Right now , it may seem crazy that the world was ever without theTeenage Mutant Ninja Turtles , as it ’s as thoughTMNThas been a childhood staplesince the beginning of time . But , true statement be told , the Heroes in a Half - Shell have only been around since the ‘ 80s , which is when the original Mirage Studios comic book serial by Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird was free . And that era ofTMNTcontent paved the path for theversion of the Ninja Turtlesfans have it away and love today .

There are many reasonswhy the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles are so iconic , from their unequaled personalities to their radical adventures . However , the most fundamental aspects of who they are and what the serial is about as a whole started in the original‘80s indie laughable Scripture serial publication . Those aspects let in other case , main villains , and classic plot line that place the substructure for the entire enfranchisement , and are whyTMNTis an perfectly dateless series . Here arethe ripe ‘ fourscore stories that turned the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles into pop refinement image !

7TMNT Introduces Shredder

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles#1 (1984)

Shredder is arguably just as iconic as the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles themselves , as he is and has always been their independent baddie , no matter the era ofTMNTcanon . And , in the very firstTMNTissue , the Shredder is introduced - though not in a mode many might expect . Yes , Shredder was the main opposer of the book , whose beginning are tied to that of Master Splinter , and he is the leader of the Foot Clan . lover know all that , as subsequentTMNTseries have restate these constant prospect of Shredder ’s role . What ’s surprising , however , is that the Ninja Turtles really kill the Shredder at the end of the first issuance .

Shredder has become such a lasting character , and a big ground as to why and how theTMNTfranchise has lasted as long as it has , sothe fact that Shredder was actually kill off in the first - ever issue is decidedly a bite shocking , to say the least . But , thankfully , Eastman and Laird knew how bully of a character Shredder was , and not only brought him back in a succeeding plot line ( lead into the " Return to New York " event ) , but ensured that Shredder was a mainstay fictitious character for years to number .

6TMNT Introduces the Mousers (& Baxter Stockman)

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles#2 (1984)

Baxter Stockman is aTMNTvillain who lately made an appearance in the latest installment of the dealership : Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles : Mutant Mayhem , and he ’s also been a major opponent in the modern IDW PublishingTMNTcomics as well . In other words , while some casual fans may not know him by name ( ie , he might not be as immediately recognisable as Shredder),Baxter Stockman certainly made a lasting impact on theTMNTfranchise , and devotee have definitely seen him around recently . And , inTMNT#2 , Baxter Stockman made his debut , along with his most violent innovation : the Mousers .

The Mousers were designed to hunt and ' feed ' ( which really just means mash - up with their jagged alloy ' teeth ' ) rats . The Mousers were Stockman ’s answer to a rise rat problem in New York City , but as they traversed the sewers looking for varmint , the Mousers became a major nuisance for the Ninja Turtles - specifically , Master Splinter . Since then , mouser have been highlighted inTMNTcanon on numerous occasion , including as the first antagonists of the 2003TMNTanimated serial publication .

5TMNT Introduces the Utroms (& Reveals the Secret of the Ooze)

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles#3-4 (1985)

Utroms are a race of aliens ( more accurately , interdimensional lifeforms from Dimension X ) who are responsible for develop the mutagen slime that mutate the Leonardo , Donatello , Michelangelo , Raphael , and Splinter ( along with every other variation feature in the serial publication ) . The Utroms are also the wash of foreigner to which Krang belong , though Krang was not among the original Utroms featured in the ' 80 comic playscript series , despite the fact that he ’s easily the most popular and recognizable Utrom inTMNT . In fact , even though Krang is famously aTMNTvillain , the Utroms were originally not that manner at all- quite the opposition , in fact .

As revealed in theseTMNTissues , the Utroms were just displaced aliens who became run aground on Earth , and they accidentally released the cannister of the mutagen ooze that give life to the Ninja Turtles . They did n’t want to take over the planet , and they certainly did n’t need to harm the Turtles themselves ( as they proved by rescuing and tending to Splinter ) . However , even though they were originally peace - eff aliens , the Utroms’TMNTlegacy is far from expansive - and it all begin with this storyline .

4TMNT Introduces the Fugitoid

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles#5 (1985)

" Introduces " might be the wrong word here , since the Fugitoid is in reality a fibre who predates the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles within the wider umbrella of the Mirage Studios world . But , this is the issue where theFugitoid officially became a part ofTMNTcontinuity , which turn out to be a majorly impactful decision on the section of Eastman and Laird . Fugitoid is a golem with the mind of a human scientist , Professor Honeycutt . After joining forces with the Ninja Turtles , Fugitoid became their leading resource in all - things technological - especially extraterrestrial .

This outcome was the first time the Fugitoid and the TMNT ever interact , but this plot line but opened the room access for age of plot line boast their potent alliance . Not only wasthe Fugitoid a major participant in IDW Publishing ’s mainTMNTcanon(indeed , he was responsible forsaving Donatello ’s life after he was beat to death by Bebop and Rocksteady ) , butthe Fugitoid continues to be a independent persona in theLast Ronincontinuityto this very twenty-four hours ( specifically , theRe - Evolutionstoryline ) .

3TMNT Introduces the Triceratons

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles#6 (1986)

Like the Fugitoid , theTriceratons in reality predate the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles , as they first appear in the first proceeds of Fugitoid ( Eastman and Laird ’s pre - TMNTcomic ) . But , also like the Fugitoid , this issue is the one that lend theTriceratons intoTMNTcanon , which change the landscape of the entire dealership forever . Fans will recognise the Triceratons as big , orange , humanlike triceratops who are also a race of major planet - conquering unknown . This military issue affirm just how deadly of a species the Triceratons really are , but the lasting signification of this issue croak way beyond just that .

certain , Triceratons are amazing villain , but their legacy in theTeenage Mutant Ninja Turtlescanon is far more captivating . How ? Well , it ’s revealed in IDW Publishing ’s mainTMNTcanon ( Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles#76 , to be exact ) thatthe Triceratons are n’t even aliens ; they ’re mutant triceratops . Apparently , the Utroms snatch triceratops from Earth millions of years ago and experiment on them with the mutagen muck in Dimension X , giving life-time to the Tricerton backwash . This run to an epic plot line in modernTMNTcomics where the Triceratons attempt to conquer Earth , not as alien encroacher , but as those pose claim to a mankind that is technically rightly theirs .

2TMNT Introduces the Idea of Time Travel

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles#8 (1986)

InTeenage Mutant Ninja Turtles#8 , the Ninja Turtles receive Renet who is a Timestress ( or Time Lord ) . That entail Renet can move through metre at will , and in this return , she becomes friends with the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles , and that friendship stems throughout everyTMNTcontinuity from that point forward ( including and especially in the New IDW PublishingTMNTcontinuity ) . While Renet ’s comprehension inTMNTcanon is awing , that only scrape up the surface of whatthis issue offers the widerTMNTuniverse , as it also does something much more substantial : introduces the idea of time traveling .

It ’s clean to say thatthe idea of time travel revolutionizedTeenage Mutant Ninja Turtles , as it ’s been utilize on many occasions and in many different manikin . One of the most iconic mode time travel was utilized inTMNTwas in the striking arcade television gameTeenage Mutant Ninja Turtles : Turtles in Time , which saw the Ninja Turtles traveling to different time period and taking out bad guys in glorious side - scrolling mode . Time traveling was also used in the live - legal action filmTeenage Mutant Ninja Turtles III , where the Turtles travel back to Feudal Japan to save the day .

Sure , Renet is n’t always used , but her cellular inclusion inTMNTwent well beyond her case alone , as she represented the larger thought of time change of location .

TMNT: Mutant Mayhem’s Raphael with the comic book TMNT behind him.

1TMNT Introduces the Idea of Astral Projection (& Reincarnation)

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles#9 (1986)

InTeenage Mutant Ninja Turtles#9,Master Splinter is meditating , allowing his spirit to get over the astral plane , when he encounter another spiritual traveler in this otherworldly space : Gosei Hatsumi . Hatsumi is dying , but before he move , he wishes to pass along the spirit of his ancestors to his grandson through a ritual that can only be done in person . So , Hatsumi passes the smell to Spinter , and enquire that Splinter conduct the rite with his grandson in his blank space . Splinter and the Ninja Turtles action this task , and the heart of the great Gosei Samuari Clan is able to live on .

This plot line is unbelievably impactful toTMNTcanon , especially regarding the modern IDW Publishing comics . TMNT#9 opens the franchise up to the more spiritual aspects of its cosmos , not just the ninja / mutant / alien material . It substantiate that Splinter can astral project , and it also introduces the idea of rebirth ( to a certain degree ) - and both of those ideas are intemperately utilized in IDW Publishing’sTMNT .

The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles comic strip are filled with awesome fight scenes that NEED to be wreak to the big silver screen . Here are the 10 all - clock time intimately !

Comic book art: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles leaping into action.

In the IDW persistence , the Turtles themselves ( along with Splinter ) are renew versions of their human self who were mutilate by Shredder in Feudal Japan . Not only that , but the Ninja Turtles institute themselves in preternatural location on legion occasions ( especially during theArmageddon Gameevent ) . Indeed , astral sound projection and rebirth have become major scene ofTeenage Mutant Ninja Turtlescanon , and it all started with this ' eighty storyline .

Summary

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles ( TMNT ) is a multi - media dealership that began with Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird ’s strip in the 1980s . Throughout the years , their funny books expanded to movies , TV shows , television games , and toy dog . Most notably , the revivify Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles ran for near a decade and has become a nostalgic raw material of the ‘ 80s and ‘ ninety . Several other film have feature the four anthropomorphic turtle crony ( Leonardo , Michelangelo , Donatello , and Raphael ) , including the trilogy of live - activity films in the ‘ 90s and the more late pic Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and its continuation Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles : Out of the Shadows .

tmnt with marvel heroes

80s-era TMNT from Mirage Studios with the red masks.

TMNT’s Raphael fighting Shredder.

Mouser with the TMNT reflected in its metal head.

The TMNT fighting the Utroms in their humanoid robot bodies.

The TMNT and the Fugitoid fighting in a giant alien battle.

Leonardo and Michelangelo fighting Triceratons in TMNT.

The TMNT with their Time Lord ally, Renet.

The TMNT and Splinter with a man who is generating electricity.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (1987) TV Show Poster

Comics

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles