Warning: this text comprises spoilers for TMNT: The Final Ronin II – Re-Evolution #5!
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Final Ronin has all the time been a very darkish and tragic tackle the TMNT franchise. In spite of everything, this saga began in a futuristic world the place Michelangelo was the only real surviving member of the Turtle household, a lone hero pursuing one ultimate quest of revenge. The unique sequence ended on a hopeful notice, with the beginning of a brand new era of Turtles, however even that beginning was countered by Michelangelo’s loss of life.
Because the sequel, TMNT: The Final Ronin II – Re-Evolution, involves an in depth, it’s clear that darkness and tragedy are nonetheless on the forefront of this universe. No sooner do the brand new Turtles come out of hiding to avoid wasting their metropolis than they’re pressured to grapple with the loss of life of a beloved mentor and grandmother determine. That’s proper, the sequence ends with the loss of life of the one and solely April O’Neil.
It’s fairly clear from studying The Final Ronin II finale that this story isn’t completed but. To search out out extra in regards to the tragic however heroic sacrifice of April and what would possibly lie in retailer in The Final Ronin III, IGN spoke with writers Kevin Eastman and Tom Waltz. Learn on to be taught extra in regards to the grim new route for this standard TMNT spinoff.
Pushing The Ronin-Verse Ahead
Earlier than we get to subject #5’s huge loss of life, it’s price taking a step again to take a look at The Final Ronin II as a complete. There’s been a noticeable tonal and stylistic shift on this sequel. The unique sequence depicted its futuristic model of New York as a basic cyberpunk dystopia straight out of Blade Runner or Akira. However with the loss of life of Oroku Hiroto and the daybreak of a extra hopeful period, the sequence has shifted to a extra grounded tackle the Large Apple. The Final Ronin II reveals us extra of what it’s like to really stay on this uneasy future setting, and that was positively intentional.
“I believed it was a bit Star Wars-esque, within the sense that for those who go from the New Hope period to the Abrams period, this concept that on the finish of Return of the Jedi we really feel like there’s been a victory. And to a sure extent there was a victory. However for those who do not handle issues, issues can fall uncontrolled once more,” Waltz tells IGN. “And I believe that was sort of our story right here. Yeah, that they had crushed the Foot Clan they usually had crushed Hiroto, however what was the plan after that? It virtually felt like issues will return to regular, however what’s regular? The police have been corrupt earlier than, they are going to be in all probability corrupt now. There have been three gangs earlier than, now they’re in all probability going to really feel extra empowered, the Foot Clan’s out of the best way.”
And I all the time suppose, energy, when there’s no one in cost that invitations, it creates a vacuum of energy. Any individual’s going to fill that vacuum. And that was sort of the overarching story we have been attempting to inform was, who was going to be the primary one to take management of town?
“After we designed The Final Ronin I, it was the top,” Eastmas says. “It was like, the ultimate triumph, the ultimate battle, the blood feud has ended, all these items which have been achieved by means of these extremely insurmountable epic phrases that is like, ‘Okay, right here is an ending, growth.’ Tom and I each cherished the Ronin-verse, so when it got here time folks mentioned, ‘Effectively, what would you do with a continuation of the sequence?’ And so we had quite a lot of conversations. And we dug deep and mentioned, ‘Effectively, alright, we have to discover, most significantly, what’s that objective?’ And that was the driving pressure for Final Ronin Re-Evolution, for positive, discovering that objective.”
There’s an apparent query many followers ask themselves when studying The Final Ronin – in what universe is that this story happening? Is The Final Ronin meant to be a continuation of the unique Mirage Comics TMNT universe, or perhaps the present IDW TMNT-verse? Is it a sequel to the cartoon sequence?
The Final Ronin II solely additional highlights that query as a result of one subject delivers a selected callback to a problem from the unique Mirage run, as April recounts her ordeal when she and the unique Turtles fled New York for the protection of her father’s nation home. Ought to followers take that as affirmation that The Final Ronin is a Mirage-verse story? Not essentially. Waltz and Eastman make it clear that the Ronin-verse remains to be its personal factor, and it’s deliberately left as much as the reader so far as how the continuity works.
“After we approached Final Ronin, we each mentioned, ‘Look, we now have all these Turtle universes, let’s make this our Darkish Knight universe. Let’s contact on just a few of the opposite universes, however primarily lean closely into the Mirage universe.’” Eastman says. “So we dismissed Bebop, and Rocksteady, and Mutants, and that sort of stuff. So this story was one unto itself, and it created a cheerful area that we did not have to stay with storylines, or logic, or historical past, or simply various things that Tom had arrange. Once more, we’re speaking about, when he wrote 100 points, that is like 10 years, virtually 11 years of stuff.”
“Yeah, I name it Mirage-adjacent. It is the dimension proper subsequent door to the undertaking,” Waltz provides. “I believe what Kevin and I spotted early on, I believe early on we have been taking a look at Mirage, particularly. And we knew we have been veering off that course when Karai turned Shredder’s daughter, as a part of this story. But it surely labored higher for the story. And so within the Mirage universe, that wasn’t the case. And so we mentioned, ‘Effectively, that is completely different. That is a bit little bit of a retcon proper right here.’”
Waltz continues, “After which at that time, we began saying the time period Ronin-verse. I believe we’re creating our personal universe right here, however I name it very Mirage-adjacent. The Darkish Knight Returns, for me, works so nicely, as a result of if someone actually desires to say, ‘It is Adam West’s future,’ it could possibly be Adam West’s future, as a result of all the fundamental components are there for a Batman story… I believe it really works so nicely in a generic sense, as a result of there’s simply sure components of Turtles that it’s a must to hit, and all people is aware of these issues by now. Most individuals know what these issues are, the place they arrive from, you could write this type of story and let folks fill within the blanks as they need.”
April’s Heroic Sacrifice
The Final Ronin II has actually added new layers to April O’Neil as a personality. She’s change into the figurehead of an underground resistance motion and a grandmother determine to the brand new Turtles. On the similar time, the sequence has solid April in a considerably darker gentle, revealing her hidden intentions in creating the brand new era of Turtles and the way she successfully performed god by giving them every superhuman talents.
In the end, although, April is given a heroic loss of life in subject #5, as she goes out in a blaze of glory preventing the Purple Dragons gang. As Eastman and Waltz clarify, April’s whirlwind journey within the sequel was all about serving their bigger objectives with The Final Ronin saga. This sequence wanted to finish with the final bastion of the unique TMNT era handing the baton to the brand new era.
“What we needed to say in The Final Ronin II: Re-Evolution coated virtually this essential, I need to say chaotic, but in addition very attempting time for the household,” Eastmas says. “April’s resolution to create these characters, was it needed? Was it necessary? Was it particular? Was it one thing that she missed in regards to the unique Turtles? Was one thing that she was attempting to create one thing that was the potential future protectors of New York Metropolis? As the muse of the superhero idea that we love a lot, not solely with the unique Turtles, however then discovering their objective.”
Eastman continues, “So what occurs in The Final Ronin II is, after all, the unlucky, however very crucial, story idea of April passing. It truly is handing the torch to a brand new era that we needed to make very particular. So she’s sort of the final of the unique sequence, final of Casey, final of Turtles, final of Splinter, final of the whole lot. So that’s formally handing the torch to the brand new Turtles, very similar to we did with Final Ronin I, which was having every of the Turtles have a selected, and really important, and essential demise in that sequence, that transitions right into a a lot larger image.”
“It isn’t solely the top of the household aspect of issues, if you consider Casey, and April, and Michelangelo, and the remainder of the Turtles, and Splinter, but it surely’s additionally finish of the outdated enemies, as a result of that is actually the demise of the Purple Dragons,” Waltz says. “And so I felt like April settled some unfinished enterprise, in a way, in her ultimate act, by taking out a menace that, all the best way again to The Misplaced Years, she knew was posed to her household with Jigsaw and the Purple Dragons.”
Waltz continues, “This second turned even larger than I believed it will be, earlier than we received to it, as a result of all of the items have been there, and it got here collectively, and it was only a matter of placing phrases of their mouths and actions of their palms. And I had a tough time writing it. It was arduous to jot down that with April. I like April, as a personality throughout all iterations, very a lot. She’s one among my favourite characters. However like Kevin mentioned, it was time. All this work she’s completed, and the Turtles earlier than, now what’s the payoff? Will these children be capable to proceed ahead efficiently? Was it price it or wasn’t it? And that is the story that is but to be informed.”
The Final Ronin III and Past
As Waltz alludes above, this clearly isn’t the top of the overarching Final Ronin storyline, on condition that this sequence successfully ends on a cliffhanger. No sooner do the Turtles and Casey Marie mourn April’s loss of life than we be taught the Resistance was betrayed by one among its personal. Their ally Jiro is secretly allied with the Foot Clan, a corporation that has survived the deaths of each Shredder and his grandson and is now in search of to reclaim its maintain on New York.
IGN can affirm that one other The Final Ronin sequel is in early improvement, with extra to be revealed down the street. However Eastman and Waltz clearly have concepts about the place their story is headed from right here.
“What you see, the revelation of their powers in Re-Evolution, is a stepping stone in the direction of what we need to do in Half 3. I mentioned to [Tom] from the very starting, ‘That is going to be our Empire Strikes Again/The Two Towers.’ That is the center stage of the place they are going. And people two have been essential films.”
Eastman continues, “So we lean in all probability very closely in the direction of The Empire Strikes Again, in that there’s a darkness of the ending, there’s a particular ending to the ending. But it surely very additionally, particularly says, that is going to proceed, there’s extra to be informed right here. And that was with a terrific objective. However that was with Half 2, we mentioned, ‘We do not need to seem to be it is a full cliffhanger, however we additionally made it as a cliffhanger.’ It’s a full story, it has a finale, and we needed it to proceed to a Half 3.”
“Kevin mentioned, ‘Let Lucas and Tolkien be our guides, so far as construction is worried.’ So it was positively The Empire Strikes Again and The Two Towers,” Waltz says. “And it was humorous, as a result of once we have been completed, I mentioned, ‘Some followers are going to be ecstatic that we’re persevering with, and different followers are going to come back after us with pitchforks and torches as a result of they needed to come again for some extra.’ However hopefully, it is one thing that folks will look ahead to. And we have got an enormous story deliberate for the third quantity. And perhaps another surprises in between.”
Waltz continues, “But it surely felt proper. It felt like this was the story we wanted to inform for this centerpiece, and the bookends shall be bombastic. We received the centerpiece that actually simply units the tables for lots of issues that have to be mentioned. And once more, it sort of tells its personal story generally, we’re simply following alongside, these characters have minds of their very own.”
With The Final Ronin III shaping as much as ship a brand new tackle the seemingly unending feud between Clan Hamato and the Foot Clan, it’s clear that the extra issues change on this universe, the extra they keep the identical. As Eastman explains, as a lot as the unique Final Ronin sequence was about ending the blood feud between the Turtles and Shredder as soon as and for all, the truth is that these feuds have a manner of persisting.
“On the finish of The Final Ronin I, we needed the blood feud to finish, with Michelangelo killing the, quote unquote, the final of Shredder’s bloodline, ending his personal life in the identical time,” Eastman says. “So we needed that finish, but it surely’s like, you’d wish to suppose that ought to be the top. However for those who’ve learn something about Japanese historical past, actually feudal Japan, there have been all the time completely different warlords, and shoguns, and various things that will stand up and create completely different conditions.”
Eastman continues, “We got here up with a world image. And one thing we’ll discover extra in Half 3 is there’s a part of a dynasty and company enterprise infrastructure in Japan, and Europe, primarily England, with our characters and New York Metropolis, that is creating this triad that might management the world financial powers, and create a really completely different universe. However what wasn’t anticipated was having folks that will cease the management of a few of these issues that will have an effect on… It is like having a insurgent base get up towards the powers that be, to have an effect on the change that everyone thought could be.”
Ultimately, the objective with The Final Ronin II was to introduce a transparent set of Resistance characters who can oppose the Foot Clan, the Crusader Knights, and the opposite international powers in The Final Ronin III. The brand new Turtles and their sensei have been examined, however the actual problem remains to be forward of them.
“That is going to be very private for our heroes, whereas, it is enterprise for the powers that be proper now. And I additionally suppose, a personality that I actually look ahead to exploring extra is Jiro, as a result of he has had a relationship with Casey. And perhaps that was extra real proper now than it seems to be,” Waltz says. “And in order that’s a dynamic I look ahead to exploring. However I additionally suppose, in relation to the household side, it is time for Casey Marie to step up and be that household chief. And we have thrown components of the Hamato Clan into the combo too. So there’s cool issues taking place behind the scenes that I believe are going to make for some actually, actually thrilling drama within the third quantity.”
Lastly, we couldn’t discuss to Eastman and Waltz with out mentioning the varied diversifications of The Final Ronin which have been introduced in recent times. We all know that each a live-action Final Ronin film and a Final Ronin online game are in improvement proper now, although there have been few updates about both undertaking recently. However Eastman desires to reassure followers that this isn’t essentially as a result of work has stalled on the initiatives.
“The online game was one thing that has been developed early on. Tom and I have been introduced in initially for taking a look at among the ideas, taking a look at among the improvement points, and the issues that have been probably taking place there,” Eastman says. “There was a resting interval, I believe, or restructuring interval. With the key developer, however I perceive that, the final I heard from Nickelodeon, it is again on observe. So we hope to all share information sooner or later. We have got nothing definitive. We hope to all share information on the progress on the online game.”
As for the film, Eastman notes that the need is to get the story proper somewhat than rush one thing out to grab on the hype of the comedian.
“I’ve had conversations and shared some particulars with Tom on the discussions on a Final Ronin film,” Eastman says. “Hollywood is a really magical, complicated, difficult place as issues develop. However among the conversations I’ve had early on have been splendidly constructive, they usually love what Tom and I’ve completed. And I really feel like, to cite the author that I talked to a few instances, he simply cherished what we did in The Final Ronin I, and mentioned, ‘I simply do not need to be the man that messes it up.’”
Eastman continues, “So that they’re very honest. They’re being attentive to what’s been completed earlier than, however we have got nothing particularly we may share. I want we may. And I believe we’ll hear stuff extra sooner or later as issues go alongside, however there may be positively a want from Nickelodeon and Paramount to do, not solely a online game, however a live-action film, and I have been informed within the R-rated area.”
TMNT: The Final Ronin II – Re-Evolution #5 is in shops now. You too can preorder the collected The Final Ronin II hardcover on Amazon.
For extra on the TMNT franchise, see what TMNT author Jason Aaron needed to say about the way forward for his sequence, and be taught extra about the newly introduced TMNT: Shredder spinoff.
Jesse is a mild-mannered workers author for IGN. Permit him to lend a machete to your mental thicket by following @jschedeen on BlueSky.