TMNT Reveals the Human Forms of Bebop and Rocksteady, Answering a Question Fans Have Asked for Years

Warning: Contains SPOILERS for Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Nation #2! Bebop and Rocksteady are two of the most recognizable characters in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles history. Well, when they’re mutants, anyway. Truth be told, their human forms have always been a bit of mystery within the realm of IDW Publishing’s established TMNT canon. Fans knew Bebop and Rocksteady were once humans, but they never got the chance to see them that way in this continuity - at least, until now.

In Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Nation #2 “Casey Jones: Agent of the Foot Clan” by Erik Burnham and Mateus Santolouco, Casey Jones is training with his fellow Foot Clan soldiers when Bebop and Rocksteady appear without warning. While the sight of these two mutant behemoths would usually mean trouble - especially for a TMNT ally like Casey Jones - that isn’t the case. Bebop and Rocksteady merely want Casey’s help using the Foot Clan’s teleportation device, as they want to go to Las Vegas for a bit of harmless fun.

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When Casey comments on the fact that they are mutants, and will likely terrify the other people in Vegas, Bebop and Rocksteady show him why that won’t be a problem. Karai, the leader of the Foot Clan, gave the two mutants pieces of high-tech equipment they can wear on their wrists that will create a hologram of their human selves to hide their mutant forms - giving fans a glimpse at what they originally looked like in IDW’s TMNT continuity.

Bebop & Rocksteady’s Human Forms are Much More Significant than TMNT Fans Realize

If Bebop & Rocksteady Can Use Holograms to ‘Become’ Human, so Can Every Other Mutant

While the sight of Bebop and Rocksteady as humans is noteworthy in and of itself, the implications of how they were able to ‘become’ human again are incredibly significant. Bebop and Rocksteady used hologram generator devices that they can wear on their wrists, which totally hide the fact that they’re mutants behind their human forms. That means this method could work for every mutant in TMNT, perhaps even the Ninja Turtles themselves.

But, even if this method only works for mutants that were once humans, that’s still incredibly significant. In IDW continuity, the human residents of an entire New York City neighborhood were mutated, forcing them to take up new lives within the section of the city designated Mutant Town. These people’s lives were completely uprooted, as they no longer fit into human society, and had to rebuild their lives in a mutant community. But now, with these devices, these people have the chance to go back to their normal lives - a potential story arc TMNT should absolutely explore.

This Isn’t the First Time Bebop & Rocksteady’s Human Forms Have Been Revealed

Bebop & Rocksteady’s Human Forms Haven’t Been Shown in IDW Until Now, but They Have in Other TMNT Series

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While the implication of how Bebop and Rocksteady ‘became’ humans once more is the perfect setup for a future TMNT story arc, their human forms themselves are still the main takeaway from this issue. But, even though this is the first time fans have seen their human forms in IDW Publishing’s continuity, Bebop and Rocksteady have been shown as humans before in other series. The two most notable are the ‘90s TMNT animated series and the live-action film Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows, both of which prominently feature Bebop and Rocksteady before they were mutated.

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However, just because fans have seen Bebop and Rocksteady as humans before in other TMNT series doesn’t mean this moment is any less impactful. IDW Publishing has been the definitive Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles continuity since launching the comic series back in 2011, and that also goes for these versions of Bebop and Rocksteady - making this moment one that was long overdue.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Nation #2 by IDW Publishing is available now.