Jasper Barlow’s lab (the mutant scientist who ‘created’ Venus), where they are met by his latest experiment: Groundchuck and Dirtbag. Except, they weren’t two mutants working for their boss, they were one mutant fused together, becoming a truly terrifying, grotesque monster.

The sight of IDW’s Groundchuck and Dirtbag running at the Turtle Heroes is enough to give any ‘90s fan nightmares, as this is one depiction of these goofy villains no one saw coming.

1 Even The Ninja Turtles Are Nothing Like They Were In The ‘90s

IDW Publishing’s Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles

Not only are the mutants surrounding the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles virtually unrecognizable from their ‘90s depictions, but so are the Ninja Turtles themselves in the current canon of IDW Publishing. The Turtles were introduced as gritty, hardened killers in Mirage Studios’ original comic series before they became the bright and fun team of kid-friendly ninjas fans know and love today. While IDW Publishing’s version of the Turtles is a healthy mix of those two depictions, the ongoing continuity has allowed the Turtles to evolve far beyond fans’ expectations. After the most recent TMNT event – The Armageddon Game – the Ninja Turtles learned how to wield magic, which is currently being heavily utilized in the ongoing storyline. Plus, if ‘90s fans were shocked when Venus originally hit the scene, their minds would be blown by the fact that there aren’t four or even five Turtles anymore – there are six! And, in a more heartbreaking development, Splinter is dead and Shredder briefly becomes the new leader of the TMNT.

The characterizations of the Turtles themselves are just as ‘90s fans know them, but the Ninja Turtles using magic as one of their main weapons, as well as the major changes to the classic lineup itself proves that the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles themselves are indeed one of the 10 changes to mutant canon that will shock ‘90s fans.