We have every reason to thank the year 1984, andcomic book artists Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird for introducing us to the legendary superhero foursome, the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. What was initially planned as a one-shot soon became an ongoing series thanks to its exceeding popularity.
Published by Mirage Studios, the comic book series enjoyed a successful 30-year run,acquainting us withninjutsu-practicing turtles: Leonardo, Donatello, Michelangelo and Raphael. It’s no surprise that the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, sometimes known as the TMNT, became a cornerstone of pulp culture in a way that few independent comic series have been able to do.
The franchise has produced five television shows, six theatrical films, a slew of video games, and a slew of comic book appearances, including famous crossovers with Batman, Spawn, and Daredevil, to name a few. But first, let’s go back to the first TMNT comic. Do you recall the turtles’ early adventures? You can’t deny that they were jam-packed with not only profanity but also horrific acts of brutality.
So, in today’s video, we’ll go through 12 of the darkest and scariest foes the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles have faced throughout their history.
Baxter Stockman
Stockman initially appeared in the second issue of the comic book series, created by Eastman and Laird. It’s difficult to forget this Caucasian scientist who tried to sell his robotic mousers to Ajax Pest Control. Stockman built the mousers to aid the town with its rat problem, but the firm simply refused his concept, fearing job loss and the replacement of its employees with robots.
He found himself on the streets, and was eventually offered a job by the evil Ninja master, Shredder, who gave him the task of creating a master control device for an army of Mousers. Embittered from his previous treatment, Stockman used a duplicate device at the Technodrome to put together 12 Mousers, with jaws strong enough to chew through both concrete and steel.
Next, he programmed the deadly robots to find and destroy the mutant rat and the Turtle’s master, Splinter. Naturally, the TMNT destroyed the Mousers, and the name on the devices led them back to Stockman. The ninja turtles and Splinter didn’t waste any time in tracking down the robots’ designer, and Stockman told them his version of the tale.
Stockman’s vehicle was taken away from him and became known as the Turtle Van, and his tales of a giant talking rat and ninja turtles placed him in a mental institution.
Shredder did return to break him out of prison though Stockman had become even more crooked and insane by that point – so much so that he even attempted to get Shredder the ‘Three Fragments of the Eye of Sarnath’, the alien object that was capable of granting the owner nearinfinite power.
However, Stockman wassick of being mistreated by his master, and so repeatedly tried to possess the ‘Eye of Sarnath’ himself, something that certainly did not work in his favor, bringing him closer to his impending fate.
Stockman was thrown through a portal to Dimension X after an unsuccessful attempt to create a force field between the World Trade Center buildings, morphing into a huge, humanoid fly in the process.
Also, in an alternate reality visited by Donatello, Ch’rell had taken over the world, reigning with an iron fist and looking to enact big plans to conquer all the other planets. In this reality, Stockman’s brain is sewn into the right shoulder of an old, wheelchair bound Hun. Theleader of the Purple Dragons also had a tank attached to his shoulder – both of them reduced to this state as a form of punishment by Ch’rell.
Believe us when we say that Stockman’s mentality became more and more damaged with each subsequent avatar, potentially making him even more ruthless, evil, and lethal to the Ninja Turtles.
Tokka and Rahzar
The primary reason why Tokka and Razharappeared in the second live action movie, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: The Secret of the Ooze, is because creators Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird had initially opposed the idea of having the mutant criminal duo Bebop and Rocksteady in the film. Instead of using villains from the series, the writers had to create two whole new characters to face the turtles.
After the Foot Clan’s failed effort to conquer the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles during the events of the first film, Shredder developed Tokka and Rahzar. When Shredder discovered the substance that caused the turtles’ mutation, he dispatched his Foot Ninja to not only steal the ooze, but also to kidnap Professor Jordan Perry, the head scientist of the Techno Global Research Industries.
The professor was subsequently forced to use the remaining ooze on an alligator snapping turtle and a grey wolf, both of which had been abducted from the Bronxzoo. But thanks to Perry, the mutagen was discreetly modified, meaning that the mutated monsters each had the intellect of a human baby. In short, they were stupid.
But hey, don’t let that cloud your judgement. The duo might have been stupid and a tad bit slow but there’s no denying that they were extremely powerful, possessing an enormous amount of strength.
It’s hard to forget them ‘playing’ in the junkyard, or their version of playing: lifting up bulkytrucks, effortlessly flipping cars over, destroying buildings, and even breaking telephone poles into half.During their first meeting with the Turtles, things actually worked out mostly in their favor, and the heroes barely managed to escape the duo.
The objective for their second confrontation with the Turtles was to dupe the villains into eating an antidote to the mutagen hidden within a box of donuts, but Rahzar, despite his childish attitude, actually uncovered it.
So, these two aren’t as stupid as you might believe, and what follows was bound to happen. Provoked and infuriated, Tokka and Rahzar saw to it that Michelangelo was smashed through a wall and Raphael was simply tossed into the Dockshore Club, where Vanilla Ice was performing.
Despite the fact that these characters were initially envisioned as substitutes, but actually went on to appear in all of the three animated series. The duo even made an appearance in two non-canon stories in the‘Turtle Soup’ limited series by writer Craig A. Stormon and artist Stephen R.Bissette.
King Komodo
This mutated Komodo dragon was once just another of the Dragonlord Go-pets. Komodo’s The terror of this creature reigned after he purposefully injected himself with Go-DNA Komodo’s and accidently came into contact with a synthetic mutagen, the ooze to be precise. The creature addressed himself as Go-half-brother, Komodo’s which was only natural.
Many people believed Donatello had killed King Komodo in battle, especially after he blew up Go-house. Komodo’s. In reality, he was saved and even trained by Pimiko, the possible daughter of the Shredder.
Created by Gary Carlson and Frank Fosco, King Komodo made his first appearance in the third volume of the first issue of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles,hosted by Image comics.
It pretty much goes without saying that this natural enemy of the Turtles brought some very serious power to the table.For starters, he is quite capable of controlling minds that are weaker than his own. His shape-shifting skills and those deadly strong jaws cannot be taken lightly either.
Remember how in the 17th issue, he viciously murders two children, a crime that was initially regarded as an alligator attack? Leonardo was convinced that Leatherhead, the mutant alligator, was the lone perpetrator of this horrific act, but when he tracked him down to his den, he discovered him bound and gagged.
here are no points for guessing who did that to him and whose idea it was to entice Leonardo all the way to the lair! Before Leonardo could rescue Leatherhead, he was attacked by King Komodo and his Monitor lizard minions, the true killers who were responsible for the children’s deaths.
In the resulting battle, although Leonardo managed to kill the minions, King Komodo is able to get the upper hand,knocking the turtle unconsciousand biting off his left hand. When he regained consciousness later, Leonardo had to fight against Leatherhead one-handed, the latter by thenunder the control of King Komodo.
Leonardo is save from certain doom thanks to the perfecttiming of the arrival of Michelangelo and Casey Jones, who successfully manage to knock the supervillain back into the water. If it hadn’t been for the Turtles’ intervention, King Komodo might have been the cause of the Turtles’ leader’s death. This only adds to one’s respect for this ominous and dangerous adversary.
Hun
Hun debuted in the 2003 television animated series and has since established himself as one of the most well-known villains in the TMNT franchise. You don’t want to mess with this colossal tormentor, who is extremely powerful, extremely swift, extremely proficient in martial arts, and weighs close to 500 pounds.
he Purple Dragons’ leader, created by Lloyd Goldfine and Peter Laird, is one of the most powerful characters. After all, he is the only one who is capable of not only handling but also overpowering all four turtles at the same time. His intelligence and cunning shows in his evolution of the Purple Dragons from a small gang to a giant crime syndicate.
Remember the time when the UtromShredder visited New York City and obtained the help of the Purple Dragons? Well, there was a reason Shredder took Hun under his wing and even trained him as his protégé.
Hun had the greatest of respect for his master too, simply blown away by the ferocious traits of the Shredder. He went on to establishing himself as one of his most faithful and reliable followers, and we all know his loyalty towards Shredder cannot be questioned.
Hun, in terms of personality, is cold and cruel. He has a profound aversion to turtles, whom he publicly refers to as “freaks.” He just despises Karai, whom he has repeatedly attempted to eliminate, demonstrating his ruthlessness and cruelty.
When it comes to inflicting pain, Hun has no regrets, and his attitude is demanding. For example, he is enraged when his gang members disobey or disappoint him, but he will do as his superiors tell him without hesitation.
With heavy arms like the missile launchers, Hun uses a grappling method when fighting, giving his opponents bear hugs. He also has a penchant for heavy lifting: be it physically moving debris orheaping coals, or metaphorically, carrying out Shredder’s detailed plans. Mark our words when we tell you that his character canenduredevastating and severe falls from unimaginable heights.
This brings us to the animated series’ 73rd episode, titled Same As It Never Was. In a parallel universe, Ch’rell, an elderly Hun confined to his wheelchair, wears Baxter Stockman’s cyborg brain and tank on his shoulder as a punishment for defying their commander.
It goes without saying that Hun felt aggrieved living like that and would rather be put out of his misery.Eventually Hun got what he wished for, withCh’rell’s giant-sized exo-suit crushing him and Stockman to death.
Rat King
The Rat King initially appeared as the main enemy in the fourth issue of the Mirage comic book, Tales of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, created by Jim Lawson, Kevin Eastman, and Peter Laird. After months of living in a swamp, the Rat King decides to investigate the neighbouring abandoned industrial park, which he intends to use as a winter sanctuary.
That’s when he runs into the TMNT and their pal Casey Jones, who had come to the park to train. He assaults them, believing them to be monsters attempting to take over his territory. He seizes Michelangelo, leaving him to be devoured by the rats there. Yes, the Rat King has the ability to communicate with and control rats telepathically.
Of course, Michelangelo escaped but in doing so, he only enraged the Rat King further.The creaturelater found himself in a duelwith Leonardo, one where the latter hurls numerous shurikens at him, impaling him, and causing him to lose his balance and fallinto the deep bowels of a silo.
However, the Rat King reappears in a new plotline called City at War, where he plays an important role. Splinter falls into a pit after entering the silo where Leonardo had defeated the Rat King, damaging his leg. The Rat King discovers him and debates with him before giving him cryptic advise.
When Splinter runs out of food, the Rat King suggests that he eat live rats to recover his strength. Initially refusing this particular act of cannibalism, Splinter eventually gives in and ends up killing and devouring a live rat. Sometime later, the Rat King stops appearing to Splinter and the latter finally manages to make his way out of the silo.
But much to his utter horror and shock, he finds the desiccated remains of the Rat King buried under the debris with shurikens embedded in his corpse. This shows that he had been dead all along and whoever Splinter thought he was speaking to could not have been a living being.
In the 35th issue of the second book of Tales of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, The Pantheon, a lot of the Rat King’s origin is revealed. The plot centred around the Pantheon, a group of spiritual animal beings who each had the capacity to govern a different animal. It goes without saying that the Rat King’s origins have differed in practically every series, and this is precisely what makes him a nasty and terrible character.
Krang
The character of Krang was developed by the late David Wise and first appeared in the 1987 animated series as a brain-like form of a malevolent alien warlord from Dimension X, dwelling inside the torso of a human-shaped android body manufactured by Shredder.
Krang was stripped of his body and reduced to a disembodied brain as a result of an unexplained unusual incident. He managed to find his way to the Shredder after being exiled from his native dimension along with his functional castle, the Technodrome. After Krang allied himself with the Shredder, the latter along with his army of Foot Soldiers moved into the Technodrome.
Krang regainedhis tyrannical personalityright after Shredder constructed an android body for him. He even had dreams of bringing back his army of Rock Soldiers to Earth and rulingthe planet with or without Shredder. As far as the Turtles are concerned, Krang treats them more like an irritation, which only needs to be taken care of if they end up obstructing his plans.
Otherwise, he is pretty cool with them. Krang just wants to focus on taking control of the planet, and the fact that he actually spent seven seasons in the Technodrome, thinking of a plan to charge up his battle fortress, just shows his dedication.
Krang is a genius of unrivalledcalibre and there’s no denying that. But that’s where the issue arises. His awareness of his own intelligence leads him to assume he is smarter than everyone else, resulting in severe arrogance. Weapons, spacecraft, and even portals to other realms were all designed by the technological genius. It’s no surprise he didn’t take the turtles seriously.
Krang’s complete lack of empathy frequently puts his companions in perilous situations, and he is also sadistic in nature, revelling in the misery of other living beings. Having said all of that, he boasts an IQ level which is way higher than any human being, and can effortlessly formulate Machiavellian schemes. Physically, he might be one of the weakest villains, but trust us, you don’t want to get slapped or bitten by him. His teeth might look tiny but they are razor sharp.
Having said that, when he dons his android body, Krang is a whole new level of powerful. Initially, the android suit had a molecular amplification chip installed inside, which allowed Krang to change the robotic body size as much as he wanted. But even without the chip, the exosuit was quite powerful.
The hands of the suit could shape-shift into an array of different weapons, including axes, maces, pincers and even communication devices. Krang’s suit was also capable of growing jet wings in place of his arms, which he used for quick escapes.
IDW Comics’ Dark Alternate Version of Krang
Krang’s persona is depicted as both an Utrom and a Dimension X inhabitant in this scene.
Krang is the heir of the Utroms’ reigning council’s former Prime Minister, and he simply crowned himself Emperor, then proceeded to develop the Utrom territory into an empire.
However, doing so depleted his planet’s most valuable natural resource, the Ooze, and sparked an uprising among Dimension X’s inhabitants. Utrominon was finally destroyed, and Krang escaped to Earth via an interdimensional portal, establishing a new headquarters on Burnow Island. He intended to terraform Earth into a new habitat for his people from here.
As a part of his plan to increase numbers of his troops, Krang went undercover as an authoritarian human warlord and engaged in a professional relationship with Baxter Stockman, the head of Stock Gen. He supplied Stockman with Ooze to use it as a natural mutagen on the living organisms.
However, when the Turtles found out about Krang’s plans for mass murder from April O’Neil, who was a former intern at the genetics research institute, they joined forces with Fugitoid and the Foot Clan to stop Krang from annihilating their world. No wonder that Krang is handed over to the Neutrinos to be put on trial for his crimes.
But if you thought that was the end of Krang, think again. While he was locked up, Krang employedHakk-R, a bounty hunter, to eliminate witnesses in the hopes of getting his trial cancelled. Full credit to the turtles that the bounty hunter fails in his mission, and Krang is ultimately found guilty and banished from Dimension X on Earth.
Leatherhead, one of Krang’s past victims and a key witness in the trial, ate Krang alive at the conclusion of the trial, so his exile was never carried out. Because Utroms are parasitic, instead of digesting his dinner, Leatherhead’s stomach was gradually taken over by Krang, who grew on the very exterior of the mutant’s abdomen.
Kitsune
Meet Kitsune, a shape-shifting Japanese witch from feudal Japan who possesses the ability to influence minds as well as the ability to use tremendous black magic. True, she only appears in the comics, but she plays a crucial role in the Foot Clan’s ascent to prominence.
The first commander of the Foot Clan was the daughter of the Dragon and the youngest member of the Pantheon. It all started when she saved Takeshi Tatsuo, bringing him home and treating his severed leg with a dose of the ooze. Kitsune stayed by his side and gave him frequent doses of the ooze with the sole purpose of reversing his aging process.
However, she failed to anticipate that OrokuMaji and Masato were planning to stage a coup against the founder of the Foot Clan, hoping to strike when he was at his weakest. These events led to Tatsuo’s death, and Kitsune ended up putting a curse on Maji and fleeing for her life.
After meeting Maji’s son, Saki, who happened to be a reincarnation of Takeshi Tatsuo, she returned to the clan after many years. She learned about his prior life’s experiences, and the two fell in love, Kitsune having Saki’s children. Kisune went into sleep mode to await Saki’s return, and the two developed a scheme to make him everlasting.
Believe us when we tell you that one has every reason to consider Kitsune not only dark but also deadly. Remember how she played mind games with Leonardo? The dark witch brainwashed the turtle using dark magic and literally made him believe that his brothers were all dead and that Splinter had deserted him.
Not only that, but she also duped Leonardo into believing Shredder was his true mentor and master. It’s no surprise that Leonardo assaulted the turtles and Splinter when they arrived to save him. He even defeated them, so you can only imagine how powerful this Japanese witch is.
Lord Dregg
After the Ninja Turtles deported Shredder and Krang to Dimension X, there’s no doubt that this alien tyrant was the true villain of the 1987 animated series. Lord Dregg’s major objective, like that of most of the Turtles’ opponents, was to conquer the universe, and he did it with the TechnoGang, an army of bug-like alien troops.
Dregg usually travelled by Dreggnaught, his huge spacecraft. He has attempted to conquer Earth on multiple occasions, but the Turtles have always appeared to thwart his efforts. It goes without saying that he despises the Turtles.
Unlike other villains, Dregg boasts a much more serious attitude, something that makes his character a much more suitable enemy. He made his debut appearance in the first episode of the ninth season, The Unknown Ninja, in which he and his army, led by his assistant HiTech, robbed gold from the Federal Reserve Bank, to fund their world conquest.
That was when he encountered the Ninja Turtles for the very first time, and no points for guessing that his plans were thwarted. Next, he appeared in the subsequent episode, Dregg of the Earth, where he cunningly influenced the people of the Earth by introducing himself as their knight in shining armour.
He displayed his goodwill by purifying the contaminated water. The inhabitants of New York were so happy with his actions that they decided to build him his own edifice – remember the Dregg Tower with the Dreggnaught affixed to the top? Of course, the Turtles exposed him once more, destroying the tower in the process.
But that didn’t deter this supervillain; he continued to plot and scheme. Dregg devised a campaign to convince the public that the Turtles were dangerous and that their only goal was to prevent Dregg from saving their world.
For a period, this propaganda made the Turtles unpopular, and they were frequently spotted being pursued by the police. Eventually, Aprilwas able to exposeDregg’s true intentions, revealing a secret videotape of the master villain.
Dregg’s fixation on the Turtles reached all new heights when he recalled Shredder and Krang from Dimension X so that they could all work together and destroy their mutual enemies. That didn’t work either.
Nor did his new device, MorphogenesisExoskeleton, which he had built by deceiving five extremely powerful aliens.You will be happy to know that Dregg was finally defeated by the Turtles, thanks to a special martial arts technique that Splinter had taught them.
The fact that Dregg was a former galactic warlord explains certain character traits, such as his determination, intelligence, and ability to strategise. He’s also a proud man who can’t stand failure.
He can be described as horrible because he is willing to go to any length to attain achievement. Dregg’s look is memorable and terrifying, with blue skin, flashing red eyes, razor-sharp claws, and a scorpion tail.
Yaotl
Remember this immortal warlord from the 1000 BC who made an appearance in Kevin Munroe’s 2007 computer-animated superhero movie, TMNT? Yaotl led his four siblings as Generals to conquer the world in 1000 BC. During an ambush in a Central American city, Yaotll discovers the Stars of Kicaan a constellation that aligns every three thousand years and opens a portal to another world.
When Yaotl and his Generals opened the portal, he gained immortality, but at a cost: his siblings turned to stone, and a group of 13 monsters came through the portal and destroyed his troops.
It took Yaotl almost 3000 years to realize that what he thought of as the gift of immortality was in reality, a dreadful curse. So, by the 21st century, he went bythe alias Max Winters and had April O’ Neil find the location of the Stone Generals for him.
He not only wanted to re-open the gatewayand end his curse, but also wanted to send the thirteen monsters back to where they came from.It goes without saying that he managed to revive his generals and capture the monsters too.
However, General Aquila, scared of losing her own immortality, conspired with the others against Winters and deceived him by substituting Leonardo for the last monster. The Generals had other plans too; they wanted to use the portal to set free a new army of monsters and eventually destroy Earth.
The battle that erupted between the Turtles and the Generals, as well as an army of Foot Clan soldiers, was not simple. They had to save Leonardo, put the 13th monster back in his place, and put an end to the reign of destruction on Earth once and for all, in addition to defeating their opponents. The turtles, on the other hand, are the only ones who can accomplish such a feat.
Agent Jonathan Bishop
Agent Jonathan Bishop was the leader of Earth Protection Force, a hidden government group tasked with tracking down and capturing both aliens and mutants. Bishop believed the monsters posed an immediate existential threat to humanity, and he was steadfast in his quest to eradicate them.
Agent Bishop, who initially appeared as an opponent to the Turtles in the 2003 animated series, came back for the 2012 series and for three consecutive issues, 53rd, 54th and 55th in in IDW’s TMNT. His character is portrayed as completely emotionless, sly, and devious, andwill do literally anything to accomplish his goals.
With a huge supply of high-tech government armaments all at his disposal, Agent Bishop just cannot be taken lightly. Remember the time when he ordered his organization to seize Raphael and run horrendous trials on him? He even wanted to dissect him for further study, beat that!
Bishopstarted off as a soldier, before being kidnapped and even experimented on by gray aliens. So, now you know the reason behind his long life, heightened strength and superhuman regenerative factor.
Bishop got extremely concerned about extraterrestrial invasion when he returned to Earth. He had his reasons, of course! That is why he dedicated his life to defending the planet from alien threats, and because he initially mistook the Turtles for aliens, he was frequently seen fighting them.
The Triceratons
The Triceratons were one of Mirage Studios’ first creations, and they existed long before the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. Saurian animals make up this extraordinarily strong, pugnacious alien race, and there’s a good probability they’re genetically tied to dinosaurs, particularly the Triceratops.
The Triceratons can only breathe a blend of nitrogen and sulfur and are often found using helmets to provide themselves with the correct atmosphere.They are herbivores, and extremely devoted to their race.
The Triceratons initially boasted a large empire, one that covered the entire central region of the Milky Way Galaxy. After their home planet was destroyed, they became wanderers,making their homes on asteroids,constructing ion drives on them and eventually altering them into mobile cities.
They also made great use of the asteroids, setting up military staging grounds, research centres, factories, universities, and grounds for hosting sports events. After all of that, don’t forget that they’re also successful vanquishers, with cutting-edge weaponry and cutting-edge technology.
After all, their ultimate goal is to take control of the entire universe, which includes Earth. Furthermore, the fact that they have agents who are known to use an addictive drug called Xemorene, which increases their speed and improves their nervous system, makes them even more lethal.
The Triceratons have appeared in almost every recurrence of the TMNT media, except forthe movies, though we think that is a mistake that should be rectified!
OrokuSaki a.k.a Shredder
Where does one begin when discussing this particular villain? His character has been recognised as the Turtles’ arch-nemesis in practically every edition of the TMNT franchise. He’s been in a variety of stories, but we’re going to focus on the one that’s most relevant to us, the one from Mirage Comics.
Here, the character of Oroku Saki is introduced as the younger sibling of Oroku Nagi, who had been slayed by Hamato Yoshi, a fellow ninja, over a feud regarding a woman named Tang Shen.
Soon after, Yoshi fled to the United States along with Shen. Aggrieved at the death of his elder brother, Saki joined the Foot Clan and trained himself to be a ninja. He very quickly established himself as one of their most lethal warriors, and soon rose up the ranks. It’s no surprise that he rose to become the Foot Clan’s commander.
Saki, working under the alias Shredder in New York, exploited every opportunity to avenge his brother’s death, killing Yoshi and Shen. The Foot Clan also began to engage in a variety of illegal operations under Saki’s leadership, including drug trafficking, gunrunning, and even assassination.
It was after a period of 15 yearsthat Saki encountered the Ninja Turtles. It’s hard to disregard that extensive rooftop battle, which Saki appeared to be winning until Leonardo thrusted his sword through the villains torso. Saki, defeated, was given the chance to commit the ritual suicide, Seppuku, which was specifically reserved for samurais in their code of honour.
But Shredder rebuffed; instead igniting a thermite grenade in the hopes of killing everyone along with himself.Donatello used his bostaff to knock Shredder off the building, and the criminal apparently fell to his death.
If you believe that’s how Shredder died, we strongly advise you to reconsider. On the eve of Christmas, his character reappeared, resurrected and accompanied by an army of Foot Ninjas, and proceeded to seriously injure Leonardo, burn April O’ Neil’s apartment on fire, and drive the turtles out of the city and into hiding.
The creators Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird never intended for this figure to become a long-running arch nemesis, as evidenced in the 19th issue of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, where Leonardo decapitates the villain and kills him. Shredder’s body is eventually burned in the Hudson River by the four turtles.