Paramount buying WB, are we looking at the real possibility of IDW TMNT ending?

[CyberCubed]

For those unaware, Paramount seems to have placed the winning bid for WB over netflix: https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/bu...in-1236516763/

What this means is Paramount will own ALL of WB, which includes DC (Batman, Superman, all DC comics), classic cartoons like Bugs Bunny/Looney Tunes, Tom and Jerry, Flintstones, most Cartoon Network shows actually, and even the James Gunn movie universe. What this means is, DC would have the rights to make their own TMNT comics.

We've already seen IDW lose the license to properties they've had for years like Transformers, Gi-Joe, etc. when the rights went back to different companies. Paramount would have no reason to partner up with a third party publisher like IDW if they could just have DC making TMNT comics.

I think for the first real time, IDW TMNT might be in danger of ending in the next year or two when the deal is finalized. It would also suck because all the Mirage and Archie collections that IDW is finally doing properly are probably going to be canceled halfway in.

I can only hope IDW knows enough ahead of time to give IDW TMNT a decent conclusion, because I don't see DC wanting to continue this universe over starting from scratch with their own.

[Andrew NDB]

About 100% chance it'll end. Why license out to a third party something you can print in your own comic book publisher subsidiary (DC) in your own front yard?

That doesn't necessarily mean they would need to reboot anything. But they probably would want to take full advantage of what a brand new start at DC would mean for the TMNT. Nice, big clean sweep, shiny new #1, etc. (and NO, that would NOT be "TMNT Vol. 7, #1").

[neatoman]

I will admit that, yes, it does seem likely that Paramount may prefer for DC to just permanently hold the license. Though IDW will probably continue to publish TMNT comics for as long as possible.

The main hopes for DC not being the publisher are:

1. Paramount don't really consider TMNT a comic book franchise (which they probably ought to, I hate it when FW is treated like the start of the franchise, but may be preferable for this particular scenario) and may just license it to some other publisher, like Warner already does with Adventure Time and Rick & Morty.
2. DC just not being interested in integrating the property.

I've said it before, DC getting TMNT essentially means nice reprints of old comics but will mean a drastically reduced comics output. They're probably only going get like five issue minis once in a while to keep the trademark going, maybe a pessimistic notion but a sadly plausible one.

My biggest fear is that TMNT will be reduced to what most DC heroes were in Batman the Brave and the Bold, present but ultimately just bit players. In particular there is an episode of that show that show in which the Doom Patrol appears and the premise is essentially "What if we do the self-sacrifice story that ended the original run... But we make Batman take centre-stage despite not even being in the original story?". Can you imagine that? Like the TMNT appear in a Superman cartoon or something and they do the Space arc with the Fugitoid and all... But then Clark Kent is the real main character or something and the only reason it plays out mostly the same is because D'Hoonib has a red sun or whatever? And that's the only time in the entire show the TMNT show up? That's a very real possibility.

[DrSpengler]

One thing to consider is that even though WB owns both DC and Hanna-Barbera, DC is still required to pay the HB people a licensing fee to publish comics with HB characters like Scooby-Doo in them and also adhere to the licensing approvals office for HB.

That's why the Scooby-Doo DC comics use stock model sheet art for all the Scooby characters (rearranged like paper dolls) because that is the only way to get them past the HB approvals office (any original drawings require greater scrutiny and revisions that can delay publishing).

Meanwhile, WB licensed HB characters to other publishers besides DC despite owning DC. There is currently a Space Ghost comic being published by Dynamite, for instance.

All that is to say, TMNT and SpongeBob and anything else owned by Paramount/Viacom will likely stay under separate offices and require individual licensing and approval authority. So TMNT could very well end up at DC, or they could just as easily stay at IDW.

My guess is that the merger might offer an opportunity for a "fresh start" that might entice a DC published TMNT comic and an end to the IDW continuity, if just as a marketing gimmick.

[neatoman]

... Come to think of it, will Mr. Ogg be retconned into being one of Mxyzptlk and Bat-Mite's race?

[ToTheNines]

Of course this happens right when the reprint department starts to finally get their act together and the American citizen is making the ongoing readable again.

[CyberCubed]

Originally Posted by DrSpengler

My guess is that the merger might offer an opportunity for a "fresh start" that might entice a DC published TMNT comic and an end to the IDW continuity, if just as a marketing gimmick.

Given we've already gotten multiple Batman/TMNT crossovers, I could see DC making more crossovers with TMNT and other DC superheroes, but also the IDW series still going on and co-existing.

I do kinda hope the license isn't just yanked away from IDW, even though the series has been in a slump for awhile it seems like its rebounding a bit, plus as I mentioned above IDW has finally gotten their acts together with the Mirage and Archie trades doing them properly, and I'd hate to see them canceled halfway through.

[ToTheNines]

Mongul taking over the Battle Nexus.

[neatoman]

Originally Posted by ToTheNines

Mongul taking over the Battle Nexus.

Why stop there?

• Foot Clan vs League of Assassins
• Ogg from the 5th dimension (I mentioned that already)
• The Utrom being the cause of Kamandi's world
• The Triceratons being enslaved by Darkseid
• Simultaneous being the Monitor of Time
• Silver Sentry officially being from Planet Krypton
• The Justice Force being a branch of the Justice Society
• Baxter Stockman being a member of CADMUS
• The Y'lyntians being an offshoot of Aquaman's Atlantis
• The EPF being a sub-entity of Task force X
• The Technodrome being a creation of the Qwardians

I can... Probably... Think of even more of these... But the number of ways in TMNT lore can just be callously assimilated into DC lore and forgotten is... Honestly depressing...

[Boco]

Eh, maybe not.

https://variety.com/2026/biz/news/ro...os-1236674377/

[neatoman]

Originally Posted by Boco

Eh, maybe not.

https://variety.com/2026/biz/news/ro...os-1236674377/

Yes, this is indeed the most exciting incident of giant corporations trying to forcibly merge in an attempt of defiance of everything that we have seen in a long time.

[Andrew NDB]

Oh, definitely CA will try and make everything miserable for a while for the deal. They don't really have much recourse but to delay and "investigate." Even if it was just about CNN alone you can bet they would.

This was never going to be an overnight thing but the big question is if it'll be done by the end of the year. If not, Paramount has to pay that delay fee they agreed to as an earlier sweetener. So you can be sure every effort will be done by the left that they have to pay as much as they can possibly make them pay as it goes across the finish line.

[CyberCubed]

TMNT feels also like one of the few things keeping IDW itself alive. If they do wind up losing the TMNT license, IDW will be in dire straights. Wouldn't be surprised if they lose the Sonic license soon too.

[Andrew NDB]

Originally Posted by CyberCubed

TMNT feels also like one of the few things keeping IDW itself alive. If they do wind up losing the TMNT license, IDW will be in dire straights. Wouldn't be surprised if they lose the Sonic license soon too.

You mean, you don't think IDW will stay afloat because of the Star Trek license?



Speaking of which, Star Trek is ANOTHER IDW property that's going away and going to DC once things get settled, too. Back to DC, really. I remember way back in the day there used to be Star Trek DC comics.

[CyberCubed]

Is that Sulu and his gay brother? Also didn't 7 of 9 and Rafi break up in the last season of Picard? I seem to remember that.

[ToTheNines]

I was thinking about this today and it occurred to me that Turtles being under the Warner Brothers umbrella doesn’t necessarily mean IDW would lose the license to DC.

Disney owns Star Wars and Marvel, but IDW has made Star Wars and Disney character comics.