which was the best version of Bebop and Rocksteady from all TMNT incarnations?

[The Great Saiyaman]

Let's talk about the two lovable dunderheads in their various incarnations over the years.

Bebop and Rocksteady in the 1987 cartoon series.


Bebop and Rocksteady in the Archie Comics


Rocksteady and Bebop in the 2011 IDW comics.


Bebop and Rocksteady in the 2012 series.


Bebop and Rocksteady in the Bay movie "out of the shadows"

[FredWolfLeonardo]

I don't have experience with any of the comic book versions so I can't say for those.

But in terms of the versions I am familiar with, its easily the 1987 versions first and foremost for having the most number of appearances as well as some of the best humour alongside Shredder and Krang.

They also had a very believable friendship and could even pose a legitimate threat to the turtles every once in a blue moon.

After that, its actually a bit of a toss up between PD and Nick.

Believe it or not, I would've originally ranked Nick Bebop and Rocksteady lower than the PD versions, HAD it not been for the last episodes of the Nick show which really fleshed those two out.

Before the season 5 crossover, Nick B&R didn't have much in the way of character development and were often overshadowed by many of the other villains fighting for screentime such as Razhar, Fishface and Tiger Claw.

It also didn't help that Nick's B&R had hardly any of the "children of a dysfunctional marriage" dynamic that made the originals so iconic.

After the crossover however, I grew to love them a lot more, as they not only became much funnier and dangerous at the same time, but also more sympathetic in their scenes which show how they only want some paper and respect.

Not to mention, they met the OT Shredder and Krang, you know, the characters who literally created Bebop and Rocksteady in the first place!

Then last comes the PD versions, who are the actual best thing about the Out of the Shadows film (I'm seriously thinking about watching the movie again, just to take out their scene and edit it into a compilation).

They were both even more childish than the 1987 versions, but that didn't bother me too much since they had a great friendship (My Man!), and plenty of funny moments.

There isn't much more to them, but as it is, the PD versions of B&R will enjoyable for what they were.

If there is one criticism I have of them, I guess its that unlike 1987 or Nick, they didn't have any funny dynamic with their respective bosses (Didn't even meet their Krang for that matter!), but thats not B&R's fault, just the poor writing of Shredder and Krang in that movie.

[The Great Saiyaman]

Originally Posted by FredWolfLeonardo

I don't have experience with any of the comic book versions so I can't say for those.

But in terms of the versions I am familiar with, its easily the 1987 versions first and foremost for having the most number of appearances as well as some of the best humour alongside Shredder and Krang.

They also had a very believable friendship and could even pose a legitimate threat to the turtles every once in a blue moon.

After that, its actually a bit of a toss up between PD and Nick.

Believe it or not, I would've originally ranked Nick Bebop and Rocksteady lower than the PD versions, HAD it not been for the last episodes of the Nick show which really fleshed those two out.

Before the season 5 crossover, Nick B&R didn't have much in the way of character development and were often overshadowed by many of the other villains fighting for screentime such as Razhar, Fishface and Tiger Claw.

It also didn't help that Nick's B&R had hardly any of the "children of a dysfunctional marriage" dynamic that made the originals so iconic.

After the crossover however, I grew to love them a lot more, as they not only became much funnier and dangerous at the same time, but also more sympathetic in their scenes which show how they only want some paper and respect.

Not to mention, they met the OT Shredder and Krang, you know, the characters who literally created Bebop and Rocksteady in the first place!

Then last comes the PD versions, who are the actual best thing about the Out of the Shadows film (I'm seriously thinking about watching the movie again, just to take out their scene and edit it into a compilation).

They were both even more childish than the 1987 versions, but that didn't bother me too much since they had a great friendship (My Man!), and plenty of funny moments.

There isn't much more to them, but as it is, the PD versions of B&R will enjoyable for what they were.

If there is one criticism I have of them, I guess its that unlike 1987 or Nick, they didn't have any funny dynamic with their respective bosses (Didn't even meet their Krang for that matter!), but thats not B&R's fault, just the poor writing of Shredder and Krang in that movie.

You're making some good points here's a summary of the good and the bad parts of all versions.

1987 Cartoon series
Good:
- They were more dangerous than they realized they could be.
- Their friendship, they knew they only had each other and made the most of it.
Bad:
- They were basically errand boys and treated like doormats.

Archie Comics
Good:
- They were basically the same from the 1987 cartoon series but with a more direct understanding of right from wrong, their final scene has them taking off their clothes and live among real rhinos and warthogs in peace.
Bad:
- Errand Boys and doormats

IDW Comics
Good:
- This version of Bebop and Rocksteady are well aware of how dangerous they are, they also have no moral issues with kicking a man when he's down. They are without a doubt the most violent of them all.
- They are NOT errand boys and you certainly do NOT want to treat them as doormats.
Bad:
- They are for all purposes TOO strong, one fight had the Turtles trap them inside a building which collapsed, they came out and just brushed themselves off.
- Even dumber than the 1987 versions.

2012 series
Good:
- Much like the IDW version, this Bebop and Rocksteady are well aware of how dangerous they are.
- They out of all of them are by far the smartest, perfectly able to think for themselves. Zeck using tech which renders him invisible and being able to shoot lasers in the shape of his mohawk. And Sterenko as a corrupt arms dealer, idiots they certainly were NOT.
- Even when they were human, they were perfectly able to go toe to toe with the Turtles in combat.
- They are the only ones who were mutated against their will and they always kept a grudge against Shredder because of that.
- They actually have the backs of the other members of the Foot clan, they are not like Rahzar and Fishface who would push the other in front of the bus if the opportunity would present itself. A good example was when Alopex chopped Tiger Claw's hand off, they were at his aid within seconds.
Bad:
- Again errand boys and doormats
- Sterenko's tries to use American slang and him trying to understand pop culture make him look dumber than he is. And why would he use crayons to write his resume? Well could YOU imagine holding a pen when you have Rocksteady's rhino hands?

- Bay movies
Good:
- They are in for the fun of it.
- Not errand Boys or doormats
Bad
- They are by far the dumbest on this list.

But yeah, what all of them have in common with the other is that Friendship as shown here by the IDW versions.

[Torterra]

I'll say for my all time favorite version of them would have to be from the IDW comics. They're still the goofy, funny Bebop and Rocksteady we all know but if you read the comics especially their micro series explaining their origins and how Karai recruited them during the City at War arc and of course the infamous "killing" of Donatello. It also shows they can be extremely dangerous and terrifying for the turtles go up against especially if it's two on one in the case of Donatello.

[Original TMNT Cartoon Fan]

2012. That Rocksteady was actually a war criminal.

[neatoman]

If you put a knife to my throat and made me choose, I'd go with IDW's Bebop and Rocksteady because they're the only versions of the characters that are:

1. Of some use to the villains, even if it is for little more than being muscle.
2. Just barely tolerated in regards to their buffoonery, it's made pretty clear that if they **** up too much or can't adapt, they're out.
3. Shown to have a fairly brutal streak that make them at least a little scary.
4. The fact that they're mostly unwanted and just makes things worse for themselves in-universe, which are the primary factors in their devolpment, is literally the only god damn time these worthless characters have ever been given something that even remotely resembles a point for their inclusion, one that isn't ultimately just "SHILL DA TOYS!" or "MUH FRED WOLF NOHSTULJA!"

If I had to use Bebop and Rocksteady in a story, I would just have them show up in human form to tease future appearences only for Leo to cut their heads off right away, just a big middle finger to anyone who actually wants them around. If I had to be more serious about it, I'd still give them minimal spotlight and kill them off ASAP.

[Cordial Bird]

I'll go with the 2012 versions. Making Rocksteady a Russian Rhino was a fun liberty.

The 1987 duuudes could sometimes be a little bit too dumb. For instance, in "Plan 6 From Outer Space" they don't know what a basement is. That's a little bit too stupid for me.

Which is a shame because I like them in the first season.

[Andrew NDB]

Going to go with "the ones left unmade."

[sdp]

I love Rocksteady and Beebop but I think they only work in the FW show, nothing against the other versions, they're ok but I can't take them too seriously.

[Leo656]

Originally Posted by Andrew NDB

Going to go with "the ones left unmade."

I love how you act like they beat and robbed you.

I don't have a problem with them in theory... they were fine for the FW cartoon but I absolutely don't think they need to be as prominent in as many areas of the franchise as they are. And I don't think they needed to be as poorly-done as they were in the FW show, either; for like two minutes in their first post-mutation appearance, they came off as kinda threatening. It ended quickly but it would've been good if they kept that sense of menace about them instead of becoming generic Dumb Henchmen immediately.

But yeah, I hate how often they turn up and I don't think they're necessary for good TMNT fiction. But they look kinda cool and they're alright in small doses.

I think the ones from the Mutants In Mahattan video game are my favorite versions. The Boss fights in that game were very cool. Fighting them both at once is a thrill ride.

[Allsparrow]

I really liked the IDW versions. Great looking mutants.

[DVSleeSmooth]

By far 2012 imo. I personally grew up with 2012 but they had me cracking up all the time

[Coola Yagami]

Just realized another thing about them. That whole 'bumbling henchmen' stereotype where you wonder why the lead villain keeps them around anymore is gone nowadays. Most villains kill off whoever fail them, or the bad guys are just dumbasses on their own but not used as some other guy's errand boy too often.

The fact it's almost impossible to bring them back without making them fall into this trope is what dates them more than their 80s gear. At least the IDW version fixes this by making them go out on their own beyond just working for the Foot.

[Leo656]

Yeah, that's a decent point. The fact that Shredder would repeatedly rely on two guys who have proven to be almost entirely useless, and settle for endlessly whining about how useless they are rather than just killing/replacing them, in turn makes Shredder himself look like a complete toolbox.

As a kid I liked Shredder/Krang/Bebop/Rocksteady because they were familiar. But part of what makes the show so hard to go back to is the villains are very rarely compelling and even more rarely are they actually a serious threat. Sometimes you got the feeling that the Turtles needn't even bother trying to stop whatever the bad guys were up to; they were idiots, therefore whatever grand schemes they tried to pull off would have gone awry anyway, with or without the Turtles being there to stop them, Because Idiots.

There were a few cases where they tried to up the "villain stakes" with these characters but they were far too few and far between. Shredder's tolerance for Bebop and Rocksteady pretty much paints him as being not altogether much better than they are. A competent super-villain would have replaced them with someone even halfway capable halfway through Season Two.

[CylonsKlingonsDaleksOhMy]

Originally Posted by Leo656

Yeah, that's a decent point. The fact that Shredder would repeatedly rely on two guys who have proven to be almost entirely useless, and settle for endlessly whining about how useless they are rather than just killing/replacing them, in turn makes Shredder himself look like a complete toolbox.

There were a few cases where they tried to up the "villain stakes" with these characters but they were far too few and far between. Shredder's tolerance for Bebop and Rocksteady pretty much paints him as being not altogether much better than they are. A competent super-villain would have replaced them with someone even halfway capable halfway through Season Two.

And yet, Baxter Whiteman got chucked into the disintegrator. WTF, Krang.

[Leo656]

Yeah, really. For Bebop and Rocksteady, infinite f*cking patience. For Baxter, three strikes and you're out. What sense does that make?

[Coola Yagami]

When you put it that way, I think the ONLY reason he keeps them around is because they can actually (sometimes) fight the turtles and keep them busy while Baxter can't really do all much besides build machines that won't work. I mean most of the time in his episodes Baxter basically was Shredder's assistant and Krang was supplying all the tech. He was basically there to be a yes-man and be yelled at. At least Bebop and Rocksteady could (somewhat) fight.

[shredder orokusaki]

2012 is the best. They served me much better than the other versions and they succed much more times compared to the others. IDW version comes 2nd best after the 2012 as they killed a turtle for the first time! 1987 is the WORST of them! Many of my failures was due to them doing something stupid while if was alone i would had succed.

[neatoman]

Whichever version of Bebop that ends up like this would automatically be the best version:

[Leo656]

"It's just a little mutated! It's still good, it's still good!"