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The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles have become a global sensation, with their tales appearing in various formats, from comics by three different publishers, to cartoons, and even five blockbuster movies. Along their journey, the Turtles have collected some truly jaw-dropping stories and trivia that are sure to catch fans off guard.
10. The Shredder's Design Was Inspired By A Grater
Shredder, the archvillain of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, is one of those oddities that fans of comics and cartoons are simply expected to accept. On the surface, it seems completely illogical for a stealthy ninja, trained in the art of ninjutsu, to don a flashy purple outfit and armor made of gleaming metal.
Interestingly, Shredder's design was inspired by a real-life incident involving Ninja Turtles co-creator Kevin Eastman. One night, while cleaning dishes, Eastman accidentally put his arm through a rectangular cheese grater and held onto its handle. The moment sparked a creative idea: the image of someone wearing a series of grater-like objects and wielding them in combat. This was the moment Master Shredder was born, and it became the reason he’s always trying to shred the Turtles (Link 1).
If that wasn’t strange enough, Eastman and co-creator Peter Laird revealed in a recent interview that Shredder's name could have been “The Grater,” but Laird wisely suggested the name “The Shredder” instead.
9. The Ninja Turtles Were Originally Intended To Be Assassins
For many fans, the first introduction to the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles came through the original cartoon, which portrayed them as well-rounded teenagers who had simply been trained in ninjutsu by their sensei, Splinter. However, the Turtles initially emerged from a far darker, black-and-white comic produced by Mirage Studios, where their purpose was not just martial arts but something far more sinister: to kill Shredder.
And that’s precisely what they did. The original comics reveal that when Shredder was younger, he had murdered the man who owned Splinter (who was a regular rat at the time, though he had already begun learning ninja moves by observing humans). Years later, the mutated rat seeks revenge, and his trained assassins challenge Shredder. Shredder arrives with his (entirely human, not robotic) army of ninjas, but the Turtles eliminate them all and defeat Shredder in battle.
The Turtles then present Shredder with the option to restore his honor through ritual suicide. Instead, he attempts to detonate a bomb to destroy them, but the Turtles throw him from the building, causing the bomb to detonate and kill him. While the Turtles' stories would later become lighter in tone, it’s undeniable that they began in an incredibly dark place.
8. The Ninja Turtles Were Originally A Satirical Take On Daredevil
It may be surprising, but the comic Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles wasn’t intended to be particularly serious. Instead, it served as a direct parody of Daredevil, with plenty of references to other comic books thrown in. For example, the Turtles’ origin—the tale of a young man who’s struck by a radioactive metal container while saving someone from being hit by a truck—is exactly what turned Matt Murdock into Daredevil. The Turtles comic simply focused on what came next, suggesting that the mutagenic container could have affected others too.
Additionally, Master Splinter’s name is a clear reference to Daredevil’s mentor, Stick. The Turtles' foes, the Foot Clan, are a fairly obvious imitation of Daredevil’s ninja enemies, The Hand. But it wasn’t just Daredevil that received parody treatment: the concept of the Turtles was derived from combining popular comics like Teen Titans and X-Men, which gave rise to the idea of teenage mutants.
However, the Turtles weren’t a complete copy: Eastman and Laird at least came up with the concept of “they’re turtles” on their own.
7. Krang Wasn’t Always Bad, And He Wasn’t Always Krang
For fans of the original Ninja Turtles cartoon, few images were as memorable (or unsettling) as Krang, the evil living brain who piloted a massive robotic body and teamed up with Shredder to battle the Turtles.
Interestingly, Krang was inspired by an alien species from the original comics called the Utroms, and the only thing he had in common with them was his appearance. While the cartoon version of Krang is a ruthless soldier from Dimension X who has been severed from his original body, the Utroms were a peaceful, kind-hearted race from another planet that crash-landed on Earth two decades ago. They quietly blended into human society inside android bodies while relentlessly working on a method to teleport back to their home planet. During their research, they lost a canister of experimental material—an accident that ultimately led to the mutation of the Ninja Turtles.
6. April O’Neil Might Have Originally Been A Black Woman
April O’Neil’s classic look from the original Turtles cartoon—pale skin, red hair, and a yellow jumpsuit—has since become a staple of American pop culture. However, she was initially conceived as a black woman (though this was not always clear in the early black-and-white comics), with the change to a white character only occurring in the 1980s cartoon and later adaptations.
In black-and-white comics, identifying a character’s race can be tricky. Additionally, the varying artistic styles of the different contributors to the original Mirage comic meant that April was sometimes depicted with different skin tones. However, an early color cover image of April distinctly shows darker skin and curly black hair. Furthermore, in certain issues, especially “Tales of the TMNT #7,” her skin is clearly dark.
While we may never get a definitive answer from creators Eastman and Laird regarding April’s original race, the cartoon did turn other characters of color white. This included Baxter Stockman—–originally a black man, later made white for the original cartoon—–and Shredder himself, who had to be the whitest Asian ever drawn, much less ever voiced by Uncle Phil from The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air.
5. The Nina Turtles Bopped Around Space In A Giant Cow Head
Archie Comics’ rendition of the Ninja Turtles initially mirrored the original TV show, with the first seven issues directly adapting episodes. However, the comic soon ventured into its own territory, and while it didn’t get as outlandish as its Mirage Comics counterpart, Archie still managed to create some truly bizarre moments.
Case in point: “Cudley the Cowlick,” a giant flying android cow head that carried people across the universe in his mouth. Cudley was also capable of extra-dimensional travel, meaning he was able to visit both the cartoon-like Archie Comics universe and the hardcore black-and-white Mirage Comics world. This makes Cudley something of a pioneer, as the concept of different versions of the Turtles simultaneously existing in separate dimensions would be later explored in the cartoon crossover Ninja Turtles Forever. In this special, the Ninja Turtles from the 2003 cartoon visited the Ninja Turtles from the classic 1987 cartoon.
4. The Ninja Turtles Fought And Killed The Devil
For most of their Archie Comics run, the Ninja Turtles primarily battled “street-level” villains, much like their Daredevil counterparts. However, in one particularly strange storyline, they took on a horned figure named Mr. Null, who claimed to be the devil, and his demonic horsemen of the Apocalypse.
Initially, Null appeared as a typical villainous businessman, dumping hazardous materials into the ocean. However, it was eventually revealed that he was the one who sold the world to an alien named Maligna. As part of this agreement, Null's mission was to wipe out humanity. To help him achieve this, he enlisted the help of his demonic henchmen, eventually claiming to be the Devil himself.
In the end, both Null and Maligna were defeated by Slash, the villain-turned-Turtle. However, before their demise, Null orchestrated one of the most disturbing events in Archie Comics history—his cyborg assassins ruthlessly murdering the Mighty Mutanimals. This dark moment marked the culmination of a failed effort to create a Mutanimals cartoon, in which Null's superior, Maligna, was meant to be a recurring antagonist.
3. April O’Neil Isn’t Human
While the Archie Comics' take on the Ninja Turtles certainly ventured into some wild and bizarre territory, the original Mirage Comics were in a league of their own when it came to purely strange tales. One of the oddest involved a young artist named Kirby (a nod to the legendary comic creator Jack Kirby) who, thanks to a magical crystal, had the ability to bring anything he drew to life. Donatello embarks on a thrilling adventure in a world where Kirby's drawings are wreaking havoc on people, and it seems like the story ends there.
But it turns out that April O’Neil's father had once owned the same crystal, which he used to draw a sketch of the daughter he wished he had many years ago. After learning this through some time travel shenanigans, April embarks on a journey to Alaska, facing an existential crisis as she grapples with the idea that she may not be a real person, but rather a living ink drawing, magically brought to life.
2. Raphael Once Punched Hitler
As mentioned earlier, when Archie’s Ninja Turtles comic decided to take a strange turn, it never held back. One of the most unforgettable storylines introduced the future versions of the Turtles, including a particularly memorable Raphael sporting an eye patch.
No time travel story is ever complete without its fair share of twists, and in this case, Hitler’s brain manages to build itself a robotic body, traveling back in time to join forces with his physical self. The logic here is simple: If one Hitler nearly conquered the world, then two Hitlers—one with a wealth of futuristic knowledge—should definitely be able to do it.
Unfortunately, things go awry when the brain’s protective glass shatters, leading to a legendary moment where Future Raphael punches out the flesh-and-blood Hitler while trying to retrieve his own brain. Hitler later recovers and faces off with the Turtles. Not to be outdone, Leonardo claims that the Turtles are demons who have already claimed Hitler’s soul and are now after his brain. This causes Hitler to shoot himself in the head to protect his mind, and whether this creates a wacky new timeline or provides an explanation for Hitler’s real-life suicide is left up to the reader.
1. There Was Almost A Sequel To The Third Ninja Turtles Movie
The 2007 CGI Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles film, along with the high-budget Michael Bay reboot in 2014, marked a new era for the franchise. The original movie series kicked off in 1989, but it sadly concluded with the disappointing Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 3 in 1993. However, this film nearly had a sequel, and early concept art shows that it might have made Ninja Turtles 3 seem like a masterpiece in comparison.
Many Turtles enthusiasts—particularly those who are fond of the original Mirage comics—lament the campy tone introduced in the second and third films, which veered away from the darker, grittier feel of the comics. That grittier atmosphere was something the first movie at least tried to capture. Ninja Turtles 4 was envisioned as a return to that original tone, aiming to be a more mature film. It would have introduced a tough new turtle named Kirby (pictured), who came with claws and a shredded cape, ensuring that no one would question his street credibility, as was typical of the ’90s comic book style.
Of course, the planned redesign of Shredder would have made all of this sound tame. In this version, Shredder would have looked like he was part of a KISS tribute band. We would also have seen April O’Neil sporting a tight-fitting outfit, complete with nipple-baring details, a design inspired by Kevin Eastman’s former wife, Penthouse Pet Julie Strain.
