Whats up with Mikey?

[Goon]

I've been a Mikey fan for quite some time.. And recently I just started watching the new Nick show.. I'm only about 4 or 5 episodes in but to me it is apparent that they have really changed his character..

He has kind of gone from being a jokester to being.. well stupid. Like he just doesn't have a clue whats going on.. This may change the further I get into the show since they are very young in this series.. But did that ever bother any of you guys? Or should I say did you really notice it?

[TurtleTitan97]

I think Mikey is just fine in this series. He may not be the brightest but he's proven himself useful many times.

[CyberCubed]

I've been a Mikey fan for quite some time.. And recently I just started watching the new Nick show.. I'm only about 4 or 5 episodes in but to me it is apparent that they have really changed his character.

Changed his character, compared to who, all the others?

The Turtles are being portrayed as real teenagers and 15 year olds this time around. All the other cartoons and comics wrote them as if they were 20 year olds. They're kids.

[Goon]

Yea.. I guess its just a change I'm not really fond of.. I figured it might have been because they have them so young. This time around I'm digging Raph a lot more.. It could be because they play off each other so well. Just makes him not nearly as cool for me.

[Luckyday]

I know that I'm going get flank for this, but the 2k3 to me was kind of a man child so when they made him to look younger in this series my reaction was instead "Ahh god! Mikey!" face palm. to "Oh I can't stay mad at you, you crazy kid. Come here!":D

[Refractive Reflections]

I know that I'm going get flank for this, but the 2k3 to me was kind of a man child so when they made him to look younger in this series my reaction was instead "Ahh god! Mikey!" face palm. to "Oh I can't stay mad at you, you crazy kid. Come here!":D

Yeah 2K3 Mikey was a "man child" and his behavior was progressively exaggerated in the series.

While I still don't accept some of the Nick Turtles' naivety and insensitivity as being "teenagers", I am expecting that they'll mature in the series. At least Mikey's spaciness and dim-witted behavior, can be passable for being "young".

[CowabungaMikey]

I actually really like this Mikey :) I agree, he was better in the 1987 show. But I like this one better than the 2003 version. He's just a kid who needs lots of training.

[Bossa Nova]

I'm just curious how 2k3 Mikey acted like a "man child"? Because he sounded older? Looked older? Doesn't change the fact that he was still just a teenager and if 2k12 Mike acted the same way I doubt he'd receive as much flack for it despite, at most, a 2 year difference in age.

Anyway, to answer the original question, I don't have any problem with the way Michelangelo is currently being portrayed. I knew quite a few guys like him in high school, it's just a personality type that's a little more "lost in his own world", but that doesn't necessarily make him stupid.

[Refractive Reflections]

Anyway, to answer the original question, I don't have any problem with the way Michelangelo is currently being portrayed. I knew quite a few guys like him in high school, it's just a personality type that's a little more "lost in his own world", but that doesn't necessarily make him stupid.

I would have to disagree with you Bossa Nova, 1987 Michelangelo would be more "lost in his own world", he had his quirks and eccentricities (i.e. obsession with pizza, surfer slang, and surfing).
With Nick Mikey... he's just frankly... dumb, because he doesn't really "think" through what he says or does unlike the other three Turtles:
1) Mikey wanting to tattoo his face in the first episode to use it as a "mask".
2) In the Parasitica episode, he was trigger happy wanting to shoot anything moving with the Shellraiser.
3) Mikey was thankful and proud for Splinter saying that "Mikey does not think", after Splinter was trying show Donnie not to overthink his moves.
4) Wanting to eat pizza even while it's hot and burning his own tongue.
5) When the Turtles enter the school and Leo tell Mikey to use the water on that robotic teacher, and Mikey instead praises the water fountain's presence in the school.
6) Mikey plays the "color game" asking Donatello to guess what's green, and Donnie says "is it Raphael again?"; and Mikey yells "Man you're good at this."
7) Mikey comparing Leo's heartache in losing Karai with his realization of leprechauns.

Even just looking at some YouTube clips of Nick's "Mikey moments", half of them is Mikey acting dumb to the point of not having common sense. With that being said, I can see why Raph would feel the need to smack Mikey around then.

[kelligrafie]

I wouldn't describe Mikey as being dumb.

He lacks maturity due to being young and has the concentration span equal to the life of a mayfly but that isn't linked with intelligence.

He just doesn't seem to find the same things important as most people. He finds appreciation in different areas and I don't necessarily think that a bad thing.

Let's face it, we all stress out over bills and money and if we're honest, we'd all like to do that less and look to valuing the 'small', none material aspects of our life and Mikey does that.

In other series, the 'teenage' mutant ninja turtles haven't really been very teenage. More like young adults.

[Shark_Blade]

Mikey is kinda ADHD, which I can relate to. So yeah, I really like him in 2k12. :D

[Hannurdock]

Mikey does seem to have less brains in this version. He's become the childish baby of the group, with little intelligence.

However, he is really starting to grow on me. In Parasitica, he really proved himself worthy of being on the team. I really like that episode - because it showcases that Mike isn't an idiot. He has to remember specific scientific instructions whilst fighting the reaction to his own bite, come up with a clever plan to fool the others so he could give them the antidote. He also fired the shellraiser in the lair - without an accident. How accurate was that? He didn't just fire that sucker anywhere - he must have been really aiming and, more importantly, thinking!

All of this smacks that Mikey is playing the fool, whilst underneath, there's more going on.

[BubblyShell22]

Mikey is not dumb. He may have a short attention span due to being ADD/ADHD, but he's not completely stupid. In fact, there are many people with ADD/ADHD who are fairly intelligent, and I think Mikey is intelligent in his own way.

[Bauer536]

I think Mikey can be stupid, but he's proven himself to not be. I mean, come on. He doesn't reveal any info about Splinter to Chirs Bradford. He seemed to be lucky with the "green wire" guess in "The Gauntlet." But, what about when Baxter's story was told in "Baxter's Gambit?" He just rolled his eyes and felt no sympathy for Stockman's pathetic life story. Somehow, I think Mikey is aware, but there are times when he may be preoccupied with something else. Even he says he has ADD.

Other than that, I don't really see anything new with Mike. This is who he was, and this is who he'll be. The comics were the beginning. The OT finally defined his true personality. Besides, sometimes, no matter how Mikey is, he's still a likeable fellow.:tcool:

[Bossa Nova]

I would have to disagree with you Bossa Nova, 1987 Michelangelo would be more "lost in his own world", he had his quirks and eccentricities (i.e. obsession with pizza, surfer slang, and surfing).
With Nick Mikey... he's just frankly... dumb, because he doesn't really "think" through what he says or does unlike the other three Turtles:
1) Mikey wanting to tattoo his face in the first episode to use it as a "mask".
2) In the Parasitica episode, he was trigger happy wanting to shoot anything moving with the Shellraiser.
3) Mikey was thankful and proud for Splinter saying that "Mikey does not think", after Splinter was trying show Donnie not to overthink his moves.
4) Wanting to eat pizza even while it's hot and burning his own tongue.
5) When the Turtles enter the school and Leo tell Mikey to use the water on that robotic teacher, and Mikey instead praises the water fountain's presence in the school.
6) Mikey plays the "color game" asking Donatello to guess what's green, and Donnie says "is it Raphael again?"; and Mikey yells "Man you're good at this."
7) Mikey comparing Leo's heartache in losing Karai with his realization of leprechauns.

Even just looking at some YouTube clips of Nick's "Mikey moments", half of them is Mikey acting dumb to the point of not having common sense. With that being said, I can see why Raph would feel the need to smack Mikey around then.

Except that over half those things you listed are extremely easily chalked up to someone purely playing around. Your first choice "I wanna get a tattoo of my face on my face"-do you genuinely believe Mikey was serious? Or was he perhaps, I don't know, making a joke?

I've yet to see Parasitica so I can't comment on 2, but for 3, he was proud because he basically just proved to Donatello that at times it IS best to react on natural instinct and go with the flow. His ability to react just made him look totally awesome and really did prove Master Splinter's point, why wouldn't he be proud?

Number four, again, playing around much? Or do you live around perfectly boring people who never goof off or do anything silly just because they can, like eating something too hot or too cold? Maybe he was super hungry and didn't want to wait (I can't remember specifically which instance you are talking about). It happens. It's funny and I've known plenty who've done it in real life, mostly out of humor and not for lack of brains.

I won't continue but you get my point. Mikey's the jokester. He likes to act amusing. I get the impression he knows exactly what he's saying half the time because it makes him laugh and he likes to make others laugh. There's a difference between acting the class clown and being genuinely stupid.

[TheSkeletonMan939]

An early bio of Mikey said he had ADHD (or something similar to it). I don't know if that's been dropped from continuity or not, but it's something to think about.

[Refractive Reflections]

Except that over half those things you listed are extremely easily chalked up to someone purely playing around. Your first choice "I wanna get a tattoo of my face on my face"-do you genuinely believe Mikey was serious? Or was he perhaps, I don't know, making a joke?

I've yet to see Parasitica so I can't comment on 2, but for 3, he was proud because he basically just proved to Donatello that at times it IS best to react on natural instinct and go with the flow. His ability to react just made him look totally awesome and really did prove Master Splinter's point, why would he be proud?

Number four, again, playing around much? Or do you live around perfectly boring people who never goof off or do anything silly just because they can, like eating something too hot or too cold? Maybe he was super hungry and didn't want to wait (I can't remember specifically which instance you are talking about). It happens. It's funny and I've known plenty who've done it in real life, mostly out of humor and not for lack of brains.

I won't continue but you get my point. Mikey's the jokester. He likes to act amusing. I get the impression he knows exactly what he's saying half the time because it makes him laugh and he likes to make others laugh. There's a difference between acting the class clown and being genuinely stupid.

There's a difference between "pretending to be foolish" and "making a fool of yourself", in all of those instances Mikey legitimately thought his reasoning was good and intelligent. Someone "pretending to be foolish" would have already known how dumb those ideas and behaviors were beforehand. If Mikey was trying to be a "class clown", he would have said "just teasing" afterward, or his tone would have expressed how ridiculous those ideas were, or his brothers would have joined in laughter rather than his other brothers looking at him strangely/bizarrely all the time after making such weird remarks/behaviors.

The reason the audience laughs during the Nick Mikey scenes is because they laugh "at him" (making a fool of himself) not "with him" (being a jokester).

[Bossa Nova]

There's a difference between "pretending to be foolish" and "making a fool of yourself", in all of those instances Mikey legitimately thought his reasoning was good and intelligent. Someone "pretending to be foolish" would have already known how dumb those ideas and behaviors were beforehand. If Mikey was trying to be a "class clown", he would have said "just teasing" afterward, or his tone would have expressed how ridiculous those ideas were, or his brothers would have joined in laughter rather than his other brothers looking at him strangely/bizarrely all the time after making such weird remarks/behaviors.

The reason the audience laughs during the Nick Mikey scenes is because they laugh "at him" (making a fool of himself) not "with him" (being a jokester).

How do you know Mike thought his ideas were legitimately good ones? How do you know he really wasn't just trying to lighten the mood and joking around because he amused himself? I think when it comes to that interpretation its up to the viewers discretion.

And it makes perfect sense that his brothers wouldn't laugh "with him". They're his brothers. They've had to deal with his sense of humor for years now, I'm sure they're all quite used to his antics. But that doesn't mean they don't appreciate it. It's sort of like Raphael's attitude. At the beginning of the series I know some viewers thought Raph was acting a bit too much like a bully. And maybe if he was acting that way to a complete stranger than yeah, his actions would seem a little out of line. But he's not, he's doing them to his brothers where they're perfectly aware of what's true aggression and what isn't and that this is just the way he interacts with those he's close with. Does Raph have to remind them "just kidding guys" after he pokes fun at them? Of course not. So when Raph was bitten by Fishface and started spouting off things to Mike about how much he loved him, yeah, it freaked Mikey out cause Raph's just not the kind of guy whose going to go around gushing his feelings everywhere. But it doesn't mean he doesn't still feel them.

It's the exact same thing with Mikey. His brothers know when he's joking around, they find it lame since, well, who doesn't find their youngest sibling lame? But that doesn't mean that when he needs to be taken serious that he's not going to sit up and pay attention. When his brothers genuinely need him, Mike is right up there to defend them. Again, going back to the Fishface incident, was Mike joking around with Raph even though it would have been the perfect opportunity to (what with Raphael acting like a total goob)? No. Mikey knew it was serious and he defended Raph with a fierce protectiveness until Donatello arrived to help.

[Refractive Reflections]

How do you know Mike thought his ideas were legitimately good ones? How do you know he really wasn't just trying to lighten the mood and joking around because he amused himself? I think when it comes to that interpretation its up to the viewers discretion.

Isn't Mikey constantly suggesting what he would do/prefer, believing he has the same (or even higher) intelligence as/than his brothers? Then when his brothers are surprised he actually has a rarely "good idea", Mikey returns "You always underestimate me bro". If his brothers knew he was simply "joking" all the time, they wouldn't underestimate him in the first place.


And it makes perfect sense that his brothers wouldn't laugh "with him". They're his brothers. They've had to deal with his sense of humor for years now, I'm sure they're all quite used to his antics. But that doesn't mean they don't appreciate it.

"...doesn't mean they don't appreciate it"? Oh yeah... Raphael yelling and fuming over Mikey's annoyance and "dumb ideas" sure is some brotherly love and appreciation right there :roll: ... seems more like Mikey's antics are aggravating to Raphael. I can understand sibling joking/teasing, but there comes a point where it transitions into annoyance and eventually exasperation, and Mikey often passes that point with Raphael.



It's the exact same thing with Mikey. His brothers know when he's joking around, they find it lame since, well, who doesn't find their youngest sibling lame? But that doesn't mean that when he needs to be taken serious that he's not going to sit up and pay attention. When his brothers genuinely need him, Mike is right up there to defend them. Again, going back to the Fishface incident, was Mike joking around with Raph even though it would have been the perfect opportunity to (what with Raphael acting like a total goob)? No. Mikey knew it was serious and he defended Raph with a fierce protectiveness until Donatello arrived to help.

What do you mean by "lame"? As in ridiculous? To each their own about their youngest sibling I guess... :ohwell:
I never said Nick Mikey was incompetent or uncaring, I only suggested that's he's mentally short-sighted and that he's not "self-aware" of his own mental shortcomings.

[BabyTurtles]

Mikey has his dumb moments.

but seriously it's mostly because he's not paying attention and I know cause it happens to me all the time.

he just CAN'T focus, He said it. He proved it. XD thats his major problem.
he gets bored extremely easily unless it's something serious or amusing to him. (and that makes him miss important info)

an example in Parasitica when Donnie was trying to have a private Meeting with Raph and Mikey without Leo knowing
Donnie: well...I'm gonna go do something in the other room....Raph, Mikey, care to join me??
Mikey: you gotta be more specific :)
Donnie: COME ON!

XD as you can see Mikey....wants to have fun....and if it's not fun he doesn't wanna do it or he keeps himself preoccupied by playing video games on his T-phone, bouncing a rubber ball or....picking up gum off the floor XD lol

does that mean he's stupid? NO!!
you wanna know stupid? look at Patrick Star.....that's being stupid (he still makes me laugh :lol:)

anyway Mikey is in his own world, heck he might be a daydreamer XD

I'm sure Splinter will have a talk with him about it in a later episode :) and he will get wiser in his own way~


about his humor......Mikey is just entertaining himself. (I make stupid jokes to entertain myself and my sister thinks they are dumb)

[Konchadunga]

I know that I'm going get flank for this, but the 2k3 to me was kind of a man child so when they made him to look younger in this series my reaction was instead "Ahh god! Mikey!" face palm. to "Oh I can't stay mad at you, you crazy kid. Come here!":D

Yeah; I'm with you on this, or at least the first part. Mirage and Fred Wolf Michelangelo were just fun guys who had a greater appreciation for human culture than the rest of the turtles, but 4-Kids Michelangelo was outright dumb, had little sense of priorities, and seemed to forget any lessons he learned within one episode. Another issue is that it seems like they never wanted anyone to have any humor except for him, which meant that they just made him a massively obnoxious caricature of himself.

Nickelodeon Mikey is naive, but then, so are all of the Nickelodeon Turtles, in their own way, and the new show isn't afraid to give them all their own humorous moments.

[sirroscoe]

If you think 2k12 Mikey is dumb, then you need to rewatch the fight with Shredder. As many have said, he just lacks focus. But when he IS focused, he is at his most dangerous. We've seen it then. We've seen this when they cornered Bradford and Xever in the sewers. We've seen it when he was protecting Raphael after he was poisoned by Fishface.

[BabyTurtles]

If you think 2k12 Mikey is dumb, then you need to rewatch the fight with Shredder. As many have said, he just lacks focus. But when he IS focused, he is at his most dangerous. We've seen it then. We've seen this when they cornered Bradford and Xever in the sewers. We've seen it when he was protecting Raphael after he was poisoned by Fishface.

thats what I like about this Mikey the most~

he doesn't need to brag about being awesome, he just shows it unexpectedly :D

being underestimated only gives him the upper hand in a fight.

[Refractive Reflections]

Yeah; I'm with you on this, or at least the first part. Mirage and Fred Wolf Michelangelo were just fun guys who had a greater appreciation for human culture than the rest of the turtles, but 4-Kids Michelangelo was outright dumb, had little sense of priorities, and seemed to forget any lessons he learned within one episode. Another issue is that it seems like they never wanted anyone to have any humor except for him, which meant that they just made him a massively obnoxious caricature of himself.


That I can definitely agree with. :thumbsup:

If you think 2k12 Mikey is dumb, then you need to rewatch the fight with Shredder. As many have said, he just lacks focus.
It's one thing to lack focus, but its something else for Nick Mikey to state Raphael again during the "color game" and that Donatello is "good" at it, and to pride himself "in not thinking" seems to imply something is cognitively problematic here. (Again, I wasn't insinuating he was an incompetent fighter.)


My position with Michelangelo in general, is that Michelangelo in the TMNT franchise generally has a personality of being cheerfully optimistic and fun-loving. And I believe that Mirage and the OT depicted him well while being normally intelligent. But it seems that ever since 2K3, the 2007 movie, and the Nick versions, he has been depicted as being mentally deficient...and why is that?
It seems to support the notion that some believe that cheerfully optimistic people are either immature or mentally deficient. (Which is ridiculous since Michelangelo has experienced a similar level of fighting and brutality with his brothers.) These three versions shortchange Michelangelo's personality tremendously in which his ordinary, personality quirks have been "Flanderized (http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/Flanderization)" to a point in which his optimism and fun-loving qualities are not a conscious effort, but rather a "side effect" of being mentally off.

...And that I believe is shallow treatment to Michelangelo's character.

[BabyTurtles]

Mikey is a very relatable to kids :3

I mean what kid is as smart as Donnie? as disciplined as Leo? and as strong as Raph?

not much XD I know I wasn't. it's hard enough to be a ninja!

Mikey is what most kids are like: impulsive, average smarts, lacking focus, and most of all loving fun!

but that doesn't mean he can't kick butt!

thats probably why he's a favorite for kids :3 he can be a goofball and still manage to be awesome~ :D

[Timmetry]

There's been many times on long trips that I'll play I spy with my fiancé. For long stretches of the trip all there is to see are fields and trees so many of our games turn in to picking trees repeatedly. Apparently this makes us both "cognitively problematic" and not joking when we say how good the other is at playing.

[Coola Yagami]

Mikey is naive and easily distracted. But he does need to be a wee bit smarter. More 'normal smart' and not 'below normal smart'. The part when they explained to him how their trick with the van worked in the first 2 episodes and he's like 'but we weren't in the van' just made me facepalm at how they treated his character.

There are a lot of scenes I can forgive or laugh with, since one can chalk it up to being naive and innocent. Some scenes just make him look dumb, with no other excuse than... well he's dumb.

I still like the character though. I do kinda with OT Mikey would return though. Just modernize the slang, lower the pizza obessession a little, but don't dumb him down.

[NinjaMan]

I love this version of Mikey and he's my wife favorite turtle in this series. I remember reading an early bio that also said he was the most naturally gifted of the Turtles but doesn't focus like he should. Dude has shown he can hold his own in a fight (Beating Bradford, protecting Raph when he was poisoned etc..).

[Goon]

My position with Michelangelo in general, is that Michelangelo in the TMNT franchise generally has a personality of being cheerfully optimistic and fun-loving. And I believe that Mirage and the OT depicted him well while being normally intelligent. But it seems that ever since 2K3, the 2007 movie, and the Nick versions, he has been depicted as being mentally deficient...and why is that?
It seems to support the notion that some believe that cheerfully optimistic people are either immature or mentally deficient. (Which is ridiculous since Michelangelo has experienced a similar level of fighting and brutality with his brothers.) These three versions shortchange Michelangelo's personality tremendously in which his ordinary, personality quirks have been "Flanderized (http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/Flanderization)" to a point in which his optimism and fun-loving qualities are not a conscious effort, but rather a "side effect" of being mentally off.

...And that I believe is shallow treatment to Michelangelo's character.
This.. All of the other characters in the show haven't been completely consumed by their quirks like Mikey has.. Doesn't mean I don't like him, I just think they have done him a disservice.

Also I don't think anybody questions his fighting ability. He is just not very smart in the show.. The perfect example was given above when they tried to explain the idea behind the car to him. I don't think that was him just "joking around".. He just didn't get it.

[snake]

I like this Mikey.

I relate to him. I'm usually picked as the fun-loving stupid one out of my group and I hate that.

I like having a fun attitude like Mikey, but, like him, I hate being called stupid.
I'm also constantly in and out of focus.

So I really like this Mikey, I'm sure he'll mature as the series goes along.

[Bossa Nova]

Apparently your response supports that too since you are taking that Mikey example way out of context. :roll:

Not really.Timmetry just wrote an example showing exactly what I was trying to demonstrate, that it is perhaps you that is taking everything Mikey does out of context and way too serious when he is, in all likelihood, purely joking around. Laughing at your own jokes even when no one else does and being distracted easily does not a stupid person make.

[kelligrafie]

Perhaps Mikey doesn't think sometimes because he assumes Donnie or Leo will do the thinking for the group as is usually the case?

I sense a life lesson from Splinter approaches!

Or another A/B team episode.

Let's have Donnie & Leo (the thinkers) and Raph & Mikey (the do-ers).

[HeroTurtlesFan]

I love the new Mikey. The first time I've really warmed to his character.