As the head of the street gang Purple Dragons, Hun’s persona was especially developed for the 2003 television series. Hun consistently ranks among the finest villains on lists of the franchise’s many bad guys throughout the years, and it makes sense why. His personal conflicts mirror the conflicts in his character journey.
Hun moves from one side to the other like a ping pong ball after getting new momentum and knowledge. He could be a villain and have done some terrible things, but according to the IDW comics, he is not a horrible guy by nature. Speaking about the comics, Hun has been portrayed both negatively and favourably by the writers from various publishers, who handled his story arc in radically different ways.
Additionally, the numerous TV shows messed around with his plot arc whatever they pleased. We will discuss Hun’s comic book origin as well as his debut television appearance in this video. As we take you on the journey of one of the greatest yet underappreciated villains in the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles series, please sit back and unwind.
For The First Time on Television (TMNT 2003)
In the 2003 series of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles franchise, Hun appears as a recurrent foe. Despite being a supporting adversary, this big man makes an impression throughout his brief appearances on screen. He serves as both The Utrom Shredder’s right-hand man and the commander of the Purple Dragons, a well-known street gang, in this television series. In relation to Utrom Shredder, you ought to see our video on the character’s beginnings.
Moving on, Hun’s criminal career began at a young age and as he grew older, Hun became responsible for the death of Casey Jones’ father, which led to them eventually becoming bitter opponents. Later, Utrom Shredder came to New York City and recruited the help of the Purple Dragons, and that is how Shredder found Hun, realised his potential, and took him under his wing.
In turn, Hun was also impressed by the ruthless nature of the Shredder and established himself as one of his most loyal followers, which was only the tip of the iceberg that encompassed Hun’s career. Years after this, Hun would go on to encounter The Splinter and the Ninja Turtles, and his hatred for them increased when The Shredder demoted Hun because of the Turtles.
Hun was also responsible for the gradual mutilation of Baxter Stockman, who was the head of Shredder’s technology division, and eventually, Baxter and Hun became reluctant partners due to Shredder’s harsh punishments. Being Shredder’s loyal follower must always come at a price, which often included interrogating the Ninjas Turtles and finding information about them, but such tasks were never easy. In one of the episodes, Hun hosts a Purple Dragons cage match and manages to take Casey hostage, only to be knocked out by him later.
In season four, The Shredder is exiled after this true identity is revealed, and with him gone, Hun turns to the Purple Dragons, successfully remaking them into an organization that resembled the Foot Clan. Although Hun isn’t as stronger as Shredder, he comes close with his huge physical stature and strength, along with the weapons that he carries with him, which make him a force to reckon with.
In this series, we often see an inconsistency in how he is portrayed. Sometimes he can hold his own against all the Turtles and Casey, but sometimes he is simply overthrown by just one person, often confusing the audience with how strong or not-so-strong Hun is. Under Hun’s leadership, the Purple Gang turned into an organized crime syndicate.
As the fifth season began, Hun and the Purple Dragons were later recruited to assist the Turtles against the armies of the now resurrected Tengu Shredder, one of the strongest villains of the series and the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles franchise. First, Hun thought he could join the Tengu Shredder, but the Utrom Shredder’s followers were not welcomed. However, Hun being Hun, he went on to betray the group and steal Tengu Shredder’s treasure, following Tengu Shredder’s destruction.
In the final season of the 2003 series, when Hun was alerted that the Shredder might return, he began seeking the Ring of Yin, to use its monster-creating powers to build an army against The Shredder. It seems that Hun really wanted to put an end to Shredder once and for all. Finally, Hun makes an appearance in the special crossover titled Turtles Forever.
In this episode, he gets accidentally mutated and turns into a monstrous mutant turtle; however, this doesn’t change his views on the ninja turtles. Having said that, he goes through a moment of switching teams in this crossover. First, he teams up with Utrom Shredder to destroy the turtles, and then later helps the turtles destroy Utrom Shredder.
It is safe to say that Hun’s character has been through several inconsistencies and turmoil in the 2003 series and although his appearance in the 2012’s revamping isn’t as frequent, it is definitely more consistent in terms of his personality and nature, which will be explored in the next segment of the video.
The 2012 Revamp (TMNT 2012)
In the 2012 series, Hun becomes the new leader of the Purple Dragons. He first appears when he and his gang are robbing a bank, and this is when he outfights Casey Jones for the first time. But then, he manages to get away from the crime scene. Hun also knew The Shredder and helped him obtain some chemicals that the Shredder was looking for. Hun later claimed that these chemicals came from an abandoned factory on the Purple Dragons’ turf.
So, although Hun more or less left the Purple Dragons, he kept coming back to them in one way or another. However, as always, the Ninja Turtles intervene in the Shredder’s plan, but this time Casey succeeds in overpowering Hun, calling it even between them.
Hun appears once again, attempting another robbery with his gang but Michelangelo, along with Casey and Mondo Gecko, an ally of the turtles, are quick to reach the scene and Hun challenges Casey. He almost wins, but ends up slipping on a skateboard, falling off the roof and into a dumpster. Hun also briefly appears, trying to eliminate Karai, the biological daughter of Master Splinter.
Once again, this doesn’t end well for Hun as he and the rest of the members of the Purple Dragons are left hanging from a streetlight to be arrested by the NYPD, with their faces painted, making it all the more embarrassing. Hun’s last appearance in this series is very brief, and part of a montage sequence where Wingnut, Screwloose, Casey, and Mikey patrol the city, stopping crime, and one of those criminals is Hun and his gang, attempting to steal art.
IDW’s Take on The Character
Before we dive into the IDW comic, it is important to know that different publishers have different versions of this character, and IDW definitely took a route they saw fit. However, this story arc wasn’t in continuity with the animated series. The IDW comic begins with Arnold in Alcoholics Anonymous as he introduces himself, telling the people around him that he may have done some bad things, but he is not a bad person.
We dive into Arnold’s past, when he was a child and how things were pretty wild back then, and his past made him what he was today. From getting tattoos to drinking alcohol, he did it all. As he grew older, he met a woman and got married, who eventually straightened him out.
They even had a kid together. However, things weren’t a bed of roses for long; his wife eventually got sick, which led to him hitting rock bottom as he began drinking again and knew it was time to get help. His son eventually ended up in the hospital, Arnold didn’t know how, but he knew that he had to be strong for his son. But Arnold being Arnold, when an old friend, Brooklyn, showed up, offering him a drink at the bar, Arnold couldn’t help himself.
As they sit in the bar, Brooklyn mentions Purple Dragons, a street gang, and about how things aren’t the same anymore. Arnold retreats, saying he isn’t so thirsty anymore, and chooses not to drink. It is now that we see a Ninja Turtle, Leonardo, who The Shredder has brainwashed. Leo approaches Arnold in the alleyway, and Arnold is immediately fired up, knowing well that the Turtle was the one who once hurt his son.
It isn’t long before the Turtle pushes Arnold down, saying he couldn’t believe Arnold was once Hun. It’s now that the readers are told about Arnold’s truth, that he is Hun. It is evident that things are a bit chaotic with a lot of backstories here and there. But then, you have to realise that this comic issue was a part of a micro-series on TMNT villains.
Nevertheless, Arnold is taken away when he meets a masked stranger, The Shredder, who talks about his injured son and asks him how he would protect his son? And, most importantly, how would he be a good father? The Shredder mentions Purple Dragons, the gang which once belonged to Hun and Brooklyn, his old friend.
Purple Dragons were stronger and constantly in line when Arnold was their leader, and he must go ahead and reclaim his position again, become Hun again. Arnold simply shakes his head, refusing to go back to his old ways. The Shredder promises Arnold that everything will be enhanced and he will be way stronger than he once was. In return, all he has to do is regain control of the Purple Dragons and make them fierce again, and most importantly, remember who he will be working for ultimately. And just like that. Arnold became Hun again.
He began to get back in shape, spruce himself up, undoing everything that his wife had once done for him, Hun was a different man now. There he was, on the first day of his old job, wearing his jacket with the Purple Dragon symbol on the back. Hun was visibly nervous, his hands were clammy, brows were sweaty, but he regains his form the second he walks into the gang’s lair as they sat around to discuss a gang war.
He knew he had to play the part despite how nervous he was on the inside; it shouldn’t look like he had been away from work for too long that he had forgotten how to be a gang leader. However, the gang members weren’t too pleased to see him, considering the fact he had left them years ago and now decided to show up unannounced. They didn’t realize just how strong Arnold was now, and maybe he didn’t either until he swung his arm around, putting his former colleagues all in their respective places.
He grabs Brooklyn’s daughter, Angel, by her neck, giving her a warning before he gets things straight, marking his return before he lets her go. Hun was now the leader, and no one could take that away from him. As his work began, he met some of his old enemies and allies and realized just how rewarding this job was and how much he had missed it.
He finally had the money and courage to go see his son at the hospital. He was happy to let Casey know that he had quit drinking and got a new job. Just as Hun is about to leave, he asks Casey about eventually coming on board with him, something he could think about.
Now, this doesn’t mean that Hun doesn’t occasionally think about a glass of drink, but before he gets too tempted, he thinks about his son, about his new job, and he just goes ahead and drinks soda instead. Hey! Even got his one-month chip at AA, and he’s making progress.
Interesting Facts
It is a shame that Hun was only a secondary antagonist and sometimes barely even that, because he can give the other villains of this franchise a run for their money. It is interesting to note that his name is derived from conqueror Attila the Hun, who was the ruler of the Huns from 434 until his death in March 453 and was considered one of the most powerful rulers in history, which can be associated with the character’s power and brute force.
In the crossover, Turtles Forever, Hun was extremely disappointed about his mutation, especially because he turned into what he hated the most, a turtle, and not just that, his scars and purple dragon tattoo also turned green, and we can bet he didn’t love that look.
If you had to compare his mutant form to someone, it would most likely be Slash, an evil turtle, created for the Archie comics continuity. You’d think the Hun’s favorite food was something meaty or filled with protein, but he actually just loves pound cake. Lastly, in the 2012 series, Hun is overtly inspired by Bruce Lee, right down to battle cries, fighting philosophies, and mannerisms.
What Makes Him a Formidable Opponent?
Given the fact that his character was inspired by Bruce Lee, there is no doubt that Hun was the master of martial arts. Because of his size, experience, training, and skills, Hun is almost as strong as The Shredder. Despite his large stature, Hun is incredibly fast, and his brute force always helps him against his enemies, he quite literally resembles a brick wall.
Shockingly enough, Hun is also capable of wielding a Katana, a specific curved sword carried by samurai in a set known as the daisho, more proficiently than one would guess from his size. On the surface, Hun might look like a big brute who doesn’t think too much, but he is an intelligent man and a great leader.
Hun has been underused in the comics and animated series, but despite that, he has managed to create a mark in the franchise as someone who has to go head-to-head against The Shredder and The Turtles, while also proving to be useful to both sides. Although the animated series and IDW comics are two different versions of the character, both have proven to be just as interesting, and strong, with depth to their characters. There are hopes and anticipation of reboots when it comes to this franchise, and maybe that means we either get to see Hun or Hun the angry turtle on our screens eventually.