How exactly does FW/Nick style mutagen work?

[neatoman]

The idea of mutating into "the last thing you touched" might seem like a simple concept in theory. However, is it really when it somes to practice? Fred Wolf and Nickelodeon both started out using this concept. Then as time went on, it just got more loosely defined as to what you would turn into. Here are a few examples where a person didn't just turn into an animal or vice versa:


A person turning into a pile of organs in goop
A cat transforming into ice cream
A person fusing to a garbage heap
An eye detaching to act independently
Microbes fusing to a block of ice
Causing a turtle to get acne
An already mutated human/dog becoming a wolf
Bulls fusing together into a giant
A car becoming a demon
A person becoming a weed
Weeds becoming humanoid from mutagen and turtle puke
Said weeds fusing to a bigger weed
Squirrels becoming the aliens from the Alien movies
A bird fusing with a fish and a worm
A chicken growing a giant brain
Wasps gaining mind control powers
A person becoming a yellow hulk with cyborg parts for no reason
An alien becoming a bigger version of what he already was


There's actually more than these but you get the point.

Example, let's say I'm chilling on a bear skin rug eating ribs, then a mutagen canister comes flying at me. Do I:
A) Become a bear?
B) Become a pig?
C) Become the Manbearpig, archenemy of Al Gore?
D) None of the above, I become a bee because the ribs were honey glazed?

There's no consistency, if a car can mutate, why not the asphalt? Or the canister hold the ooze in the first place?

[Andrew NDB]

FW-style mutagen is different than Nick-style mutagen. FW-style mutagen is literally, the last living thing you touch before touching the mutagen, you morph instantly into 50/50 with it and your own existing DNA. If a flea is biting you, you become Flea Man. Nick-style mutagen is, you touch a Playstation 4 and then some mutagen with the other hand, you morph into Playstation 4 Man with, like, controllers for hands or something... no living being needed. FW mutagen portends to be science-based, while Nick mutagen kind of cloaks itself in the guise of "It's from another dimension! It can do ANYTHING, who knows!"

Both are dumb and both are nonsensical.

[neatoman]

Crap, I just realised I posted this in the wrong section. Can I move it myself or do I have to contact a mod?

[FredWolfLeonardo]

Example, let's say I'm chilling on a bear skin rug eating ribs, then a mutagen canister comes flying at me. Do I:
A) Become a bear?
B) Become a pig?
C) Become the Manbearpig, archenemy of Al Gore?
D) None of the above, I become a bee because the ribs were honey glazed?

Using the example of Splinter, who didn't turn into a turtle despite touching them (my explanation being that he touched the rats first so his mutation was already "set in stone" when he set foot into the goo.) You would literally become whatever you touched most recently as soon as the mutagen crashes on you. Say if the mutagen crashed on you and you grabbed a honey glazed rib afterwards, the mutagen would ignore that and make you a half bear/human mutant.

If you were touching all 3 simultaneously however, prepare to become a bearpigbeeman!

Also noteworthy is that the FW mutagen ignores prior mutations, for example Groundchuck and Dirtbag only mutate with the human side of Rocksteady and Bebop. (and have a sound grasp of the English language).

[Candy Kappa]

It's magic

[pferreira]

Example, let's say I'm chilling on a bear skin rug eating ribs, then a mutagen canister comes flying at me. Do I:
A) Become a bear?
B) Become a pig?
C) Become the Manbearpig, archenemy of Al Gore?
D) None of the above, I become a bee because the ribs were honey glazed?
At least with the FW series I'm certain all three (the pig, the bear, the bee) have to be alive in order for something to happen dude. :lol:

[neatoman]

FW-style mutagen is different than Nick-style mutagen. FW-style mutagen is literally, the last living thing you touch before touching the mutagen, you morph instantly into 50/50 with it and your own existing DNA. If a flea is biting you, you become Flea Man. Nick-style mutagen is, you touch a Playstation 4 and then some mutagen with the other hand, you morph into Playstation 4 Man with, like, controllers for hands or something... no living being needed. FW mutagen portends to be science-based, while Nick mutagen kind of cloaks itself in the guise of "It's from another dimension! It can do ANYTHING, who knows!"

Both are dumb and both are nonsensical.

What about the Garbage Man then? He fused to a pile of trash in both cartoons. And what about Carter? I don't remember him touching... Whatever the hell he was meant to look like.

[Andrew NDB]

What about the Garbage Man then? He fused to a pile of trash in both cartoons.

That's probably deserving about the same amount of thought as what went into it when he was made: none.

[Tarris Vaal]

The idea of mutating into "the last thing you touched" might seem like a simple concept in theory. However, is it really when it somes to practice? Fred Wolf and Nickelodeon both started out using this concept. Then as time went on, it just got more loosely defined as to what you would turn into. Here are a few examples where a person didn't just turn into an animal or vice versa:
A person turning into a pile of organs in goop
A cat transforming into ice cream
A person fusing to a garbage heap
An eye detaching to act independently
Microbes fusing to a block of ice
Causing a turtle to get acne
An already mutated human/dog becoming a wolf
Bulls fusing together into a giant
A car becoming a demon
A person becoming a weed
Weeds becoming humanoid from mutagen and turtle puke
Said weeds fusing to a bigger weed
Squirrels becoming the aliens from the Alien movies
A bird fusing with a fish and a worm
A chicken growing a giant brain
Wasps gaining mind control powers
A person becoming a yellow hulk with cyborg parts for no reason
An alien becoming a bigger version of what he already was

There's actually more than these but you get the point.

Example, let's say I'm chilling on a bear skin rug eating ribs, then a mutagen canister comes flying at me. Do I:
A) Become a bear?
B) Become a pig?
C) Become the Manbearpig, archenemy of Al Gore?
D) None of the above, I become a bee because the ribs were honey glazed?

There's no consistency, if a car can mutate, why not the asphalt? Or the canister hold the ooze in the first place?
__________________


*Cracks knuckles*

I tried to figure this out a while back while Nick was working through its 3rd season. Suffice to say the simplest explanation I could give is;

Plot convenience.

But as an 'in universe' answer the basic ruling is that the mutagen works in 4 stages;

1: Contact: Mutagen Identifies the primary DNA donor (the host)

2: Absorption: Identify the secondary DNA donor (The freshest available non host DNA in the largest quantity present from contact or within Host's body).

3: Diffusion: Melding with Bacterial DNA from the Host, work around the host's bloodstream, diffusing collected DNA samples from all donors into all Host cells.

4: Mutation: Acting at speed, mutate Host's DNA using collected DNA samples to meld into hybrid species whilst maintaining life functions.


In theory it would be an insanely painful process.

Taking your example of manbearpig, the most likely outcome would be that you'd mutate into a Pig human hybrid - though possibly with some Urzine qualities, like fur markings/colouration or enhanced strength.

This would be theoretically because of the 'freshness' of the DNA samples available. The bearskin rug would likely be too dried out/chemically treated to provide enough DNA to matter.



Most of the Nick examples follow that rough formula - the weird ones being

* Mutagen man (No secondary DNA sample beyond Bacteria)
* Muckman (Too many secondary samples, resulting in a confused mess. The psionic powers are however anyones guess)
* Joe Eyeball (another creature caught in the mess - perhaps a rat given its size?)
* Speed Demon (Secondary DNA gathered from car oil - treating the oil system like a circulatory system. Possibly also gathering roadkill DNA)
* Snakeweed (Fusing plant cells into animal cells)
* The Creep (see snakeweed, only opposite way around via Leo's vomit.. lovely i know)


Squirrelanoids we dont have much info on, so its hard to say on their origins.


Ice cream kitty is the only one that doesn't follow on the pattern. She really is anyone's guess.

The rest (like the Parasitica wasps, super shredder's metallic bones, Mikey's acne, etc) are not really fair to compare to anyway as they all are either special experiments in some way, or were created using specifically treated or experimental Mutagen.


I'll go hide in my hole again now :)