Michaelangelo not being the forced comedy relief in the OT, sharing it with Raphael

[CyberCubed]

In the movies, the 4kids cartoon and Nick show, Michaelangelo has already been depicted as the forced comic relief. This works better in some places than others, (the Nick show and the first two movies), but can be grating at others (2k3 Mikey, 4th movie).

However in the original toon the comedy relief seemed shared between him and Raphael. Since Raph was making all the sarcastic quips in the show, the writers didn't have to use Michaelangelo as a crutch for the jokes. There were some funny moments Mike had in the OT, but it was mostly out of things he did where he came across as charming or silly rather than making unfunny gags.

Do you think the shared comedy aspect between Raph and Mike in the OT worked for the best?

[Powder]

I wouldn't say he was forced comic relief in the films. At least not in the first & second. They were all funny. Donny especially.

[RaphAndDonnie]

OT Raph is my favorite version of him so yes, I do think it worked for the best. Mikey's humor mostly revolved around being wacky and goofy while Raph was more sarcastic and sharp tounged. It was like two sides if the same comedy coin and, for the most part, it worked.

[ABrown]

I wouldn't say that Michaelangelo even was the comic relief in the original cartoon. He was more of just a surfer turtle, Raphael was without question the comic relief of the original cartoon.

I think Mikey was great as the comic relief in the 4Kids cartoon. I don't think the voice actor quite knew what to do for the voice in the first dozen or so episodes. But once the first season started to wind down, the guy doing the voice nailed it.

[Prowler]

I wouldn't say that Michaelangelo even was the comic relief in the original cartoon. He was more of just a surfer turtle, Raphael was without question the comic relief of the original cartoon.

I think Mikey was great as the comic relief in the 4Kids cartoon. I don't think the voice actor quite knew what to do for the voice in the first dozen or so episodes. But once the first season started to wind down, the guy doing the voice nailed it.

Yeah, Michelangelo was pretty much the cool surfer turtle that kids wanted to be. He was the one who got all the cool sounding catchphrases, etc. It was his actions and behavior that made him funny, not what he said. He wasn't trying to be the funny guy of the group. Sure he made puns sometimes but so did Donatello.

[Coola Yagami]

Yeah... and are you forgetting Shredder, Krang, Bebop, Rocksteady, Irma and Vernon and the rest? Unlike the 2K3 where it seems ALL of the humor was shoved onto Mikey's lame shoulders, the OT had comedy all around.

[DonatelloNinja82]

I love the relationship between Mike and Raph on the OT. I think Raph was more the comic relief, and sometimes it was at the expense of Mike.

[mikey22]

yah

i just wish corey feldman would be able to voice donny in every movie forever

[Technogeek29]

Yeah... and are you forgetting Shredder, Krang, Bebop, Rocksteady, Irma and Vernon and the rest? Unlike the 2K3 where it seems ALL of the humor was shoved onto Mikey's lame shoulders, the OT had comedy all around.

Yeah the only other Turtle who told jokes was Leo surprisingly. Don and Raph didn't make jokes until Fast Forward, or more regularly I should say. But then Leo stopped telling Jokes in Fast Forward.

[FlogginMcMurryZombiePizza]

I wouldn't say that Michaelangelo even was the comic relief in the original cartoon. He was more of just a surfer turtle, Raphael was without question the comic relief of the original cartoon.

Ya, I agree. He was total surfer, kinda like Sean Penn in "Fast Times..."

OT Raph is my favorite version of him so yes, I do think it worked for the best. Mikey's humor mostly revolved around being wacky and goofy while Raph was more sarcastic and sharp tounged. It was like two sides if the same comedy coin and, for the most part, it worked.
Ya, I liked him a lot in the OT because he was the snarky smartass.
They all also broke the 4th wall often so they were all aware they were in a cartoon.
I wouldn't say he was forced comic relief in the films. At least not in the first & second. They were all funny. Donny especially.
I agree. Donnie was great fun too.
Mikey was silly in the films but it wasn't forced and he was really not in the original movie that much. He didn't feel forced until later incarnations.

[Refractive Reflections]

OT Raph is my favorite version of him so yes, I do think it worked for the best. Mikey's humor mostly revolved around being wacky and goofy while Raph was more sarcastic and sharp tounged. It was like two sides if the same comedy coin and, for the most part, it worked.

I agree with this post the most.
OT Raph plays more on the witty, snarky, sarcastic humor while OT Mike was more quirky funny with his catchphrases, pizza obsession, his persistent partying/carefree attitude (i.e. in the episode "Leatherhead Meets the Rat King", Michelangelo wants to catch some "rays" in the junkyard, in the middle of a brotherly sparring competition [Mikey & Raph vs. Leo & Don]), and playful spirit. I think the shared comic relief between OT Raphael and OT Michelangelo, also inadvertently highlighted the more playful brotherly bond between them. One example is in the episode "Mutagen Monster" when a pizza fight is shared between them. (Another reason why I enjoy the OT the most...:D)

The reason the comic relief wasn't too effective with 2K3 Mikey is because of his grating and gloating personality which wears thin quickly. I'm hoping with Nick Mikey they won't do the same route by making him the crutch of comic relief by reinforcing his dumb moments over and over again, but I do see some hope in sharing the comedy with the other three brothers' personality quirks (Leo's "Space Heroes" obsession, Donatello's crush over April, and Raph's sarcasm).

But for the movies, I think Donatello had a substantial portion of the comedy too.

[Luckyday]

I think it serves better when ever body within the show is goofy, because when it just one person who doing the comic relief, it just feels out place.

[FlogginMcMurryZombiePizza]

I think thats why the Nick show works so well with how they are with each other. They feel like youth and they feel like brothers.

[Type 97 Chi-ha]

In the OT, Michelangelo did serve somewhat as comic relief, because he seemed to be the less bright Turtle. In the "Cuff-link Caper" episode, the Turtles speculate on what the villains who are stealing everyone's cuff-links could possibly want, Michelangelo pipes up, "I know! They want...cuff-links!" (I admit Michelangelo was too stupid in that episode.)

But Donatello did get some laughs in instances where his machines failed, and Vernon for being the jerk to be laughed at, or Irma the ditz to be laughed at, or Rocksteady and Bebop with their bumbling, or Krang with his missing body, or Shredder having everything happen to him, often the result of his hench mutants' bumbling.

[ryukenden]

In the OT, the others rarely reacted to Raph's snarky remarks and whenever Mike tried to make a joke, he would get death glares. I do find it kind of funny whenever Raph makes fun of Don's newest invention knowing its going to fail.

[LeotheLateBloomer]

In the OT, the others rarely reacted to Raph's snarky remarks and whenever Mike tried to make a joke, he would get death glares. I do find it kind of funny whenever Raph makes fun of Don's newest invention knowing its going to fail.

Well I believe there was one episode when the other turtles sat through Raph's jokes and they ended up throwing stuff at him but I can't for the life of me remember which episode it was.

[Technogeek29]

Well I believe there was one episode when the other turtles sat through Raph's jokes and they ended up throwing stuff at him but I can't for the life of me remember which episode it was.

Raphael Knocks em' dead

[Coola Yagami]

Raphael Knocks em' dead

Don to Raph- No thanks, we get our daily quota of bad jokes just hanging around you

The reason that episode didn't quite work is because DOESN'T make jokes. He makes smart-ass remarks, sarcastic quips, and makes fun of the situations. But he's not constantly telling knock knock jokes and such.

[ssjup81]

Raphael Knocks 'em Dead was purposely bad. Horrible jokes.

[CowabungaMikey]

Raphael Knocks 'em Dead was purposely bad. Horrible jokes.

Yeah, but I think that was the meaning of the episode.

I agree. In 2003 (and 2012 too) he was a forced comic relief, but in the 1987 version Raphael and Michelangelo are both funny =) This is why 1987 Raphael is my favorite.

[DonatelloNinja82]

In the OT, the others rarely reacted to Raph's snarky remarks and whenever Mike tried to make a joke, he would get death glares. I do find it kind of funny whenever Raph makes fun of Don's newest invention knowing its going to fail.

There were times when Don got upset about his inventions being made fun of, however. He could be sensitive about that.

Don to Raph- No thanks, we get our daily quota of bad jokes just hanging around you

The reason that episode didn't quite work is because DOESN'T make jokes. He makes smart-ass remarks, sarcastic quips, and makes fun of the situations. But he's not constantly telling knock knock jokes and such.

I agree with this, but he did have joke books lol.