TMNT Officially Debuts Donatello's Children, With Their Own Matching Names

Summary Donatello meets his future children, the Warp Turtles - beings created in the future by a corrupted Donny.

The Warp Turtles are named Max, Pris and Roy in a reference to Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? - the book that inspired Blade Runner.

The Warp Turtles hate the older Donny for being an awful father, but the younger version is able to strike up his own relationship with the two who survive this adventure.

Warning: contains spoilers for Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #150!As IDW's Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles series ends its current volume - drawing to a close Sophie Campbell's celebrated run - there's still time for one last twist, as Donatello unites with his NEW kids, the Warp Turtles. Gray-skinned turtles with purple robes, the Warp Turtles are a fascinating addition to TMNT lore, as well as a dark reminder of who Donatello may be destined to become.

In Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #150, Donatello is on a quest to defeat the apocalyptic villain Armaggon and seeks out his future self for help. Recent comics have revealed a tragic future where the Turtles split up, leading Donatello to become obsessed with magic and lose his moral center. This version of Donny used the Warp Crystal to create a new family, who end up confronting Donatello as he searches for their father. Overjoyed to meet his future-timeline kids, Donatello introduces himself to Max, Pris and Roy.

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Sadly, the kids aren't as thrilled to meet their father's younger self - they reveal that the future magician Donatello is a cruel creator who doesn't see them as real people and resents them because he sees his own flaws mirrored in his children. While Max, Pris, and Roy help Donatello find his older self and defeat Armaggon, it's not without a cost, as the older Donny kills Max in a brutal attempt to prove he isn't "real."

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #150 Writer: Sophie Campbell

Artists: Vincenzo Federici, Fero Pe, Dan Duncan, Sophie Campbell

Colorists: Ronda Pattison, Luis Antonio Delgado

Letterer: Shawn Lee

Story Consultant: Kevin Eastman

Cover Artist: Vincenzo Federici

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It's possible that Roy and Pris will be heroes in ancient Japan, acting as the very first Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles...

Meet Donatello's Kids: Roy, Max and Pris

TMNT's Donny Unites with the 'Warp Turtles'

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In recent comics, Donatello has been researching QNA - a substance within the body that gives each being a unique connection to the timestream. It's this substance that caused the four Hamato brothers to be reincarnated as turtles - in fact, this issue reveals that Donatello and the Warp Turtles were responsible for gathering the brothers' QNA, with the mystic Turtle Venus using it to engineer the TMNT's origin as fans know it.

The Warp Turtles' names are a reference to Philip K. Dick's Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? - the 1968 novel that was eventually adapted into Ridley Scott's Blade Runner...

Studying QNA has allowed Donatello some ability to travel in time, with his older wizard self mastering the substance and using it to create life. Roy, Max and Pris confirm that they were each made with Donatello's QNA, and that they're just three of many, many children the future Donny created to try and rebuild his shattered family. Sadly, this version of Donatello lost himself to loneliness and paranoia, becoming a monster while wielding the infinite potential of QNA. Thankfully, TMNT #150 sees the original Donatello fight against becoming this villain, especially as he strikes up a new relationship with his kids.

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Interestingly, Pris and Roy are seen when Donatello travels back to the Tokugawa Period, but not when he returns to the present to reunite with his siblings. It's possible that he dropped them off in either the present or future, but there's also the possibility that they remained in the past, becoming heroes in the era when the four Hamato brothers were originally born - an exciting premise that seems custom-made for a thrilling spin-off series.

Why Donatello's Kids Are Named After Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?

The Blade Runner-Inspiring Book Is About Synthetic People

When Max, Pris, and Roy first introduce themselves, Donatello immediately replies, "Oh! I love that book! That's perfect!" This is because his kids' names are a reference to Philip K. Dick's Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? - the 1968 novel that was eventually adapted into Ridley Scott's Blade Runner. The book follows bounty hunter Rick Deckard, who is contracted to kill several incredibly realistic androids posing as humans. The novel explores themes of empathy and what it means to be human, contrasting the 'fake' androids against 'real' humans who are nevertheless callous, fickle and apathetic.

The older Donatello naming his children Roy, Max and Pris can be reader as a cruel joke, since he doesn't actually see them as real people. All three names are used by androids in Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?, and the younger Donatello notes the irony - that like the androids, his kids aren't 'real' humans in a biological sense, even though he sees them as human in every way that matters. Indeed, Donatello is disgusted with his older self and brands him a "monster" after he uses the Warp Crystal to kill Max.

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The Turtles are incredibly malleable as characters, so it makes sense for the franchise to explore the worst-case scenario of who they could become as adults.

TMNT Has a Growing Interest in the Brothers' Future

The Turtles' Dark Transformations Match Their Original Gritty Comics

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Recently, the TMNT franchise has been intensely interested in potential futures where the franchise's siblings grow apart. As well as making Donatello a corrupted magician, the future Jennika is shown to be a cyborg warrior, while Leonardo's future has been brought into question as he unlocks his dark side through mystical means. Meanwhile, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Annual - Out of Time #1 introduced a future version of Raphael who has become a grizzled warrior with a cybernetic arm. Most famously, 2020's blockbuster miniseries Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Last Ronin revealed a future where Michelangelo is the last surviving brother, beginning a mission of vengeance for his fallen siblings.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Annual - Out of Time #1 has the creative team of Michael Walsh, Vlad Legostaev, Santtos, Jason Wordie, and Shawn Lee. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Last Ronin #1 comes from Peter Laird, Tom Waltz, Kevin Eastman, Ben Bishop, Esau Escorza, Isaac Escorza, Luis Antonio Delgado, Samuel Plata and Shawn Lee.

Debuting in 1984 in a surprisingly grim and gritty comic series from Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird, the Turtles have been through endless incarnations, with multiple generations of fans finding different things to love in the franchise. The turtles have been everything from a brutal parody of dark '80s comics like The Dark Knight Returns to the definitive Saturday morning cartoon show. From these original gory comics to incarnations where the brothers aren't even allowed to use their weapons, the Turtles are incredibly malleable as characters, so it makes sense for the franchise to explore the worst-case scenario of who they could become as adults.

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In Donatello's case, his future wizard self reveals just how powerful he could become, able to create life itself on a whim and manipulate the timestream. However, it also explores the self-hatred that he will feel if he chooses power over family - a process that begins with Donny thinking he knows best and trying to fix problems that the brothers need to handle together. It's a cool detail of recent TMNT comics to see a future Raphael fighting solo, Donatello surrounded by family he won't acknowledge, and Michelangelo eaten alive by his continuing commitment to a dead family - different takes on the same core idea that show how each Turtle's personality gives them a unique tragedy.

The Last Ronin revealed a new generation of Turtles raised by April O'Neil and her daughter Casey Marie Jones - Uno, Odyn, Yi and Moja.

Last Ronin Introduced Four New Turtle Siblings

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Of course, the Warp Turtles aren't the only new generation of Turtles introduced to TMNT lore. The Last Ronin revealed a new generation of Turtles raised by April O'Neil and her daughter Casey Marie Jones. Trained according to Michelangelo's teachings, the new Turtles are Uno, Odyn, Yi and Moja - names which all mean 'one' in a different language, reflecting Michelangelo's realization that Turtle siblings must remember that while they are individuals, they are also a family, and their destinies will always be intertwined. Having appeared in Lost Day Special and the miniseries The Lost Years, the new turtles will soon appear in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Last Ronin II - Re-Evolution, becoming the protectors of a future New York City.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Last Ronin - Lost Day Special #1 had the creative team of Tom Waltz, Kevin Eastman​​​​​​​, Freddie E. Williams II​​​​​​​, Ben Bishop​​​​​​​, Esau Escorza​​​​​​​, Isaac Escorza, Luis Antonio Delgado and Shawn Lee. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Last Ronin - The Lost Years #1 came from Eastman, Waltz, Bishop, Delgado, Lee, Escorza, Maria Keane, and S.L. Gallant.

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As the franchise enters an era where its legacy in pop culture is apparent, it's no surprise that creators are using that theme in their ongoing stories...

Sophie Campbell's series has also seen the Turtles effectively adopting Zink, Zanna and Mushroom - three weasel children mutated by antihero Old Hob. As the franchise enters an era where its legacy in pop culture is apparent, it's no surprise that creators are using that theme in their ongoing stories, exploring how the Turtles change the world around them in good and bad ways, and the legacy they have as heroes. For decades, the Turtles have undergone transformation after transformation as they're rebooted for new series and movies - it's cool to see the comics going a step further and taking the idea of a new generation of Turtles far more literally.

As Jason Aaron launches IDW's new volume of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, the series is returning to its gritty roots with what's already shaping up to be a very specific tone and voice separate to Campbell's run. However, while it's clear Aaron has plans to explore his own ideas, the series will continue in IDW's established continuity, meaning that whether they return immediately or in months or years' time, Donatello's kids are now a fascinating new part of TMNT lore that fans will eventually see again.

TMNT #150 is available now from IDW Comics.