There are many reasons to like theTeenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, but among the more overlooked reasons is their crossover events. Be it onscreen or in comic books, the Turtles always find a way to share space with some beloved - but wholly unexpected - faces in pop culture history.
The comic book medium has helped expand theTeenage Mutant Ninja Turtles' potential for crossovers. Although theTMNTfranchise has its origins in comics, which pre-date the cartoons that popularized the franchise, thecomics have prolonged the longevity of the franchise, while also delivering audiences more ways for the Turtles to team-up (or, in some cases, battle) their favorite characters. Audiences watched onscreen as the Turtles met the Power Rangers, while in the comics, they met everyone from Naruto to Batman. Meanwhile, possibilities for the future of their crossovers remain endless.
10Godzilla
King of the Crossovers
If there is only one other IP that rivals the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles when it comes to crossovers, it’s Godzilla. One can argue that the idea of crossovers being such a lucrative concept in pop culture originated with Godzilla, asthe Monsterverse is one of the earliest cinematic examples of a shared universe.Godzilla’s crossover opportunities have only grown thanks to comics. The past year alone has seen the King of the Monsters goas far as killing Supermanin a skirmish with the Justice League.
Godzilla / TMNT could be the perfect crossover for two forces notorious for bringing dream crossovers into reality.
Marvel has already teasedGodzilla’s invasion of the Marvel universefor 2025. Meanwhile, TMNT’s current comic writer Jason Aaron produced a bigger tease for the future, outright saying hewants to write a Godzilla crossover. Desire doesn’t equal a confirmation that a crossover is happening, but if it happens, Godzilla / TMNT could be the perfect crossover for two forces notorious for bringing dream crossovers into reality.
9Alien / Predator
The Ultimate Monster Mash
Alien vs Predatorranks among the most significant crossover battles in modern pop culture. It’s a fight that first hit the big screen in 2004 and has since made its way into the comic world. As such, the comic realm could make it feasible for a third opponent to enter the fray - like the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. Doing so wouldtake the TMNTfranchise into never-before-seen territory.
Forcing the Turtles to contend with Xenomorphs would catapult the Cowabunga Dudes into the horror genre for the first time. The Turtles have already managed to get grittier with their 2024 reimagining from IDW Publishing, so horror would be new, yet apropos. Meanwhile, pitting two skilled warriors against each other, like theTeenage Mutant Ninja Turtles’ best fighterand the Yautja, would make for a duel for the ages.
8Sonic the Hedgehog
Two Saturday Morning Cartoon Legends
While many dream encounters for the Turtles are hypothetical jousting scenarios, bringing Sonic the Hedgehog together with them would be more of an encounter between characters that ’90s kids grew up idolizing - enough to want to see a team-up instead of a fight. The franchises are a deep contrast of styles, with Sonic focusing on his speed while the Turtles depend on more methodical close-hand combat.
Why TMNT’s Super-Smart Donatello Has The Simplest Weapon
The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles' Donatello is their greatest inventor, and yet his bo staff is the simplest weapon of all - and with good reason.
Surely, both parties would be utterly fascinated with each other’s differing styles. The ever-inquisitive Donatello would certainly be dying to know all about how Sonic’s speed and physiology worked. Seeing a dynamic like that in comics would beincredibly fun to behold for any ’90s kids raised on these icons. As long as the crossover captures the youthful imagination of their celebrated material, then it could play out as the perfect tribute to the practice of a Saturday morning lineup.
7Transformers
Childhood Staples Rebooted for Comics
Much like TMNT, the Transformersfranchise has had new life breathed into it thanks to a comic book revival.TMNT always had gritty roots in comics, but its continued comics success gives old-school cartoon viewers new material to enjoy today. Neither TMNTnor Transformerswould still have such vast blood pumping through its veins if the new age comics did not help keep them both alive and updated. Their respective revivals have helped add new lore to each property, all whilst giving fans old and new something new to salivate over on a regular basis.
The newTransformerscomic by Daniel Warren Johnson and Jorge Corona - which is also tied to a larger universe featuring G.I. Joe characters - is available now in single issues and collected editions from Skybound Entertainment.
Given how important the comic book industry has proven to be for the lasting legacies of both franchises, it would make the utmost sense to continue their respective second winds bymerging the two franchises together for one big epic event. It’d be a fitting marriage between the two childhood staples. It’s easy to see how Optimus Prime’s car and Autobot form would give the brothers plenty to talk about.
6Star Trek
The IDW Connection
IDW Publishing has gained acclaim in recent years thanks to the publisher’s work on theTeenage Mutant Ninja Turtlescomic book, but it’snot the only classic series that’s been revitalized under the IDW brand. IDW has produced an extensive library ofStar Trekcomics over the years. A crossover with theTeenage Mutant Ninja Turtlescomic book would be an ambitious prospect, but not an impossible one. In fact, because both comic properties belong to IDW, aStar Trekcrossover has the potential of actually happening.
Thanks toDonatello’s mastery of magic, time travel is not outside the scope of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles comic franchise, and thus, the idea of the Turtles entering the distant future to land on the Starship Enterprise would not be impossible. Alternatively,Star Trekcharacters have gone to the past as well. The crossover potential is limitless. IDW just needs to make it happen.
5Gargoyles
A New York Melting Pot
2024 saw a successfulKickstarter campaign come to fruitionfor Dynamite Entertainment to re-publish classic issues ofGargoyles. Additionally, Dynamite Comics continues the story of the original show, witha new series focusing on Demonacurrently on the horizon.The comeback ofGargoylesis officially underway, and there is no better way to solidify it than with a crossover withTeenage Mutant Ninja Turtlesto boost its newfound relevancy.
It’s Official: New York City Is Now Part Of the Naruto Universe
New York City, meet Naruto! Discover how the iconic city becomes part of the beloved anime universe in this exciting official TMNT crossover event.
Besides the classic cartoon connections, this crossover may seem like a random pairing on the surface, but it makes all the more sense when readers remember thatGargoylestakes place in New York City. NYC is the bread and butter of the Turtlesfranchise. Nothing highlights just how much of a melting pot that city is more than seeing living gargoyle statues team up with talking turtles.
4Spider-Man
New York’s Top Heroes
The New York connection reigns supreme again - except that Spider-Man istheNew York-based superhero. Many would argue that Spidey, in all of his iterations, isthe definitive superhero representative of New York City. Of course,Marvel has many New York-based heroes, but it’s hard to argue against Spider-Man ranking as Number One. A team-up with the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles could be an opportunity to pay homage to the city that never sleeps through two of its most popular heroes.
The best part is that a team-up with Spider-Man gives options for the Turtles, because the team-up doesn’t necessarily need to be with Peter Parker. Miles Morales could be just as entertaining alongside the Turtles, if not more so, since Miles is still a teenager himself. In fact, the Spider-Family is so large that, theoretically, a TMNTcrossover could work with any Spider-Hero.
3Daredevil
The No-Brainer Crossover That Never Was
It’s been well-documented that Daredevil and the Turtlesshare the same origin story. Their original origin story reveals that the Turtles were on a truck carrying ooze that crashed when trying to evade a blind person in the middle of the street. The ooze that splashed on the Turtles exposed them to a mutagen that turned them into humanoids. Despite directly connecting to how Matt Murdock lost his sight in a similar accident, this connection was never treated as anything more than an Easter egg for savvy readers.
It’s incredibly surprising to think that a story has yet to be conceived that would bring the Turtles together with Daredevil.
It’s incredibly surprising to think that a story has yet to be conceivedthat would bring the Turtles together with Daredevil.TMNTcreator Kevin Eastman and formerTMNTartist Gavin Smith both expressed interest previouslyin manifesting such a crossover, but nothing has come of that talk thus far.
2Thundercats
Another Comic to Crossover With
Another classic cartoon that audiences remember fondly today,Thundercatshas also received a new life through the comics, and creators are starting to explore what its world looks like through the eyes of other-worldly perspectives by way of crossing over. It’s already been announced that theThundercats will be crossing over with the Powerpuff Girlsin 2025.
If crossovers are one way to help put the newThundercatscomic book on the map, then theTeenage Mutant Ninja Turtlesshould be a top candidate for such a crossover. Similar to aPowerpuff Girls team-up with Thundercats, a melding of TMNTand Thundercats is one of those pairings that doesn’t immediately come to mind, but once its laid out on paper, it makes perfect sense. Of course, two popular cartoons based around humanoid animal warriors should join forces.
1Powerpuff Girls
A Surprising, But Almost Obvious, Choice
Speaking of thenewPowerpuff Girlscomic book seriesand its future crossovers, the door is open for a crossover withTeenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. This crossover idea is another one that doesn’t immediately spring to mind as making the purest of sense, but it really does.Both teams are celebrated superheroes bonded by either brotherhood or sisterhoodand created by a chemical mix gone wrong.
Powerpuff Girls Just Gave the Franchise Its Own Version of Sailor Moon’s Tuxedo Mask
Sailor Moon’s fan-favorite heartthrob has joined the Powerpuff Girls franchise as a potential villain, bringing the two iconic series together.
Readers shouldn’t expect a proposed crossover with the Powerpuff Girls to depict the Townsville heroines in as much of an edgy light as the current Turtles are, but this combo would be best suited to echoing the original classic cartoons that ’80s and ’90s kids adored growing up. A franchise as surprising as the Powerpuff Girls being thrown into the mix showcases just how versatile theTeenage Mutant Ninja Turtlescan be; they can be paired with anyone for a genuinely fun time.
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.
