Would you be ok with tmnt having superpowers?
 

What if there was a new incarnation of tmnt where the turtles mainly had the kind of superpowers commonplace in other media such as Marvel and DC, how would you react to it?

It would take me a bit of getting used to, as tmnt traditionally don't have superpowers (unless we count the toonforce of FW tmnt, the OVA or the dragon turtles in tmnt 2k3), but I am not totally against the idea and would be willing to give it a chance.

I think we might be getting this anyway in Rise of the Tmnt since they are said to have some sort of mystical powers in the show's sypnosis.

It's not ideal, but as you pointed out, there's a precedent, so I'd get used to it eventually. Much easier to tolerate in a cartoon than a comic or movie, though.

I'll be honest, I prefer their mutation to be the only real supernatural aspects in their stories.

Having said that, I'm more than willing to entertain the idea.

https://i.ytimg.com/vi/bUeUr47GQ_s/hqdefault.jpg

http://www.miragelicensing.com/comic...07/07cover.jpg

Its already been done. A full series of this? No. But it's nice for short alternate universe stories.

Wouldn't their mutation strictly be a scientific idea rather than supernatural in the lore of their universe?

Temporarily, sure. As a whole series...? Not a fan.

Prefer the more relatable angle that beneath the green they're much like every other earthbound mortal person who works hard for all that they have and are capable of, sans superpowers.

Even as science fiction it's still too fantastical for my liking.

I'm open to the turtles having superpowers but I feel it would compromise their stealth.

Of course they could go the Clark Kent route, but then the turtles were never the types to fit in amongst humans, rather hiding in the shadows or wearing fedoras & trenchcoats in public in the more over the top incarnations.

I figured if they ever had super powers, it would be ninja/martial arts related stuff like teleporting, tossing fireballs or throwing stars made of energy, maybe phasing into the shadows. Stuff like that. But not overly wacky stuff like super strength and flying.

http://i0.kym-cdn.com/photos/images/...49/306/165.gif

They're just...not superheroes, for the first part. Nor were they ever really "meant" to be superheroes. Sure, the people who know the utter bare minimum about TMNT might think so, but when scratching the surface - just a little bit - they're really not.

It's best off with its science-fiction elements, and and very few supernatural ones (Kitsune and the Pantheon push that boundary quite a bit in IDW).

I could agree with them having "powers" that would aid in their stealth, but then you'd have to ask why the Ooze would allow that to happen. Then secondly, how TCRI/TGRI/The Utroms would even risk mutagen like that being at even the slightest risk of being exposed to...anything. The only way I can think of them having superpowers during/after mutation is if it was deliberately applied to them ala Captain America. But even that would be a massive stretch.

So...no supernatural powers...at all.

Depends entirely on how well it’s done. It should be complimentary to their other skills and not the main focus. The issue with powers is that they are often overused or don’t have enough limits to them. If those are considered, it might prove interesting.

I also must admit, I’ve read a few stories which play with the turtles getting “bending” abilities ala Avatar and they are usually pretty entertaining

As sort of discussed already in another thread (though mystical and super are different) I'd go with no over all, they do well on their skill, slight abilities to enhance that (Like Splinter and Leo healing brielfy in 2012) is fine but big obvious super powers? Would that not take over?

Falls down to my usual answer about these kind of things.

What is the platform this would happen in?

Is it...

A) A kids' cartoon/toddler Flash animation-style thing or funnybook? Or a dumb movie for little kids?

B) An actual attempt at recapturing the spirit and vibe of the original TMNT, whether it's something faithful or a faithful reimagining?

If it's A, then I don't care because it's not for me. If it's for B then f*** off. I'm aware that even Laird has explored superpowers kind of fare but even with that, that's something he enjoyed exploring when a thing is fully developed and a good amount of time elapsed into it.

Why do I get the feeling I would see a thread with this exact topic if I only checked out the last five forum pages?

I'm open to the idea but it's not something I would be desperate for because giving TMNT superpowers sounds erm...desperate.

There was an episode from the 2003 series, it was Raph and Mikey who finds a cape, that gave them superpowers.

Superpower Struggle
 

"Superpower Struggle" during season 7.

Only as a one off thing or something. Even in something like Ninja Tribunal I wasn't big on the Turtles turning into dragons and getting animesque powers.

Part of what has always appealed me about the Turtles is that they don't need guns or superpowers to take down their enemies.

For those of you arguing they're not superheroes because they don't have superpowers... Batman doesn't have them either. Yet he is a superhero in the traditional sense. He might be an except in among Marvel and DC like characters in this regard... but he is still a guy who dresses up in a suit and goes around facing supervillains and bad guys in general.

I think Batman should be called a vigliante, just like TMNT has Casey Jones, Gadgetman and the Nobody-character. (not to be confused with superheroes within TMNT, like Bugman and Silver Sentry)