The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles franchise has had a bit of a resurgence lately in both the comics and on the big screen. From legendary comic writer Jason Aaron taking the reins in TMNT’s IDW Publishing continuity to the 2023 film Teenage 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 charting an 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 Mayhem teased the introduction of Shredder, who is a classic TMNT character 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 are 10 epic Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles fights fans deserve to see on the big screen!
10
TMNT 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 new Mutant Mayhem continuity), they haven’t fought him like this before. Originally, the TMNT comic 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.
9
Donatello vs Bebop & Rocksteady
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #44 (IDW Publishing) by Kevin Eastman, Tom Waltz, & Mateus Santolouco
When it comes to TMNT movies 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 future TMNT film 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 Donatello after 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.
8
TMNT 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 with Civil War, DC did it with Batman v Superman, so now it’s time for TMNT to follow suit. Luckily, any future TMNT movie has the perfect comic to pull from. In TMNT #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, so he 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.
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 in TMNT history during 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.
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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 in TMNT.
6
Raphael vs Prisoners
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #1 (IDW Publishing) by Jason Aaron and Joëlle Jones
Another absolutely epic fight scene in the latest ongoing TMNT comic book series that should definitely be adapted to the big screen is Raphael vs a gang of prisoners. At the start of this new TMNT storyline, 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 before Raph is brought face-to-face with a gang of prisoners, who try to kill Raphael while 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 if this fight was the moment TMNT returned to its original form, and a version of it should definitely be brought to the big screen.
5
Splinter 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-action TMNT films, 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 if a future TMNT movie adapted this comic and made it the definitive end of the Shredder?
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #43 (IDW Publishing) by Kevin Eastman, Tom Waltz, & Cory Smith
At the beginning of IDW Publishing’s TMNT continuity, 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, and Shredder and the Foot battled Krang and his Utroms in a brutal battle that quite literally decided the fate of the world.
Right now in the new Mutant Mayhem TMNT continuity, 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 Mayhem should absolutely bring this awesome battle to the big screen.
3
TMNT 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 the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles franchise that the movies have never tapped into is its many crossovers. TMNT has offered fans incredible crossover stories – indeed, TMNT is 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 is TMNT‘s crossover with the Power Rangers.
TMNT and Power Rangers have had multiple crossovers, all of which should be adapted to the big screen!
Not only do the 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 the Power Rangers get sweet mutant redesigns in turn. Fans absolutely deserve to see that brought to the big screen!
2
TMNT vs Street Fighter
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles vs Street Fighter (IDW Publishing) by Paul Allor and Ariel Medel
Another TMNT crossover that should definitely get the big-screen treatment is Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles vs Street Fighter. This list is meant to capture some of the best fights in TMNT history, 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 Fighter as a franchise needs a resurgence (especially with how popular Mortal Kombat has become recently in terms of its live-action and animated films), so a TMNT crossover would be perfect in that regard as well.
This potential future film could even feature the version of the Ninja Turtles brought to life in the new Mutant Mayhem continuity, 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.
1
TMNT 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 amazing on so many levels. It would perfectly honor TMNT‘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 that Spawn will appear in the next season of Prime Video’s Invincible, so if Spawn fought the Ninja Turtles first, that would open the TMNT up to that particular sandbox as well for future stories. All-in-all, a fight with Spawn is something the TMNT franchise should absolutely bring to the big screen, just like the rest of these awesome battles in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles history.
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.
This story originally appeared on Screenrant
