For more than 20 years now, the character Krang has been a crucial part of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle franchise. After making his debut in “Enter the Shredder,” the second episode of the 1987 animated series, everyone’s favorite disembodied brain has been a part of shows, comics, and even live action movies. He became a canonical part of the comic books a year later, appearing in Archie Comics Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #1 “Heroes in a Half-Shell!” However, for all that he’s done over the past two decades, there seems to always be something more to learn about him.
While it is easy for fans of this franchise to recall meeting Krang and the android body that Shredder built for him, there are some incredible facts about him that don’t always to come to mind. There has been research conducted by fans that has provided the internet with very interesting tidbits—such as the fact that, due to the known height of Shredder, the android must stand about seven feet tall and that Krang would move about three miles per hour without his mechanical bodies. There are also quite a few facts that have been revealed or confirmed in interview with creators. Here are 20 of the weirdest ones we could find!
17 THE BUBBLE WALKER
While Krang’s main body is the android suit built by Shredder, he also has another mechanical body that he uses. This second suit, known as the “Bubble Walker,” is very different from the classic android body. It isn’t hard to tell just from a glance that the Bubble Walker is significantly shorter. It is also easy to note that, as far as design is concerned, it is simpler than the other. These things, however, are only the beginning. There is so much going on under the surface in this suit, that would surprise even the most hardcore fans!
Perhaps the most surprising fact is how the Bubble Walker must be controlled.
With Krang’s android body, there is a control panel that he uses his tentacles to manipulate. This control panel doesn’t seem to exist in the Bubble Walker, though. In fact, since Krang’s tentacles are the “arms” of this suit, there is really no way there could be one. The Bubble Walker is controlled by Krang’s brain waves — an extension of himself, just an actual body would be. Since this body was meant to serve as his primary mode of transportation while the android was being built, and similar devices can also be seen in use during flashbacks, it is completely believable that this technology may have been readily available in Dimension X and Krang brought that knowledge with him.
16 DISEMBODIED IN EXILE
It is easy to think of Krang as just a brain, mobilized by tentacles. It’s easy to think this is all he is and all he ever has been. This opinion is further facilitated by the existence of the Utrom, an alien race with similar features from elsewhere in the Milky Way — but more on them later. Regardless of any similarities that may exist, it is confirmed in the 1987 animated series that Krang did, in fact, have a body before he was exiled from Dimension X to Earth.
In the first season of the animated series, episode four, “Hot-Rodding Teenagers from Dimension X,” we learn more about Krang and where he came from. When Shredder opens the interdimensional portal, against Krang’s wishes, Rock Soldiers from Dimension X emerged in pursuit of three teenagers. As they are running through the technodrome, they come across — and almost trample — Lord Krang. After they ask what happened to him, he responds “I lost [my body] when I was exiled to this mudball.” There was no further clarification as to whether it was taken from him or it was an accident with the transportation, but it is clear he had a body at one point.
15 REPTILIAN
When the Krangezoid, clones of Krang himself, invade in Season 7 , episode 10, more information about Krang and his origins is brought to light. With the introduction of these models of Krang, their evolution is the focal point in studying their race. Even though they are potentially exposed to different elements and environments than they would be on their home world, it can be presumed that the evolutionary process would yield a result that is at least similar to the original form of their race.
Krang creates these prototypes of himself and watches as they grow... and grow... and grow!
The Krangezoids start out as tentacled brains, just as Krang has been seen up to this point. As they grow, he builds them their own versions of the Bubble Walker, but soon they outgrow even those. By the time that Michelangelo, Donatello, Rafael, and Leonardo arrive for their battle, the Krangezoids have grown to Godzilla-like monsters. Towering over the Turtles and the humans as well, these monsters have little resemblance to their creator and their former selves, except for in the face. Knowing that these clones probably grew into what Krang started as gives the audience a lot more respect for, and fear of, the brain behind it all.
14 NO BODY KNOWS
Their relationship may have started off a little rocky, but power struggles always strengthen potential friendships, right? While it might not be true in every case, it certainly seems to be in reference to Krang and Shredder. They get on each other’s nerves, and they have had more than one quarrel over who is truly in charge. At the end of the day, though, they compliment one another far more than they contend with one another. Fans of all the varieties of this franchise — whether the animated series, the comics, or the live-action movies — can agree that Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles wouldn’t quite be the same without this dynamic duo. So, what if something had happened that could have changed it all?
In Season 3, episode 61 “Shredderville,” Donatello has a dream which proposes an alternate timeline in which the Turtles had never been exposed to the mutagen. In this dream, Shredder has had no problem conquering and dominating all of the earth. Due to his virtually unchallenged reign, when Krang approaches him about building the android body, Shredder quickly refuses. This easily destroys any chance of a relationship, begrudging or otherwise. Thankfully, though, this episode was just a dream.
13 UTROM OR NOT?
Earlier on, we mentioned the Utrom race, and honestly, the canonical relationship between Krang and the Utrom is a bit of a hot topic. In the Archie Comics series and the early animated series, he was explicitly said to be of no relation to the race from this galaxy. The reasoning behind this is their origin, plain and simple. The Utrom are claimed to be from the Milky Way galaxy. Krang, however, is known to be from another planet in another dimension, Dimension X.
While the creators acknowledge the similarities between the two, they make it clear that there is no direct relation.
This is not the case in other versions, however. In the IDW comic series, as well as others, Krang is one of the Utrom. There are a couple of different explanations for this, depending on which version is being analyzed. The first is that, just like with any other species, you can find good guys and bad guys among the Utrom. While many are peaceful, Krang is definitely an exception. The other common explanation is based upon his relation to the Kraang Prime, a collective conscious of Utrom. As Krang is revealed to be a cousin of the leader of this group, this makes him undeniably one of the Utrom.
12 THE BODY ELECTRIC
The android body built for Krang by Shredder, as mention previously, is run by a control panel through which Krang uses his tentacles to control the body and the weapons it contains. Throughout the majority of the franchise, it is assumed that he has complete control of how the body moves and interacts with society. It is assumed that he is the only brain involved in this process. Common sense dictates that an android body that has a gap in the stomach for a disembodied brain to sit would be completely reliant on that brain for everything. Doesn’t it?
Throughout the different versions of the story of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, the barriers of common sense are broken and defied in very creative ways. The android body, it seems, is no exception to this. In one of the later episodes of the 2012 Nickelodeon version, quite out of the blue, the android body speaks on his own! Since this shocking revelation, fans have been left to ponder a series of very important questions. If the body has always had the ability to speak on his own, why hasn’t it done so before? If it has not, what gave it the ability? Perhaps most importantly, what else can it do outside the control of Krang?
11 IMMUNE TO MUTAGEN
One question that has been posed by fans multiple time is this: “If Krang had access to mutagen and retro-mutagen, why would he not use them on himself?” In the versions where Krang is a direct relation to Kraang Prime, there is a backstory that leads to an extremely interesting conclusion. In these timelines, long ago an evil Kraang Prime came to earth and mutated primates into humans, and then continued experimenting with the mutagen. At one point, the Kraang Prime tried to merge human and Kraang DNA. This experiment was executed in none other than April O’Neil’s mother when she was pregnant.
This led to April being born a human-Kraang hybrid!
The surprises don’t end there, though! It is also confirmed various times throughout these adaptations that April herself is immune to mutagen. This is obviously not a trait inherited from her human side. It may be possible that this is a result of the mutation that happened while her mother was pregnant with her. However, the possibility that this is a result of her Kraang DNA must also be acknowledged. This could only mean that the Kraang Prime, and Krang by extension, are immune to the effects as well.
10 MOLECULAR MANIPULATION
Not only does "Molecular Manipulation" sound super cool, it is also another amazing and advanced technological invention that is introduced into the world of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. One of the other unique features about the android body in the IDW Comics world is this ability. As Shredder built the body, he provided a molecular manipulation chip that allows it to grow and shrink as Krang commands. This is an undeniably cool, and incredibly useful power, especially if taking over all of the dimensions is the goal. After all, the ability to grow to the size of a skyscraper can only help in a fight.
There does exist a touch of contention among fans on whether or not the android body possesses this ability at this point in the story line. In one of the episodes, the Turtles are seen to remove and destroy this chip. In the very next episode there is reference to this ability again, which creates some skepticism among devoted fans. However, any potential discrepancy here is easily explained away in the claim that Shredder could have created another chip in the Technodrome in any time that may have elapsed between the two episodes.
9 AN ARRAY OF WEAPONS
Although Krang seemed to prefer to sit back and use his massive intellect to outthink, outsmart, and out-tactic his opponents, when the situations arose, Krang used his android suit and the bubble walker to fight and reach his end goal. Krang’s android suit, as mentioned, had a molecular modification chip that allowed him to grow enormously to the size of Godzilla. At this size, he could cause a lot of damage just by punching or stomping his foot. This super size and strength allowed him to fight the Turtles in hand-to-hand combat without even breaking a sweat... if brains could sweat, we mean.
Additionally, his suit had hands which could shift into pincers, maces, axes, lasers, and other weapons.
These arms could also morph into wings allowing Krang to make quick escapes, or into a communications device allowing him to call for Shredder for backup. Eventually the suit was also able to switch out the standard shifting arms for others available from the Technodrome. Though the bubble walker was a more simple suit for Krang, mainly allowing him to move about unassisted and access the world, it was strong enough to allow him to kick down doors. His Bubble Walker did have weapons, as did the bubble walkers for his clones, but he very rarely had to use them, mostly switching to his android body before fighting.
8 VIRTUALLY INDESTRUCTIBLE
In the episode “Divide and Conquer,” Donatello discovers that Krang’s android suit is practically indestructible. The turtles have managed at that point to blow up the Technodrome and hope that the android suit will have been destroyed along with it, allowing them the advantage when it comes to physical fights with Krang, but the suit had survived. This isn’t too surprising since Krang oversaw the design of the suit using his superior intellect. Despite the suit being practically indestructible and surviving some crazy situations, the Turtles always seemed to find a way to defeat him and often left his suit a little worse for wear.
The defeats the Turtles handed him didn’t seem to deal too much of a blow to his ego or his plans, though. Krang is resilient and he is always back and ready to fight before long. An end goal of total domination — not only of the world, but of this galaxy and all other dimensions — probably served as a main motivating factor behind the indestructible design of the suit. It is no secret how precious the Technodrome is to Krang, and honestly to Shredder as well. The fact that this body was designed to outlast the Technodrome is a testament to just how important the suit was to them.
7 LIVE ACTION V. CARTOON
Making a live action version of a beloved cartoon and comic is always at least a little risky. There is an entire fan base that has been well-established, in the case of this franchise, for over 15 years. Besides all the time, effort, and thought that goes into every movie to begin with, there must also be massive amounts of research. Characters have already made a place in fans hearts, and with the live action comes the responsibility to continue to portray those characters in a way that they will appreciate.
It cannot be denied that the graphics in the live action Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles movies were incredible... even if they weren't great films.
That being said, there is a major difference between the Krang portrayed in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows and the animated versions. In the cartoons, Krang is portrayed as an almost comical talking, tentacled brain. With the CGI that is used in the live action version, the brain is noticeably more realistic and more human. Similarly, the android body loses much of the jovial aspect in the live action adaptation. This is not to say that one is better than the other. Rather, this is to appreciate two drastically different yet individually beautiful styles of art.
6 HEIGHT SHIFT
Earlier in this list, we talked about the Krangezoids and their glorious reptilians bodies, and the fact that this may have been Krang’s original form. This version of Krang is further supported as Krang, Shredder, and the Technodrome are trapped in Dimension X for a few episodes. As they, and everyone else who was in the Technodrome as it went through the portal, are stranded, trying to fix the interdimensional portal, other inhabitants of Dimension X are seen. These other inhabitants are remarkably similar to the Krangezoids that were seen in earlier episodes. Going from a giant lizard to a disembodied brain, literally in an instant, cannot be a pleasant experience at all!
Using standards of measurement similar to those mentioned in the introduction, it is concluded that these reptilian inhabitants stand anywhere between 10 and 12 feet tall. Acknowledging that there is no way Krang alone can stand even three feet tall, imagine that instant shift! Keeping that in mind, it is not hard at all to understand Krang’s frustration with having to wait for another body to be made. That body standing naturally taller than the average man and endowed with the ability to grow to Godzilla heights is also an understandably attractive prospect!
5 HIS REAL NAME
This is another point of disagreement among some fans; however, it is rumored that the original name for the android body was “Bangerang.” There is never any canonical mention of the android body built by Shredder having a name. This doesn’t mean the idea wasn’t tossed around. There have been interviews with creators which have hinted towards this very idea. By the time this mechanical body for the main villain reached the screen and the page, it was decided to keep him nameless. In the process of creating him, though, several different ideas were proposed.
The Bubble Walker was given a descriptive name, and it is sometimes weird that the android body was… not.
One of these proposed names was “Bangerang” and while the reason for leaving it unnamed may remain a mystery, this seems as good a name as any. Perhaps one of the reasons they didn’t name it relates back to another entry in this article. If the android body is able to do things such as speak on its own, maybe giving it a unique identifier like this possible name would make it harder to explain it as only a tool. Maybe they simply refrained from naming it in order to keep it from becoming a little too human. After all, names have a lot of power... not as much as Krang's android body, but still, they have a lot of power!
4 KID'S SHOW
Where did the idea for Krang come from and why is he so different in the different versions? Going back to the differences between the live action Krang and the cartoon versions, one explanation may be the purpose of the original creation. Krang did not, in fact, appear in the very first version of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles comic books. He was created first for the 1987 cartoon in order to make it a suitable kids show. One of the ways the show was softened was in the friendship between Krang and its other main antagonist, Shredder, which was played up as comic relief.
How does adding an alien warlord from a separate dimension make a comic book series a kid’s show? David White, the original concept creator for Krang, decided to add this element to his version in order to draw in a science fiction vibe. He did this in order to draw away from the martial arts violence found in the original series. His thought was that adding in this other-worldly element would make it seem less realistic and that giving Shredder access to extraterrestrial technology would add dimension (and fun) to his otherwise stoic ninja character.
3 MUTANT X
When fans think of Krang, they usually think of him in one of three forms: his android body, the Bubble Walker, or his disembodied form. However, the Bubble Walker and the android body have not always been the only options for Krang’s mechanical bodies. Another option was the Mutant X body. This was proposed for the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows movie. Unfortunately, it never made it past the concept art stage. This body shares some similarities to the android body; however, it is distinct and unique in its build and perceived controls. In fact, in this way, it seems to mimic more of the Bubble Walker.
As can be seen in the above photo, this body seems to show a more muscular aspect of Krang.
In this concept, Krang’s tentacles are more directly involved in the movement than with just a control panel like the android body. Since he does have limited tentacles, however, it can also be assumed that he does not control the hands and fingers with his tentacles. The same argument can be made for the legs in this suit. Due to this, it makes sense that the same ability to control the suit through brainwaves that is used with the Bubble Walker is employed here as well.
2 SELF-CONSCIOUS
Earlier on, we mentioned that one of the most appealing aspects to Krang of the android body and its molecular modification abilities may have been the return to what his normal height would have been, or at least close to it. The disembodiment that was thrust upon him was a blow not only to his height but also to his ego. Lord Krang, as he was known in Dimension X, was a great and proud man. To become a fragment of his former self in only a moment must have been horribly devastating.
In “Hot-Rodding Teenagers from Dimension X” (the same episode where it is revealed that Krang did have a body) it is also revealed that he was a very proud man. When the Rock Soldiers enter the room and see him, the first thing he shouts is “Don’t look at me!” Having been reduced from his former glory, he was incredibly self-conscious and ashamed. Even though he was a warlord bent on the total domination of multiple dimensions, he still has feelings and is obviously very ashamed of his current state of being. By using the android body, he is able to eliminate some of that feeling by regaining an element of control that he lost.
1 ALWAYS DANGEROUS
Even though Krang has nearly every weapon available at his disposal. Between the android body, the Bubble Walker and the other individuals he has charge over, there is no doubt of his destructive capabilities. Even without these weapons, though, Krang is a dangerous individual. This is not only because he has an incredible intellect and the ability to create whatever weapon and whatever scheme he desires. Whether as his original, giant reptilian form or as he is seen after his exile to earth, Krang is a force with which to be reckoned.
In fact, Krang’s raw power has inspired several fan-based works in which he has no access to either suit.
While most fan-based works are able to get away with quite a bit of details that are not canon, these do have some strong basis in things that have been seen in different versions of the actual franchise. There are several different portrayals of his natural strength and intelligence. To go along with his mental power to plan any sort of scheme, he has the physical power to contribute to carrying it out. Regardless of the fact that he is a fraction of the height of a human adult, even in his disembodied form Krang is seen on multiple occasions using his tentacles as weapons and causing bodily harm — and even death!