Why is Leo the only turtle who sacrifices himself for the greater good?

[Papenbrook]

I know that he is the leader, but come on? There are other characters that need the spotlight.

[Powder]

They've all been reckless for the sake of others. Raph recently almost drowned/burned to death in lava for a baby alien, after all.

That aside, why is Donnie the only turtle who invents stuff? Why is Mikey the prankster? Why is Raph so edgy? Why is Splinter the only one with wise philosophy? Why is water wet?

[Rooish]

Why does everyone expect this show to be intelligently written?

It annoys me that Leo sacrifices his life every season in the finale. It;s getting pretty tired.

[IndigoErth]

It's not "spotlight," it's job/personality description. While I'm sure his brothers would very possibly do it as well if they had to, it's been a part of Leo for a long time, beyond this one show, that he'd lay down his life for those he cares about if he had to in order for the rest of them to survive. He sees himself as that first line of defense between certain death and his family and accepts the responsibility of upholding it.

Though I have to agree the clockwork-like re-occurance is getting a little old. Granted it's just a mid-season thing this time, but still. Only throwing it in when a 'big' episode needs drama...eh.


edit: Actually, I'm surprised he didn't go through some depressed, moody phase after witnessing Splinter murdered. (Guess the hologram thing in the ship provides a little therapy of sorts, along with the hope of reversing everything.)

[Groverman62]

Originally Posted by Rooish

Why does everyone expect this show to be intelligently written?.

Is this a serious question?

[The Happy One]

It's more of its repetition than the act itself. It is in Leo to throw himself into danger for a greater cause and, like in the season 2 finale it fit just right. He had more motivation, anger over Karai, all that good stuff. Now it just seems like whenever a big episode comes up in which a sacrifice needs to be made, it's always Leo.

It's getting monotonous, reallly. And I hate comparing the show to the comics, I do, but...in the comics I think there's this understanding: that Splinter inculcated a conviction in all his sons- a drive to do the 'right thing' even if others don't agree, even if it means your own life. And, in that way, in the comics we've seen each turtle take a stand in different ways, big or small, for what they view is 'the right thing'. We've seen them make sacrifices or just...walk away because it wasn't right to stay- just those profound, character driven moments that put emphasis on what Splinter has taught and groomed his sons to be, in different ways unique to them.

They're not, to me in the comics, just 'the brains' or 'the one that leads and makes all the sacrifices', or 'the muscle', or 'the comic relief'.

But, in the show they seem to fit in this...mold or this criteria, especially Leo.

[The Deadman]

Originally Posted by Papenbrook

I know that he is the leader, but come on? There are other characters that need the spotlight.

You answered your own question. He's the leader and 9 times out of 10 the leader is the one who sacrifices himself for all of humanity.

[victory_angel]

Leo is the noble leader of the team. And as such feels it is his duty to ensure the success of the mission and protect his family,those he sees as family, and the innocent even at the cost of his own life

[ssjup81]

The reason...he's the leader. Think back to season 1's finale. Splinter had that discussion with Leo, not the others of how you must stop the enemy by any means necessary, even if it means making a very serious sacrifice. Leo feels responsible for everyone's safety because he does carry the burden of being leader.

To me, it's like a captain going down with his ship, just so that his crew can live and continue on.

[Aaronardo]

Guys. He's the leader. That doesn't mean he isn't a part of the team. In fact, that sentence alone could make up for some good dialogue from another turtle to Leo as they sacrifice their life rather than Leo. Seriously, it's happening so often, it's getting to the point where the writers are sick and tired of doing it (notice the way they kinda half-assed it in Earth's Last Stand).

But seriously, just because he's the noble leader doesn't mean his character is obligated to be the only one to risk his life. You know the one character in this show that needs something like that more than ever? Mikey. He's supposed to be the Turtle that holds the family together. After all the dumb, stupid things this incarnation of the character has done in the series thus far, a sacrifice similar to one of Leo's would not only earn him some respect from the audience, but would be the most in-proper-character thing in the show.

But, hey, that's an idea for a smartly-written show that understands that Mikey is designed for more than just "comedic relief." And that show died 2 seasons ago.

[GoldMutant]

^This pretty much, but personal thoughts:

A leader is someone who's going to have to preserve the most even when life is bleak. No matter the cost, they have to make difficult decisions. Whether it be guys like Robert Shaw in history or a guy like Superman, you're going to have to do something about it. That's where Leonardo falls, he knows he's got to make a sacrifice to protect his family to prevent his family's demise.

Unfortunately, all that stuff I said loses meaning when it's repetitious. I have no problem Leo making a sacrifice, he's got a lot of struggles from nearly being killed in The Invasion and overwhelmed by Splinter dying and being unable to save him last season. The problem with heroics is if it's the same character for identical reasoning, it loses it's significance. That's how I felt when Earth's Last Stand aired, with Leo's actions being a main reason I find it a disappointing episode.

I will say right now I get why Leo of all the Turtles was selected as the blinded hero, he's struggled the most of his brothers after Splinter "died" while the others barely cared. Though I blame it on writing, this sacrifice was nearly pointless padding because it didn't really do anything. It made Leo completely out of character despite his guilt and only served as frustrating when another Turtle, specifically Michelangelo, could have made the same sacrifice to a bigger cause. Seriously, outside blatant refusal to listen to Fugitoid because he's indirectly responsible for Splinter dying and the Earth's destruction, what was Leo's plan?

At least before Leo sacrificing himself made sense during Showdown when Splinter said you have to make sacrifices no matter how grave and the aforementioned Invasion. However, Leo's juvenile actions nearly cost him his life during season 4; whether it be playing safe or not, it's a tiresome cliche for the Nickverse. Allow me to bring up what Angry Joe said during the Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice review with the Nostalgia Critic. Switch mentions of Superman and DC heroes and that's my feelings on Leo here:

"I want to see the Justice League at his funeral, but now I can't. I want to see a hero slowly stripped of his life in the ultimate battle instead of being stabbed in one swoop, but now I can't. I wanna build a connection with this Superman the same way he built a connection with me in hundreds of stories, but now I can't. I want to fear that this might be the time that Superman doesn't make it back, but now I can't."

Essentially, what Joe said about Cavil's Superman is how I feel about Leo, not to that extreme extent however. I want to fear one of the Turtles can't return and feel heartbroken if that time comes after that connection with the character. Considering how many times Leo has survived, that's not happening. It's pointless shock value at this point and holds no purpose besides giving Leo something awesome. It's a tiresome idea beaten deader than a horse now, make the others relevant outside their relationships with females. Do something essentially, don't undermine them for Leo most of the time.

[myconius]

because he's a total bad@$$! that's why!

[Ulisa]

Eh, while I understand why Leo does this a lot and I agree that it makes sense with his personality, I'd love to see them mix it up a bit. It seems like once character traits are established: the leader, inventor, strength, etc that shows rarely stray away from it. Personally, I like to see other characters try to step into roles that they aren't comfortable with. They don't usually do it as well but they can do it well enough to make a difference.

One of my favorite April moments from the old series is April repairing one of the helicopter blades while the turtles fight. When confronted about it, she says "Hey Donatello isn't the only one who can fix things."

[Shark_Blade]

Originally Posted by Papenbrook

I know that he is the leader, but come on? There are other characters that need the spotlight.

Agree.. it's kinda the same tiring trope for the finale............ I wanna see like Mikey sacrificing his ass for his brothers.

[The Happy One]

Originally Posted by Shark_Blade

Agree.. it's kinda the same tiring trope for the finale............ I wanna see like Mikey sacrificing his ass for his brothers.

That would be so awesome Give him some respect.

[ssjup81]

Originally Posted by Shark_Blade

Agree.. it's kinda the same tiring trope for the finale............ I wanna see like Mikey sacrificing his ass for his brothers.

Mikey seems quick to do that in general. He's saved the others quite a bit at times, but for Mikey, it just seems more spontaneous, not like Leo, where it was instilled into him to sacrifice himself by Splinter.

[LS Animation]

It's true it's reflective of Leo's personality and it's true it's how Splinter taught him. However for the sake of switching things up from time to time I would like to see Raph or Donnie or even Mikey make sacrifices. After all they all care for each other, they are brothers and I'm sure they would all die for one another so why not simply show that?

[Aaronardo]

Originally Posted by myconius

because he's a total bad@$$! that's why!

That's Raph's job.

Oh. Wait. The writers forgot about that, too.

[Groverman62]

Originally Posted by Aaronardo

That's Raph's job.

Oh. Wait. The writers forgot about that, too.

I thought all the turtles had this job

[IndigoErth]

Yes it is, everyone.

Although in the [non-existing] debate between Leo or Raph being "the badass"... imo, they equally both are, their badassery is simply different styles. Raph being the brawler type while Leo's more of a classy, highly skilled type.