What is Master Splinter origin story? With the release of “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem” releasing in a few weeks, we are slowly starting to piece together what the movie is actually about.
Based on trailers, merchandise, interviews, and the infinite amounts of promo material coming out in anticipation of the new film, certain things are starting to show face. Based on what we know, we can gather a few ideas on the characters and where the story is going. Yes, the world is guessing that Superfly is actually a mutated Baxter Stockman (I mean, he is Baxter, right?) but there’s one question that I still cant piece together.
What do we know so far? The trailer brought a ton to life for me. Read more in our breakdown here. We got a ton of shots in the trailers of almost everyone’s origin. Bebop, Rocksteady, and the rest of the Mutanimals look like they were mutated as babies in a lab with neon green test tubes. There were clips of the turtle’s learning the art of ninjitsu as tiny babies, and they really put an emphasis on the “Ooze” part.
Definitely not goo. Goo sounds weird.
We still don’t know exactly how the turtles came to be Ninja yet, but my guess is the usual story we’ve always had. 4 tiny turtles brothers end up splashing around in a puddle of ooze from a broken canister to then mutate and grow in to the Ninja Mutant Turtle Teenagers. Master Splinter explains it way better in the original 1990 movie.
So, from what we’re guessing, there are 2 ways for a mutant to become mutated. You’re an animal or creature of some sort, and after interacting with the ooze, you grow in to a humanoid animal. This is the guess with the turtles and most of the mutanimals. Or, based on the speculation with Superfly being a mutated Baxter Stockman, you start out as a human and become an animal humanoid.
I think Master Splinter’s origin is a former human who came in to contact with the ooze and became a giant rat.
In the live action movies, Mirage comics, and the 2003 version, Master Splinter is a pet rat, owned by Hamato Yoshi- who is then murdered by Oroku Saki. He learns the art of ninjitsu by watching his master and after becoming mutated, he grows to a massive size and becomes a skilled fighter. Most versions of Splinter are some variation of this origin. Sometimes there’s a brother involved, but the broad strokes are Splinter is a rat, then gets mutated.
In the 1987 and 2012 cartoon, however, Hamato Yoshi IS Splinter. Yoshi is already a ninja master and after coming into contact with the ooze, he mutates in to Master Splinter. This is how he knows and can teach ninjitsu so well. There are some differences between the origins, but again, the story is largely the same. This is the direction I think they’ll go Splinter’s Origin in Mutant Mayhem. Master Splinter is the former Hamato Yoshi.
First- we see in the trailers and even toys that the Turtles are learning ninja as babies. I don’t think the brothers started in test tubes here. Unlike Bebop, Rocksteady, and the other mutanimals, who we see got their start in a lab. Bringing my to my next theory…
Baxter Stockman creates the ooze that creates the turtles.
This probably isn’t much of a shock to people, but I think Baxter Stockman is responsible for creating the ooze. In the above photos, there is definitely a figure behind the tubes. As I mentioned in my trailer breakdown, this has to be Baxter. And knowing that sometimes Baxter is a bit of a clumsy scientist at times, it’s not hard to believe that he misplaced one of the ooze canisters.
Piecing together all my theories, I think Baxter Stockman created the ooze. This created the Mutanimals while also turning himself in to Superfly. As Baxter, the scientist misplaced a canister of ooze. The ooze then came in to contact with 4 small turtles and a human ninja warrior named Hamato Yoshi. Yoshi then mutates in to Master Splinter, who uses his knowledge of ninjitsu to teach his now mutating turtle sons. Another part of the origin of Master Splinter, in the early days of his transformation he tried to stay a part of human society, but was ousted from society. Which could explain this image.
Master Splinter’s origin story could be the reason the turtles stay hidden in the shadows.
That’s my theory, but what do you think? Do you have any Mutant Mayhem theories for the origin of Master Splinter? Could Baxter Stockman and Superfly be 2 different entities? I doubt it, but let us know in the comments.
