Are the mutant allies more popular than the mutant villains?
 

In another thread in the Nick section, we were discussing if Groundchuck and Dirtbag were well received enough to consider a possible comeback like Nick is doing with Metalhead. It was then made the notion, that with the exception of the really popular mutant villains like Rocksteady/Bebop, Slash, Rahzar/Tokka, etc....that the "mutant allies" or animal friends tend to be more popular.

See if you agree. The heroes:

- Leatherhead
- Mondo Gecko
- Ray Fillet
- Napoleon Bonafrog
- Merdude
- Wingnut/Screwloose
- Dreadmon
- Jaguar
- Mona Lisa
- Ninjara
- Warrior Dragon/Hothead
- Ace Duck


So is this true? Do you think the mutant/animal allies of the Turtles tend to be more popular than the mutant villains?

Outside of Rocksteady/Bebop, Slash, Rahzar/Tokka, Armaggon, and fly-Baxter....the rest of the mutant villains don't tend to be as popular.

Yes .

I would say so.

I'd have to agree. If you look at it from a non-biased point of view, the characters that got the most story-time are usually the ones people remember more. Most of the mutant allies mentioned above had appearances in the cartoon, and somewhat lengthy, recurring appearances in the comics.

Though, it's difficult for us to think in terms like that, because WE'RE the people who WOULD remember Groundchuck and Dirtbag. lol.

I disagree. I'd say it's pretty fair balanced, if not leaning towards villains being more popular. The majority of the TMNT's mutant allies were known from Archie, not the show. There's no doubt the OT was watched far more than the Archie comic was read. I'm sure if I were to ask casual fans they'd remember fellas like Metalhead over Wingnut. The toyline also helped further the popularity of the villains, I would imagine. The same could probably be said of some of the allies but kids also remember the evil stuff more fondly for their "badass" appearances, I think.

I actually liked the mutant villains better. I jst like there designs better and back stories, but then again I do not know all of the mutant allies

I think its odd to say really. Muckman/Joe eyeball started off as villains but then became good guys. Same with Mutagen Man really.

Scumbug, Wyrm and Antrax got appearances in the show/Archie series but never seemed to become that popular. Is it because all 3 are based on bugs?

i think so

but i reading th comic books with Wingnut/Screwloose, they're more solo than good or bad guys..He was more of greed with money...But they're both so cool :)

Um...did you read any of the Mutanimals issues?

yeah i read them.. but i was aimming when they come back from the planet when they have to wrestle... and Raphael was stuck with the black and blue oil look.. Not only that he also had his OWN comic book too.

Mutanimals
 

Mutanimals would rock if they had their own show, spinoff from the 1987 cartoon. But the problem was some of them were bad guys in the 1987 cartoon.

Post #666!! \m/ :flaming::evil::tevil:



.....uhhh....pretty sure Wingnut and Screwloose didn't have their own comic book. Or am I reading AcidBurn30's post wrong?

When I was a kid, I seem to remember alot of the other kids having more mutant ally figures than mutant enemies. My reasoning for basing my opinion on the toys is because most of the supporting cast seemed to originate from the toy line (for the most part, at least). So for my memory, I'd have to say that the allies were more popular, but that's just my experience.

I think it's impossible for me to see Leatherhead and Wingnut as a good guys. I like some mutant heroes, like Mondo Gecko & Mona Lisa, but that's really it. I think the fewer the mutant allies, the better.

I think it's the Archie fan-boy in me that says, "Bring on the mutant-animals!" Or Mutanimals if you will. :D

The problem though is the OT remains the most popular incarnation followed by the movies and video games. And with Rocksteady & Bebop the most popular followed by Fly Baxter (and Leatherhead was a villain in this version). Don't forget all those mutant villains in Red Sky in addition, not to mention all those enemies in the video games. I'd say for casual fans, the mutant villains are more popular, but for the die-hards, the edge goes to the mutant allies, with the main enemies having more an emphasis on Foot/Purple Dragon members.

I prefer mutant villains:
Slash, Bebop & Rocksteady, Tokkah & Rahzar.

From the mutant allies I like Mondo Gecko, Ray Fillet, Wingnut & Screwloose, umm... Slash?

I couldn't have said it any better, man! I love those guys, especially Mondo Gecko! Though I must say I prefer Mona Lisa over Ninjara.

I vote Villains being the more popular group. Also, most people consider Leatherhead a villain, so that tilts the scales heavily in their favor.

reading it wrong...sorry i mix it all together lol
i will have to find the names of the comic books so everyone can read it...ALSO the video game fighters for sega have his story...

I don't remember any of those "heroes" besides Leatherhead, Wingnut, and Screwloose who if I recall were villains. So I would have to say no.

Pretty much.

Huge shame the Mutanimals animated show didn't leave the ground. They had potential.

No, I don't think they are more popular.

Bebop and Rocksteady are remembered more fondly than the rest of those characters put together.

Leatherhead is probably more well known as a villain.

I am talking other than Rocksteady, Bebop, Leatherhead and fly-Baxter.

It seems other the only other really popular mutant villains were Slash, Rahzar/Tokka, and Armaggon.

Still, I would say those few villains are more popular than the other characters.

The mutant allies might outnumber them, but that doesn't mean they are as popular.

Despite reading a lot of the comics, I never liked most of the mutant allies. Even as a kid I hated how many new miscellaneous animal friends they would churn out and feature once or twice before they were never heard from again. 1991 was the first year I didn't buy all the toys because I didn't even recognize half the characters.

The villains will always be more memorable to me. Oh, and Leatherhead will always be a villain, and my favourite one at that.

I think they are more popular.

Really outside of Bebop/Rocksteady, Leatherhead, Fly-Baxter, Rahzar/Tokka, and Slash...the others weren't really that popular.

I really like Groundchuck and Dirtbag, but they're pretty obscure for most.

thats because the bad guys always lose and nobody likes losers.

Bad guys are the most important part of a heroes rogues gallery. Without good villains any superhero series is bound to fail.

o ya? explain how heroes even exist w/o the bad guys fail...

I'm going with Powder on this one. Villains have more staying power over time due to their exposure, making them more memorable and more popular than the turtle friends.


That's a losing battle and I'd rather be liked.

All I know is as a kid I considered most new mutant characters de facto villains and thought it was an exception otherwise.

Probably just stemmed from the Fred Wolf cartoon and toyline being more stacked with mutant villains than allies (although, I guess Playmates was actually sort of 50/50, wasn't it?).

Also, they really helped give the TMNT a colorful rogues gallery. And be honest; that's a cooler thing to have than a bunch of allies.

(Also, on the above, I always considered Metalhead and Wingnut villains, and still think of that as their primary setting. Again, Fred Wolf cartoon and Turtles in Time.)

Al-Falqa & Kathmandu
 

Does anybody know the origins of Al-Falqa & Kathmandu? Mutants (can't be aliens) or just "born that way"? Or maybe from Usagi Yojimbo's alternate reality (which I doubt, as it isn't seen in Archie)?

I always thought the villains were more interesting,mutants or otherwise. The Punk Frogs and Mondo Gecko are cool but there are some that are not mutants like Usagi who was pointed out as an intedeminsional being much like the humaniod nuetrios. Archie had Jagwar and Dreadmon who I don't think are classified as mutants and others like the Asian Adventure cast from Archie as referenced above. Regardless the villains are more interesting to me and I thought to fandom when it came to allies and enemies. There so many great characters like Slash,Leatherhead, Armaggon,Bebop,Rocksteady, Scumbug, and a few others. Some I hope will be expanded on like the suprirse usage of Metalhead.

i think metalhead can be both good n bad.

Maybe their unpopularity is more due to the specific kinds of bugs they were (because, like, two of those three were ugly as hell).

Speaking of which, too bad there was never a tarantula-based character. I bet he/she would have been really popular.

I never thought of any of those characters as upopular just not exposed enough. None of them are bad characters.

Toxeem, I believe was a trantula-like being.He only appeared once in TMNT Adventures#52. No word if was to appear a second time in The Forever War.

The most popular mutants are the ones who got the most exposure, like Bebop/Rocksteady for being in like 150 episodes or Rahzar/Tokka from the popularity of the second movie.

Leatherhead was a Mirage created character, so logically he'd show up a lot.

Slash became incredibly popular due to the Archie series, his 3 eps in the OT, his action figure, and being a boss in Turtles in Time in the SNES.

Armaggon became popular for being so damn cool. A shark mutant was an awesome idea that should have happened earlier.

I'd say Groundchuck/Dirtbag making it into TMNT III on the NES made them slightly more well known if they weren't.

Sweden
 

Maybe in the USA. Here in Sweden, a lot of people couldn't get access to cable TV 20 years ago, and were left with two Swedish government-operated channels (as a monopoly was around, commercial channels had to air from the UK), so I've heard about a lot of people who mostly just were reading the comics, their only access to the show would be friends and relatives, and some videotapes who were rerleased (not too many).

i like animation better than comics...

Mirage characters
 

A lot of Mirage characters don't show up at all in the 1987 show/Archie.