Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Profile

Real Name:

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles

Location:

New York City Sewers

First Appearance:

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #1 (1984)

Created By:

Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird

Powers:

The turtles have been mutated by a mysterious radioactive goo, apparently the same stuff that gave Daredevil his powers as the series was very much a parody of many comics in the eighties.

The turtles are humanoid in appearance and have two large fingers and one large opposable thumb. Although they have a humanoid shape, the turtles have remained in their turtle state. This means they have a large shell that protects them from damage and are also very accomplished swimmers.

The turtles have also been trained in the art of ninjitsu and are experts in hand to hand combat and in using many different kinds of weapons. The turtles have each adopted a weapon of choice:

Leonardo – Paired Katanas
Raphael – Paired Sais
Michelangelo – Paired Nun chucks
Donatello – Bo Staff

Team Affiliations:

The ninja turtles are part of their own team, but have partnered with many different groups like aliens such as the Ultroms, ninja clans, and longtime friends April O’Neil and Casey Jones.

Currently Seen In:

Tales of the TMNT

Interesting Fact:

In the comic book, the turtles all have the same headband color. They were changed for the television series to help differentiate between the different turtles.

Origin:

The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles started out as just plain and ordinary turtles. The early series was really a parody of such comic book titles as Frank Miller’s Daredevil, The New Mutants, Cerebrus, and others of the eighties. As such, they actually came to being when some radioactive material fell of a truck and struck a boy in the face. The canister exploded and then the runoff went into the sewer. This was obviously a parody of the Daredevil origin.

In the sewer four turtles and a rat were exposed to the radioactive material. The material changed them making them mutants, expanding their brain capacity and transforming them into humanoid creatures. The rat, known as Splinter, adopted them and trained them in the ways of the martial arts, which he had seen his own owner do, a martial artist in his own right. Splinter named the turtles after four famous artists from a history book he found in the sewers. The four turtles were named Leonardo, Donatello, Michelangelo, and Raphael.

Splinter’s master had been killed by the leader of a rival ninja clan named the Shredder. The Shredder was the leader of the ninja clan known as The Foot, and was a sworn enemy of Splinter’s master.

The two groups came to know about each other and this set the stage for their first climactic battle, one in which Shredder dies. Their adventures continued on, both throughout time and in space battling vicious dinosaur like Triceratons and the time lord Savanti Romero.

They have also been a major enemy of the Foot Clan, not having been truly destroyed with the death of their leader, Shredder. The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles evolved from a parody of comic books, to a underground Indy comic force, to a worldwide phenomenon in the form of a cartoon and action figure line. Through it all, the TMNT comic book has stayed true to its roots of crazy tales and ninja fighting galore.