Easter Eggs And References You Missed In TMNT: Mutant Mayhem

The film's opening gives viewers an insight into the origins of Superfly and his creator, Baxter Stockman (voiced by Giancarlo Esposito) -– two characters who are usually seen as one. In other versions of "TMNT" lore, Baxter ends up becoming Superfly after his mad scientist antics go too far and he ends up mutating himself with DNA from a housefly. Most of Baxter's incarnations tend to go this route, so it's pretty noteworthy that he stays human by the end of "Mutant Mayhem." Although fans don't get to see Baxter transform into Superfly himself, the special connection that he has to Superfly when he's just a larger-than-life fly is undoubtedly paying homage to their connection in the comics.

Baxter explains that he never could connect with other people and was always closer to the animals he experimented on — which is why he essentially treats Superfly like a son. Their unique bond definitely acts as a nod to their connection in the comics, and maybe Baxter will want to become a new Superfly after hearing about his beloved son's defeat. Or maybe Baxter will leave mutations behind altogether and create his mechanical army of Mousers and eventually take on his more cybernetic form (which also stems from the comics). Regardless of where Baxter's story goes from here, his connection with Superfly takes a new form that ties perfectly to their comic origins. 

Although the "TMNT" comics have mostly been published by companies like Mirage Studios and IDW, "Mutant Mayhem" delivers nods to two publishing titans — Marvel and DC. In the turtles' early introduction, Leo attempts to set a dark and serious tone until his brothers call him out for trying to sound like Batman. We also get some direct nods to Mark Ruffalo's improv skills in the MCU through Mikey, inspiring him to follow his own improv dreams. Given the immense popularity of both Marvel and DC, it's not shocking to see "Mutant Mayhem" poke fun at its comic counterparts. 

However, "Mutant Mayhem" touching on Marvel and DC is also fitting considering how "TMNT" has been inspired by and crossed over into their worlds. The turtles not only had a crossover film with Batman in 2019's "Batman vs. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles," but also appeared in the DC fighting game "Injustice 2." As for Marvel, TMNT has always shared some intriguing connections to Daredevil — which makes sense since creators Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird were heavily inspired by the character when creating the turtles. There's even a scene from the comics that connects the chemical that blinds Matt Murdock to the chemical that mutates Splinter. It's a little surprising that "Mutant Mayhem" doesn't have more Daredevil nods, but it still delivers some fun references to the turtles' history with Marvel and DC. 

Those who have been to the Big Apple -– most notably Times Square -– know that there's always people dressed up as bootleg pop culture characters looking to make money through photo-ops. Well, "Mutant Mayhem" pays homage to this with a quick cameo from an animated icon that audiences will surely recognize. In a flashback where Splinter is talking about the first time he brought the turtles to the surface, there's a moment where everyone reacts to seeing Splinter (a mutated rat) and his four turtle sons (also mutants) walking around NYC.

We see the crowd's shocked and fearful reactions, eventually cutting to someone standing alongside a cosplayer dressed as Spongebob Squarepants. Given that "Spongebob" and "TMNT" are both owned by Paramount, it's not shocking to see everyone's favorite yellow sponge appear in a quick yet delightfully fun cameo. Not only does this moment pay homage to a known aspect of NYC culture, it also delivers a nice little cameo that audiences of all ages will love.

If one thing is clear about the turtles after seeing "Mutant Mayhem," it's that they're huge pop culture nerds. Throughout the film they're seen dishing out different little winks and nods to popular cartoons, movies, anime, and even music that audiences will surely recognize. In the scene of the turtles testing their weapons on some watermelons, Donny mentions that Mikey's head looks like a mix of Stewie Griffin from "Family Guy" and Arnold from "Hey! Arnold" –- who both have wide, football-shaped heads like Mikey.

When the turtles arrive at April's school, Donny can't help but love seeing the drawing of a soldier from "Attack on Titan." He's such a fan apparently that Leo brings it up to help Donny realize that they can defeat Superfly –- in his giant form -– by attacking an exposed weakness on the back of his neck. Lastly, when the four of them are captured by Cynthia, Donny expresses that he regrets not being able to see BTS in concert before everything went wrong. The group tries to sing "Butter" to make him feel better -– which doesn't exactly work. The group even mentions liking music by Adele, Drake, and Beyoncé. Despite them not growing up in the human world, the turtles sure do show a wide range of pop culture knowledge that's honestly kind of impressive.

Since Splinter knows that his sons still yearn to explore and be part of the human world, he attempts to try and bring the human world to them by throwing a party. He brings tons of pizza and balloons, but what's a party without some special guests, right? Splinter has that covered too, with some cardboard standups that result in some hilariously unexpected cameos. Splinter brings together the holy trinity of celebrities named Chris in Hollywood with standups of Chris Evans, Chris Pratt, and Chris Pine –- who's sporting his Captain Kirk costume from the "Star Trek" films.

Splinter even tries to do a Chris Pine impression to impress the boys, and highlights his very defined eyebrows. While Splinter's special guests don't impress the turtles much, audiences will surely love this small batch of cameos. The fact that they aren't animated makes this moment so much funnier and "Mutant Mayhem" bringing together the three most notable Chris actors in Hollywood currently sets a new standard for cameos. It's a shame that Chris Tucker couldn't be brought along too though to make this a pseudo-"Rush Hour" reunion.

During a climactic sequence in which the turtles try to take control of the van carrying the last component to Superfly's mutation machine, there's a particular song that plays that internet dwellers will certainly recognize. Before Mikey slams on the brakes with Donny's staff, Mondo (voiced by Paul Rudd) puts 4 Non Blonde's "What's Up" on the radio so that everyone can sing along -– which everyone does except for the turtles. While it initially starts as the original version, the song changes after Mikey slams on the brakes and forces Superfly's allies out of the car. Viewers with a good ear and some savvy meme knowledge will instantly recognize this version from the meme of He-Man and other characters from "Masters of the Universe" singing the song. 

It's so clear in the moment that you can almost visualize the meme right in the theater and yes, you do get to hear Skeletor hilariously deliver his "And he prays" line from the meme. While it's pretty random for the song to change like this, it does fit the turtles being modern teens better, and is just a hilarious nod to a meme version of another classic cartoon from the '80s.

The film's post-credit scene not only gives viewers a fun glimpse into what the turtles' high school lives are like, it also sets up the appearance of the next big baddie to look out for — Shredder. It seems like Shredder and his Foot Clan soldiers are going to be working alongside Cynthia Utrom and the TCRI to stop the turtles and enact some mysterious plan. "TMNT" fans are well aware of Shredder's capabilities to cause major destruction and be a game-changing force for villainy. He's generally seen as the turtles' main antagonist, so the tease of his appearance in the next film should be a surprise to no one. 

Still, it'll be interesting to see if Shredder continues to work with Utrom and the TCRI or if this will be the jumping off point for him to become a standalone threat. Regardless, Shredder's introduction in the post-credit scene of "Mutant Mayhem" with his spiky visual design lets fans know that big things are on the horizon. 

What would a comic book movie be without references the comic's original creators? "Mutant Mayhem" certainly doesn't pass up on that opportunity as it finds fun ways to reference both Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird, the creators of "TMNT." When the turtles first talk with April on a rooftop, a hotel sign can be seen in the background reading "The Laird" — even though the "i" is blacked out. This is a very clever nod to Peter Laird and it's great to see his name be associated with a pivotal moment in the film for the turtles. 

Eastman's name is also used for a big moment in "Mutant Mayhem" as his name is heard when April is introducing the turtles to her high school, Eastman High. It's good to know that whenever the turtles go to their new school, they'll always be reminded of one of their creators.