Yay! I finally have a few minutes to get to these Mikey asks! As always, my character analysis stems from mostly the 2012, 2014, and a bit of the 2003 verses.
-
Ok, well⌠To begin, all of the brothers were created with certain âcentersâ (to use the Dreamworks âRise of the Guardiansâ phrase) in mind and Iâve heard it described plenty of different ways. They are the four main personality types, different humors, different this and thats⌠And Mikeyâs personality is the âfun-loving free spiritâ type. That is his thing. Thatâs what the writers have deemed is his shtick.
.
But if thatâs all there was to it, Mikey wouldnât be much of a character. He has evolved, as any well written character will, into something so much more than just the âyellow personality typeâ kid who is there for comic relief. Anyone can be that. But there is truly only one character that is Mikey, and hereâs why.
.
Mikey is the baby of the family. He is a prankster and he takes a lot of beatings for it. Youâd think with as much as Raphael beats on him heâd have learned by now, but he hasnât and he never will. Why? Because he knows his brothers need him. The same way moms know that you need to eat your broccoli and get to bed early on a school night, Mikey knows his brothers need levity. These guys, no matter what universe you are talking about, have all seen some terrible things. They are stuck below ground, they have to stick to the shadows, they steal to survive⌠Life is not easy ever for the Hamato family. All of the running and hiding and the fighting could really wear them down if it wasnât for Mikeyâs perpetual efforts to lift them back up. They need that lift far more than any of them realize. And Mikey is happy to give it.
.
Thatâs because Mikey loves his brothers more than anything in the whole world. They all love each other so much, and they all express it in their own way. Leo expresses his love by keeping everyone safe. Raphael expresses his love by crushing anyone that threatens them. Donnie expresses his love by building things that make their lives easier. And Mikey? Mikey shows love by lifting everyoneâs spirits and keeping them going.
.
Mikey isnât just a goof off. He isnât just immature and silly. He is goofy and silly and immature With A Purpose!!! And that purpose is to remind his brothers that they canât let their circumstances keep them down. Think about it. How would the lair be if Mikey was quiet and busy like Donnie? Raph and Leo would probably kill each other. And then Raphael wouldnât have anyone to ping off of and heâd start to go after Donnie because thatâs the way his Alpha-make brain works. Leo would be always on Donnieâs case about one thing or another because Leo can be a bit overbearing sometimes. And realistically, Donnie would reach a point where he couldnât take it any more and he would likely move out. He has the creativity and the know-how to make himself his own lair, and he would if he was pushed too far.
.
And itâs not crazy to think that maybe Mikey started to see that happening as they were growing up. And Mikey loves his brothers so much he couldnât bear to think about them separating. So he started to take some of the heat from Raph and Leo and Donnie. And why not kill two birds with one stone and get into trouble for pranking them while also giving them an outlet for their frustration with their situation and each other? Itâs the perfect crime!
.
But deep down, Mikey is just an unconquerable spirit and optimistic to the max. And as much as I hate to use this argument⌠Mikey was just born that way. He is always finding the best in everyone and everything. They all do, to some extent, but Mikey takes it to another level because he has to. In a world where there is so much pain and misery and suffering, you have to find the best in a situation or else risk letting the evil around you bring you down. It could be easy to stop believing in fighting for the humans of New York City if you focus on all of the negative qualities in humanity. But Mikey never lets himself or his brothers forget that there is beauty and goodness in the world that is worth saving and protecting.
.
That is Mikeyâs self-appointed job. Leoâs job is the leader, Donâs job is the engineer and mechanic, Raphâs job is the muscle, and Mikeyâs job is to be the cheerleader. And Mikey takes his job very seriously. Heâs not only the cheerleader and the distraction for his own family, but also for everyone around him. With as much sadness as there is in the world, everyone could use a bit of cheering up! Everyone can use a bit more loving and friendship and care. And where Mikeyâs specialty is love and care and friendship⌠He is more than happy to share that with everyone he meets. It is second nature for him. Everyone needs a smile and a laugh to get through things, and without even thinking about it he just goes and makes everyone smile that he meets.
.
On a deeper level though, all of the brothers are a bit insecure about not being accepted by the people they fight so hard to protect. Raphael fights his insecurity by growling at everyone he meets and acting intimidating, Mikey reacts to it by trying to change their mind. Mikey wants to be accepted just like every single person on planet Earth. So if they are scared by his looks, he will do what he can to show them that they have need to be afraid so that they can accept him and be friends. Thatâs why he is the first one to try to bring people home to the lair and show them around. He knows they look scary but he also knows that if they could just get to know them then they would see that there is nothing that they need to be afraid of. They are just normal guys on the inside⌠Other than the whole ninja thing, but that shouldnât be something good people are afraid of.
.
If we dug even deeper than that⌠I think we could also make the argument that he is insecure about how much his brothers actually need him. His contributions are much harder to measure than the contributions of his brothers, and they very rarely verbally express appreciation for him. So even more than him being an extrovert that feeds off of the energy of those around him, he is so loving and accepting of everyone he meets so that he can find some love and appreciation that he otherwise doesnât really get at home. And as empathetic of a person as he is, you could also argue that he wants to make sure that if those around him are getting the love they might also not be getting at home.
.
The most likely explanation? A combination of all of them. Mikey has a lot of reasons and motivations for being happy and loving and kind and optimistic. But the biggest reason? It makes him and everyone around him happy. What more reason do you need than that?
