You know Leonardo, Raphael, Donatello and Michelangelo, but how well do you know their many enemies? The new animated movie Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem features a who's who lineup of classic TMNT villains and mutants in its trailer. But rather than focus on Shredder and the Foot Clan, this movie pits the Turtles against a literal army of mutants.
Don't worry if you don't know Ray Fillet from Mondo Gecko. We're here to break down all the mutant characters in this movie, and explore who the real brains are behind this massive battle for New York City.
We imagine most TMNT fans recognize this iconic duo. Bebop (Seth Rogen) and Rocksteady (John Cena) are probably the two most recognizable of the many mutant villains the Turtles have battled over the years. Originally two punk criminals from New York, they're both transformed into super-strong mutants by either Krang or Shredder (depending on which incarnation of the franchise you prefer). They aren't terribly bright, but they're powerful enough to be a real thorn in the side of our heroes. If there's a mutant war afoot, these two will happily be right in the heat of the action.
Genghis Frog (Hannibal Buress) is the leader of a rival faction of mutants called the Punk Frogs. Just like the Turtles, these mutants were once ordinary frogs before being exposed to the mutagen and evolving into something more. Originally, the Punk Frogs were created by Shredder and given names inspired by great conquerors of history rather than Renaissance artists (Genghis Khan, Attila the Hun, Napoleon Bonaparte, etc.). The exact circumstances behind their creation change from series to series, but the most important detail is that the Punk Frogs start out as enemies to the Turtles before realizing that they're actually fighting on the same side.
Leatherhead (Rose Byrne) is one of the more imposing TMNT mutants, as he/she happens to be a gigantic, cowboy hat-wearing alligator. We suspect the Turtles will have a major fight on their hands once Leatherhead enters the stage in Mutant Mayhem. More than most TMNT villains, however, the specifics of Leatherhead's rivalry with the Turtles varies a lot from version to version. The various comics and animated series aren't even consistent as to whether Leatherhead was originally an alligator or a human being. Often, the Turtles are able to overcome that rivalry and make a friend out of this overgrown reptile, but we'll see if that holds true in the new movie.
Mondo Gecko (Paul Rudd) is one of the TMNT's oldest friends and allies. If he's meant to be a villain at all in the new movie, we doubt that'll hold true for very long. Mondo started out as a human skateboarder and heavy metal musician whose exosure to the mutagen transforms him into a humanoid gecko. In some versions of the mythos, Mondo Gecko initially joins the Foot Clan, but it's not long before he defects and throws his lot in with the Turtles. He and Michelangelo are especially close.
Ray Fillet (Post Malone) was once a marine biologist named Jack Finney, who was inadvertently exposed to the mutagen after investigating an illegal toxic waste dump. That caused him to transform into a humanoid manta ray. Ray eventually becomes a mutant superhero and, along with Mondo Gecko, spearheads a team called the Mighty Mutanimals (who had a short-lived comic book spinoff in the early '90s). Ray is another character who's usually a friend to the Turtles rather than a foe, so any rivalry between he and our heroes in Mutant Mayhem is bound to be short-lived.
Wingnut (Natasia Demetriou) is a bat-like alien who's rarely seen without their symbiotic partner Screwloose. They aren't mutants, but rather the last two survivors of a world devastated by Krang. Their role in the franchise varies wildly depending whether you're reading the comics or watching the animated series, however. Originally, Wingnut and Screwloose were created as members of the heroic Mighty Mutanimals team, whereas in the 1987 cartoon they're depicted as child-snatching villains from Dimension X.
Mutant Mayhem revovles around a war between mutants in New York, and you can bet Baxter Stockman (Giancarlo Esposito) is behind all the chaos. Stockman is a brilliant scientist who excels in both biology and cybernetics. Not only is he responsible for creating many mutants on his own (usually in service to either Krang or Shredder), he inevitably becomes a mutant himself when he transforms into a half-human/half-fly monstrosity. As if that weren't bad enough, Stockman created the Mouser robots that are always giving our heroes such a hard time.
Maya Rudolph is voicing a character named Cynthia Utrom in Mutant Mayhem. And while she’s not an existing TMNT character, her name tells us everything we need to know about her.
The Utroms are a warlike alien race that hail from Dimension X. Their most famous member is none other than Krang, that little pink blob who loves to boss around Shredder. This name is a dead giveaway that Cynthia is actually an Utrom wearing one of their trademark android disguises. She may even be the Krang himself.
Cynthia is almost surely the mastermind behind the many mutant villains who appear in this new movie, and it’ll be up to the Turtles to smash their way through Bebop, Rocksteady, Ray Filet and the rest to battle the real threat to mankind. Time for a little Pizza Power.
For more TMNT action, brush up on the full cast of Mutant Mayhem and learn about the villain-centric spinoff movies hitting Paramount.
Jesse is a mild-mannered staff writer for IGN. Allow him to lend a machete to your intellectual thicket by following @jschedeen on Twitter.
Continue reading...
Don't worry if you don't know Ray Fillet from Mondo Gecko. We're here to break down all the mutant characters in this movie, and explore who the real brains are behind this massive battle for New York City.
Bebop & Rocksteady
We imagine most TMNT fans recognize this iconic duo. Bebop (Seth Rogen) and Rocksteady (John Cena) are probably the two most recognizable of the many mutant villains the Turtles have battled over the years. Originally two punk criminals from New York, they're both transformed into super-strong mutants by either Krang or Shredder (depending on which incarnation of the franchise you prefer). They aren't terribly bright, but they're powerful enough to be a real thorn in the side of our heroes. If there's a mutant war afoot, these two will happily be right in the heat of the action.
Genghis Frog
Genghis Frog (Hannibal Buress) is the leader of a rival faction of mutants called the Punk Frogs. Just like the Turtles, these mutants were once ordinary frogs before being exposed to the mutagen and evolving into something more. Originally, the Punk Frogs were created by Shredder and given names inspired by great conquerors of history rather than Renaissance artists (Genghis Khan, Attila the Hun, Napoleon Bonaparte, etc.). The exact circumstances behind their creation change from series to series, but the most important detail is that the Punk Frogs start out as enemies to the Turtles before realizing that they're actually fighting on the same side.
Leatherhead
Leatherhead (Rose Byrne) is one of the more imposing TMNT mutants, as he/she happens to be a gigantic, cowboy hat-wearing alligator. We suspect the Turtles will have a major fight on their hands once Leatherhead enters the stage in Mutant Mayhem. More than most TMNT villains, however, the specifics of Leatherhead's rivalry with the Turtles varies a lot from version to version. The various comics and animated series aren't even consistent as to whether Leatherhead was originally an alligator or a human being. Often, the Turtles are able to overcome that rivalry and make a friend out of this overgrown reptile, but we'll see if that holds true in the new movie.
Mondo Gecko
Mondo Gecko (Paul Rudd) is one of the TMNT's oldest friends and allies. If he's meant to be a villain at all in the new movie, we doubt that'll hold true for very long. Mondo started out as a human skateboarder and heavy metal musician whose exosure to the mutagen transforms him into a humanoid gecko. In some versions of the mythos, Mondo Gecko initially joins the Foot Clan, but it's not long before he defects and throws his lot in with the Turtles. He and Michelangelo are especially close.
Ray Fillet
Ray Fillet (Post Malone) was once a marine biologist named Jack Finney, who was inadvertently exposed to the mutagen after investigating an illegal toxic waste dump. That caused him to transform into a humanoid manta ray. Ray eventually becomes a mutant superhero and, along with Mondo Gecko, spearheads a team called the Mighty Mutanimals (who had a short-lived comic book spinoff in the early '90s). Ray is another character who's usually a friend to the Turtles rather than a foe, so any rivalry between he and our heroes in Mutant Mayhem is bound to be short-lived.
Wingnut
Wingnut (Natasia Demetriou) is a bat-like alien who's rarely seen without their symbiotic partner Screwloose. They aren't mutants, but rather the last two survivors of a world devastated by Krang. Their role in the franchise varies wildly depending whether you're reading the comics or watching the animated series, however. Originally, Wingnut and Screwloose were created as members of the heroic Mighty Mutanimals team, whereas in the 1987 cartoon they're depicted as child-snatching villains from Dimension X.
Baxter Stockman
Mutant Mayhem revovles around a war between mutants in New York, and you can bet Baxter Stockman (Giancarlo Esposito) is behind all the chaos. Stockman is a brilliant scientist who excels in both biology and cybernetics. Not only is he responsible for creating many mutants on his own (usually in service to either Krang or Shredder), he inevitably becomes a mutant himself when he transforms into a half-human/half-fly monstrosity. As if that weren't bad enough, Stockman created the Mouser robots that are always giving our heroes such a hard time.
Cynthia Utrom
Maya Rudolph is voicing a character named Cynthia Utrom in Mutant Mayhem. And while she’s not an existing TMNT character, her name tells us everything we need to know about her.
The Utroms are a warlike alien race that hail from Dimension X. Their most famous member is none other than Krang, that little pink blob who loves to boss around Shredder. This name is a dead giveaway that Cynthia is actually an Utrom wearing one of their trademark android disguises. She may even be the Krang himself.
Cynthia is almost surely the mastermind behind the many mutant villains who appear in this new movie, and it’ll be up to the Turtles to smash their way through Bebop, Rocksteady, Ray Filet and the rest to battle the real threat to mankind. Time for a little Pizza Power.
For more TMNT action, brush up on the full cast of Mutant Mayhem and learn about the villain-centric spinoff movies hitting Paramount.
Jesse is a mild-mannered staff writer for IGN. Allow him to lend a machete to your intellectual thicket by following @jschedeen on Twitter.
Continue reading...