Deadpool1763492

Weathered Strings, Tethered Wings

Art by Joyfuladorable

TMNT SAINW Road Trip AU

We open up with a flashback to our next opponent: Metalhead! Specifically 2012 Metalhead, which is awesome to see! 2012 Donnie didn't need to catch that stray, though. Savanti really can't give them an inch.

TMNT: Battle Nexus (2025) #4

Savanti, using the power of his staff, upgraded Metalhead to be much deadlier. We see him fight some familiar opponents:

TMNT: Battle Nexus (2025) #4

We've got 1987's Super Rocksteady, 2003's Turtlebot, Playmate's Halfcourt, Archie's Alim, and 1987's Muckman. Cameos for days.

Once IDW Donnie manages to defeat Metalhead because Donatellos are always constantly carrying these multiversal crossovers, Savanti inevitably ends up banishing him (and Metalhead) anyway because of course! He's insane!

The Dimensional Council speaks up against him again, telling him that he's being hypocritical. That's when another member is revealed: 1987/Saturday Morning Adventure's Mr. Ogg!

TMNT: Battle Nexus (2025) #4

Not a huge surprise, considering he's the one who's orchestrating the mini-iteration battles at the end of all these issues, but a welcome one.

Now, for our first cutaway—this final member of the council. Who are they? They're very clearly a Mirage character, considering they're in black and white. But which Mirage character has enough of a relevant connection to the Battle Nexus to warrant a seat at the table? Well, my friends, I have a bit of a theory.

You see, while many TMNT fans know that the franchise originally began as a comic, most don't know that that original comic run never actually finished. That's right, the most recent issue of Mirage was actually released in 2014! Many of the issues released in the most recent volume, volume 4, are pretty difficult to find. Lucky for us, IDW is actively publishing them now! If you're interested, check out Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Journeys!

Anyway, in this volume, Splinter ends up disappearing out of nowhere. Leo's arc is dedicating to finding where their father went, which is when we see him discover the runes used to enter the Battle Nexus. The last we see of Leo is in Volume 4 #29, where we see him pass the preliminary rounds for the tournament.

At the end of #31, which is the second-to-last issue we get, we see this:

TMNT Mirage Vol. 4 #31

That's right, I fully believe that the final council member is no one other than Mirage Splinter.

Know that if I'm right, I will actually scream. I never thought I'd see a conclusion to this storyline. Genuinely, this is such an amazing time to be a ninja turtle fan.

Anyway, back to Battle Nexus! After Mr. Ogg's reveal, we jump back to the banished IDW Donnie, who is now in this sort of prison dimension. There, he's met with quite a baffling sight, not only for him, but for us, too.

TMNT: Battle Nexus (2025) #4

That's right, assholes. We got Archie Raph, 2003 Leo, AND Rise Donnie!

I was sent this issue early while I was in a car going to an airport with my family. Let me tell you, it is not an exaggeration when I say that I literally screamed. I freaked out so much that one of my brothers was genuinely concerned about me. But, seriously, can you blame me? Who could've ever thought we'd get anything like this? This series is more than anything I could've ever dreamed of.

But, yes, back to the actual story. We learn that this place, to put it frankly, is some sort of "multiversal time sewer" that Savanti has been dumping all the versions of the turtles into once they've been defeated in the Nexus. When IDW Donnie asks where the other turtles are, 2003 Leo replies with:

TMNT: Battle Nexus (2025) #4

Interesting. Very, very interesting. The fact that we have a note about that Vol. 4 issue—again, the most recent issue we see Mirage Leo in—is important. We don't actually see 2003 Leo in that issue, despite him having existed at that point. This is an interaction that happened off-screen (off-page?). Will we ever actually see this interaction? Could it possibly be something new that will be published in the Journeys series in the future? We'll just have to wait and see, I suppose.

We also learn that, in either this dimension or the Battle Nexus as a whole (it's kinda unclear), interacting with other versions of yourself will apparently drive you crazy? What happened to Mirage Leo? Will that ever be addressed? Anyway, that's why we aren't seeing the other iterations (yet). My assumption is that they're just scattered across this realm as an attempt to stay away from one another.

The IDW turtles decide to stay for a bit, if only to get to know themselves a bit better. The Leos, Raphs, and Donnies all have wholesome one-to-ones with each other that were so much fun to read. This is honestly what I was most excited to see from a series like this. I'm so glad they dedicated some time to seeing them actually talk.

During the Leo cutaway, we are shown these runes that are drawn nearby:

TMNT: Battle Nexus (2025) #4

We see these runes earlier in the series, as IDW states, when we met the mystery turtle who's hiding away in the barracks.

TMNT: Battle Nexus (2025) #2

We also see it in both Mirage and the 2003 show:

TMNT Mirage Vol. 4 #25

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (2003), The Big Brawl Part 1

This gives us some important clues towards who this mystery turtle is. Whoever they are, they know about the runes that get you in and out of the Battle Nexus. That narrows down the search, but it's still pretty up in the air who this guy is. The obvious choice is The Last Ronin Mikey, but, as far as we know, he's never been to the Battle Nexus. Who knows?

Side note, this line made me laugh way harder than I'd like to admit:

TMNT: Battle Nexus (2025) #4

When IDW Leo sees just how little these other turtles remember of their former lives, he is fed up. He attempts to rile the others up, telling them that there's no way he's going to let any more of them lose themselves because of Savanti, but the others reiterate that there isn't any way out.

IDW Leo turns to the Dons, who, again, often carry these types of crossovers, and asks about the staff Savanti was using and if they'd be able to replicate the tech. They figure out that it actually is possible, with the help of their secret, unconventional boon: Metalhead.

Back in the Battle Nexus, IDW Mikey is finally pit against IDW Slash, but unsurprisingly refuses to fight is friend.

There you have it. We've only got one issue left and a whole lot of loose ends to tie up. I am both excited and terrified of the implications that this event as a whole has. I can't stop thinking about a quote from the TMNT Panel at NYCC 2025:

via @the-peak-tmnt

Ominous as hell. At least that means we might see all these other versions of the turtles again soon, right?

Well, that is, we will as long as we continue to support the series. If you're able, please show your love and support by buying a copy of Battle Nexus at your local comic book store! And, while you're there, check out all the other TMNT comics! I promise you they are so worth it. We're in a drought when it comes to the shows and movies, but there is continuous turtle content in the comic book world, I assure you!

Anyway, that's all from me for now. I know this was a super long post, but I thought it'd be cool to break down this issue. I'm thinking of doing this more often if people are interested! I know not everyone is as deep into the TMNT lore, so it's fun to show how rich the history of the franchise is!

I'll see you all next time. Remember: SUPPORT THE TMNT COMICS!

If you have no idea what I'm talking about, these are the panels that were revealed:

via AIPT

Now, I've seen some pretty awesome reactions to this! Most people are super excited to finally see different versions of the turtles interacting in the main story! However, I have also seen some reactions that are, in all honesty, not very appropriate (in my opinion, of course).

First of all, I want to put into perspective the effort that had to be put in by the entirety of the TMNT IDW team that allowed for this series to exist in the first place. Rights are messy, especially in both the comic and the animated worlds. That's why we got that one crossover in 2024 that was considered not canon; the higher-ups specifically told the writers that it couldn't be despite them wanting it to be. The fact that this crossover exists at all is a miracle. We are super lucky it exists!

That's why, when I see people accusing the artist for this issue of not caring about Rise of the TMNT or even of using AI, it's really disheartening. Guys, a lot of love was put into this story. Trust me, I've read it! It's genuinely so much fun! Every single person who worked on it has so much passion for the franchise as a whole, and this is their way of showing it. This series is a love letter to ALL the fans, including Rise fans! Besides, going off the rest of the comic, along with the dialogue not shown in this preview, I can assure you that they are, in fact, definitely also fans of Rise.

Now, I understand feeling frustrated, especially after that last-page fight in the previous issue. But you need to understand that, when given only one page to work with, there's only so much of a fight a writer can squeeze in. Those fights aren't meant to be an all-encompassing analysis on both iterations of the turtles, nor are they meant to be anything taken seriously. It's like Ogg said in the first issue: it's just something marketable. We all know that the Rise turtles would win in an honest to god fight. They had to spin that expectation on its head to make the fight interesting!

And I'll say this: details are VERY IMPORTANT in this comic. The writers and artists are not only including things deliberately, but also omitting things for the very same reason. Give them a chance to cook! They know what they're doing!

But yes, all in all, I promise you guys will all really like this coming issue. It's so much fun. I couldn't stop nearly screaming with every new panel. So, instead of stressing about whether or not your favorite iteration is actually "cared for" or not, be excited for this super cool event! It's a gift to this entire community, and who knows what could be coming next! Besides, we did hear this from IDW group editor Jake Thomas at NYC:

"There's some stuff in the last issue that's gonna pay off in huge ways down the line..." and that "it'll put some pieces on the table."

Anyway, that's all I really wanted to say. I usually talk a lot more about comic book stuff on Twitter, but I thought hey maybe I should talk more about it here to bring more people into that part of the franchise. The comics are really awesome, guys! You should all definitely give them a chance if you're feeling starved of TMNT content!

With that, I will see you all later!

Okay yes it's been a while, but all three of us have been extremely busy these past few months. Between adult jobs, university, and applications, we just have not had the chance to work on this AU in a while

BUT

I actually managed to write this past week, and we've hit I pretty awesome milestone just last night:

92K WORDS !!!

With chapter 13 almost done (10k words long so far), we are nearly in the final stretch of the story (finally). It'll definitely pass 100k at the rate we're going, so buckle up.

Here's the sentence that pushed us over the 92k mark:

Raph shoulders him lightly, and Don returns the gesture in kind.

There, you got a little sample. Just as a treat. You're welcome.

We also posted a Rest Stop this past Saturday, if anyone's been keeping up with that.

Anyway, that's all from me for now! Hopefully I'll have another update soon, but that's what I always say, isn't it?