The world of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles isn't the darkest fictional world in comics, but the upcoming Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Last Ronin #1 is about to offer up a bleak picture of the future for the lone surviving Ninja Turtle. However, that isn't the only future that the Turtles have found themselves in, and it definitely isn't the most picturesque, either.
Now, we're taking a look back at some of the Ninja Turtles' wildest futures from comics, TV and video games. While there's no guarantee that any of these events will come to pass, they all offer glimpses of the tantalizing and tragic timelines that the Heroes in a Half-Shell's world could take/
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Future Tense
At the peak of the Ninja Turtles' popularity, Archie Comics' Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Adventures offered comic book adventures that were more in line with the world of the 1987 cartoon series than Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird's original comics. Starting with Chris Allan and Stephen Murphy's "Future Tense" storyline in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Adventures #42.
This story saw the Turtles and Splinter being brought through time by future versions of Raphael and Donatello. The home they find themselves in is almost entirely underwater, but Don's tech was able to solve many of the problems that NYC found itself facing. While he gained wealth and acclaim for his inventions and efforts. Raphael has lost an eye in an attack by the shark mutant Armaggon, In this world, Splinter has died of old age, and Leo and Mike were held hostage. While the day is eventually saved, the bleak future promised at the hands of global warming in this story arc is one of the worst the Turtles have come across.
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Fast Forward
Season 6 of the 2003 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles series was subtitled "Fast Forward," as it saw the Turtles transported through time to the year 2105 thanks to the descendant of Casey Jones and April O'Neil, Cody Jones. Cody just wanted to be able to watch the Turtles in action, so he built a machine that would act as a window through time. This machine ended up being a time machine in the more classic sense, and so the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles wind up in a marvelous vision of the future.
Flying cars, robot butlers, and mysterious cloaked figures abound in this NYC of the future. Also in abundance are new villains, including Cody's uncle, who is vying for his nephew's fortune by any means, along with the expected anthropomorphic animal mutants. Eventually, even the Shredder gets in on the action. The stakes are high, but the gorgeous future cityscapes help to lighten the experience a bit overall.
Turtles In Time: Neon Night Riders
In the classic Turtles in Time arcade game from 1991, the Turtles' evening is interrupted by Krang stealing the Statue of Liberty before Shredder pirates the airwaves to mock the Turtles. When they go to stop him, Shredder sends them into a time warp, and they ricochet from one era to another in their quest to stop Krang's villainous plans.
In the level 'Neon Night Riders,' the Turtles ride hover discs as they battle Foot Clan robot soldiers on their way towards a shining, neon New York City far in the future. Everything is brightly lit with vibrant pink and blue hues, with spotlights beaming out from the center of the city. At the end of the level, the player comes face to face with a flying, rocket spewing Krang in his robot body.
Turtles In Time: The Series
Paul Allor, Dan Duncan, Ronda Pattison, and Shawn Lee Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Turtles in Time #4 gave readers a look at another futuristic New York City so full of mutants that the Turtles don't turn any heads when they show up. Unfortunately, this version of the future is one where Shredder has taken control of the Americas while Krang and Baxter Stockman control the rest of the globe. It's also a future in which only Donatello remains after his brothers, and most of his friends perished in the fight against evil.
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Last Ronin #1, by Kevin Eastman, Peter Laird, Tom Waltz, Esau Escorza and Issac Escorza, goes on sale Oct. 28 from IDW Publishing. The second printing arrives on Dec. 2.