Were there any actual in-story implication that Splinter may never have been normal?

*neatoman* · 11-23-2021, 06:07 PM

I know Peter Laird has said Splinter was not a normal rat before he mutated and it was even in that packet Mirage sent to Playmates. However, was there any story that actually explained this? And I don't mean just showing he was able to remember martial arts moves and a love triangle in detail, I mean do they ever outright say or directly imply he had natural mutations and/or psychic powers when he was still a seemingly normal rat?

*CyberCubed* · 11-23-2021, 07:37 PM

I think he was starting to hint something in Vol. 4 before he stopped writing the series, as Splinter seemed to know about the Battle Nexus (in the same manner the 2k3 Splinter did), but since Vol. 4 has been dead for about a decade we'll never know.

*Andrew NDB* · 11-23-2021, 08:22 PM

There's an explanation in "Origin."

But yes. Peter has said in his blog when asked that yes, there was to be a story about Splinter not ever being a normal pet rat... but he didn't remember what it was. This was like 5 years ago.

*Leo656* · 11-24-2021, 12:16 PM

So it's a "Dumbledore was Gay" after-the-fact retcon, then.

*Andrew NDB* · 11-24-2021, 12:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Leo656

So it's a "Dumbledore was Gay" after-the-fact retcon, then.

If Peter was to be taken at his word then no, since there was apparently always some kind of a "Splinter wasn't a normal pet rat and this is how" story in the back of their heads since 1984. It's just... at some point, it was no longer in their heads and forgotten to time.

The equivalent would be like, J.K. Rowling being asked today what was Dumbledore's sexuality and her just being like, "You know, I DID have a story about his sexuality. I just don't know what it was about or what it revealed." So very different.

*Galactus* · 11-24-2021, 03:44 PM

It was probably not something the he and Kevin had in mind when they made #1 but it's clear early on they must have thought the rat mimicking martial arts thing was a little silly for a comic we're increasingly taking seriously thought that they needed something that sounded more credible to explain that. There's enough evidence from the aforementioned packet they sent to Playmates and the role playing books to bare that out but they never got around to fleshing out that idea.

*DrSpengler* · 11-24-2021, 06:12 PM

There's nothing specific that I recall ever making it to a Mirage issue. Splinter was shown to be "special" in certain spiritual ways:

He was chosen by the Pantheon to be the new Rat King but declined, indicating some sort of predestined significance for that role.

He was the mammal that raised 4 reptiles to overthrown the Adversary, release the Father, and restore the Ring... Something that seemed predestined.

But beyond what are surely coincidences added by other authors, nothing made it to page about Splinter being more than he seemed before he was mutated. I'm very proud of my story in "Origin", and unbelievably grateful to have seen it brought to life by Dan Berger, but it was all me connecting dots on my own and nothing drawn from whatever might have been in the noggins of Eastman and Laird.

11-23-2021, 08:22 PM	#3
Andrew NDB Weed Whacker Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: Auburn, WA Posts: 29,265	There's an explanation in "Origin." But yes. Peter has said in his blog when asked that yes, there was to be a story about Splinter not ever being a normal pet rat... but he didn't remember what it was. This was like 5 years ago. __________________ [ ODYSSEY \| ORIGIN \| THE IMAGE/VOL. 3 CONCLUSION \| THE SHELLSHOCKED PODCAST \| ON FACEBOOK ]

11-24-2021, 12:16 PM	#4
Leo656 The Franchise Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: nWo Country Posts: 27,696	So it's a "Dumbledore was Gay" after-the-fact retcon, then. __________________ "I left some words quite far from here to be a short reminder... I laid them out in stone, in case they need to last forever..." "But hey... I'm not telling you anything that you don't already know." nWo Tech: The Official Thread Poison of the Technodrome Forums https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCxr...awnHgDz1ceDcfA https://theroxxshow.blogspot.com/

11-23-2021, 07:37 PM	#2
CyberCubed Overlord Join Date: Dec 2004 Posts: 41,041	I think he was starting to hint something in Vol. 4 before he stopped writing the series, as Splinter seemed to know about the Battle Nexus (in the same manner the 2k3 Splinter did), but since Vol. 4 has been dead for about a decade we'll never know.

11-24-2021, 03:44 PM	#6
Galactus Foot Elite Join Date: Feb 2005 Posts: 2,949	It was probably not something the he and Kevin had in mind when they made #1 but it's clear early on they must have thought the rat mimicking martial arts thing was a little silly for a comic we're increasingly taking seriously thought that they needed something that sounded more credible to explain that. There's enough evidence from the aforementioned packet they sent to Playmates and the role playing books to bare that out but they never got around to fleshing out that idea.

11-24-2021, 06:12 PM	#7
DrSpengler Foot Elite Join Date: May 2003 Posts: 4,830	There's nothing specific that I recall ever making it to a Mirage issue. Splinter was shown to be "special" in certain spiritual ways: He was chosen by the Pantheon to be the new Rat King but declined, indicating some sort of predestined significance for that role. He was the mammal that raised 4 reptiles to overthrown the Adversary, release the Father, and restore the Ring... Something that seemed predestined. But beyond what are surely coincidences added by other authors, nothing made it to page about Splinter being more than he seemed before he was mutated. I'm very proud of my story in "Origin", and unbelievably grateful to have seen it brought to life by Dan Berger, but it was all me connecting dots on my own and nothing drawn from whatever might have been in the noggins of Eastman and Laird.