How TMNT: Mutant Mayhem Sets Up A Sequel And A Series
Contains spoilers for "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem"
"Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles" is back on the big screen with some of the best reviews in the franchise's history. A stunning blend of animation, humor, and voice acting talents take the movie to the next level, so it's no wonder Paramount announced a sequel (and a Paramount+ series) before "Mutant Mayhem" was even in theaters. The studio's clearly confident this will be a hit, and the movie lays out plenty of plotlines for a show and movie to follow up on.
For starters, the film ends with the turtles earning the respect of humans, and they're allowed to go to the surface and attend high school. This alone sets up plenty of potential fun storylines for a show to depict, like the turtles dealing with everyday trials and tribulations teenagers face. On top of that, the other mutants became allies with the turtles and now live in the sewer with them. They've become one big happy family, which a series would be great at exploring. Some of the mutants, like Leatherhead (Rose Byrne) and Genghis Frog (Hannibal Buress), didn't exactly get a ton to do in the film, but a show could flesh them out even further with perhaps entire episodes dedicated to them.
A spin-off could even adapt the "Mighty Mutanimals" storyline from the comics. This was a group of mutants in the "TMNT" universe that consisted of many members over the years, including Leatherhead, Wingnut (Natasia Demetriou), and Mondo Gecko (Paul Rudd). "Mutant Mayhem" sets up uncharted territory for the franchise with many exciting possibilities, and that's not even getting into the potential for future villains.
Shredder and Cynthia Utrom will be a pain in the turtles' sides
While seeing the continuing adventures of the mutants would be a lot of fun, both a series and a sequel will need some solid antagonists to keep the turtles on their toes. The mid-credits scene of "Mutant Mayhem" shows Cynthia Utrom (Maya Rudolph) keeping tabs on the brothers while telling a subordinate to get the Shredder involved. Therefore, the show or sequel will introduce Shredder in a greater capacity than merely looking at his backside. Shredder is the best-known villain in "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles," so the franchise could utilize him in many ways.
There's also the matter of Cynthia herself. Her last name, "Utrom," typically refers to the race of brain-like aliens in the franchise most often associated with Krang. It's possible "Mutant Mayhem" will change Krang's origins or turn Cynthia into a variation of Krang to give the turtles a run for their money. Her glasses are also very Krang-like, so that's another tease the franchise likely has a lot in store for her moving forward.
There's also the issue with Bebop (Seth Rogen) and Rocksteady (John Cena). Usually, they're henchmen for Shredder in "TMNT" properties. But by the film's end, they're living in the sewer and getting along with the turtles. There's always a chance Shredder could recruit them in a sequel or series to work for him. After all, they worked for Superfly (Ice Cube) initially, and it didn't take much convincing to get them to swap sides. It could easily happen again, much to the turtles' chagrin.
"Mutant Mayhem" lays the groundwork for plenty of stories to come. And fans would no doubt be delighted to spend more time with these iterations of the beloved characters.