Warning: Spoilers for Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #3Leonardo has a reputation for being the leader of theTeenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, and thus stands firm as the voice of reason who keeps them from going too far. However, without his brothers by his side, this ninja turtle takes a dark turn. In a shocking moment, Leonardo takes the life of an opponent, abandoning mercy in his darkest era yet.
InTeenage Mutant Ninja Turtles#3 by Jason Aaron, Cliff Chiang, and Shawn Lee, following his brothers' split, Leonardo has exiled himself to the Ganges River. Theninja turtles' former leaderattempts to leave his old life behind, but that life comes back with a vengeance as the Foot Clan ambushes him. Leonardo fights back in violent fashion, eventossing one of the ninjas into the water after learning he can’t swim and drowning him in the process.
Leonardo and his brothers have killed before in the heat of battle, but thoughtlessly killing someone as they beg for mercy isa critical betrayal of his moral code, and this scene reveals just how far he’s fallen in the turtles' new era.
Leonardo Becomes a Murderer in TMNT Lore, Redefining His Character in a Shocking Way
Leonardo’s Failure to Abandon His Ninja Ways Propels Him Into Darkness
This issue chronicles Leonardo’s journey as, in the aftermath of a falling-out with his brothers, he begins an isolated existence among the turtles of the Ganges River. He has reached a point where he feels that he is no longer alive, and seeks to remedy this byabandoning his ninja lifestyleto behave like an ordinary turtle instead. Ultimately, upon the arrival of the Foot Clan’s forces, Leonardo slips back into old habits andwields his ninja weaponsonce again. The difference is, when he fights them this time,Leonardo doesn’t hold backthe way he might have before.
Michelangelo Turns Against His Brothers in A Major Unexpected Change to Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Lore
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #2 upends the franchise’s status quo, as Michelangelo battles one of his brothers, changing their dynamic forever.
Leonardo killing as he does here is a major departure for him as a steadfast believer inSplinter’s teachings. Surprisingly, he’s undergone a dark turn before inTMNTlore; in the “City Fall” arc ofTeenage Mutant Ninja TurtlesbyKevin Eastman, Bobby Curnow, Tom Waltz, and Mateus Santolouco,Leonardo becomes a villainas a result of brainwashing by Kitsune and the Foot Clan. What makes this moment more haunting in comparison to his time as “Dark Leo” is thatLeonardo has full control of himself this time around, so his cold-blooded murder of an enemy is no one’s doing but his own.
Leonardo’s Reunion with His Brothers Could Pull Him Back from the Darkness
Can Leonardo Return to the Light After Taking a Life?
Leonardoisn’t the only one of his brothers who is traversing a bleak pathin his solo travels. Raphael has been fighting for his life in prison, whileMichelangelo has officially turned against his brothers. Furthermore, as seen in a preview fromTeenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Alphaby Aaron and Chris Burnham,Donatello endures the horrifying fateof being trapped in a mutant zoo.
Still, Leonardo may be in the darkest place of all as he abandons his ideals against the Foot Clan. He’s returned to his ninja ways, but with the twisted caveat of having blood on his hands. Hopefully, reuniting with the rest of theTeenage Mutant Ninja Turtlescan pull Leonardo - and his brothers, by extension - back to the light before he loses what’s left of himself.
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.
