Favourite Leatherhead origin

*Original TMNT Cartoon Fan* · 02-06-2017, 12:31 PM

What's your favourite Leatherhead origin?

*Utrommaniac* · 02-06-2017, 12:45 PM

Mutant alligator raised by Utroms.

There's something about a huge gigantic predatory reptile attaching himself to tiny little hyper-intelligent aliens that should otherwise be meat to him, that I find endearing.

However, I'm disappointed that he's never had a proper reunion after being separated from him. In Mirage, he's kidnapped by Utroms that are basically terrorists, and when he's rescued, he decides he wants to go back to living on Earth after how those particular ones treated him.
And in the 2003 show, it just never happens.

*neatoman* · 02-06-2017, 01:17 PM

Raised by Utroms, no real contest. Gives him a decent goal and makes you root for him despite his agressive nature.

The Fred Wolf cartoon just depicts his creation as a random accident and he just makes the decision to be evil, just because.
The Archie origin has a guy magically transformed into an alligator as punishment for stealing, which would have been fine but then we find out the one who did it wasn't really evil and she still didn't tranform him back, even after helping her out. That really bugged me, he was essentially stuck as a monster for no good reason.
The Nick Cartoon makes it so that he was tortured by the Kraang instead of being raised by the Utroms, which makes sense since the Utroms were introduced in the form of the Kraang and it's theoretically interesting to reverse his relationship to them, too bad it just manifests in the form of him getting triggered like an SJW in a comedy club...
The IDW version goes in a similar direction as the Nick cartoon and it does seem to be a lot more sophisticated than just yelling "Kraaaaaaaang!", I still need to see where it's going though.

*Utrommaniac* · 02-06-2017, 02:26 PM

I do find it kind of interesting that the two versions of Leatherhead that have his relationship with the Utroms to be ill-off are the two properties owned by Nickelodeon. What's up with that?

*DestronMirage22* · 02-06-2017, 02:34 PM

And these threads just keep on coming!
Not that I mind, of course.

I've always preferred Mirage's origin for Leatherhead. You can't beat the classics.

*Powder* · 02-06-2017, 08:48 PM

The Mirage route is my favorite, but his cajun FW self comes super duper close.

*DarkFell* · 02-06-2017, 08:58 PM

FW Leatherhead was hit-or-miss with me.
I don't own enough of the IDW comics to form an opinion about Burnow Island Leatherhead.
I can grow to like 2k12 Leatherhead.
The version of Leatherhead that I want get to know and like, would be the 2k3 version of him.

*pferreira* · 02-09-2017, 09:02 AM

They all have their pros and cons. I know the FW more so I'll go with that, I guarantee!

*TigerClaw* · 02-09-2017, 11:09 AM

I like the Archie origin.

*Andrew NDB* · 02-09-2017, 12:10 PM

I have a fondness for the Archie origin and his "cursed" nature.

*Utrommaniac* · 02-09-2017, 02:52 PM

There is something I find interesting about Leatherhead's character.

There's a consistent theme of a "Frankenstein's Monster" with Leatherhead. He's a great big brute with unusual circumstances for his birth, who despises his own existence for one reason or another - the most clear instance of this being in IDW.

Mirage/Image is a little bit of a subversion of this. There's very little of his history being given before being separated from the Utroms, but I would assume he didn't hate himself beforehand. But afterwards, he discusses how his size made it impossible for him to use the teleporter, and that's one of the features of his self-loathing. It might have been the wakeup call of how different he was from his adoptive family, and it cut him to the core.
It's actually one reason why I welcome the suggestion that Leatherhead would want to put his consciousness in an Utrom body. Laird may have rejected the idea, not believing he'd be that self-loathing, but I'd buy it.

Granted, 4Kids Leatherhead probably has the most chill of all the Utrom-connected Leatherheads (Ranking 4Kids, IDW, Nick, Mirage).

OT Leatherhead's probably the most chill of all of them, though. He doesn't really have any anger issues. He's just a humble ol' evil gator livin' it out in the swamp, Ah garun'tee. Don't know about Archie, since I haven't read them. But the rest. Drama Club.

*Original TMNT Cartoon Fan* · 02-11-2017, 04:54 AM

The "Leatherhead Meets the Rat King" episode rocks. Even "Splinter Vanishes", where they team up, is cool.

*pferreira* · 02-16-2017, 08:30 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Original TMNT Cartoon Fan

The "Leatherhead Meets the Rat King" episode rocks. Even "Splinter Vanishes", where they team up, is cool.

I love those episodes!

View Poll Results: Favourite Favourite Leatherhead origin
Mutant New York City sewer alligator (Mirage and 2003–2009 TV-series)	13	43.33%
Florida mutant aligator-crocodile (1987-1996 animated TV-series)	5	16.67%
Human Jess Harley transformed by Mary Bones-Cherubae (Archie)	7	23.33%
Burnow Island mutant (IDW)	4	13.33%
Kraang expirment (2012 animated TV-series)	1	3.33%
Other	0	0%
Voters: 30. You may not vote on this poll

02-06-2017, 12:31 PM	#1
Original TMNT Cartoon Fan Overlord Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Sweden Posts: 10,169	Favourite Leatherhead origin What's your favourite Leatherhead origin?

02-06-2017, 12:45 PM	#2
Utrommaniac Resident overthinker Join Date: Nov 2015 Location: what is going on.......... Posts: 5,318	Mutant alligator raised by Utroms. There's something about a huge gigantic predatory reptile attaching himself to tiny little hyper-intelligent aliens that should otherwise be meat to him, that I find endearing. However, I'm disappointed that he's never had a proper reunion after being separated from him. In Mirage, he's kidnapped by Utroms that are basically terrorists, and when he's rescued, he decides he wants to go back to living on Earth after how those particular ones treated him. And in the 2003 show, it just never happens. __________________ DeviantART

02-06-2017, 02:26 PM	#4
Utrommaniac Resident overthinker Join Date: Nov 2015 Location: what is going on.......... Posts: 5,318	I do find it kind of interesting that the two versions of Leatherhead that have his relationship with the Utroms to be ill-off are the two properties owned by Nickelodeon. What's up with that? __________________ DeviantART

02-06-2017, 08:48 PM	#6
Powder So tired of this place Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Shell Ri La Posts: 26,816	The Mirage route is my favorite, but his cajun FW self comes super duper close. __________________ I'm convinced that none of you have ever experienced joy

02-06-2017, 02:34 PM	#5
DestronMirage22 Yukipedia Join Date: Nov 2016 Posts: 1,723	And these threads just keep on coming! Not that I mind, of course. I've always preferred Mirage's origin for Leatherhead. You can't beat the classics.

02-09-2017, 09:02 AM	#8
pferreira Foot Elite Join Date: Feb 2010 Posts: 2,514	They all have their pros and cons. I know the FW more so I'll go with that, I guarantee!

02-09-2017, 11:09 AM	#9
TigerClaw Mutant Tiger Join Date: Sep 2002 Location: Hialeah, Florida, USA Posts: 13,830	I like the Archie origin. __________________

02-09-2017, 12:10 PM	#10
Andrew NDB Weed Whacker Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: Auburn, WA Posts: 29,357	I have a fondness for the Archie origin and his "cursed" nature. __________________ [ ODYSSEY \| ORIGIN \| THE IMAGE/VOL. 3 CONCLUSION \| THE SHELLSHOCKED PODCAST \| ON FACEBOOK ]

02-09-2017, 02:52 PM	#11
Utrommaniac Resident overthinker Join Date: Nov 2015 Location: what is going on.......... Posts: 5,318	There is something I find interesting about Leatherhead's character. There's a consistent theme of a "Frankenstein's Monster" with Leatherhead. He's a great big brute with unusual circumstances for his birth, who despises his own existence for one reason or another - the most clear instance of this being in IDW. Mirage/Image is a little bit of a subversion of this. There's very little of his history being given before being separated from the Utroms, but I would assume he didn't hate himself beforehand. But afterwards, he discusses how his size made it impossible for him to use the teleporter, and that's one of the features of his self-loathing. It might have been the wakeup call of how different he was from his adoptive family, and it cut him to the core. It's actually one reason why I welcome the suggestion that Leatherhead would want to put his consciousness in an Utrom body. Laird may have rejected the idea, not believing he'd be that self-loathing, but I'd buy it. Granted, 4Kids Leatherhead probably has the most chill of all the Utrom-connected Leatherheads (Ranking 4Kids, IDW, Nick, Mirage). OT Leatherhead's probably the most chill of all of them, though. He doesn't really have any anger issues. He's just a humble ol' evil gator livin' it out in the swamp, Ah garun'tee. Don't know about Archie, since I haven't read them. But the rest. Drama Club. __________________ DeviantART

02-11-2017, 04:54 AM	#12
Original TMNT Cartoon Fan Overlord Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Sweden Posts: 10,169	The "Leatherhead Meets the Rat King" episode rocks. Even "Splinter Vanishes", where they team up, is cool.