Trying to Scientifically define Mutagen's effects

[Tarris Vaal]

This is an interesting line of thought that came up on one of the other threads - and I will apologise in advance if this question has come up ad infinitum. Threadomancy, gotta love it.

Anyway, the question is; 'How exactly does the Mutagen work?'

The ooze and its exact effects appears to change from iteration to iteration so to be clearer we will focus only on the 2k12 series.

So what do we know about it?

* It is milked from the Krathatrogons, a worm creature from Dimension X. Presumably it is a food source for their young.

* The Kraang use it to mutate other creatures. It is implied that within Dimension X, this can be done with significant precision as it is mentioned frequently that it doesnt work as expected in our universe.

* The Kraang are convinced that April's specially bred telekinetic powers can stabilise the mutagen enough to allow it to be used for the Kraang's intended purposes.

- However - The invasion shows the Kraang happily using it without April in a reasonably consistent manner. Presumably this is a modified version which has a compromise effect (its not what the Kraang intended, but it'll do)

* It is generally kept sealed. Whilst 'fresh' it appears to most commonly combine the prominent DNA features from a creature that the affected subject recently came in contact with (even if this was some time beforehand, eg Dogpound, Kirby and Fishface). How it determines exactly what creature to combine with from the subjects previous encounters is unclear and may be pot luck.

- This effect does not commonly fuse the creatures together unless the subjects are in close proximity and exposed at the same time (Baxter, Karai or Chimera)

* The newly mutated creatures are commonly much bigger physically. Though not in all cases (Squirrelanoids initial stage, Ice cream kitty and Dr Cluckingsworth MD)

* Newly mutated creatures commonly exhibit abilities that neither the subject nor its additional DNA had (eg Fishface's poison, Dogpound's bony extrusions, Karai's additional heads, Spiderbyte's spitting acid, Rahzar's shooting finger bones, Timothy's acid)

* Unsealed mutagen appears to be more unstable, resulting in mutations that seem to detract from the original subject's physical body (Rahzar and Timothy)

* Mutagen has been shown to mutate plant matter (Creep, Mushroom man and Snakeweed)

* Mutagen has also been shown to mutate non organic matter (Speed Demon), though this is very unclear how.

* Mutagen can be extracted from a subject resulting in it returning to a normal or alternate state (Creep, Raphael)

* April ONeil is immune to its effects. This is presumably a unique trait of her unusual biology. It is unclear and untested if this is true of more mutants (as only 1 has ever been exposed twice)

* To date it has very rarely fused clothing with a subject (Cockroach terminator is only known example though clothing has disappeared in other cases and remained in others (Karai's breastplate remained for instance, where Timothy's entire costume vanished))

* We know it burns and that mutation is a painful process. This implies a significant increase in thermal energy during a mutation.

* Mutated creatures appear to have a roughly 85% chance of being sentient and non feral. (Rahzar/Dogpound, the Turtles, Splinter, Tigerclaw, April ONeil, Fishface, Punk Frogs, Dr Cluckingsworth MD, Bebop, Rocksteady, Baxter Stockman, Mushroom man, Spiderbytes, Snakeweed, Karai, Speed Demon (insane) as opposed to Squirrelanoids, Creep, Chimera, Ice Cream Kitty, Timothy, Kirby)
Presumably, mutants that started human have a higher chance of being non feral/sane/sentient, whilst non humans are less likely. This is by no means guaranteed (the Turtles themselves being perfect examples)

edit:

* It appears likely that the likelihood of a resulting Feral mutation can be influenced by the emotional state of the subject at the time of mutation. Calm subjects (such as Splinter, the Turtles, Dogpound, Fishface) appear more likely to be non Feral. Agitated or panicking subjects (Kirby, Karai, Baxter...) are more prone to feral mutation.

* Mutagen is shown to remain inside the subject - Speed demon for instance spreads mutagen over a wide area when destroyed. It is also shown to be extractable (Raphael and the Creep), which can result in unusual effects or the reversal of the mutagenic effect.

Edit:

* Mutagen has shown to require direct contact exposure. Commonly this is depicted as skin contact - suggesting that the mutagen is absorbed through the epidermis and into the cellular structure of the subject, presumably transferred through the body by moving into the bloodstream and the lymphatic system. It is implied that organic based clothing provides no defence against this absorption into the body, however there is very little direct on screen evidence either way. This becomes more complex with the question of how Speed Demon became mutated given there is no bloodstream, nor lymphatic system to conduct the mutagen through the car, nor an epidermis to absorb mutagen through.

* Mutagen has also been observed to enter the digestive system (Ice Cream Kitty, and possibly Pizza Face). Given the speed of mutation on screen, this appears to work in the same manner as skin contact; mutagen is absorbed into the body, moving through the bloodstream to attack the subjects cellular structure.

From the evidence it seems reasonable to presume there are 3 versions of mutagen:

Contained Fresh - The most commonly depicted. This appears to randomly take DNA from a source the subject was recently exposed to and fuse it with the subject. The exact process is unclear (for instance - just what did the Squirrelanoids fuse with???) and effects on personal items about the subject appears random. Mutation appears to take apx 5 seconds.
Fresh mutagen is capable of creating mutants from Inert objects (cars) and create sentient creatures from non sentient objects (Creep, Speed Demon)
Exact abilities appear random

Contained, non Fresh - Commonly depicted in large vats within Shredder's lair. Though similar to Fresh Mutagen, this appears to have more unpredictable effects, and is often more debilitating with a higher chance of feral mutations. Effects take a little longer to occur (nearing 10s)

Weaponized - Depicted only once in Invasion. A variant of mutagen that creates consistent effects on subjects it touches. Humans and animals become 'Kraangy' whilst tarmac reacts by becoming crystalline. Effects are near instantaneous.



Initial thoughts? Did I miss anything?