Does Splinter's First Queer Romance Debut In TMNT: Mutant Mayhem?
Contains spoilers for "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem"
"Mutant Mayhem" follows in "TMNT" lore by having one of the turtles, in this case, Leonardo (Nicolas Cantu), develop a crush on April (Ayo Edebiri). But that's not the only budding romance in the film. Splinter (Jackie Chan) mentions early in the film how he gets lonely in the sewer and would like a mate. And by the end, he gets exactly what he wanted when he gets into a relationship (or at least a situationship) with Scumbug.
The bug mutant has no credited voice actor. Further, in the film's marketing materials, it's listed that Scumbug voices "Himself." However, the film's directors have noted to /Film that this was an error. Additionally, there's a scene in the movie where Splinter says, "I'm really attracted to her" — referring to Scumbug.
Still, audiences went into the film with the assumption that Scumbag is a cis-male bug. Plus, when it comes to a mutant who's an amalgamation of various bugs, there are plenty of insects that exist in nature that can change gender. For some fans, this felt like the first confirmed queer relationship Splinter has gotten in "TMNT" lore.
The two definitely get hot and heavy in "Mutant Mayhem." They passionately kiss after the turtles defeat the kaiju form of Superfly (Ice Cube). Later, when the turtles go to school, Splinter and Scumbug see them off with their arms wrapped around each other. They're definitely a thing, but this doesn't necessarily mean Splinter is gay. Sexuality is a spectrum, but this does indicate Splinter is not a strictly heterosexual mutant rat. And the fictional lore of "TMNT" as it pertains to cartoons and comic books has been open to numerous types of relationships over the years.
Love is love in TMNT
In a franchise as long-running as "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles," there have been plenty of romances over the years. The main characters are teenagers, after all, so naturally, their hormones get going from time to time. This is especially true for Raphael, who's had many love interests over the years, including Mona Lisa, who was first introduced as one of the coolest side characters in the 1987 animated series. She's a former human who gets mutated and turns into an anthropomorphic lizard. She only appeared in one episode from that series, but she's gone on to appear in other media since, including the 2012 series, where her origin is changed so that she's a salamander-like alien. But her flirtation with Raph is still there.
Raphael certainly has a way with the ladies, as he's had other love interests in the comics, such as Mezcaal, a coyote woman, and Alopex, who has attributes of an arctic fox. However, his brothers have gotten romance stories over the years. Leonardo has been linked with Karai, Radical, or Venus. Meanwhile, Mikey has had a thing with Oyuki and Renet. Donnie's often left by himself, but when it comes to these brothers, it's always turtles before Myrtles. Regardless, cross-species relationships are nothing new, and that goes double for LGBTQ+ characters.
The "TMNT" comics have had many characters with same-sex relationships, most notably with Jennika, often considered the fifth Ninja Turtle. She bonded with Sheena over a shared interest in music, and the two developed feelings for one another romantically. As for Splinter in "Mutant Mayhem," this is the first of him canonically being queer.
Previous iterations of Splinter had him formerly married to a human woman
As with many mutants featured in "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles," Splinter has had various origins over the years. In the original comics, he's the pet rat of Hamato Yoshi, who learned ninjutsu art from his master and trained the turtles in these teachings when he mutated. However, the 1987 animated show changes his origin to where Splinter and Hamato Yoshi are one and the same. He used to be a human who was forced to live as a hermit after being expelled from the Foot Clan. He took in the turtles as his own while living in the sewers when they all came into contact with the mutagen, transforming them all. The 2012 series further expanded on this by establishing that when Splinter was Hamato Yoshi, he married Tang Shen, who died in a fire when Shredder attacked him in his home.
Despite being portrayed as heterosexual in this instance, some fans shipped Splinter with Baron Draxum in "Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles." Again, there's a slightly different origin at play where both Splinter and Draxum are responsible for the turtles' creation, but Draxum wanted to use them for nefarious purposes, causing Splinter to run off with them. Draxum is a villain in the cartoon's first season, but he gets some redemption later. As such, some fans view the two as former romantic partners, partly because they give off "divorced couple energy" in many of their interactions. This relationship ultimately comes down to fan fiction, so it's not officially canon.
But Splinter getting romantic with Scumbug in "Mutant Mayhem" is the first official queer relationship the character's been in. With the film getting followed by a Paramount+ series and a sequel already, hopefully, there's room for even greater representation down the road.