"What If Their Creation Is Not Good for Humanity?": Last Ronin's New Generation of TMNT Flip the Originals' Origin with Dark Twist

Summary The new TMNT creation raises questions on whether it is beneficial for humanity or not.

Fugitoid questions April's motives in creating the new TMNT during a time of peace.

The new TMNT exhibit unpredictable mutant powers that could potentially lead to catastrophe.

Warning: Contains SPOILERS for Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Last Ronin II - Re-Evolution #2! The creation of the original Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles was guided by destiny through a series of seemingly random and utterly improbable events. The Turtles weren’t just regular turtles mutated by mutagen ooze, the TMNT were actually the reincarnation of Hamato Yoshi’s children in feudal Japan, and their reincarnation was an aspect of universal balance that saw them fulfill their destiny of ridding the evil of the Foot Clan from the world. And now, with the creation of the new TMNT in The Last Ronin continuity, everyone is left asking: “What if their creation is not good for humanity?”.

In Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Last Ronin II - Re-Evolution #2 by Kevin Eastman, Tom Waltz, Ben Bishop, and Esau and Isaac Escorza, April O’Neil is speaking with the Fugitoid, whose consciousness now resides within a super computer in a secret base. April and Fugitoid are testing the DNA of Odyn after he mysteriously turned to stone during their last mission.

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While they are waiting for the results, Fugitoid calls into question the nature of his and the others’ mutations, questioning whether the new TMNT’s existence is actually good for both humanity and for the Turtles individually. Fugitoid recounts how the original TMNT came about during a time of turmoil in the world, after a series of improbable accidents. He then compared that to the origin of the new TMNT, which were created under wildly different circumstances: April created them deliberately.

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TMNT’s New Turtles Possibly Go Against Universal Balance

The nature of the original TMNT’s creation was entirely intertwined with the universe, as fate itself plucked the Hamato children’s spirits and placed them in the bodies of four anthropomorphic, mutated turtles in order to stop the Foot Clan and usher in an era of peace. The Turtles’ cosmic purpose came to fruition in The Last Ronin, as Michelangelo completed the mission of destroying the Foot Clan once and for all. And then, after the universe literally created the TMNT to restore balance to the world, April O’Neil created a new batch.

As Fugitoid pointed out, April mutated four turtles during an era of peace, one which Michelangelo sacrificed himself to bring about. Sure, there was still work to be done in restoring societal order, but humanity was on the upswing since the fall of the Foot. In other words, a ‘TMNT’ wasn’t explicitly needed at that time, despite that being the reason April gave for creating them. What’s more likely is that April created the new TMNT for selfish reasons, as she missed the friends she’d lost, and wanted to return to a simpler time - no matter the consequences.

How TMNT’s New Turtles Could Be Detrimental to Humanity

In the first two issues of Re-Evolution, it’s shown that the new TMNT are developing mutant powers more akin to the X-Men than their predecessors. That’s the reason April and Fugitoid are even discussing the nature of the new TMNT’s creation, as Odyn turned his skin to stone during battle - and he wasn’t the only one who exhibited mutant powers. Later in this issue, Yi conjured an electrical force field strong enough to stop a falling police car that nearly crushed them. While these powers are fantastic, they are wildly unpredictable, and could result in widespread cataclysm.

How powerful are their newfound mutant abilities? What kinds of powers will manifest in the two remaining turtles? Both fans and the in-world heroes will have to wait for these questions to be answered, including perhaps the most pressing one of all: what if their creation is not good for humanity? Indeed, the new Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles’ origin is a dark twist on that of their predecessors by seemingly being an affront to nature rather than a part of it, and only time will tell how bad the situation could get as a result of April O’Neil’s actions.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Last Ronin II - Re-Evolution #2 by IDW Publishing is available now.