Ninja Turtles Season 5: We Want You!

Ninja Turtles Season 5: We Want You! by Jerry Whitworth

For the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles‘ fifth season, the heroes are going to space to combat the likes of Lord Dregg and the Triceratons. Thus far, only a handful of characters have been announced for the upcoming twenty episode season so the door’s open for any number of past and new characters to emerge. However, as season three (and the reveals for season five) have demonstrated, there’s plenty of room for nostalgic entries such as the likes of the Punk Frogs and Mighty Mutanimals. So, lets take a look at some other alien characters that could very well find their way into the fifth season of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles to come.

INTERGALACTIC WRESTLING

Likely borrowing some elements from the X-Men’s Mojo, Stump and Sling own and operate Intergalactic Wrestling broadcasting from the Stump Asteroid across multiple dimensions and planets. Featuring some of the universe’s greatest warriors (whether they want to participate or not), Cudley the Cowlick (a giant flying disembodied cyborg cow head) scoops fighters in his mouth and travels across dimensions to and from Intergalactic Wrestling. The Ninja Turtles were one such unwilling capture as they were forced to battle Cryin’ Houn’ (as the also kidnapped Leatherhead fought the champion Ace Duck). Stump would next conceive of “The Final Conflict” as they remotely maneuvered the Ninja Turtles against the Malignoids and the Shredder in an on-location shoot providing Leatherhead, Wingnut and Screwloose, and Stump’s right-hand man Trap to the Turtles to even the odds (an aptly named event as Shredder and Krang were finally defeated for all time in wake of this battle). Intergalactic Wrestling would make its final appearance forcing the Turtles to fight each other as the winner took on El Mysterio (Cryin’ Houn’ in a mask with a Spanish accent).

SARNATH

Long, long ago, the alien race known as the Mergia tried to create sentient silicon-based slaves called the Triasts but their creation would rebel against their treatment. In turn, the Triasts created Battle-Beasts to aid in their conflict and would defeat the Mergia. However, the Mergia refused defeat and were exiled where one of their race, in a final act of defiance, tore out all three eyes of his former slave. This slave, who took the name Sarnath, hunted its former master ever since aided in his journey by his loyal Battle-Beast Qark who acts as his eyes through a psychic bond. Sarnath’s prey would come to Earth and lose the eyes in a crash landing before dying. The eyes, powerful artifacts individually, were fought over by the Ninja Turtles and Shredder prior to Sarnath’s arrival as the Triast reclaimed one eye from the wreckage when he landed on the planet. Needing all three eyes to see, for reasons unknown, Sarnath attacks the city of New York only to be stopped by the Turtles who learn his story. It’s revealed Sarnath’s other eyes were trapped one hundred years in the future but considering the kindness shown by the Turtles, Sarnath becomes their friend and invites them to journey with him. Sarnath would later valiantly sacrifice himself to protect the universe from the mysterious Sons of Silence (as Qark joined the crew of a band of freedom fighters called the Nova Posse).

BATTLE NEXUS

While the 2003 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles animated series had many remarkable storyarcs, arguably its most memorable was the Battle Nexus (it should be noted, the concept came from the original comic series which included Gyoji). Therein, a tournament was held with participants across many dimensions and worlds fighting to claim the title of champion of the multiverse. Such past champions included Splinter, his master Hamato Yoshi, and the Shredder. The arc introduced Miyamoto Usagi and his friend Gennosuke, the former a character that has been associated with the Ninja Turtles for many years in comics, animation, and toys despite being a privately licensed entity. Battle Nexus would also introduce Traximus, a Triceraton who would go on to usurp his race’s empire. Just as with Usagi, Gennosuke, and Traximus, the Battle Nexus introduces a unique opportunity to showcase some of the characters already introduced in the animated series but perhaps some other characters who have crossed over with the Turtles over the years like Cerebus the Aardvark, Flaming Carrot, Panda Khan, or the Wild West C.O.W.-Boys of Moo Mesa could also pop-up as participants. Of course, Usagi has a large cast of characters that could be expanded upon in animation such as Chizu, Lord Hebi, Jei, Tomoe Ame, Inazuma, Inukai, Kurokaze, Sasuké, Yagi and Gorogoro, and Zato-Ino.

MALIGNA

Hive queen of the Malignoid insectoid alien race, Maligna made a deal with the demon Null (who claims to be the Devil) through her lieutenants Scul & Bean to purchase the Earth to expand her empire. Toward this end, Null tried to wipe out humanity through various schemes only to be repeatedly quelled by the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles forcing the demon to strike a bargain with four more of his kind in the Four Horsemen (Death, War, Pestilence, and Famine) only for they to also fail. Maligna would take a more direct approach against the Earth by invading it becoming something of a nemesis to the Mighty Mutanimals, an ally group to the Ninja Turtles (in a proposed Mutanimals animated series, Maligna was intended to be their ongoing foe). Eventually, Null would hire the Gang of Four who mercilessly murdered the Mutanimals in cold blood drawing the supreme ire of the Ninja Turtles. Slash, a close friend of the Mutanimals, would sacrifice his life in order to kill Maligna and Null by piloting the queen’s hive ship into the sun.