The following contains spoilers for Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Movie, now streaming on Netflix.
In Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Movie, Leonardo and his brothers had a tough task when it came to stopping the Krang. Three of the alien species came over after Leo messed up and allowed the Foot to harness a key, which resulted in the Krang mutating the Foot, most of New York, and Raphael, making them their minions. To make it worse, they used the portal to bring their Technodrome over, ravaging the Big Apple and turning the place into a wasteland. It left Leo's crew attempting one last Hail Mary in order to stave off the apocalypse, which paved the way for an explosive ending.
What Was Leonardo's Plan in Rise of the TMNT?
Leo finally realized his arrogant ways would lead to their destruction, so he decided to play to his brothers' strengths. The Krangs stole their mystical powers earlier in Rise of the TMNT, but they still had their ninja talents, Donatello's devices, as well as April, Splinter and a time-traveling Casey Jones. Leo decided a three-pronged approach was best, with Donnie and Mikey going off to take control of the Technodrome.
April, Splinter and Casey were sent to take back the key on the ground, although it was difficult since the Krang sister (aka Krang 2) was there in a robotic suit as a guard. As for Leo, he went up to the main chamber to battle the Prime Krang (Krang 1), hoping he could free Raphael from the hive mind control the Krangs had. Unfortunately, not everything went according to plan for Leo's team.
What Happened to the Turtles in Rise of the TMNT?
Donnie and Mikey defeated Krang 3, who was overseeing the main hub of the Technodrome in Rise of the TMNT. Donnie ended up bonding with the ship too, which resulted in Krang 3 getting sealed into the walls. However, Raphael was too much for Leo to handle, which allowed Krang 1 to leave and kidnap Donnie and Mikey. Thankfully, when Raphael was about to kill Leo, the leader appealed to his brother's emotions. Working through his inner demons, Leo let Raph know he was sorry, and all he wanted was for his brother to come home.
This broke Raph out of the mind control, and as the turtles fought back from Krang 1 sinking his tentacles into them, their magical powers came back too. It coincided with Team April using a crane at a construction site to pin down Krang 2, so Casey could dislodge the key. But as the portal closed and the Technodrome got sucked back into the Prison Dimension, Leo realized he had to make a big sacrifice when his brothers got tossed out of the ship.
Did Leo Die in Rise of the TMNT?
With half the ship on Earth, Leo used his swords' teleporting abilities to lop him and Krang 1 into the Prison Dimension. He then sent word to Casey -- who was his student in the dystopian future -- to close the portal fully, which chopped the aliens' ship in half. It marooned Leo and Krang 1 in the dark realm, which hurt Casey since Future Leo also died sending him back. However, Mikey wouldn't give up, buoyed by Casey's story of how he was a master of the mystics in the future who opened a portal to send Casey back to stop the Krang takeover.
Filled with emotion, Mikey harnessed his magic, opening a rift for Leo to come through, although it was difficult, as Krang 1 held onto him. Luckily, Raph used his energy projections to grab Leo, while Donnie shot a blast of energy from his staff to knock the villain back into the abyss. This enabled them to pluck Leo out, reuniting the Splinter clan.
As they celebrated and took pictures, Casey realized his mom, Cassandra, was a TMNT ally, leaving fans wondering how it'll be when they meet up. Rise of the TMNT: The Movie ended with New York rebuilding, Krang 2 being carted off to prison, and the turtles eating pizza in an iconic Cowabunga sesh, hyping fans who are eager to see how Seth Rogen's reboot will top this.
See how the TMNT save the day in Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Movie, now available on Netflix.