Which Characters Did Not Receive Closure?
 

While this thread is meant to focus on the 1987 cartoon it can branch out into other iterations. Some characters even if we wanted to see again did not necessarily need a follow up while others were in need of a proper wrap up of a plot. In the 1987 cartoon for example Baxter Stockman had six appearances as a mutant fly. Each time he sought revenge directed at both Shredder and the Turtles for the state he found himself in usually getting stuck in another dimension or limbo. The 2003 cartoon saw him restored to human form in the future and reformed. The Nicktoon made a point of demutating him even though he is never shown again. We can assume Archie's TMNT Adventures he was returned to the asylum. However, I wanted to see him demutated in the 1987 cartoon and a plot resolution for the character that never came.

Usagi appeared twice beginning his long association with the TMNT (often mistaken as a TMNT character, but their ally nonetheless). Usagi stays with Obento until Donatello can find the correct frequency to return him to his home dimension. He is never said to have returned home or even mentioned again. I would have liked to have at least had a reference stating he had returned home, it would have worked in particular when Holcume met the turtles and had to wait for his return home.

Bebop and Rocksteady lasted appeared in Turtle Trek. At this point we are led to believe by Splinter's dialogue that we have not seen the last of the Technodrome gang. While it turned out to be the case for Shredder and Krang, Splinter implied not for Dregg to bring them back, but for them to come back on their own and strike. Bebop and Rocksteady are assumed to be wondering around Dimension X, but where and what became of them?

I would also argue the Channel Six News crew. It would have been perfect for Burne Thompson to be the human face leading Dregg's campaign even if April quit and became freelance. Also, it would seem if Irma was a close personal friend she would not need to see her only at work. She also disappeared at the end of Titanus's storyarc along with Burne and Vernon.

Who else stood out to you needing a proper closure?

Regarding Bebop and Rocksteady, my guess is Mung did meet them too. But since Shredder and Krang are their superiors, why bring the "help" when you can have the brains? It's like how in the CW crossovers whee the heroes disappear but return to their team as if nothing happened. My guess is life went on for everyone after Shredder and Krang were returned to Dimension X.

One I would have liked to see was Zach given all the negative propaganda against the Turtles at the time. Or maybe he was strictly forbidden to see them again since he;s essentially a minor. For what matter, what about Walt?? He's older.

A couple of those crossed my mind after the initial post. While only receiving a single appearance Razhar and Tokka had a memorable appearance in Dirk Savage: Mutant Hunter and had well characterized showing especially for Razhar. Are they wondering the streets? What became of them?

Also, Muckman and Joey Eyeball are another one shot pair that needed closure and never got it. In the cartoon the characters are promised a cure for their mutation after the radioactive nature has been cured. They were in no rush to be demutated, but it would seem like a follow up with them would have occurred.

The only other characters that come to mind are Darius Dun and the Dark Turtles from the 2003 series.

Mutagen Man from the 2k12 series never had any closure.

True, the plot to make Pulverizer into Mutagen Man was planned out, but after he was mutated it was forgotten about. April's father was cured. It would seem that it would have happened at the same time. Unlike the latter I think of a real-life reason I cannot think of a reason for this one.

I found it interesting that the Turtles would leave Cody there without protection and Darius not incarnated due to it being all but said that Darius had his sister and brother-in-law killed to get the Jones fortune for himself. It is perhaps a side effect of cutting off the Fastforward direction when it did since more episodes were planned like Space Usagi and Triceraton Shredder.

Carter was last seen going to the future with Landore and Merrick to try to find a cure for his mutation but after that he was never seen or mentioned again. Would have been nice to see him return or hear if the cure worked.

Also Titanus’s mutants from season 8, they were originally humans kidnapped by Titanus but we never heard about them getting back to normal after the end of the Titanus episodes.

I mean, if you think about it this way, 87 Bebop and Rocksteady reappeared during both the 2K3 and 2K12 crossover. They at least appeared again.

I assumed Carter got cured and remained in the future working for the police after he was cured. Never confirmed, but at least he had a send off.

Well, while that is true its hardly the same continuity of the 1987 cartoon. The overly campy nature that was not the true 1987 cartoon and the fact the Channel Six building was standing in the same place it once was suggest it is not the same. Even if it was chronologically it would not fit so the last seen is still Turtle Trek.

I didn't follow the 1987 adaptation for too long, but I've heard of some characters having a really little frame of spotlight instead of others.
Some of the characters you just mentioned have a way better role in the 4Kids adampations, such as Stockman and Usagi.

Sadly, even that show has characters like Mr.Touch and Go who never got a spotlight of more than 2 episodes.

Bunch of villains, in particular from Night of the Rogues episode from Season 7 of FW: Leatherhead, Scumbag, Anthrax, Tempestra, Slash, Rat King (he appeared in Season 8, but once again no closure). Baxter from FW, Muckman, all mutants from Dirk Savage episode.

I would disagree with Usagi not receiving any sort of closure in the 1987 toon.

His first episode explicitly states that the chance of him returning home are slim to none, and the second episode ends with Usagi saying that he might get used to planet earth after enjoying a pizza.

That to me, sounds like Usagi made the turtles' dimension his new home and left his old life behind for good.

Rocksteady and Bebop only appear as cameos in the 2003 adamptation, they don't appear as real characters.

Rat King was captured in Season 8. Leatherhead probably just returned to Florida swamp.

All the main villains were wrapped up, with Baxter trapped in limbo, Shredder/Krang stranded in Dimension X and Bebop/Rocksteady lost somewhere there too.

Yes, that too. But I know one of the examples D-ray is mentioning was one time a visiting Rhino alien friend of 2003 Usagi's is lost in New York and buys an outfit that makes him look exactly like FW Rocksteady. I don't know about a similar Bebop character.

http://vignette.wikia.nocookie.net/t...20091121154839
Kojima was hired assassin from their world assigned to hunt down Usagi and Gen. Kojima is a humanoid warthog as Gen is a humanoid rhinoceros who briefly donned Rocksteady's clothes. The closest we ever got to a nod to the 1987 cartoon in the series.

The whole title Usagi Come Home title is misleading since he remained stuck in the dimension. If Halcome can be returned I don't see why Usagi could at least had a reference to being returned home. I find it odd that he was never even referenced again.

While I desperately wanted an origin for the character Rat King is in jail so okay. Leatherhead okay. It never say well with me that Dregg struck from Dimension X in the last three episodes and not Shredder. Also, just wondering Dimension X really is not plot resolution for Bebop and Rocksteady.

Baxter definitely needed a resolution. The irony is he almost did in his last episode but the TMNT quite out of character stopped that from happening. Obviously Bebop and Rocksteady are the other two.

I don't think Leatherhead got a resolution in the 80's cartoon although I could be wrong.

Leatherhead in the 1987 cartoon appeared four times, Leatherhead:Terror of The Swamps, Leatherhead Meets The Rat King, Splinter Vanishes, and Night of The Rogues. Like the others he ran off instead of fought after the reward was destroyed. It seemed out of character for the group to that, but at risk of it being a two parter they were out of character. He assumingly went back to the Flordia Everglades. So no true resolution, but it may not be needed like Baxter and Bebop and Rocksteady. The former caught in limbo after the TMNT act out of character and the henchmutants just wondering around Dimension X is not satisfying for characters that became such a big part of the show and to Laird's chagrin, the franchise.