WARNING: The following contains major spoilers for Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Annual 2021Â on sale now from IDW.
The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles are no strangers to the weird, and not just because of their very nature. Apart from being anthropomorphic amphibians themselves, the Turtles live in a world populated with mutants, aliens, interdimensional despots and even ancient deities. Currently, it is the latter of these preternatural threats that is preparing to make their lives worse than ever -- though not before making sure they are on the right track to do so. Before the Rat King's new Armageddon Game can begin, he has gone to consult with his immortal siblings, and along the way has brought the strangest god of them all, the Toad Baron himself, back into the spotlight.
While the Rat King was happy spending the centuries toying with humanity alongside the rest of the Pantheon, the rise of Earthly heroes over the past few years has left his brothers and sisters with little desire to continue playing. As the Rat King travels the world and realms between to visit with his siblings and ask them to rejoin his game, he finds that most of them are disinterested in continuing on with any form of jovial warfare. The likes of Jagwar and Manmoth have carved out new lives for themselves in the wilderness which they have dedicated to the pursuits of justice and survival, leaving the Rat King seemingly alone in his desire to see the game go on. He isn't the only one left with a competitive spirit, though, and he soon enough discovers a different kind of game being overseen by the strangest of all his siblings, the Toad Baron. Unfortunately, this isn't the sort of sport that the Rat King was looking forward to, nor is it one that makes much sense. Then again, not much about the Toad Baron ever has, and his appearance in the most recent Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Annual by Tom Waltz, Casey Maloney, Maria Keane, Luis Antonio Delgado, Bobby Curnow and Shawn Lee proves to be no exception.
The rowdiest, most rotund member of the Pantheon has long been its least predictable, and the goings-on of his dwelling in the Den of Delights is no different from the Toad Baron himself. When he first appeared in 2017's Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Universe #9 by Sophie Campbell, Bobby Curnow, Brahm Revel and Pablo Tunica, the Toad Baron had kidnapped Alopex and Angel Bridge for what seemed like no reason at all. Swallowed up by a massive frog only to find themselves trapped in the Den of Delights, the Toad Baron intended to keep them as prisoners for all time in the hopes that they would eventually acquiesce and join his eternal party. Thankfully, Alopex and Angel were able to cause enough of a ruckus that the Toad Baron took it upon himself to kick them out of his cartoonish kingdom, and it wouldn't be the last time.
During the events of the 'Pantheon Family Reunion' storyline by Tom Waltz, Kevin Eastman and Dave Wachter, the Turtles' intrusion and his siblings' insistence on eradicating them caused the Toad Baron no small amount of stress. Now it would appear that his previous experiences with the Turtles have left the Toad Baron with no interest in playing the game of chaos that his brother had been so fond of for so long, opting instead to rejoice in the nonsensical sport of his own design. Like so many other things in the Den of Delights, there is no clear rhyme or reason to this game besides a desire for overwhelming fanfare amidst the spectacular display of colorful chaos. It's not what the Rat King came looking for, but it has left an important impression on him.
Seeing his brother's game unfold with neither rules nor need for a winner reminds the Rat King just what it was about his own game that he had fallen so deeply in love with. There was nothing inherently fun in wreaking havoc across the Earth or making humanity into his unwitting pawns for the Rat King, but the thrill of the chase itself was what he derived so much pleasure from. The thought that there could be no victor because there was never any real prize to begin with shakes the Rat King to his very core. It's an ominous sort of revelation for the villain if it proves to be true, and it's one that reaffirms for him that the game must be changed if he is going to continue playing it with anyone but himself. Even if the Toad Baron himself no longer poses any sort of meaningful threat to the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, his influence on his most devious sibling most certainly has.