Does Michelangelo Get Dumber and Dumber Each Major Incarnation?
 

Mirage Michelangelo: Arguably the first TMNT ever drawn, back when it was a stupid joke, but once the series started, he was simply the culturally savvy Turtle with a sense of humor.

Fred Wolf Michelangelo: Party dude way too obsessed with pizza and pop culture oftentimes, but at least reasonably laid back and thoughtful other times.

4Kids Michelagelo: Arguably the worst excesses of the Fred Wold show all stuffed into one character in a vastly alien canon. Not cripplingly obsessed with pizza, but cripplingly obsessed with so many other things it doesn't matter. Also vain, loud, and hyper.

Nickelodeon Michelangelo: Compared to Patrick Star in a commercial for stupidity. That was an exaggeration, but there's a reason exaggerations aren't called lies.

Or so many say. What say you?

not stupid, but more goofy, and crazy. The OT version always seemed like he was drunk or doing drugs, more so than the current Nick version, just seems childish.

No, Mikey is never dumb. Sure, he's laid-back at times, but he's always been known to still be smart in his own way. The Nick show also gives him the added trait of compassion and wanting to fit in with society and have friends. I think the worst one for me is the 4Kids Mikey but mostly because of how stuck up he became after his Battle Nexus win.

Now I'm just waiting for Cubed to get here and say, "This thread needs to be locked." Anyone want to take bets on it?

I bet $10 It'll happen.

Anyone wanna bet more than $10?

What about movie Michaelangelo? He was a nix mixture of Mirage and OT Mikey and wasn't dumb.

I said yes to this, but there's a nuance as to why.
Mike is the comic relief.
Writing competent comic relief appears to be a challenge to many writers. Why write complexity when a cheap laugh is so much easier.

So that's what's happened to Mikey: With every incarnation he becomes a cheaper and cheaper laugh.

Praise be unto Ciro for having a Mikey Test.

So...you're saying Michelangelo is Homer Simpson?

well in Nick he's definitely the most immature Mikey ever, and he's not the brightest crayon in the box either XD but he's mostly being a silly goofball~

So I wouldn't say he's getting dumber....since I thought 2003 Mikey was pretty darn smart he was just completely lazy. XD

(maybe he's turning more into a comic relief?)

Thank you! I'm glad someone understands 2003 Mikey.

Thought I'd share what Peter Laird views Mike as a character:

I always saw Mike as smart but not brilliant, and definitely the goofiest of all of the Turtles. I can't venture an opinion on how he is portrayed in some of the newer stuff because I have not as yet seen or read it.

I'm not sure if I disagree, but at least Nick Mikey is still more tolerable than the 4kids version. Not 100% sure why it is, maybe it's because he's not so insufferably full of himself.

Also...Mikey Test? Must everything have a test?

Surely our patience is being tested too. Zing!

I voted no. He is a party dude, not a dummy. The latest nick version is silly and a bit innocent imo. Sure he can try a little too hard to make a joke, but I don't understand what ppl want Mike to be? Less funny? Not as goofy? What would be the point of that? In worm quake he took the lead when he said "come on bros we need to get to higher ground". That was not very dumb.

Exactly. He's laid back, but he knows when to be serious when the situation calls for it. I liked how he took the lead in "The Manhattan Project" as it shows that he knows when to get down to business.

Yup, I like 2012 Mikey just fine. Liked 2k3 Mikey too but the Battle Nexus Champion harping did get annoying. Boy I loved Grudge Match! I don't see him getting dumber every incarnation. Didn't Ciro say he's had to fight against someone or another attempting to dumb him down? Seems to have worked, I think. 2012 seems just like an average teen to me. I think he's a bit more of a goofball, but ya have those kids who love to clown around yet know when to be serious. Now, that's just how I see this guy. I'm watching the OT, getting ready to rewatch 2k3, and in the middle of rewatching my s2 eps, so I'll certainly be keeping more of an eye out for stuff like this. I think the only thing in Nick that had me shaking my head was the bit about Cottage Cheese Demon. I wonder if that kid eats pizza right before he goes to bed. Mikey must have an iron stomach!

that's what I appreciate about 2012 Mikey (and really all Mikey's) is that he knows when it's time to get serious.

I think the FW and 2k3 versions found a nice median
 

essentially though I certainly agree. The Nick version is by far the most idiotic of them all, and his general whimpiness as apposed to his messing around, lets just fight attitude in OT is a step down, and all this booyakasha nonsense is certainly a new low.

No, I love Mikey in the Nick show yes he gets distracted because of his ADD but he is a better fighter and knows when to be serious than 2k3 Mikey who was just more annoying and lazy but he did have some good moments though like the christmas episode and Grudge match.

I seemed to remember Ciro saying that Mikey becomes more mature in season 2 and he was more mature in The Manhatten project and he had a plan to get rid of the Squirrelanoids and nearly got himself killed.

2012 Mikey isn't whimpy

how wimpy can you be when you wanna bring a giant mutant alligator home XD

and when he was taking care of a sick Raph he was just "don't bother me right now" to all guys trying to attack him XD

http://media.tumblr.com/2edca7ee10b2...EGw1qz4rgp.gif

I gotta admit he got dumbed down as we go on through incarnations.

BUT Nick Mikey is improving in Season 2 lately.

Despite being ok with that version 2k3 Mikey has Mirage's ego cranked up to 11 but has 80's Raphael reluctance to fight. When he isn't being lazy or whiney he's not that much different from OT Mikey.

2012 is fun but the diffrent writers make his intelligence go off the walls sometimes. One episode he's just silly and cracking dumb jokes just to pester his bros. The next he's So random and has moments that would make even Patrick Star say "dude c'mon?"

Current favorite Mikey is IDW.