TheTeenage Mutant Ninja Turtlesfranchise has had a bit of a resurgence lately in both the comics and on the big screen. From legendary comic writerJason Aaron taking the reins inTMNT’s IDW Publishing continuityto the2023 filmTeenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem- this next generation of Turtle-Mania is only getting started. So, the only logical question is this: where will the franchise go next?
While the comic books are currently chartingan all-new path for the Ninja Turtles, the movies are currently re-hashing what fans have already seen in exciting new ways. For instance,Mutant Mayhemteased the introduction of Shredder, who is aclassicTMNTcharacter fans have known for decades. That means it’s fair to assume that the movies are going to reintroduce other things from the comics. So, why not some of the coolest comic book fights? Here are10 epicTeenage Mutant Ninja Turtlesfights fans deserve to see on the big screen!
10TMNT vs Shredder
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles#1 (Mirage Studios) by Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird
While the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles have certainly fought Shredder many times on-screen (and will again in the newMutant Mayhemcontinuity), they haven’t fought him like this before. Originally,theTMNTcomic book was dark and gritty, and not really suitable for kids like the franchise is today. The Turtles were trained from birth to do one thing and one thing only: kill Shredder. The Ninja Turtles were designed to settle a blood feud between Splinter and Shredder - and they did just that.
At the end of the first issue,the Ninja Turtles had Shredder cornered on a New York City rooftop, and they took turns beating, slicing, and stabbing him before ultimately throwing him off the roof. The Turtles brutally murdered Shredder, which is a version of their battle that fans deserve to see brought to life.
9Donatello vs Bebop & Rocksteady
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles#44 (IDW Publishing) by Kevin Eastman, Tom Waltz, & Mateus Santolouco
When it comes toTMNTmovies and television, Bebop and Rocksteady are always portrayed as bumbling idiots, and while there’s some truth to that in the comics, those depictions always downplay how serious of a threat they are. That’s why a futureTMNTfilm absolutely needs to include this moment from the IDW Publishing comic series: Bebop and Rocksteady vs Donatello. In the comics,Shredder orders Bebop and Rocksteady to kill Donatelloafter Donnie betrayed him (they made a temporary alliance) - and the two villains did just that.
Bebop and Rocksteady ambushed Donatello while he was in his laboratory all alone and proceeded to beat him to death. Donnie put up as much of a fight as he could, but in the end it was futile. This was a brutal moment in TMNT lore, and it needs to be seen on the big screen.
8TMNT vs Leonardo
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles#24 (IDW Publishing) by Kevin Eastman, Tom Waltz, & Mateus Santolouco
What’s cooler than watching an internal battle within a team of heroes on the big screen? Marvel did it withCivil War, DC did it withBatman v Superman, so now it’s time forTMNTto follow suit. Luckily, any futureTMNTmovie has the perfect comic to pull from. InTMNT#24, Leonardo is corrupted by the evil goddess, Kitsune, which opens him up to Shredder’s dark influence.Leonardo becomes Shredder’s apprentice, and to prove his loyalty to his new master, Leo takes on the rest of the TMNT.
Leonardo is easily the most skilled Ninja Turtle, especially in their early years, sohe was more than capable of taking on his brothers- especially after extra training from Shredder. All-in-all, this is a badass ‘hero vs hero’ story that needs the live-action treatment.
7Casey Jones vs Foot Clan Police Force
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles#5 (IDW Publishing) by Jason Aaron and Darick Robertson
While the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles themselves have no shortage of amazing fights, they’re not the only ones. In fact, the Turtles' long-time friend and ally,Casey Jones, has one of the coolest battles inTMNThistoryduring the most recent ongoing comic series. After a corrupt politician rises to power (who is little more than a puppet of the Foot Clan), a Foot Clan police force becomes the prime authority in New York City - and that doesn’t sit well with Casey Jones one but.
Forget the Turtles, Casey Jones Is Officially the Coolest TMNT Character
The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles are undeniably cool, perhaps the coolest characters in comic book history, but they’ve been usurped by Casey Jones.
Knowing that the Turtles won’t be there to back him up, and understanding that he may lose his life,Casey Jones challenges a small army of Foot Clan officers, who are dressed in full riot gear, and are literally trained killers. Casey takes them all one single-handedly, and it’s one of the coolest moments inTMNT.
6Raphael vs Prisoners
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles#1 (IDW Publishing) by Jason Aaron and Joëlle Jones
Another absolutely epic fight scene in the latest ongoingTMNTcomic book series that should definitely be adapted to the big screen is Raphael vs a gang of prisoners. At the start of this newTMNTstoryline, Raphael finds himself in prison doing an undercover job for the warden. This leads Raphael to uncover a conspiracy involving the Foot Clan, but not beforeRaph is brought face-to-face with a gang of prisoners, who try to kill Raphaelwhile they were attempting to escape from prison.
While Raphael has certainly been in more epic fights than this, this one stands out from the rest because of its grittiness and brutality. It’s as ifthis fight was the momentTMNTreturned to its original form, and a version of it should definitely be brought to the big screen.
5Splinter vs Shredder
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles#50 (IDW Publishing) by Kevin Eastman, Tom Waltz, & Mateus Santolouco
While Splinter and Shredder have battled it out in multiple live-actionTMNTfilms, their movie fights weren’t nearly as brutal as this one. In the comics (specifically the IDW Publishing continuity), Splinter and Shredder engage in a fight to the death to end the conflict between the Foot and Hamato Clans once and for all. And, in the end,Splinter got the best of Shredder, and ended the fight by cutting off Oroku Saki’s head- killing Shredder honorably, yet brutally.
Of course, Shredder’s death didn’t exactly stick in the comics, as he was quickly resurrected and is still at large (albeit in another dimension). But, how cool would it be ifa futureTMNTmovie adapted this comic and made it the definitive end of the Shredder?
4Foot Clan vs Utroms
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles#43 (IDW Publishing) by Kevin Eastman, Tom Waltz, & Cory Smith
At the beginning of IDW Publishing’sTMNTcontinuity, Shredder and the Foot Clan were working with General Krang and what remained of his Utrom race. Krang wanted to terraform Earth to make it a new home for the Utroms, and Shredder was willing to let him do it so long as he and the Foot ruled over a portion of the planet following the Utrom takeover. However, their relationship eventually soured, andShredder and the Foot battled Krang and his Utroms in a brutal battlethat quite literally decided the fate of the world.
Right now in the newMutant Mayhem TMNTcontinuity, Shredder is working with a villain named Cynthia Utrom, whose name implies a connection with Krang and the entire Utrom race. If/when their relationship sours like it did in the comics,Mutant Mayhemshould absolutely bring this awesome battle to the big screen.
3TMNT vs Power Rangers
Mighty Morphin Power Rangers/Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles(BOOM! Studios/IDW Publishing) by Ryan Parrott and Simone Di Meo
One thing that’s really cool about theTeenage Mutant Ninja Turtlesfranchise that the movies have never tapped into is its many crossovers.TMNThas offered fans incredible crossover stories - indeed,TMNTis a leading franchise in comic book crossovers - so it’s time to start bringing them to the big screen. And one of the ones that should absolutely be highlighted first isTMNT’s crossover with thePower Rangers.
TMNTandPower Rangershave had multiple crossovers, all of which should be adapted to the big screen!
Not only dothe Ninja Turtles fight the Power Rangers in this crossover, but they also get the chance to tangle with the Power Rangers' villains, and get some pretty cool upgrades.The Ninja Turtles get awesome Power Ranger redesigns, while thePower Rangers get sweet mutant redesignsin turn. Fans absolutely deserve to see that brought to the big screen!
2TMNT vs Street Fighter
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles vs Street Fighter(IDW Publishing) by Paul Allor and Ariel Medel
AnotherTMNTcrossover thatshould definitely get the big-screen treatment isTeenage Mutant Ninja Turtles vs Street Fighter. This list is meant to capture some of the best fights inTMNThistory, and this crossover offers nothing but awesome fights! The entire book is a love-letter to old school arcade fighting games, and its tournament-style storytelling offers non-stop action. Plus,Street Fighteras a franchise needs a resurgence(especially with how popular Mortal Kombat has become recently in terms of its live-action and animated films),so aTMNTcrossover would be perfectin that regard as well.
This potential future film could even feature the version of the Ninja Turtles brought to life in the newMutant Mayhemcontinuity, as it would be a super-fun ‘side quest’ for them that would ultimately make them better fighters when they ultimately take on the Shredder and the Utroms.
1TMNT vs Spawn
TMNT#24 (Image Comics) - “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles vs Spawn” by Frank Fosco
While the TMNT’s fight with Spawn in this comic amounted to little more than a single page (and was more of a pitch than a full story), the fact that it is an incomplete fight means it should absolutely be brought to life.A “TMNT vs Spawn” movie would be amazingon so many levels. It would perfectly honorTMNT’s time as an Image Comics franchise, it would simply be awesome to see, and it would actually open the Ninja Turtles up to the multiverse in a surprisingly interesting way.
Right now, it’s been theorized thatSpawn will appear in the next season of Prime Video’sInvincible, so if Spawn fought the Ninja Turtles first, that would open theTMNTup to that particular sandbox as well for future stories. All-in-all,a fight with Spawn is something theTMNTfranchise should absolutely bring to the big screen, just like the rest of these awesome battles inTeenage Mutant Ninja Turtleshistory.
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (TMNT) is a multi-media franchise that began with Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird’s comics in the 1980s. Throughout the years, their comic books expanded to movies, TV shows, video games, and toys. Most notably, the animated Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles ran for nearly a decade and has become a nostalgic staple of the ‘80s and ‘90s. Several other movies have featured the four anthropomorphic turtle brothers (Leonardo, Michelangelo, Donatello, and Raphael), including the trilogy of live-action films in the ‘90s and the more recent movies Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and its sequel Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows.
