TMNT: How Alien Dinosaurs Crashed Into the Ninja Turtles' World

Ever since they debuted, the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles have been pop culture phenomenons. Taking several elements of the 1980s and mixing them in a mutagenic blender, the tubular terrapins well represented the era's over-the-top excess. They weren't the only humanoid reptiles in their franchise, however, as several entries in the TMNT family have also featured the Triceratons. These alien dinosaurs seem almost too out there for the otherwise somewhat street-level turtles, but despite this, they've continued to be a staunch element that keeps showing up in Turtles lore. Here are all of the different versions of the Triceratons and where they showed up.

Mirage Comics

The Triceratons first appeared in Mirage Studios' Fugitoid #1, though they would gain far more mainstream exposure in the pages of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. A massive intergalactic empire made up of aliens heavily resembling Earth's extinct triceratops species, the Triceratons were feared for their violent and aggressive nature. The Turtles would find themselves accidentally transported to a Triceraton planet, where they were forced to face a team of the empire's fiercest warriors in gladiatorial combat.

The TMNT would later defend the planet against the alien empire when an invasion force touched down in Nevada. Following their defeat, the Triceratons' leader Zanramon was removed from power. From then on, due to the respect that they had developed for the foursome, the Triceratons regarded the TMNT as allies. In fact, they would retool their military and fighting tactics to resemble the turtles' own brand of ninjutsu.

1987 Cartoon

The Triceratons only made a brief, one episode appearance in the long-running TMNT cartoon that began in 1987. Showing up in the episode "Night of the Dark Turtle," they were, as in the comics, an invading race of intergalactic dinosaur aliens. Due to Donatello's absence, Raphael, Michelangelo, and Leonardo are defeated by the invading force, who are led by Captain Zorax. Using a combination of his own wits, stolen technology from Shredder, and animatronic dinosaurs, Donatello convinces the Triceratons that he is Earth's rulers. The show of power, however fake, forces the aliens to leave Earth, never attempting to overtake it again.

2003 Cartoon

Compared to the original cartoon, the Triceratons in the 2003 TMNT show played a much bigger role. Much of their portrayal was based off of the Mirage comic books, including their being led by the vengeful and violent Zanramon. Accidentally transported to one of the Triceratons' colonies, the Turtles, like in the comics, engage in gladiatorial combat to rescue their friend Professor Honeycut. He had been captured due to his creation of the Teleportal, which could potentially even the odds in the Triceratons' war against the Federation.

The battle among reptiles eventually leads back to New York, where the Turtles try desperately to keep Honeycut safe. Eventually, the chasing fleet of Triceraton ships is disabled, with Zanramon ordering them destroyed. Commander Mozar refuses, turning against his leader and launching a coup for dominance. With Zanramon's defeat and incarceration, the Triceraton Empire and the Federation attempted to broker peace for the first time in ages.

2012 Cartoon

The Triceratons are initially only hinted at in the 2012 animated series, with brief Easter eggs and cameos hyping their appearance. They finally debut in the Season 3 episode "Dinosaur Seen in Sewers!," where their origins are changed from the usual status quo. Instead of being intergalactic aliens feuding with the Federation, these Triceratons are from Dimension X. The fierce enemies of the Kraang, they invade Earth to wipe out their foes once and for all.

This leads them to collect the pieces of the Heart of Darkness, a powerful weaponized artifact that actually succeeds in destroying Earth. Thankfully, Fugitoid is able to travel back in time with the Turtles to try to prevent this from happening. Though they are unable to keep the Heart of Darkness from being united, Fugitoid is able to eventually destroy it and the Triceraton flagship, ending their invasion.

IDW Comics

The IDW comic book reboot also changed the Triceratons' origins, this time making them the result of the Utroms abducting and mutating prehistoric Triceratopses. Used as slave labor, the dinos eventually rise up and break free of their Utrom oppressors. Realizing that Earth is their ancestral home, they launch an invasion of the planet after landing in New York. The opposition to their presence was made worse, as Agent Bishop's Earth PRotection Force saw them as abominations. The invasion was eventually called off when the Triceratons were given a home on an Earth island, but their antagonism toward the Utrom race was still strong.