WARNING: The following contains major spoilers for Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #119 by Kevin Eastman, Tom Waltz, Sophie Campbell, Nelson Daniel, Ronda Pattison, Bobby Curnow, and Shawn Lee, on sale now.
The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles have just ended a war that has spanned the decades only to find themselves right in the middle of a new one. The upcoming elections in Mutant Town are being preceded by a major political rally to drum up support for anyone other than the Mutanimals, and that has hit one of the Turtles' oldest villains like a ton of bricks. Old Hob has slowly been coming around to the idea that his old tactics just don't work anymore, to the point that his newfound self-awareness might even see him rebranded as something of a hero. Unfortunately, the Mutanimals themselves have no intention of following suit, and one of Hob's most trusted lieutenants has just decided that it's time for a violent regime change.
All of the Turtles are on edge in anticipation of the upcoming rally and the possibility that something could go wrong. Between Mayor Stockman's recent attack on April O'Neil and the overwhelming support for Sally Pride's anti-Mutanimals platform, there are plenty of reasons for the Splinter Clan to be on high alert. Their diligence pays off, as the Turtles spot and foil several snipers, but they are not able to stop them all, and the rally is soon fired upon.
Fortunately, Donatello is able to bring down the last of the shooters before too much damage is done, but there turns out to be another threat waiting from the wings. Dozens of Mutanimal enforcers begin to march towards the center of town, much to Old Hob's surprise, considering the leader of the Mutanimals never ordered an attack. Herman the hermit crab informs Hob that his lieutenant, Man Ray, was actually the one who gave the order, which Herman and the others assumed had come from the top. An enraged Hob can only hope that his enforcers will return to headquarters when called back, an unlikely scenario considering that the rally soon devolves into all-out war between the Mutanimals and the Turtles.
This situation isn't just a slight against Hob on Man Ray's part, but more likely an effective usurping of his throne. Hob has certainly been leading the Mutanimals in a different direction lately, or at least keeping them on a shorter leash than usual while he comes to terms with what it actually means to be the bad guy. His recent displays of empathy and compassion have been small compared to the atrocities he has committed in the past, although that doesn't take away from the importance of his efforts to be better. Now that the Mutanimals have gone to war without him, those efforts could very well have been for nothing. On the other hand, this could be exactly what Hob needs to become the hero he desires to be.
Old Hob's reputation has always been bad, regardless of any good he has done along the way. In truth, Hob isn't evil at his core, but a lifetime of abuse twisted him into a villain. If the rest of Mutant Town's residents can't separate him from what the Mutanimals are doing now, that reputation could very well be one that he never has any hope of escaping.
At the same time, this could be Hob's chance to stand against the violent mutants that have stepped out from under his purview. If he does, even Sally Pride might be able to see the glimmer of heroism hiding behind Hob's gruff exterior.