As noted in some of my recent posts in the Nick section, specifically my
Owari review, Baxter Stockman has always been my favorite character. Allow me to reiterate from before:
Quote:
Originally Posted by GoldMutant
He's my favorite character in the franchise, a scapegoat who just doesn't catch a break but shines in small doses. I am happy that he was cured here as the fly. While synonymous with him after Fred Wolf besides being a cyborg, I certainly didn't like him saying he liked being a fly. Again, I understand you can argue he was woozy after being cured but I don't see how it helped Baxter at all, especially because when he was mutated in Lonely Mutation, he claimed he was a freak. It feels off putting for him to want to remain a fly, it's like I missed an episode when he hasn't had primary focus at all in season 3 and only in The Insecta Trifecta did he get the spotlight one last time.
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My feelings for this Baxter though are more of indifference, moreso negative than positive. What I'll say for positives is like other casting choices in the series, Phil Lamarr is a solid selection. He nails that slimy side of Baxter but also brings to light his ego as did his 2k3 voice actor, Scott Williams. His design is also good, seems to resemble the Mirage Comics version slightly except the shirt and hairstyle. However after season 1, Baxter just becomes an anomaly.
I think a major issue Baxter has is his lack of screen focus. However, Rat King has had fewer appearances and has always stood out since his debut in
Monkey Brains and subsequent disfiguration/mutation in
I, Monster. While I feel with the exception of Shredder, who shines better and better in practically any appearance, Baxter seems to get worse and worse after
Baxter's Gambit. Although one could fault Phil Lamarr's schedule, the lack of focus on anything really hurts him.
Additionally, I'm going to say this, I really don't like his fly form. Despite the homage to
The Fly in Fred Wolf, there's almost no reason for him to turn into it outside merchandise. The fact he claims he liked being a fly, as noted by Noxious and others, myself included, confuses me. Since that mutation in
Lonely Mutation of Baxter Stockman, the sixteenth episode of the second season, he never appears. The list of episodes he appears in and what he does are as follows:
- The Legend of the Kuro Kabuto (non speaking, action scene)
- Vengeance is Mine (minimal, only to set up the Karai mutation)
- Return to New York (major appearance, fights Turtles/uses Shredder Elite)
- Serpent Hunt/The Pig and the Rhino (both nonspeaking; former to mutate Zeck and Steranko, latter in cold open with other Foot members)
- Casey Jones vs the Underworld (brief, threatened to cure Karai)
- Clash of the Mutanimals (sort of major, not by much for brain worms)
- Meet Mondo Gecko (brief cameo in arena)
- The Deadly Venom (brief appearance in cold open to control Karai)
- City at War (brief at end)
- The Insecta Trifecta (last major appearance, being the central villain)
- The Super Shredder (cold open)
- Owari (demutation)
I am not noting appearances prior to mutation from the first and second season because prior to it, Baxter did something in each episode or the plot. Any opportunity Baxter had to become relevant is rather amiss, he's barely there. Really, besides his two biggest appearances (RtNY and Insecta), all he's here for was to advance the Karai story in season 3, that's it. Not as bad as Fishface or Rahzar, but his mutation hasn't done much for him. It felt like a placeholder just for action or to make another character look intimidating, specifically Shredder.
If
Owari really is his final appearance of this time, it's a pretty underwhelming send off. Several of the other major villains (Shredder, the Triceratons, and the Kraang) went out with some sort of bang. Baxter, like Armaggon and Lord Dregg before him, really just felt there. I hope to see him one last time in the fold, but it's been a puzzling use of what could've been one of the best Baxters in TMNT. At least there's IDW and 2k3 to satisfy my Baxter needs.