Venus is the once canonical, now apocryphal, fifth Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle. Introduced in the live-action television series The Next Mutation, she was met with some instant controversy that had more to do with how this iteration of the franchise was presented than it did really a female turtle.
Venus has been largely outlawed from the creative landscape of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles for well over a decade. With the introduction of a new female member of the team in the comics, it's brought some attention back to Venus. Here are ten things fans should know about Venus.
10 Splinter Just Left Her
The revised backstory of The Next Mutation when it comes to Venus is actually not all that different from Silk, from the Spider-Man comics. Like Silk, Venus was always there, infected in the same incident, we just never saw her. The worst bit for Venus though is that when Splinter collected the four male turtles from the sewer he kind of just forgot about Venus. This oversight led to her being separated from the others until she was reunited with them in the new series.
9 Raised In China
After being forgotten by Splinter, Venus was left to fend for herself in the sewers. Proving her tenacity early on, she made her way out of the sewer to Chinatown, where she was taken in by a Chinese magician named Chung I. He took her back to China and raised her there. Chung I also gives Venus a more suitable Chinese name - Mei Pieh Chi. She has no knowledge at all of her true origins or the other four turtles back in New York City.
8 Mirror Dragons
Chung I trains Mei Pieh Chi in the art of Shinobi magic. He neglects to explain why a Japanese word is being used to describe Chinese magic, and also any of the truth about her past. Despite this, Chung I communicates with Splinter back in New York City through a weird dream mirror in which several dragon-like things are trapped. Eventually, the dragons escape and Chung I pays the price. On his deathbed, he reveals the existence of the other four turtles to Venus.
7 What's In A Name?
While the four original Ninja Turtles - Raphael, Donatello, Michaelangelo, and Leonardo - were all named after famous Renaissance painters, Venus was named after a work of art. The Venus de Milo is one of the most famous statues of antiquity, created in Greece sometime around 100 BC.
There were several prominent female artists during the Renaissance that the creators behind the series could have used for a name, including Sofonisba Anguissola, Plautilla Nelli, and Giorgio Vasari.
6 Not Related
Another major difference in the backstory of the turtles introduced during The Next Mutation was that the five turtles were not related. Previously, the four male heroes were described as brothers, and fans didn't take kindly to the idea that they weren't actually from the same family.
Even more curious is why this change was made. Evidently, the producers of the show intended for Venus to become a love interest for Leonardo. Certainly, the two of them being related would have made that awkward. The romance never took place as the show was canceled.
5 Pony Tail
Obviously, with the use of Japanese words for Chinese magic and the lack of research into female Renaissance painters that could have given Venus a more fitting name, the show wasn't as detailed maybe as it should have been. That extends to Venus' appearance. Besides her smaller and more feminine physique, the primary visual element used to distinguish her from the others was the fact her bandanna was very long. She tied it into a ponytail, which meant that she was a girl.
4 Crossed Over With The Power Rangers
While the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles crossing over with the Power Rangers has been a fun adventure in the comics recently (continuing a proud comics tradition), it actually happened before. The live-action turtles from The Next Mutation crossed over with the Power Rangers from the Powers Rangers In Space television show. As is usually the case where two heroes meet up for the first time, they start off as enemies, with the Turtles brainwashed and sent to attack the Power Rangers by the evil Astronema.
3 The Turtles Almost Forget Her
The Next Mutation only lasted a single season of twenty-six episodes, as it wasn't exactly well-received. In the final episode, the four male Turtles make fun of Venus for failing to pull off a Shinobi magic spell. She runs off, angry, and they end up being befuddled by the spell anyway.
The age-old trope of the clip show cycles through their past adventures as the other four talk through their memories of Venus and ultimately come to the realization that she's a valuable part of the team.
2 Peter Laird Hated Her
Venus wasn't that popular with fans and was absolutely not with Peter Laird. Along with Kevin Eastman, Laird co-created the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles back in May of 1984. According to director Kevin Munroe who helmed the TMNT animated film from 2007, any notion of including Venus in that film or any other iteration was strictly off the table. Laird instructed Munroe and others that Venus was never to be included again, with Munroe saying Laird hated the character with a passion.
1 A Lasting Legacy
Despite the allergy that Laird and some fans have for the character of Venus, the concept of a female Turtle was rekindled in the comic books with the introduction of Jennika. Jennika is a unique creation for the comics and takes a different, perhaps more comfortable tack to her origin and tries to avoid the pitfalls Venus ran into.
She mutates from a blood transfusion from Leonardo. Before Jennika had been a petty criminal who went to jail, but with her transformation and her newfound family, she fights for justice alongside the other Turtles.