Supervillains have been stealing the spotlight from their heroic counterparts lately. From Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles want to get in on a slice of the villain action, putting the iconic Shredder center stage.

Written by Dan Watters and illustrated by Michele Bandini, TMNT: Shredder is set to reveal the depths of Shredder’s intense career as the ruthless ruler of New York's criminal underworld. This series promises to reshape the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles universe, offering a deeper dive into the dark heart of one of its most iconic antagonists.

Coming off the heels of his latest collaboration with Naruto, fans should be excited to explore the deadly and vengeful side of Oroku Saki later this summer. However, the question remains whether Shredder is the perfect fit for this trend, or if this is another example of villain-centric storytelling gone too far?

TMNT: Shredder Explained

The Ultimate Ronin’s Return

Shredder fighting Splinter in TMNT.

TMNT: Shredder brings Oroku Saki back to the heart of New York, hungry for vengeance after being betrayed and cast out by the Foot Clan. This is a story of redemption through rage, where Shredder’s relentless pursuit of revenge forces him to face old enemies and new threats alike. The series will offer an in-depth exploration of how betrayal and loss don’t just break a man, but rather, they turn him into something far more dangerous. With each step, the story claims to reveal the complexity of a villain whose ruthlessness has undergone a complete transformation.

The series is set to reinvent the classic villain, offering a fresh perspective on Shredder as he's forced to abandon the gods and allegiances he has adhered to over the years to complete his mission. This approach is honestly something fit for the big screen, as it offers a deeper, more nuanced examination of the iconic character, revealing facets of Shredder that fans haven’t seen before. While he’s been one of the most well-known and feared villains in the TMNT universe, this series will explore his complexities, giving fans a unique take on a character who’s long been shrouded in mystery.

Is Shredder the Right Choice?

Or Has Villain Trend Gone Too Far?

Shredder with Splinter and the TMNT behind him.

With recent successes like Venom and Joker, it seems audiences are more captivated than ever by the stories of those on the wrong side of justice, but is the ultimate Ronin a good fit for such an adaptation? The answer is a resounding yes. While this announcement may seem like IDW is simply capitalizing on this current trend, Shredder is actually the perfect fit for such a story. As a fan-favorite villain, Shredder's backstory provides the most ideal opportunity to reshape the hero's journey through the eyes of a perceived villain since Paradise Lost.

Shredder, with his deep ties to the TMNT universe and his tragic backstory, makes for a compelling character to explore. He has always been a complex antagonist, and this shift to center stage challenges the traditional heroic narrative, offering a raw, unfiltered view of one of the most notorious figures in the TMNT franchise. However, whether his quest for vengeance will be enough for audiences to empathize with him remains to be seen. Turtle fans will have to wait until August to find out.

TMNT: Shredder will be available starting August 13 from IDW Publishing.

  • Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (1987) TV Show Poster
    Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
    Created by
    Kevin Eastman, Peter Laird
    First Film
    Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (1990)
    Latest Film
    Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem
    Films
    Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem 2
    First TV Show
    Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
    Latest TV Show
    Tales of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles

    Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (TMNT) is a multi-media franchise that began with Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird’s comics in the 1980s. Throughout the years, their comic books expanded to movies, TV shows, video games, and toys. Most notably, the animated Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles ran for nearly a decade and has become a nostalgic staple of the ‘80s and ‘90s. Several other movies have featured the four anthropomorphic turtle brothers (Leonardo, Michelangelo, Donatello, and Raphael), including the trilogy of live-action films in the ‘90s and the more recent movies Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and its sequel Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows.

  • Tales of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 2024 TV Series Poster
    Tales of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
    Not Yet Rated
    Action
    Adventure
    Animation
    Network
    Nickelodeon
    Showrunner
    Christopher L. Yost, Alan Wan
    Writers
    Christopher L. Yost, Alan Wan

    Cast

    See All
    • Headshot Of Brady Noon
      Brady Noon
    • Headshot Of Nicolas Cantu
      Nicolas Cantu
    • Cast Placeholder Image
      Micah Abbey
    • Cast Placeholder Image
      Shamon Brown Jr.

    WHERE TO WATCH

    Streaming
    BUY

    A spin-off of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem, Tales of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles is an animated action-adventure series that sees the titular heroic turtles strike out on their own in an all-new storyline penned for television. Voice actors Micah Abbey, Shamon Brown Jr., Nicolas Cantu, and Brady Noon will return to reprise their roles as the four turtles.