Which mutation do you prefer, humans to animals or animals mutated?
 

There have been two different ways there have been mutants in the series.

Human beings who get turned into animals mutants, like Bebop, Rocksteady, and fly Baxter Stockman.

Or animals that become intelligent like the turtles, Leatherhead, Rahzar, Tokka, Groundchuck, Dirtbag and Slash.

Some even have two origins. Mondo Gecko was a human in Archie but in the OT he was a regular gecko. Or Splinter.

Which do you prefer?

I think it's quite odd that the mutagen can transform an animal and give it human features, while it has a completely different effect on humans. I'm not sure if they went around explaining what the mutagen actually was in each universe, but I'm thinking in the original comic it could have add something to do with the Ultrom trying to find a way to become more human while stuck on earth.

Anyway, I don't know what I prefer. The final result is always the same anyway, which is a powered up human-animal. There should more psychology involved, like humans struggling to live with their new bodies, and humanized animals going insane for a while, not understanding what's going on until their brain develops properly.

I think the mutagen was a by-product from the Utrom's transmat research.

I cant really say i favor one more than the other, they seem to pretty much have the same result. Im sure if you showed an middle ep of the OT to a new viewer they would assume bebop and rocksteady were originally animals

It doesn't matter all that much, but I totally prefer option two the majority of the time.

Animals mutated is better i think.

I think this depends mostly on the character and how they intend to use them.

I would say I prefer human->animal, but for the most part the animal-> human characters are more important/interesting/better written historically, so I guess I can't.

You know, one thing that's never really spelled out (save for Super Shredder, but really that's a lousy example...I mean the armor grows...unless the "It's not Oroku Saki" conspiracy theory comes into play.) is how Utrom mutagen would effect a normal human. I mean FW mutagen (was it ever called ooze except in Turtle Forever?) at least has the "caused whoever touched it to take on the form of whatever animal they had most recently been in contact with" caveat, how ever flawed that is. (I mean wouldn't everything also cross-mutate with a bacterium or dust mites?) I'm not sure which I prefer, but if you think about it, both are pretty wacky....but it is science fiction. :D

Man if Bebop and Rocksteady weren't human that would have killed their characters for me. I hope if Nick uses them they once again have them as human thugs before mutation.

Since this series will have Hamato Yoshi becoming Splinter in it, I'll bet if we do see Bebop and Rocksteady they'll be be human first.

I always thought that mutagen was just some kind of, for lack of a better word, super soldier serum. It has to have some sort of human DNA I think. That's the only way for the turtles or Tokka and Rhazar to look the way they look.

Look at Super Shredder. The mutagen makes him bigger, stronger and probably faster too. So when it's given to animals, it makes them humanoid, but when given to humans, it kind of adds why would've been added to an animal, on top of already being a human, making them stronger, faster, etc.

Does that make sense?

I've always been more into the animal to human. The comic is my favorite as there is not a lot of mutants running around.

Come to think of it, how many human to animal mutants are there? I can think of:

1. Bebop
2. Rocksteady
3. Fly Baxter
4. Splinter (original cartoon, Archie and Nick show only)
5. Man Ray
6. Mondo Gecko (Archie only)
7. Scumbug
8. Muckman and Joe eyeball


I can't think of any others besides obscure characters.

Can't really say I have a preference on this one.

I enjoy the aspect of humans being turned into animal/insect/reptile/amphibian mutants, about the same as I do the notion of mutagen causing increased intelligence and what not. Bebop and Rocksteady are such fun characters, but on the other hand, I've always liked cajun Leatherhead.

2 edits.
1. Fly Baxter was a disintigrator unit malfunction...doesn't count.
2. Seymour "Mutagen Man" Gutz

He was still cross mutated.

Well he wasn't turned into any animal. :p


Most of the villains in Archie happened to be either aliens or mythical beings...so not as many mutants as you would think.

Yeah the Mutanimals is a misnomer. All of 3 of them are mutants, and only 2 by way of Krang and Shredder mutagen
Leatherhead- Once Human Mutant (though via the Turnstone, not mutagen. We both forgot Archie LH in the list, too Cubed. ;))
Mondo Gecko - Once Human Mutant
Man Ray (Fillet) - Once Human Mutant
Wingnut and Screwloose - Aliens
Dreadmon - Mystical Wolf Man (although he was once a dude. If he lost the stolen amulet that made him a wolf, would he return to normal? You know, like Juggernaut?)
Jagwar - Mystical Jaguar/Human Hybrid (EWW!!!)

Then again 3 of 7 isn't bad...and Dreadmon could almost be a "maybe mutant" He was once human, after all.

I am pretty sure both Slash and Armaggon were normal animals in Archie, even though we never did see their origins. Its just obvious neither made any mention of being human.

Verminator X was a mutant cat, wasn't he? He was like the Old Hob of the Archie series.

According to the source books, they're both mutants.

What about Mona Lisa? I don't remember exactly, but wasn't she mutated from a Human?

Indeed she was.