What was the point of curing Baxter?

*neatoman* · 03-25-2021, 02:26 PM

Now don't get me wrong, I think it was a mistake to turn him into a fly from the start, I just don't understand why he was cured. I thought they were setting up some episode for season 5 but he never showed up in season 5, him getting cured is literally the last we see of him. As far as I can tell, the only reason it happened was to show that the retromutagen worked, setting up for the surprise that it didn't for Shredder. Of course, that could have been done with just about any character.

*Coola Yagami* · 03-25-2021, 02:32 PM

Honestly woulda worked better if they cured Xever. Then in some random surprise moment he saves their lives and says they're even.

*GoldMutant* · 03-25-2021, 02:34 PM

The only assumption I can think of is out of the Foot Clan, Baxter's really the only one that made sense with the exception of Xever.

Tiger Claw? Nah, creator's pet.

Bradford? Nope, long gone. Just a shell of himself.

Zeck and Steranko? Gotta sell more Bebop and Rocksteady!

Granted I haven't seen the entirety of season 5 (and likely won't), but what more could they do with this Baxter? He peaked in season 1 and been a lackey for the rest with very few exceptions as the main villain. I've gone on record before that I don't like this version of Baxter.

Curing him is likely the only endgame for him besides dying along with Bradford and Shredder. It was definitely a rush job for my tastes.

*Coola Yagami* · 03-25-2021, 02:36 PM

Not just Creator's pet but they would have to waste the time and effort to actually create a pre-mutated Tiger Claw model.

*FredWolfLeonardo* · 03-25-2021, 02:53 PM

It was admittedly completely pointless.

*newfan* · 03-25-2021, 03:03 PM

A pity thing? *Shrug*

Xever would have welcomed it most, seen as he wanted to go back to 'romancing the ladies' Bit impossible when you are a giant gross fish. Always imagined he would track down Stockman for retro mutagen at some point.

*CyberCubed* · 03-31-2021, 02:09 PM

It was nice to see Baxter get some sort of closure and become human again.

The Great Saiyaman · 03-31-2021, 03:07 PM

Well, his cure became the main story line of my on going "The Full 80%" fan comic, where he hooks up with the Kraang to provide them with a new Army of Foot Clan clones.

https://forums.thetechnodrome.com/sh...ad.php?t=62662
Go here to read it.

So I for one am glad that they made him human again.

*ssjup81* · 03-31-2021, 08:35 PM

It was pointless. Originally, I was wondering if they were going to go the '87 route with him losing more of his mind as the series progressed, but we saw that wasn't the case. He was still working on experiments and all of that. We also saw that suddenly, he didn't seem to care about being a mutant because he stopped trying to create a retromutagen.

From the show's standpoint, the only characters that reversing the mutation would have made sense, were Xever/Fishface, Steranko/Rocksteady, and Zeck/Bebop. I only say this because for Xever, he was pretty consistent over his dislike of being Fishface and missed loving "as a man".

lol Steranko and Zeck were forcibly mutated.

Tigerclaw was mutated as a child and at this point, being a mutant is all he really knows. Rahzaa was so loyal to Shredder, I don't think he'd care one way or the other.

I really do wish Xever would've been demutated though. It would've been an interesting twist...but they did need him to retrieve Bradford's corpse, so there's that...

Quote:

Originally Posted by CyberCubed

It was nice to see Baxter get some sort of closure and become human again.

Not really. He was probably killed because of his being demutated. The whole place caught fire. We never saw him leave and it's not like he could fly away to safety. Also, Mikey knocked him out after he started complaining over being turned back into a human.

*CyberCubed* · 04-01-2021, 08:46 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ssjup81

Not really. He was probably killed because of his being demutated. The whole place caught fire. We never saw him leave and it's not like he could fly away to safety. Also, Mikey knocked him out after he started complaining over being turned back into a human.

I very much doubt the writers intended him to burn to death as a human. That's way too bleak an ending and they wouldn't have demutated him just for that.

*victory_angel* · 06-30-2022, 08:08 PM

While the turtles didn't mutate him, they were technically responsible for him being a mutant. So that could have been the show runners having at least one of the Turtles make good on someone they were responsible for.

*MikeandRaph87* · 06-30-2022, 08:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by victory_angel

While the turtles didn't mutate him, they were technically responsible for him being a mutant. So that could have been the show runners having at least one of the Turtles make good on someone they were responsible for.

I like to think it's giving Baxter Stockman resolution. Perhaps due in part to him being shoved back intoimbo by the Turtles instead of helped in the 1987 cartoon which unlike the other two cartoons gave him resolution. As little as I care for this show compared to the other two I appreciate that the creative team cured Baxter Stockman to make up for his lack of resolution in the 1987 one as a mutant fly.

*Zachatello00* · 07-06-2022, 08:03 AM

I'm just glad they cured Timothy/Mutagen Man.

oh wait...

Zog The Magnificent · 07-06-2022, 12:45 PM

I figured they didn't know what to do with him anymore, so they cured him and called it good. It was just one of those loose ends they decided to tie off.

Ninja Tiptup · 07-22-2022, 01:51 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Zachatello00

I'm just glad they cured Timothy/Mutagen Man.

oh wait...

I'd be willing to believe that Timothy's massive consumption of mutagen might make him uncurable..But despite Donatello promising to help him they basically abandon that plot point by the time Donatello has developed retromutagen. Maybe he can't even unfreeze Timothy safely but that's never explored. We can only give Donnie the benefit of the doubt that he never stopped trying to help Timothy but because we don't see it on screen we can only wonder.

It's also unfortunate that Xever wasn't cured.

I'm trying to remember how it played out but I don't think the turtles actually set out to cure Baxter, one of them just decides to do it because they have retromutagen on hand. I think it was Mikey and Donnie gave him grief for using some of the retromutagen they needed to use to incapacitate Shredder. Mikey is a kind soul so he probably thought Baxter would be happy to be human again and he ought to be but for whatever reason he started feeling his fly form had more benefits than drawbacks.

*Cowabung-Gal* · 07-22-2022, 02:03 PM

I’m guessing that Baxter had something to do with the Mutagen Bomb in the possible post-apocalyptic future. You know, as retaliation for the turtles demutating him. “I’ll become a mutant again, and so will the rest of the world!”

Antoniocafe · 07-22-2022, 02:11 PM

I've read that the show was going to end after season four. So perhaps it was done to add more closure and create more of a finale feel to it?

*miru* · 10-08-2023, 12:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cowabung-Gal

I’m guessing that Baxter had something to do with the Mutagen Bomb in the possible post-apocalyptic future. You know, as retaliation for the turtles demutating him. “I’ll become a mutant again, and so will the rest of the world!”

That works, but I keep trying to blame Mutagen Man to tie that plot thread together. I could also see Baxter ending up cyborgized like in 2k3 if he returned.

03-25-2021, 02:32 PM	#2
Coola Yagami Overlord Join Date: Jan 2004 Posts: 14,004	Honestly woulda worked better if they cured Xever. Then in some random surprise moment he saves their lives and says they're even. __________________ "I was down with TMNT once, but then they changed what TMNT was. Now what I was down with is no longer TMNT and what TMNT now is seems weird and scary. And it'll happen to YOU." Check out my blog for Comic Reviews and other things. https://markepicblogofrandomness.blogspot.com/ I also started The AEW Crew, the All Elite Wrestling Fan Club! https://www.facebook.com/groups/637508120044168/

03-25-2021, 02:34 PM	#3
GoldMutant Control Your Narrative Join Date: Feb 2015 Location: New England Posts: 1,763	The only assumption I can think of is out of the Foot Clan, Baxter's really the only one that made sense with the exception of Xever. Tiger Claw? Nah, creator's pet. Bradford? Nope, long gone. Just a shell of himself. Zeck and Steranko? Gotta sell more Bebop and Rocksteady! Granted I haven't seen the entirety of season 5 (and likely won't), but what more could they do with this Baxter? He peaked in season 1 and been a lackey for the rest with very few exceptions as the main villain. I've gone on record before that I don't like this version of Baxter. Curing him is likely the only endgame for him besides dying along with Bradford and Shredder. It was definitely a rush job for my tastes. __________________

03-25-2021, 02:36 PM	#4
Coola Yagami Overlord Join Date: Jan 2004 Posts: 14,004	Not just Creator's pet but they would have to waste the time and effort to actually create a pre-mutated Tiger Claw model. __________________ "I was down with TMNT once, but then they changed what TMNT was. Now what I was down with is no longer TMNT and what TMNT now is seems weird and scary. And it'll happen to YOU." Check out my blog for Comic Reviews and other things. https://markepicblogofrandomness.blogspot.com/ I also started The AEW Crew, the All Elite Wrestling Fan Club! https://www.facebook.com/groups/637508120044168/

03-31-2021, 03:07 PM	#8
The Great Saiyaman Stone Warrior Join Date: Aug 2018 Location: The Netherlands Posts: 904	Well, his cure became the main story line of my on going "The Full 80%" fan comic, where he hooks up with the Kraang to provide them with a new Army of Foot Clan clones. https://forums.thetechnodrome.com/sh...ad.php?t=62662 Go here to read it. So I for one am glad that they made him human again. __________________ "I reject your reality and substitute my own." - Adam Savage, "Mythbusters"

06-30-2022, 08:08 PM	#11
victory_angel Foot Elite Join Date: Jul 2013 Location: Ca Posts: 3,103	While the turtles didn't mutate him, they were technically responsible for him being a mutant. So that could have been the show runners having at least one of the Turtles make good on someone they were responsible for. __________________

03-25-2021, 03:03 PM	#6
newfan Mad Scientist Join Date: Jul 2017 Location: UK Posts: 2,393	A pity thing? Shrug Xever would have welcomed it most, seen as he wanted to go back to 'romancing the ladies' Bit impossible when you are a giant gross fish. Always imagined he would track down Stockman for retro mutagen at some point.

03-31-2021, 02:09 PM	#7
CyberCubed Overlord Join Date: Dec 2004 Posts: 41,031	It was nice to see Baxter get some sort of closure and become human again.

07-06-2022, 08:03 AM	#13
Zachatello00 Ninja Comedian Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: Incognito at the Moment Posts: 2,041	I'm just glad they cured Timothy/Mutagen Man. oh wait... __________________ "It's a Kodak moment!"

07-06-2022, 12:45 PM	#14
Zog The Magnificent Stone Warrior Join Date: Nov 2015 Posts: 569	I figured they didn't know what to do with him anymore, so they cured him and called it good. It was just one of those loose ends they decided to tie off.

07-22-2022, 02:03 PM	#16
Cowabung-Gal The Party Dudette Join Date: Apr 2022 Location: U-S-A!! Posts: 2,183	I’m guessing that Baxter had something to do with the Mutagen Bomb in the possible post-apocalyptic future. You know, as retaliation for the turtles demutating him. “I’ll become a mutant again, and so will the rest of the world!” __________________ Totally Interstellar

07-22-2022, 02:11 PM	#17
Antoniocafe Thug Join Date: Apr 2022 Posts: 94	I've read that the show was going to end after season four. So perhaps it was done to add more closure and create more of a finale feel to it?