10 Ninja Turtle Villains We’re Still Waiting To See In A TMNT Movie

The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles franchise consists of comic books, TV shows, and films, but every character hasn’t appeared in each form of media. Many beloved villains within the franchise have yet to be included in a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles movie. The first Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles animated series premiered in 1987 and, since then, the franchise’s fan base continues to grow with every new series and film released. Even as each new addition of the Ninja Turtles has a different animation style, one thing that stays the same is the array of villains featured within the films.

While classic Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles villains such as Jei and Armaggon haven’t been in films yet, they have been prominent characters in animated series. Others, such as Old Hob, are seen in the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles comics and are still waiting to be lifted from the page and brought to the screen. As the franchise’s popularity only continues to grow, the need to include these villains is more apparent than ever. For both old and new fans alike, introducing more classic Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles villains into films is exciting, as the storyline will be fresh and the stakes for the Ninja Turtles will increase.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (2003 –2009)

The Foot Mystics, or Mystic Ninjas, are guards of the Utrom Shredder and come into contact with the Ninja Turtles and Splinter when they storm into the Utrom Shredder’s tower. The Mystics are some of the most powerful villains in the TMNT franchise as they don’t solely rely on physical strength. Each Mystic has powers that originate from different elements on Earth, such as metal, fire, and water.

The Mystics can only be defeated by an equal mystical strength or by the Sword of Tengu, which Splinter used against them in the Utrom Shredder’s tower. Conveying believable elemental beings in live-action isn’t always easy to accomplish, therefore an animated TMNT film would be the ideal place to include the powerful antagonists.

9 King Komodo

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (Image Comics)

Similar to other underutilized villains in TMNT movies, King Komodo is one of the weirdest mutant animals in the franchise. King Komodo started as an ordinary Komodo dragon but turned into the famous antagonist as a result of an accidental mutagen injection. King Komodo’s strength and sentience allowed him to control those beneath him.

In the comics, King Komodo spends most of his time lurking in the sewers and once killed children who had snuck down there. Following this murder, King Komodo set up a trap for the Ninja Turtles, who believed Leatherhead was responsible for the killings. A battle between King Komodo and Leonardo broke out, prompting King Komodo to bite the Ninja Turtle’s hand. Due to King Komodo’s minimal villainous activities, he’d be best fit for a minor role in an upcoming TMNT film.

8 The Rat King

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (2012-2017)

The Rat King has gone through a few different redesigns throughout the years, but one of his most menacing looks is in the 2012 animated series. The villain is cloaked in black clothing and closely resembles a corpse with his frail, pale skin. It’s a frightening sight that lines up with his journey into madness and one that could use a revamp in a new TMNT movie. In the series, he is known as a scientist named Victor Falco who earns the trust of the Ninja Turtles.

However, Victor is secretly working on a chemical that allows him to read the thoughts of the Ninja Turtles. Once this experiment left him mutated, he gained the ability to control rats and gave himself the name, “Rat King.” As the Rat King, the villain was eager to wipe out much of the human race, but he still had animosity toward the Ninja Turtles and Splinter. Much of the Rat King’s storyline in the 2012 series centers on his vendetta against Splinter, so introducing this conflict in a film would add a layer of stakes for the Ninja Turtles.

7 Emperor Zanmoran

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (2012-2017)

Emperor Zanmoran is a power-hungry, sadistic villain in the TMNT franchise that would be a powerful force to add to a film. As the emperor of the Triceraton Empire, Zanmoran requests that the Ninja Turtles come to the Triceraton Arena for battle. The Turtles were saved by Zanmoran from a death sentence by Admiral Mozar but were put up against powerful fighters in the Triceraton Arena, such as the Spasmosaurs and the undefeated Zeno. The Ninja Turtles’ battles were for the amusement of Zanmoran, but they ultimately came out on top, much to the emperor’s surprise. Zanmoran’s vengeful tactics make for a gripping villain that can add a dark twist to a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles movie.

6 Savanti Romero

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (2003 –2009)

The Ninja Turtles aren’t direct enemies of Savanti Romero, rather they get dragged into a conflict with him, but he’s still a villain worth exploring in a film. The 2003 animated series deals with Savanti’s desire for the Time Scepter. For his reckless behavior, Savanti was sent to the Cretaceous period where he built an army of dinosaurs and managed to capture the keeper of the Time Scepter, Renet. Savanti wanted to sacrifice Renet to increase his power.

To achieve this, Savanti used his magic powers to produce a lightning bolt so powerful it would shift Earth’s rotation and dodge the meteor that took out the dinosaurs, undoing the human creation of the Ninja Turtles in the future. Savanti’s abrupt and self-inflicted fate plays into the franchise’s humor. Unfortunately for Savanti, the very lightning bolt that he created is what accidentally kills him.

5 Touch And Go

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (2003 –2009)

There isn’t much about the assassin duo from the 2003 animated series, but Touch and Go are still interesting villains and should be included in a film, even as just a small part. The series shows the duo as two assassins hired by Hun to attack the Ninja Turtles. Touch and Go are strong and have nearly defeated the Ninja Turtles occasionally, believing one time they successfully killed Michelangelo and the group’s sensei, Splinter.

The two would undoubtedly be entertaining side characters for the Ninja Turtles to interact with. Including more of the duo means expanding on their personalities and amping up their shared antics. Touch and Go are an extension of Hun who himself has only appeared in one of the franchise’s films, 2009’s Turtles Forever, so there is a possibility Hun and his assassins could be featured in another movie sometime in the future.

4 Agent John Bishop

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (2003 –2009)

Though there are a few versions of Agent John Bishop, the animated version from the 2003 TV series is one of the best. In the series, the cunning Agent Bishop works for the United States government protecting the planet from alien invasions. In addition to his legal work, Bishop secretly worked on his own experiment.

Bishop hopes to build an army of super-soldiers, kidnapping different aliens and mutants to extract their DNA and use his findings to assemble his army. The Ninja Turtles were one of the mutants kidnapped by Bishop in the TV series, but the agent put aside his hard feelings for a bit to team up with them to defeat their shared enemy, Tengu Shredder. Though Bishop hasn’t been a main character in a TMNT movie, he appears to have a brief cameo in Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Movie in 2022.

3 Armaggon

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (2012-2017)

In the 2012 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles animated series, Armaggon is a bounty hunter hired by Vringath Dregg — also absent from the franchise’s films — to go after the Ninja Turtles. His character arc and character design in the animated series differ from the original comic and, more recently, the IDW Publishing version of Armaggon. The animated series showed the Ninja Turtles easily outsmarting Armaggon and the threat posed by the villain was minimal. However, the recent comic depiction of Armaggon shows a more ruthless antagonist that would be a fresh approach to the franchise’s films.

The IDW comic shows a timeline in which Armaggon brutally attacks three of the Ninja Turtles. This Armaggon is more extreme than in other comics and animated series, but it makes for compelling source material for a future film. No matter which version of Armaggon is referenced, his appearance in a TMNT movie is needed.

2 Old Hob

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (IDW)

Old Hob is a character from the comic series published by IDW Publishing, which began in 2011 and has yet to be featured in a TMNT movie. Old Hob has a villain origin story told many times before, but it remains fascinating. Old Hob was thrown out by his previous owner and, while living as a stray, starts a fight with a pre-mutated Raphael. Luckily for the Ninja Turtle, Splinter intervened and clawed out one of Old Hob’s eyes in the process.

From that moment forward, Old Hob saw it as part of his life’s purpose to seek revenge against Splinter and the Turtles. Old Hob’s story and connections within the comic series make him the perfect villain to lead a film within the franchise. Aside from the Ninja Turtles and Splinter, Old Hob also has ties to other characters present in TMNT movies, such as Baxter Stockman and Hun, who appeared in the television film, Turtles Forever.

1 Jei

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (2012-2017)

In the 2012 animated series, Jei is known best as the mortal enemy of Miyamoto Usagi, a friend of the Ninja Turtles. Jei is equipped with a few supernatural abilities, most notably the power to hypnotize others to follow his orders. To accomplish this, Jei puts on a vulnerable act and gets close to his victims. For a bit of time in the TV series, Jei was able to control the Ninja Turtles and ordered them to go after Usagi.

What makes Jei a true villain is his belief that he was sent by the gods to eliminate evil. To make matters worse, it doesn’t take much for Jei to consider others sinners, and he will use any excuse, regardless of its strength, to go after others. This truly terrifying belief makes Jei a villain worthy of making it onto the big screen.