Old villains/mutants/aliens who get very little to no screentime in TMNT media

[CyberCubed]

What are some characters you feel get very little to no screentime in TMNT media, not counting random mutants/monsters, etc. that were only intended to be one-shot characters. Basically the character has to have returned at least once or been in multiple series.

There's a few who come to mind:

1. Wingnut/Screwloose. For characters who existed since the 90's, they're bizarrely underused. The original cartoon only gave them a single episode. The Nick cartoon also only gave them a single episode. In the IDW comic all they got was a background cameo. Literally the only series they have a bit of focus in is the Archie TMNT series because they're part of the Mutanimals, and even then it isn't much since they were treated as background fodder once they joined the team.

Wingnut in particular was in two videogames (Tournament Fighters for SNES, and the new Mutants in Manhattan game for PS4/One), but that's it. You'd think a bat creature would get more screentime.

2. Granitor. Traag's gray counterpart Rock soldier. He was only in a single episode of the original cartoon, the 4th episode, and he never appeared again. In the Nick cartoon he also has only two appearances as a silent gray rock soldier. In IDW he's basically a background character with no personality. At least he was a boss fight in TMNT II on NES.

3. Ace Duck. Another underused 90's character since the original cartoon just gave him a 3 second cameo on TV, and in Archie he was just a wrestler. Nick skipped over him completely and only in IDW recently is he getting focus. Ace Duck has had almost no exposure in over 20 years.

4. Scale Tail. We have so many snake mutants, we had Cobrato in "Snakes Alive," Karai turned into a mutant snake in Nick, and in the finale of the Nick series we had snake people as part of the "Scale Tail Clan." But Scale Tail himself was never used outside a boss in TMNT III for Gameboy. Really odd we have this main snake mutant from the 90's and he's never used.

5. Groundchuck and Dirtbag. To this day these characters have never been used again outside the original cartoon, despite being bosses in TMNT III. It's rather odd to me they're always passed up. They were originally created as a new major mutant duo for the Turtles to fight, but neither Nick nor IDW has used them.


What do you think?

[Utrommaniac]

It should be obvious from my perspective that there are a lot of Utroms who would probably benefit from being in other properties besides Mirage/Image.

Namely Dr. Xeinos, Obligado, and Glurin.
Xeinos as Leatherhead's primary caretaker (and being the original lady Utrom before Ma'riell), Glurin as Donatello's close friend and scientific peer, and Obligado just because he's a BAMF.

The "Turtleoids" could use a massive facelift from their original appearance in the FW show. It would be pretty interesting for the turtles to meet aliens that are similar to them in appearance, but also live in a society where gold is so commonplace that it might as well be like soil to them - but still very important to their survival. Maybe not quite like an element for absorbing sunlight, but maybe some other purpose.

[CyberCubed]

It is weird that besides Krang himself (or his alternate counterpart Kraang subprime), and Ch'rell, all the other Utroms are constantly new and the old ones never return with each series.

- Mirage has Glurin and Dr. X, both never used again. Obligado also had some nice roles in the Tales back-up's.

- The 2k3 series had Mr. Mortu as the leader of the Utroms, we never saw him again either.

- IDW has Leesawn, Ma'riell and the others I can't even remember the names of, we'll probably never see them again either in another series.


It seems each time a new TMNT incarnation starts they use all new Utroms or names for them, and the previous ones never appear again.

[2K3]

I agree that Wingnut, Ace Duck, Scale Tail and Mortu need more screentime, as do these following characters (please note, I’ve left out the IDW-verse characters as they’re still finding their feet, though I would have added Old Hob, Alopex and Kitsune to the list):

1 – Armaggon: The mutant shark from the future with designs for conqueroring the world. This character has sparsely appeared in the Archie Comics, Nick show and certain video games and deserves more recognition.
2 - Belly Bomb: An alien outlaw with one eye and a mouth on his stomach. Such an interesting design and has the makings of an interesting alien threat to the Turtles.
3 - Simon Bonesteel: I know it’s weird to bring one out of “Next Mutation” but out of all of the big game hunters seen throughout the Turtleverse (Dirk Savage, Jack Marlin, The Finger), Bonesteel was the most interesting.
4 - Mary Bones/ Cherubae: A former Dimension X war-lord turned ally of the Turtles. One of the more mysterious characters from the Archie comics, her use of the Turnstone made her one of the most powerful characters in all of the Turtleverse.
5 - Cudley the Cowlick: A transdimensional being in the shape of A COW’S HEAD… NEED I SAY ANYMORE.
6 – Fungus Humongous: I may be cheating as this was a one-off mutant of the week, but I find the idea of giant mutant mushroom capable of releasing fear-spores very interesting.
7 – Maligna: The matriarch of the Malignoids and Krang’s arch-rival. Personally, I prefer her over Lord Dregg.
8 – Newtralizer: A very underrated 2012 series character; he had the makings of a great villain in the series. Considering his designs and powers, he has great potential.
9 – Null: Mister or Madame, this demonic magnate has been a thorn to not only the Turtles but the Mutanimals too in both Archie and IDW Comics. Okay, a bit difficult to get away with in a children’s cartoon these days, but this character has the makings of “big bad” material (alongside Shredder, Krang and Bishop).
10 – Any Crime Boss (Antoine Puzorelli/ Don Vizioso/ Darius Dun): Outside of the Foot Clan and the Purple Dragons, it’s nice to see an extra crime gang to give the Turtles a hard time.
11 – Scumbug + Wyrm: A mutant insect and flatworm; these creepy crawlies have been majorly underrated, considering their interesting designs.
12 – Snakeweed: Another interesting 2012 mutant as (like Fungus) it was more of a vegetation/ plant life than animal. And the second appearance in the series where he was turning people into fertilizer was just creepy.
13 – Tang Amaya (The Mistress/The Headhunter/Lady Shredder): A mysterious character in the Tales (Vol 2) given real potential in the official fan conclusion of the Image comics. Gave the Yoshi/ Shen/ Oroku dynamic even more complex.
14 – Tatsu: Best original character from the films, Tatsu to me is the iconic 2nd-in-command of the Shredder (no offense to Karai).

[CyberCubed]

I kinda like Snakeweed too because we never really had a recurring plant mutant before. I liked how the Nick Batman crossover used him with Poison Ivy controlling Snakeweed for example.

Also he stands out for being the very first new mutant character Nick created given he's in the very first episodes, so there's a certain sense of nostalgia to him now.

[ProphetofGanja]

Originally Posted by Utrommaniac

It should be obvious from my perspective that there are a lot of Utroms who would probably benefit from being in other properties besides Mirage/Image.

Namely Dr. Xeinos, Obligado, and Glurin.
Xeinos as Leatherhead's primary caretaker (and being the original lady Utrom before Ma'riell), Glurin as Donatello's close friend and scientific peer, and Obligado just because he's a BAMF.

The "Turtleoids" could use a massive facelift from their original appearance in the FW show. It would be pretty interesting for the turtles to meet aliens that are similar to them in appearance, but also live in a society where gold is so commonplace that it might as well be like soil to them - but still very important to their survival. Maybe not quite like an element for absorbing sunlight, but maybe some other purpose.

Originally Posted by CyberCubed

It is weird that besides Krang himself (or his alternate counterpart Kraang subprime), and Ch'rell, all the other Utroms are constantly new and the old ones never return with each series.

- Mirage has Glurin and Dr. X, both never used again. Obligado also had some nice roles in the Tales back-up's.

- The 2k3 series had Mr. Mortu as the leader of the Utroms, we never saw him again either.

- IDW has Leesawn, Ma'riell and the others I can't even remember the names of, we'll probably never see them again either in another series.


It seems each time a new TMNT incarnation starts they use all new Utroms or names for them, and the previous ones never appear again.

If I was playing Technodrome Bingo, I wouldn't have thought I'd be able to check the square for "CyberCubed mentioning Ma'riell in a thread before Utrommaniac"

Originally Posted by 2K3

6 – Fungus Humongous: I may be cheating as this was a one-off mutant of the week, but I find the idea of giant mutant mushroom capable of releasing fear-spores very interesting.

The Turtles fighting a mutant like that would be very interesting

Originally Posted by 2K3

9 – Null: Mister or Madame, this demonic magnate has been a thorn to not only the Turtles but the Mutanimals too in both Archie and IDW Comics. Okay, a bit difficult to get away with in a children’s cartoon these days, but this character has the makings of “big bad” material (alongside Shredder, Krang and Bishop).

I'm very eager to see what IDW does with Null in their universe

Originally Posted by 2K3

10 – Any Crime Boss (Antoine Puzorelli/ Don Vizioso/ Darius Dun): Outside of the Foot Clan and the Purple Dragons, it’s nice to see an extra crime gang to give the Turtles a hard time.

Agreed.

Originally Posted by 2K3

12 – Snakeweed: Another interesting 2012 mutant as (like Fungus) it was more of a vegetation/ plant life than animal. And the second appearance in the series where he was turning people into fertilizer was just creepy.

Double agreed, if not Snakewood then some other imagining of a botanical rather than animal mutant

[Utrommaniac]

Originally Posted by CyberCubed

It is weird that besides Krang himself (or his alternate counterpart Kraang subprime), and Ch'rell, all the other Utroms are constantly new and the old ones never return with each series.

- Mirage has Glurin and Dr. X, both never used again. Obligado also had some nice roles in the Tales back-up's.

- The 2k3 series had Mr. Mortu as the leader of the Utroms, we never saw him again either.

- IDW has Leesawn, Ma'riell and the others I can't even remember the names of, we'll probably never see them again either in another series.


It seems each time a new TMNT incarnation starts they use all new Utroms or names for them, and the previous ones never appear again.

I think Montuoro is representing Mortu in IDW. Just with some extra letters and a bit of a swap. Because who in their right mind gives their child the name of their species but backwards? The others of IDW are Yoom, Churk, Lorqa, Quanin, and Kleve. All of whom may be of some importance down the line, or already have. Especially Churk for coming up with the Triceratons, and Yoom being there to draw the blood from the original Triceratops that they came from.


I'd love to see Snakeweed and Spiderbytz dressed up with more competence, and I do have my own idea for what Snakeweed would be. I would also make them both former women . At least on Snakeweed's part. Spiderbytz might just be an actual spider that got mutated. There's a lot of possibilities to explore. That hopefully won't result in trying to push Snakeweed into Audrey II territory, but come on, isn't that what one should imagine with the name "Snakeweed"?

Originally Posted by ProphetofGanja

If I was playing Technodrome Bingo, I wouldn't have thought I'd be able to check the square for "CyberCubed mentioning Ma'riell in a thread before Utrommaniac"

Yeah, that ol' thing might need some upgrading in light of recent changes in forum status quo

[CyberCubed]

It's also weird how many different bug mutants there are, some of them are new and some are reused.

We have Scumbug, Wyrm, Cockroach Terminator, Antrax (even if he's an alien he's still a bug), Spiderbitez, mutant wasps, Toxeem from Archie, Quarry and the underground mutants were mostly based on bugs or scorpions, that roach mutant from the 2k3 series, etc.

Then there's Lord Dregg and Malinga who are alien bug warlords from Dimension X with swarms of wasps/bugs offspring they use.

[pferreira]

Groundchuck and Dirtbag were pretty fun characters but also a great combination. Groundchuck had brute strength while Dirtbag's ability to dig holes gave him the advantage. It is weird they never appeared again.

[CylonsKlingonsDaleksOhMy]

I've always wanted to see Scale Tail get some front and center attention. Badass snake mutant deserves some love.

Originally Posted by Utrommaniac

I think Montuoro is representing Mortu in IDW. Just with some extra letters and a bit of a swap. Because who in their right mind gives their child the name of their species but backwards?

Hey! My given name happens to be Namuh, thank you very much. So it DOES happen.

I named my dog God, too, but it offended the neighbors.

[CyberCubed]

Well... Ace Duck got about 30 seconds of glory in IDW piloting a ship in space destroying bugs, but most of it was off-panel. I doubt we'll ever see him again, but I guess for the 5 Ace Duck fans out there, that's as good as it'll ever get.

[Utrommaniac]

It does seem like the Witness group is sticking together. Kind of like the Mutanimals. In another Dimension. A little mini about them doing a thing on their own might actually be fun. Maybe getting involved in Maligna stuff some more.

[MikeandRaph87]

Punk Frogs, underrated allies and a great B team who can come to the Turtles aide and it would be great to flesh them out. I am sure my mentioning The Punk Frogs first was expected.

I agree about Groundchuck and Dirtbag. School supplies, both in Manhattan Project, Dirtbag alone in Radical Rescue, the original 1991 figures, as well as their 3 episodes in the 1987 cartoon voiced by Jim Cummings and Cam Clarke. Very underrated mutant pair who needs more attention.

Of all the crime bosses I always had a fondness for the Godfather-lite Big Louie. He can be intimating if allowed to be. I want to see him again some way.

I agree Ace Duck needs to be more than just a joke. There are quite a few avenues to go with the character. Maybe IDW will do something more with him.

[CylonsKlingonsDaleksOhMy]

Originally Posted by CyberCubed

Well... Ace Duck got about 30 seconds of glory in IDW piloting a ship in space destroying bugs, but most of it was off-panel. I doubt we'll ever see him again, but I guess for the 5 Ace Duck fans out there, that's as good as it'll ever get.

I am completely satisfied with making Ace Duck the Han Solo of TMNT.

Originally Posted by Utrommaniac

It does seem like the Witness group is sticking together. Kind of like the Mutanimals. In another Dimension. A little mini about them doing a thing on their own might actually be fun. Maybe getting involved in Maligna stuff some more.

Ooh, that'd be neat. But a little unlikely, I think.

[Ninjinister]

Mutanimaaaaalllls iiiiiinnn spaaaaaceeee

[Utrommaniac]

Heck, I'd take a story about the Little Guys ending up being stuck doing their own thing and saving the day from something silly. Just the three of them have enough of a great mix of personalities that they could at least carry one story on their own.

As for the other three, it's Finding Eymo...again.

[CyberCubed]

It's kind of funny how despite Mutagen Man being used in multiple series, he's so underused.

- He appeared in 1 episode of the original cartoon I really liked, but that's all and he never showed up again.

- He appeared in 1 Nick episode after two eps of build-up as a human, then they just left him frozen in Don's lab for the entire series.

- He debuted in the Mutanimals mini in IDW like he was going to be a big deal, but since then he's done pretty much nothing and then his body was destroyed and now he's just a head.


It's weird. They make Mutagen Man out to be a tragic character everytime he appears but then the writers just plain don't do anything with him so it loses all its impact.

[CylonsKlingonsDaleksOhMy]

Originally Posted by CyberCubed

It's kind of funny how despite Mutagen Man being used in multiple series, he's so underused.

- He appeared in 1 episode of the original cartoon I really liked, but that's all and he never showed up again.

- He appeared in 1 Nick episode after two eps of build-up as a human, then they just left him frozen in Don's lab for the entire series.

- He debuted in the Mutanimals mini in IDW like he was going to be a big deal, but since then he's done pretty much nothing and then his body was destroyed and now he's just a head.


It's weird. They make Mutagen Man out to be a tragic character everytime he appears but then the writers just plain don't do anything with him so it loses all its impact.

IDW still goin' strong, bubba. Give 'em time.

[CyberCubed]

It's actually times like this I wish IDW wouldn't introduce like 500 characters and just focus on the ones they already have.

[CylonsKlingonsDaleksOhMy]

Originally Posted by CyberCubed

It's actually times like this I wish IDW wouldn't introduce like 500 characters and just focus on the ones they already have.

Eh. It is what it is. If it's not Mirage, it's a crap ton of characters.

Although 4Kids kept it a little sparser than the other cartoons...