‘TMNT’ Movie Confirms Legacy Characters Who Will Likely Be Portrayed as Female
The TMNT franchise continues to evolve following the success of Mutant Mayhem (2023), which introduced the half-shell heroes Leonardo (Nicolas Cantu), Donatello (Micah Abbey), Michelangelo (Shamon Brown Jr.), and Raphael (Brady Noon) to a new generation.
Produced by Seth Rogen and directed by Jeff Rowe, the 3D animated film leaned into a much younger interpretation of the characters, blending coming-of-age storytelling with stylized animation and a reworked TMNT rogues’ gallery.
A number of supporting villain characters — the mutant alligator Leatherhead (Rose Byrne), the mutant cockroach Scumbug (Alex Hirsch), and the mutant bat-like creature Wingnut (Natasia Demetriou) — were portrayed as female despite previously being male.
Many fans referred to the film as “woke” and used the Internet term “gender-swapping” to describe how the filmmakers had made drastic changes to longstanding characters.
However, the film’s ending suggested that more traditional elements of the franchise were on the way in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem 2 (2027), most notably with the tease of The Shredder, who’s long regarded as the Ninja Turtles’ most dangerous enemy. He appears briefly as a silhouette near the Brooklyn Bridge in a mid-credits scene.
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Now, as Paramount continues to shape the sequel, new information has begun to emerge. Per ScreenRant, it was confirmed during the studio’s CinemaCon 2026 presentation, that the villain Krang will also appear in Mutant Mayhem 2. The character, an alien warlord typically linked to Dimension X, has been a central figure in several versions of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, often seen working alongside The Shredder.
However, it’s possible that one or both of these iconic characters will undergo changes similar to Leatherhead, Scumbug, and Wingnut. While Rowe referred to The Shredder using He/Him pronouns in an interview with Collider in 2023, Krang technically appeared in the first Mutant Mayhem in the form of Cynthia Utrom (voiced by Maya Rudolph). But whether she is the same Krang the studio is referring to in the sequel remains to be seen.
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem 2 is set to hit theaters on August 13, 2027. Jeff Rowe returns to direct the sequel, with the voice cast expected to reprise their roles.
Do you think the TMNT franchise should make these changes to The Shredder and Krang? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below!
