Characters you are surprised are still being used
 

So TMNT has a lot of characters, like wow, it could make X-Men blush. So it should come as no surprise that most of them have been discarded over time, as they are often minor, uninteresting or just too similar to other characters for there to be a need for them.

But sometimes there's a characters that shows up a lot more than you thought they would, and all you can think is "This person showed up?". Sometimes these unexpected characters show up long after you thought they would be forgotten about.

For me (if you saw a previous thread from me) was Angel in the IDW series, I'm not complaining, I like the character but she seemed like a character who would be forgotten about.

Hun, as he wasn't that inertesting in 2k3. IDW gave him a lot more personality.

He still had plenty of personality in 2K3, too. He developed over time, and I liked that about him. If ANYONE should never have shown up again, it was Garbage-man. That character was just- pointless. And gross.

The character that I wish would've only shown up one in Nick was Timothy. I get that he was supposed to become Mutagen-Man (another one I'm surprised is still around) but I just never cared much for him.

The one in the OT that "bugged" me was Bug-Man. What was the point of that character, anyway? Even Kurma was more interesting.

Hun was the breakout character of the 4kids series. Aside from Bishop, he was the most popular and memorable new villain created for the series.

He essentially acts as a replacement for Tatsu, since they probably can't use that character anymore due to the likeness of the real actor.

I gotta admit, Pete the pigeon threw me for a loop when we first saw him in the Nickelodeon cartoon, then later he got a recurring role in the IDW comics as one of Old Hob's lackies.

I'm surprised that April O'Neil still features so prominently in almost every incarnation of the franchise. Don't get me wrong, I think her presence is almost always good for the dynamic even if the writers can't always think of useful things for her to do. But it seems her role in the shows and comics have only increased over the years compared to other franchises where human companions tend to be fairly interchangeable across history (Transformers for example).

Mondo Gecko. The characters reeks of 80's ness, but hey, he's still here.

I'm glad to see Slash return after a long absence.

Well she's been a very significant part of the mythos since the old Mirage days. Heck, in practically every incarnation she's the first human being who meets the Turtles and learns their backstory.

I call bulls**t on that.

But that's a one time role that you could throw anybody into. I'm surprised nobody has ever said "the heck with it," the first person the Turtles meet will be "Rodney." In the IDW comics, Casey was actually the first human to meet the Turtles after their mutation, though April still plays much the same role as her Mirage counterpart... just with a lot more of her own life at this point.

April is way too ingrained into TMNT history the same way Lois Lane, Mary Jane, etc. are to their superheroes.

Plus she's the perfect girl character to give "the female's" someone to relate to. Because we all know "the female's" need a girl there.

I like to think so, but she's not quite an equal comparison to the other leading ladies since the idea of Turtle x April romance is a relatively new idea whereas Lois and Mary Jane are pretty much synonymous as love interests for the title characters. She's a critical character when done right, but few writers seem to know what to do with her after her initial appearances.

One thing that is unique about April is that she's remained historically popular as an action figure since her debut. There have been very VERY few Lois Lane or MJ figures produced over the years. Heck, April in the original toyline probably received more variants and re-releases than any given X-Men heroine.

This conversation reminded me that I want to see Mona Lisa in the new TMNT for some strange reason lol

Tatsu and Hun could probably coexist in a universe.

The original cartoon characters in merchandises. I want to see more merch from other incarnations, I'm sure this does not count, so here's my list.

Rahzar (Still looking foward to Tokka)
Angel (I only saw her in the 2k3 series, found her character okay)
Vernon Fenwick (was not expecting him in the new movie)

I was surprised to see the toyless Punk Frogs in the Nick show.

I always knew the frogs were coming. I suspected they would come during Northampton after the season two finale.

Really? I asked Peter Laird on his blog about that, he said there was no talk about adding Tatsu and the similarities were probably coincidental.

Well in fairness there is some variation in human buddies, like with Carter or Cody. But I get what you're saying, stuff like this tends to create new main characters with each new incarnation, Headmasters is the only TF series to continue with the humans from an earlier series and there's like 20 TF cartoons.

When it comes to April I tend to think like this, ever read Spider-Man? Ever noticed how the Lee/Ditko/Romita characters always stick no matter how little reason they have to stick around? Noticed how most characters created after that era tend to disappear with the leave of their creators?

That's why April sticks around, she's like the Betty Brant of TMNT.

I hadn't really thought about it before now, but, archetypally, April's role really ISN'T all that unique to her character and COULD be given to anyone because being the Turtles' most prominent human ally isn't and never has been a facet of her individual characterization. It's her archetypal function in the narrative, but doesn't define who she is as a character.

I think the reason she's been used in every single iteration of the property is because she's perceived to be central to the narrative in her archetypal role, when that role could actually be filled by anybody.

April is one of the most memorable and important characters to the franchise.

If April is ever replaced by some new female people will call fowl and it will never work

What Digificwriter is trying to say is that April is a character with no character other then, "She's a grill".

^ Actually, what I was trying to say is that the general assumption that April being the Turtles' primary human ally has to be a constant feature of the property isn't accurate. She could be included without that being a central facet of her involvement.

That's kinda the reason Next Mutation didn't work out. Venus was basically meant to be April's replacement because at the time Kevin Eastman wanted to drop April from the mythos.

I also notice that with Godzilla. Serizawa finally came back after 60 years in the 2014 movie. Miki Saegusa is in practically every Heisei film. The other major human allies/enemies tend to disappear after one film. Nick Tatulopolous was in the animated series, however.

Hush, we need to pretend Matthew Broderick does not exist, we shall not acknowledge him...

But if we did that, it would mean not acknowledging The Producers, Project X (I'm talking about the 80's movie, not that dumb Hangover-style flick a few years ago), Ladyhawke, and other great Broderick films. sorry, I really like him- even if that Godzilla movie was a bit of a disappointment. The blame wasn't on HIM, though, it was on that cheesy giant iguana they CALLED Godzilla. And the script. Someone must've been reading Jurassic Park 2 when they wrote that.

Casey Jones appears too often. I like seeing him pop up twice a season or two issues a year in a comic. Making him used sparingly makes him more effective and cooler of a character.

Hun, to me was nothing more than a street punk who got lucky. Other characters in 2003 cartoon stand out to me moreso than he does and I never thought he had much character to play with.

Purple Dragons are just a random gang. Just because that was the name of the gang as the first issue starts the turtles run across doesn't mean it has to reoccur. I guess it shows I don't think much of a street punk. Just a one punch ko and move on to the super villain.

Honestly... I'm surprised that the TMNT are still around and going strong after all these years. In the late 90s, I'd never believe it if you had told me that two series, two movies and 2 comic series(one was cancelled pretty early, but still...) would see the light of the day in the upcoming century. I'd just think that the TMNT were some trendy franchise that peaked for about 2 years and just went away as quickly, forever remaining a nostalgia thing with a cult following. Yea... I had to be the one to say this.

Now, onto the thread subject.

Never in my wildest dreams have I ever imagined that they'd bring a minor character(if you could even call him that) from the FW series such as Pete the Pigeon back. If Pete comes back, ANYONE can.

I was also surprised when I heard that Vernon was going to be in the Michael Bay film... but since it was gonna be more OT influenced and with April being a reporter and all, I guess I shouldn't have been very surprised about it. Burne turning into a black woman named Bernette and played by Whoopi Goldberg was a much bigger surprise to me.

Considering Hun was difficult for the Turtles to take down and gave them a good fight almost every time, I don't see how he's "just as street punk."

...Like they'll call her a duck? Really?

And I'm sure Tatsu not being used in anything but the movies has nothing to do with the actor's likeness. It's just a name, they could create an entirely new character and call him "Tatsu" if they wanted to, they just haven't. It's probably just more to do with each creative team that's come along wanting to keep away from the movie's universe for the most part. I promise that the actor's likeness has Zero to do with it. I'd like to see the character eventually be used somewhere, though.

For me, it'd be easier to make a list of "Characters I'm Surprised Are NOT Being Used Anymore". There's been a ton of good characters in various TMNT lore that only show up in one version, or only make a few appearances and never show up again. Conversely, I'm not at all surprised that after 30+ years and a dozen iterations, a ton of even semi-obscure characters have been revamped. With any franchise that's been around this long, you eventually go back to the well. It never surprises me to see anyone show up, I'm always more surprised who doesn't.

CC speaks the truth. I have seen the future - if April is replaced, the poultry will not respond favorably.

http://33.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_me...ho1_r3_250.gif

I'm suprised Scale Tail has never shown up outside of the old toyline. The guy is a freakin' snake bounty hunter!

Besides the mispelling, let's just say the females need a token chick. Its for them after all. Girls need a female character to let them know "this show is OK for me to watch." I bet all the people who don't really like April will be complaining even more if she's completely gone and there's no female presence in the show at all.

And before anyone asks, some of this is satire.

http://gifrific.com/wp-content/uploa...-Out-Drink.gif

((^^ And to think, I never pegged Lindsay as a spitter... ;)))

ALL of you is satire.

How different would it feel to not have April in the show at all? Or maybe downgraded to a minor one time character like Mona Lisa?http://i.imgur.com/yPEbEgW.gif

Wasn't it confirmed that Tatsu was supposed to appear in the Gang War arc that was never finished because of the sale?

Well Mutagen Man went from a one-episode appearance back in 1991 to returning in the Nick show nearly 22 years later.

To be fair he was a toy and has a freakin' awesome design.

I agree that Pigeon Pete still throws me. The movies use of Vernon is also kinda painful.