Hello, my friends. While we’ll always enjoy the numerous cavalcades of familiar characters embarking upon the various thrills that’re within several long-standing individual properties, it’s something of a special occasion whenever they mix & match amongst each other in order to create a unique story and setting for them to work off of each other. Over the course of this site’s existence, there’s been a few times where these crossover tales have been put under my critical eye. From Darkman getting Ash Williams to help him against an L.A.-based Deadite menace to Jane Vasko finding herself on a couple of rough-and-tumble outings alongside several notable figures, that’s just the tip of the iceberg of what’s been made possible. Speaking of which, there’s also the time that some notable beings of the DC Universe found themselves alongside Mortal Kombat characters in a video game tie-in comic. On that note, we’ll be focusing on a small set of DC figures uniting themselves with a team of reptiles that’re also celebrating an anniversary.
On that note, the Caped Crusader & company will find their municipality under a different kind of united threat. In order for them to deal with it, their paths will see them coming across some heroes in a half-shell for a team-up unlike any they’ve seen before. With the flick celebrating its fifth anniversary at the time of this article, the time is right for me to share my critical thoughts upon an animated venture known as…
Debuting on March 31, 2019, at WonderCon before coming out for digital download on May 14 followed by its home video release on June 4, this is based on a six-issue mini-series called “Batman/Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles”. Originally written by James Tynion IV, drawn by Freddie Williams II and colored by Jeremy Colwell, it was co-published by DC Comics & IDW Publishing from December 2015 to May 2016. With Jake Castorena helming the director’s chair and Marly Halpern-Graser in charge of the screenplay, how will this unlikely union’s adventure hold up under my scrutiny? Let’s mutate our way into my subterranean mind palace and find out.
We open in Gotham City where a group of shadowy figures are hopping across some buildings as they make their way towards Powers Industrial. Inside the main lab, Barbara Gordon (voiced by Rachel Bloom) has just been given a tour before a scientist guides her towards a prototype generator that they’re working on. Just then, she notices something up towards the roof right before the power goes out. In a moment of quick instinct, she’s able to spot some incoming shurikens and protect a technician from them. With a group of ninjas amongst them, she goes on to save the lab workers from further throwing stars before the mysterious beings descend in order to engage her.
However, something else was observing this from the shadows as he uses a smoke pellet to cloud the room before he and his comrades are able to make short work of the ninjas. When the smoke clears, both sides have completely vanished as well as the prototype generator. Later, Barbara is suited up as Batgirl and is explaining what she saw there to Bruce Wayne a.k.a. Batman (voiced by Troy Baker). She then describes these newfound beings as “lizard men” before mentioning that because the generator was stolen, it has the potential to annihilate an entire city block within the wrong hands. Bruce then says that whoever their new foes are, they’ll “regret stepping foot in Gotham” before he takes his leave.
Following the opening credits, we then shift over to the Bat Cave where Wayne is analyzing the security footage from prior lab invasions before he’s met upon by Alfred Pennyworth (voiced by Brian George). He discovers that the intruders are ninjas, but they’re not from the League of Assassins. In addition, he brings up Batgirl’s own research on how there’s also some metahumans involved in this whole ordeal.
Over on the Gotham streets, our familiar multi-colored ninja team observe a news report from the sewers, commenting on Powers Industrial being the latest in a group of research labs that have been subjected to recent break-ins. With the news anchor mentioning that the police don’t have a single lead on the culprits or even where they could strike next, our discreet reptiles mention how they’ve already figured out that Wayne Enterprises will be the next target on their foe’s hit list before they take their discreet leave.
Back in the Bat Cave, Alfred mentions that Commissioner Gordon has contacted them about Bruce’s company serving as a possible target and has even offered some extra patrol cars to help keep it safe. As he preps for the potential break-in however, Wayne wants Pennyworth to call the police back in order for them to “respectfully decline”.
Following an intercutting montage where our multi-colored ninjas and Batman are each prepping for the encounter before they all head out…
…we then shift over to the rooftops right beside Wayne Enterprises as Oswald Cobblepot a.k.a. Penguin (voiced by Tom Kenny) and his group of thugs are looking to break into the building and steal the “experimental tech” inside before the newfound thieves do so in order for them to sell it back to their “new friend”. Just then, several of Oswald’s cronies have been discreetly subdued as Cobblepot assumes that Batman has gotten to them.
Inside the building, the lab workers are testing their new Cloud Seeder before those same ninjas break in. As they attempt to execute the technicians, they soon discover that those people along with the device were all holograms before the lights go out and they’re soon met upon by Batman as he proceeds to engage them.
Back on the rooftops, Penguin and his remaining cohorts are trying to locate whom they believe to be Batman before they spot a colored eye mask and proceed to open fire on it. However, they soon discover that it’s not the Caped Crusader but is instead an actual Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle named Raphael (voiced by Darren Criss). From there, the rest of his brothers emerge from the shadows as Leonardo (voiced by Eric Bauza), Donatello (voiced by Baron Vaughn) and Michelangelo (voiced by Kyle Mooney) quickly surround them.
Cobblepot then orders his goons to shoot them down, to which Don, Leo and Raph respond by subduing them.
Penguin then proceeds to open fire with his umbrella as the Turtles are forced to take cover. With Mikey’s excitement over their foe’s weapon nearly getting him executed, Leonardo manages to disable Oswald’s gun function with a well-placed shuriken.
He then demands to know where they can find Shredder, but Cobblepot instead activates his umbrella’s blade function as they find themselves in a brief duel. Ultimately, Leo manages to pin the Penguin near the building’s edge as Oswald decides to jump off and sail away on his umbrella.
Back inside Wayne Enterprises, Batman continues his one-sided beatdown on the opposing ninjas before interrogating the remaining perp in order to learn why a ninja clan is after the Cloud Seeder. He also asks about the metahumans, to which the ninja realizes that he’s mentioning “the turtles” before he gets executed via a throwing star to his skull. Bruce then sees the shadowy perp who tossed the shuriken before successfully catching his arm with a Bat-Grapple. However, Oroku Saki a.k.a. Shredder (voiced by Andrew Kishino) lives up to his name as he cuts the line before jumping down.
Wayne then demands to know the perp’s identity and why he’s in Gotham, but Oroku uses a smoke pellet as a distraction before engaging Batman in a fierce tussle. At one point, Bruce sends some Batarangs at his foe, yet Shredder is able to slice them up with ease. Fortunately, Wayne is able to get in some good hits before they manage to swap some blows with each other. Despite getting his hand blades shattered, Oroku is able to strike Batman’s neck before getting kicked off the scaffolding.
After both sides have had a chance to recover, Bruce then leaps down to reengage his foe. However, Shredder responds with a powerful strike that sends Wayne flying across the room. Despite delivering the fierce hit, the attack has drained Oroku of his energy as he warns Batman to stay out of his way and promises to not be as merciful next time before he uses a smoke pellet to vanish.
Back on the rooftop, the Turtles have managed to tie up all of Penguin’s goons while Michelangelo mentions that they’ve chased the Shredder to this municipality all the way from New York City, even mentioning how Gotham has “mad blimps flying around for no reason”. Raphael then says that this encounter was a waste of their time, especially since they’ve found out that Penguin wasn’t “the Foot’s new partner”. Leonardo still wants the goons placed onto the street in order for the local police to pick them up, to which Raph responds by kicking the perps off the roof. Fortunately, they bounced off an awning and landed into a dumpster.
Just then, they all hear Michelangelo getting excited as they soon see what he’s just discovered, which turns out to be the Batmobile. Before they can claim it for themselves, a pair of Batarangs fly in right before they’re approached by Batman. Raphael then reminds his comrades on how Penguin “mentioned a bat” before believing that he’s possibly working for Shredder.
Instead of waiting for Leonardo’s signal, Raph charges right at Batman and ends up getting defeated by a pair of swift kicks. Leo and Don then go after Bruce in order to get some “answers”, but he’s able to take them down with his gadgets. Mikey then takes his turn, but he ends up getting tossed into a nearby pizza parlor (thus accidentally spooking out the patrons with his appearance) before getting dragged back out.
From there, Wayne is able to defeat every last Turtle, even taking one of Raphael’s Sais. With his brothers down for the count, Leonardo engages Batman one last time, yet Bruce uses some flash pellets in order to disorient and ultimately defeat him.
From there, the Turtles are forced to retreat as Donatello uses a smoke grenade in order for him and his comrades to escape. Afterwards, Wayne realizes that he’s just gone up against some “Ninja Turtles”.
Over at an abandoned warehouse, Shredder returns before he’s met upon by his enslaved scientist/mutated fly named Dr. Baxter Stockman (voiced by Keith Ferguson) and is expecting him to have the Cloud Seeder. Oroku says that he wasn’t able to get the device, to which Baxter reminds him that he’ll have to explain this setback to their partner. Just then, their new colleague arrives as it’s revealed to be Ra’s Al Ghul (voiced by Cas Anvar) who arrives alongside Ubu and his League of Assassins. With both sides finally meeting each other, Ra’s mentions that he’s heard about their plans going poorly while en route to Gotham. Shredder says that he’s been keeping his side of the bargain and that his fellow collaborator better follow suit. Ra’s then mentions that Shredder’s ultimate reward would be to have access to the Lazarus Pit in order to achieve immortality, yet he scolds Oroku for not even getting a simple machine built. Shredder says that it would’ve been completely assembled if not for Batman’s interference, to which Al Ghul assures him that he knows how to deal with the Caped Crusader. However, Shredder tells him that the plan wouldn’t remotely function without his own supply of Ooze.
Realizing that Ra’s requires a demonstration, a Foot Clan ninja provides them with some Ooze-containing canisters before Stockman fills up a medical shot with one of them. From there, Al Ghul offers one of his men as a test subject. The assassin then gets injected with the Ooze as he ends up mutating into a humanoid fox. Ra’s then says that once they finally acquire the Cloud Seeder, Gotham City (eventually followed by the world) will ultimately tear itself apart. Unbeknownst to all of them, a familiar bird was observing all of this from the shadows before taking his discreet leave.
Over at an internet café, Donatello is able to do some online research in order for him and his brothers to learn about Batman. He then mentions how he initially assumed that the being was either an urban legend or a fellow mutant, while Leonardo says that Batman is a human being with gadgets serving as his “supernatural powers”. Don then brings up how despite his motives being unknown, Batman mainly goes after criminals while Raphael is still bummed that his Sai was taken from him. He then brings up how after Shredder swiped some Ooze from the Techno Cosmic Research Institute (or T.C.R.I.), he’s since been working alongside “a new partner” and still assumes that it’s Batman. Leonardo disagrees with him since he noticed that the man’s fighting style was about him trying to figure them out “like a detective”. Following Michelangelo’s marker board demonstration on what they already know about Batman, Leo then mentions how they’re out of leads as to where the Foot Clan will strike next and that they’ll need to contact him. Donatello then agrees as he begins to work out where they can find him.
Over at Wayne Enterprises, Batgirl meets up with Batman as she mentions hearing on the police scanner about Penguin’s men getting taken away by the cops due to “four crazy frogs”. After having analyzed the DNA on the Sai, Bruce tells her that the Turtles were mutated by some “outside agent”. Barbara then mentions that the technology that the ninjas have stolen could be used to refine a similar mutagen, to which Wayne says that the Cloud Seeder is the final piece that ties it all together. As such, he had it sent to a secure location outside of Gotham. From there, he requests her help in order to counteract the mutagen.
Meanwhile, the Turtles are swimming their way into a cavern. Thanks to Donatello triangulating every single Batman sighting tallied within the local police records as well as the area’s natural cave formations, he’s able to guide his brothers into the Bat Cave.
While Michelangelo excitedly starts running around the facility to explore it, Don becomes enamored by the Bat Computer and decides to test it out. He soon discovers that Batman had been tracking the various laboratory break-ins in order to learn where the Foot Clan will strike next. Just then, Mikey’s own goofiness has led to him wearing a Batman mask & cape while sitting on top of the T-Rex statue.
Suddenly, he’s approached by Damian Wayne a.k.a. Robin (voiced by Ben Giroux) who forces him off before retrieving the cowl. He then takes Donatello’s Bo Staff and smacks him with it before he proceeds to repeatedly fend the Turtles off. Fortunately, Michelangelo is able to get him under control by tackling him before coiling up into his shell in order to pin Damian.
Just then, the Batmobile roars in as Batman tells Mikey to get off Robin. He then demands for the Turtles to explain how they discovered his Bat Cave, to which Leonardo assures him that they didn’t come here to fight. After introducing himself and his brothers, he then mentions that they came to Gotham in order to stop Shredder and the Foot Clan, along with them accidentally believing that Batman was Shredder’s partner. After finally learning the Foot Clan leader’s codename, Bruce then mentions that he had previously heard of the group, but he thought that it went extinct years ago, to which Raphael brings up how they’re ninjas and that they’re a “sneaky” group. Damian then says that he’s found out that Shredder and the Foot Clan are working for Ra’s Al Ghul.
From there, we transition into Arkham Asylum where he and Oroku manage to execute every single security guard that’re in their way.
They then head into a cell block as Shredder says that they’re wasting time and should instead go get the Cloud Seeder. However, Ra’s tells him that because he failed to execute that task himself, he has another agent taking care of it while they’re here to carry out the next part of his grand scheme. From there, they pass by the containment units that’re holding Dr. Victor Fries a.k.a. Mr. Freeze (voiced by John DiMaggio), Bane (voiced by Carlos Alazraqui), and Dr. Jonathan Crane a.k.a. Scarecrow (voiced by Jim Meskimen). As they approach the cell holding Harvey Dent a.k.a. Two-Face (also voiced by Keith Ferguson), Shredder continues to get agitated before saying that he and his Foot Clan have no needs for these “freaks”, to which Al Ghul mentions that he’s only annoyed by Oroku’s constant doubt over his plan.
They then pass by Pamela Isley a.k.a. Poison Ivy (voiced by Tara Strong) before Dr. Harleen Quinzel a.k.a. Harley Quinn (also voiced by Tara Strong) manages to get Shredder’s attention and wants him to come close to her in order to tell him something. When he complies, it turns out that she was only using his face mask as a reflective surface in order to check on her make-up much to Oroku’s further annoyance.
From there, he and Ra’s arrive at a heavily fortified cell as Al Ghul says that the one being who can help them eradicate Gotham is on the other side. After using a guard’s severed hand to access the handprint lock, they arrive at the culprit who turns out to be the Joker (also voiced by Troy Baker).
Back at Wayne Manor, Alfred receives & pays for a massive pizza order before Michelangelo shreds down the main stairs on his skateboard and crashes into him.
Down in the Bat Cave, Batman is giving Leonardo some hand-to-hand combat training. At the same time, Raphael learns about the League of Assassins from Robin, especially their leader Ra’s Al Ghul who intends on tearing down Gotham and several cities like it before rebuilding them within his image. As she and Donatello overhear this while working within the cave’s mini-lab, Batgirl brings up how Ra’s is planning on using the mutagen that was brought to him by Shredder to which Don calls it Ooze. Raph then mentions that with said chemical getting combined with a machine they’re building together, Al Ghul will reward him with a pit. Damian then elaborates by explaining that the Lazarus Pit has allowed Ra’s to live for several centuries and that it gives immortality to anyone who bathes in it. Fortunately, Donatello and Barbara have managed to create a Retro-Mutagen/Anti-Ooze in order to reverse the Ooze’s effects, as long as it’s used on someone who was mutated within the past 12 hours or else the mutated change becomes permanent.
Back with Leo, he manages to defeat Bruce before Batman mentions that he’s still recovering from a major hit that Shredder delivered onto him. Leonardo realizes that he’s referring to the Sato Oshi strike before he explains that it’s a hard-hitting ninja technique that originated several centuries ago by the Foot Clan. Because it focuses the user’s entire body and energy onto a single blow, it can be nearly harmful to the person delivering the hit. As such, it’s mostly become lost to history to the point where only two ninja masters know how to use it: the Turtles’ father known as Master Splinter and Shredder himself. Batman then appreciates the knowledge and mentions that his utility belt can help him counter their foe’s ninja moves.
Just then, Alfred comes in while having just confiscated Michelangelo’s skateboard and is now forcing him to carry the pizzas down into the Bat Cave. Eventually, the Turtles begin to chow down on their pizza. Just as Robin & Batgirl are about to thoroughly enjoy their own slices, Batman asks them if they have any leads onto where Shredder and Ra’s will be able to replace the Cloud Seeder. Because they don’t, they’re forced to go back to their investigation. Mikey then offers Bruce to have a pizza slice, but he simply mentions how it’s not the right time.
Suddenly, they get a notification for the Bat Signal as Wayne ultimately decides to allow the Turtles to accompany him and his teammates due to their knowledge of Shredder & the Foot Clan. While he returns Raphael’s Sai to him, Batman tells the mutated ninjas that they must follow his orders.
Back over at Arkham Asylum, Joker’s cell gets opened in order for him to literally cough up the formula to his signature toxin. In return, Shredder gives him a canister of Ooze.
Over on the Gotham City Police Department’s roof, Commissioner James Gordon (also voiced by Jim Meskimen) is initially met upon by Batman as he informs the Dark Knight about a recent break-in over at Arkham Asylum. Just then, he’s stunned to see the Turtles hanging out alongside the Caped Crusader and his regular comrades as Batman assures him that they’re “friends”. James then mentions how his own men tried to intervene, but they were attacked by the same ninjas that previously broke into the prior laboratories. While his forces managed to lock down the facility, Gordon then tells them that they have to assume there’s also some hostages inside. From there, the whole group proceeds to vanish, aside from a surprise scare from Mikey.
As our heroes proceed to dash across the rooftops, Leonardo says that it doesn’t make sense for Shredder to suddenly take control over an asylum after the Foot Clan had spent the past week breaking into various high-tech labs. Batman then tells him that it doesn’t matter since its inmates are too dangerous to ignore. Michelangelo then catches up on his skateboard and decides to have a race in order to see who gets to Arkham first as Batgirl and Robin ultimately take him up on his challenge.
Back at Arkham Asylum, Joker has taken control over the main console as he lets the aforementioned foes out of their cells (and within their regular outfits) while telling them over the P.A. system that he has “a brand-new medication regimen” for them. From there, Harley connects the canister of Ooze into the emergency sprinkler system before it sprays the featured inmates with the chemical. As it begins to mutate the notable rogues, Quinn & Joker also get sprayed with the formula and become mutated beings themselves.
Later, our heroes finally arrive at the asylum as Batman quickly notices that there’s no sign of any ninja-based resistance. As they head inside, they’re immediately met upon by Harley as they discover that she’s been mutated into a hyena. She then warns them about the Joker having something planned before she heads off, to which Batman tells the whole team that all of the inmates are potentially mutated. Batgirl assumes that the devious plot involves the transformed prisoners being unleashed onto Gotham, while Bruce thinks that it’s only part of the overall plan. As such, he tells the group to split up in order to search over the whole compound before warning the Turtles that in addition to there being potential hostages, the inmates were already dangerous before their mutation.
From there, the heroes set their plan into motion as Robin heads into the kitchen along Raphael and Michelangelo. Soon enough, they’re met upon by Mr. Freeze as they discover that he’s been mutated into a polar bear before he immediately fires his Freeze Gun at them. Fortunately, they’re able to dodge his shots in time.
Meanwhile, Batgirl and Donatello are carefully walking down a dimly lit hallway while having a brief discussion about the Ooze. Suddenly, Bane punches through the wall in order to grab them both and pull them into the exercise room before they see him as a mutated jaguar. From there, they initially get overwhelmed by his muscular might.
Down in the furnace, Batman and Leonardo are met upon by Scarecrow who’s become a mutated crow. He then proceeds to swoop down at our heroes as they manage to get out of the way. Bruce then tries to warn Leo about Dr. Crane’s Fear Gas, but the turtle gets sprayed by the terror-inducing compound as his personal dread begins to play out in front of him. Specifically, he sees his brothers getting attacked by Scarecrow’s massive murder of crows and winding up dead as a result. From there, a mental version of Jonathan taunts him for not being able to save his closest kin.
Back in the kitchen, Robin, Raph and Mikey are trying to fend off Victor’s chilly attacks. Though Raphael ends up getting frozen to a wall, Damian is able to free him with some Heat Charges before using some more on Mr. Freeze in order to temporarily disorient him. However, it doesn’t keep him down for too long as our heroes are forced to flee while he gives chase.
Meanwhile, Bane is about to perform his signature back-breaking move on Don. Fortunately, the Turtle’s thick shell is able to withstand the strike. From there, Donatello and Batgirl get their second wind as they manage to defeat Bane.
Back with Leonardo, he continues to get consumed by the fear-inducing gas as Dr. Crane continues to deride him. He then proceeds to lash out in anger before he goes after whom he assumes is Scarecrow but is actually Batman who’s trying to tell him that the things he’s currently seeing aren’t real and that he has to focus. Fortunately, Leo is able to hear his advice and proceeds to do so as he catches Scarecrow’s attempted attack coming towards him, allowing him to slay the corrupt doctor with a single slash. Afterwards, Bruce is able to inject him with an antidote before they both head out.
Back with Robin, Raphael & Michelangelo, they manage to retreat into a room before they find themselves within Poison Ivy’s presence and discover that she’s been mutated into a distorted Venus Fly Trap-esque being. She then attempts to strike, but our heroes remain slightly out of her grasp. Shortly afterwards, they soon discover why she can’t reach them as similar to a tree or a plant, she’s actually rooted to the ground. As such, they comically make their way towards another door and easily escape.
Meanwhile, Batman and Leonardo enter the operation theater where they discover Two-Face as a mutated, two-headed cat with a pair of hostages. Not only that, but Joker comes in as a mutated cobra before Batman demands to know where Ra’s Al Ghul and Shredder are. However, Joker vainly complains about his longtime foe not complementing him on his new look before Harley comforts him.
Just then, Raphael, Robin and Michelangelo come in as Raph notices the hostages. Despite Batman telling the Turtles to wait for his signal, he and Leo try to go save the captured workers while Bruce manages to jam Harvey’s gun with a Batarang.
Once Raphael and Leonardo reach the hostages, they soon discover that those figures were actually an electrified trap as they wind up getting shocked due to a Joker-activated trigger.
Quinn then leaps down in order to smash them with her mallet, but Damian is able to tie her up with some bolo coils. Two-Face is then able to recover as he fires his guns, forcing Robin and Mikey to take cover. Harley is then able to free herself before Mr. Freeze bursts in and attempts to encase Batman within some ice. Damian and Michelangelo then try to pounce onto Victor, but his newfound strength allows him to throw them off.
From there, Harley is able to pin Bruce long enough for Mr. Freeze to encase him within some ice. Afterwards, Joker approaches him and brings out his vile of Ooze before he reveals that he’s made a deal with both Ra’s Al Ghul & Shredder in order to receive the compound in the first place. In return, he gave them the formula to his Joker Venom. He then combines the two toxins together as he mentions how this new mixture not only transforms its subject, but also drives them insane as well.
He then injects Batman with the new compound just as our present heroes regain consciousness, along with Batgirl and Donatello finally showing up. From there, Bruce gets mutated into a giant man-bat as he breaks out of his icy imprisonment and immediately defeats Two-Face by sending him through a stain glass window.
He then uses his wings to withstand Victor’s Freeze Gun before smashing him through the floor and ultimately smite him offscreen.
Afterwards, the mutated Batman reemerges as Robin tries to reach out to his dad to no avail. With Bruce able to shake off Raphael, Donatello tells Batgirl that they have to use the Anti-Ooze on their transformed comrade. Barbara is initially worried that their Retro-Mutagen could potentially kill him due to it being untested, but Leonardo tells her that the mutation will eventually become permanent if they don’t act.
As such, he takes the Anti-Ooze and leaps onto Batman. However, Bruce is able to prevent him from delivering the injection and tosses him off. Harley then takes the Retro-Mutagen before the mutated man-bat flies off with him.
Raphael then tells Robin and Batgirl to go retrieve the Anti-Ooze while he and his comrades try to help their brother. While the Turtles struggle to get Batman under control, Damian proceeds to engage Harley while Barbara goes up against the Joker.
Eventually, Robin manages to retrieve the Retro-Mutagen from Quinn before he tosses it towards Batgirl. Although the Joker manages to grab onto her cape, she’s able to easily disconnect it from her costume and retrieve the antidote before tossing it over to Donatello. With Michelangelo having just been captured by Batman, Don throws the shot up to his brother who ultimately manages to inject the formula into Bruce as he proceeds to fly down and ram into both Joker & Quinn before smashing into the balcony and landing onto the floor.
Thankfully, the antidote works as Bruce transforms back into a human and Donatello is able to find his pulse. Robin then thanks Mikey for saving his dad while the Joker tries to slither away.
Unfortunately for him, he’s met up by Batgirl who stamps her foot onto his head hard enough to smash out all of his teeth before she’s able to take a selfie of this moment. After Don informs his teammates that he and Barbara were able to find the hostages, Leonardo says that they’ll be able to give their Anti-Ooze over to the police so that the inmates can be transformed back into their regular selves. Unfortunately, they soon realize that their main culprits aren’t even in the asylum and that it was all just a distraction.
Over in Gotham Harbor, Penguin and his thugs have managed to hijack a Wayne Enterprises container ship as they present Ra’s Al Ghul, Shredder and Baxter with its onboard Cloud Seeder. Oswald then demands for his “finder’s fee” since they hired him to retrieve the device for them, but Oroku simply tells him that he won’t be getting paid. Cobblepot then orders his goons to retaliate, but he soon discovers that they were all discreetly murdered by the Foot Clan. As such, Penguin is forced to take his leave.
One night later over at the Bat Cave, Batman is still recovering while the rest of our heroes discover that his company’s ship (which was supposed to take the Cloud Seeder to Blüdhaven) was hijacked and that the key device was smuggled back into Gotham Port while they were distracted over at Arkham. Donatello then mentions that the Cloud Seeder will mix the Ooze with Joker’s toxin and send its lethal formula into the clouds before the lethal compound rains down onto Gotham City, causing its citizens to tear the municipality apart as insane mutant creatures. Leonardo then asks the group if they know where the machine is being assembled, to which Batgirl realizes that the components that helps to form the Joker Venom are at Ace Chemicals since its where the Clown Prince of Crime was initially created. Leo then mentions that the whole facility is mainly walled off, to which Raphael says that he’s still eager for them to bring the fight to their foes.
However, Batman wakes up and says that only he, Robin & Batgirl are going there themselves. As for the Turtles, he tells them to head back to New York City since they disobeyed his orders while also calling them out for their impulsive nature. Damian tries to back them up since they did save his father’s life, yet Bruce still blames the Turtles for the Joker being able to inject him. Just as Leonardo and his brothers are about to go out on their own, Raphael interjects by telling Batman that he can relate due to them both wanting to go off on their own a lot, especially when the going gets tough. However, he also mentions how he just winds up in trouble and that his brothers ultimately have to help him out of his jam. From there, he tells Bruce that even though they’ve made their mistakes, they’ll never improve if he doesn’t trust his new comrades. He even describes his brothers as a family and that they must learn from their own blunders together. Batman then says that it’s actually a team, to which Raph essentially tells him that they’re both the same thing. Thankfully, this convinces Bruce as he allows the Turtles to help him alongside his teammates in order for them to put a permanent end to Ra’s & Shredder’s plan. From there, Michelangelo excitedly hops into the Batmobile before Leonardo mentions that his team does have their own vehicle.
From there, our heroes take to the streets as Mikey gets excited by the Batmobile’s numerous buttons before being told by Batman to not touch any of them. Joining up alongside them is the Turtles’ specialized mobile home containing the rest of the team.
As they approach Ace Chemicals, they get greeted with a barrage of specialized arrows that they’re able to swerve around. Ubu then fires a bazooka towards the Batmobile, to which the Turtle Van is able to swerve in and deflect the shot.
Our heroes then manage to smash through the front gate before a crane operated by one of Ra’s assassins drops a crate towards them, causing them to get separated from each other.
As Leonardo spots the crane preparing to drop another crate onto them, Donatello uses a mechanism that fires pizza-colored manhole covers in order take the assassin out.
Afterwards, they’re pursued by some of Ra’s & Shredder’s men armed with more bow & arrows as Raphael and Batgirl hop onto their onboard motorcycles in order to retaliate.
However, they all soon find themselves being chased by mutated ninjas and assassins. One of them manages to hop onto the Turtle Van and pin Donatello, yet Robin is able to come to his aid.
They soon find themselves surrounded by several mutated warriors as they proceed to use their own Bo Staffs and fend them off. However, Don is then captured by a Foot Clan ninja that’s mutated into a pigeon before Barbara rides in and tosses some Retro-Mutagen onto the being.
Just then, an assassin that’s mutated into an elephant catches up and starts ramming into the Turtle Van. Thankfully, Batgirl gets his attention and lures him towards some tankers as he rams into them and takes himself out via the resulting explosion.
Back with the Batmobile, the ninjas and assassins are able to trap the vehicle within several spears and cables. As if that wasn’t bad enough, the rest of our heroes soon find themselves being pursued by a Foot Clan ninja that’s mutated into a Tyrannosaurus Rex. With the opposing warriors prepping their bazookas towards the pinned Batmobile, Bruce allows Mikey to “press some buttons” as he excitedly does so, resulting in some mini rockets being fired as it ultimately disorients their foes and frees the Batmobile from their grasp.
As for the T-Rex ninja, Robin manages to swing towards him and tosses several shots of Anti-Ooze into the foe’s mouth, resulting in him reverting back into a human. With our heroes reunited, they then proceed to drive towards the main plant.
Meanwhile, Baxter has completed the entire set-up of their machine and announces that their Cloud Seeder is ready to be launched. Shredder then says that he expects to receive his reward of having access to the Lazarus Pit now that he and the Foot Clan have helped their master reach this point before Ra’s gives the order to launch their device. Shortly after Dr. Stockman turns the machine on, our heroes manage to smash their way inside as they look to prevent their foes from launching their contraption.
From there, the climactic battle begins as Bruce & company proceed to take on several members of both the League of Assassins and the Foot Clan. During the massive scuffle, Batman, Leonardo and Donatello reach the upper level before Bruce tells his comrades to shut down the Cloud Seeder while he takes on Shredder in a rematch. While the Dark Knight dukes it out with Oroku, Leo and Don make their way towards the machine only to be confronted by Ra’s. He proceeds to take them on with a single sword in one hand while keeping his other arm behind his back at all times and despite his disadvantages, he’s able to provide a fierce fight.
Back on the ground, Robin is looking for someone to engage with before he comes across Baxter and tells him to prepare for their brawl, yet Dr. Stockman cowardly gives up before passing out.
Meanwhile, Ra’s manages to knock Leonardo away before breaking Donatello’s right arm with a fierce kick and shoving him off the scaffolding. With this horrifying moment reminding him of his deepest fear, Leo gets up to reengage Al Ghul.
As for Don, he lands near the machine before he crawls onto it. Suddenly, its propellers turn on and begins to help the device ascend with Donatello still on it. Michelangelo notices this and hops on, but he doesn’t know how to shut it off before it smashes through the skylight and heads up to the clouds.
Mikey nearly falls off, yet he’s able to grab onto a switch in order to pull himself up. However, it proceeds to mix the Ooze and the Joker toxin into the Cloud Seeder.
Back inside the plant, Leonardo continues to struggle against Ra’s before he remembers Batman’s earlier words about how his anger won’t be helpful and that he must focus. Thankfully, this helps him out as he ultimately manages to disarm Al Ghul.
When he tries to deliver the finishing slash however, Ra’s manages to catch his sword and shatter it before delivering a fierce hit. He then reclaims his own sword and stands over the defeated turtle while he exclaims that he’s been around for several centuries, along with him learning from history’s best teachers. Fortunately, Leo delivers a swift hit with his knee to his foe’s groin and mentions how he’s a teenager before delivering a technique that he learned “from a rat”, which is him swiftly striking all of Ra’s vital pressure points and causing his foe to pass out.
Back with Batman and Shredder, their fierce fight sees Bruce using a few explosives to briefly disorient Oroku. However, he’s then able to slash Wayne’s utility belt off and forces him to continue their struggle without his gadgets. After Shredder delivers several more hard-hitting strikes, he then brings up his intent of taking control over the League of Assassins in order to use the Lazarus Pit and help the Foot Clan rule for a whole millennium.
Just as Oroku prepares the Sato Oshi strike, he asks Batman for his last words. Bruce simply says “Cowabunga” as Raphael swings in and slams his shell into Shredder, causing his face mask to come off. From there, Bruce gets his second wind as he proceeds to deliver a fierce beatdown.
Back up in the sky, Michelangelo is struggling to shut the machine off. As Mikey reminds Donatello that machines aren’t his thing, he accidentally smashes a piece of the machinery as it suddenly makes the whole system start to malfunction. From there, he proceeds to smash up every piece of the device’s onboard computer system. As a result, its generator proceeds to overheat as the whole machine blows up. Our two turtles manage to hide inside their shells in order to withstand the eventual impact, but they manage to safely land on top of one of the many blimps that hover over Gotham.
Back inside Ace Chemicals, Batman concludes his assault upon Shredder by tackling him off the scaffolding before he lands onto a massive pipe. As Bruce’s comrades regroup, Oroku tells them that Ra’s only cared about Gotham’s destruction while he’s about to rule over the League of Assassins in addition to the Foot Clan. Suddenly, the heavily damaged machine smashes down onto the scaffolding and flings him into a toxin-filled container. As for the crippled mechanism, it crashes down and proceeds to set the whole plant on fire.
Batman tells his allies that they have to get everyone out, to which they proceed to rescue every single assassin & ninja (along with Baxter and Ubu) before they hop into their vehicles and evacuate in time just as Ace Chemicals goes up in a huge explosion.
Later on in the Bat Cave, Alfred applies a cast to Donatello’s arm while Batgirl informs her teammates that their scanner doesn’t detect any single trace of “Jokerized Ooze” within the air. Raphael then says that Shredder couldn’t have possibly survive the plant’s destruction, to which Leonardo mentions that their foe has lived through lots of similarly impossible situations in the past. Batman then tells him that his recent performance would also impress his own father. With the Turtles’ work in Gotham complete, they prepare to head out as Donatello & Batgirl share their social media handles with each other in order to keep in touch, Raphael & Robin share some respectful admiration towards each other and Michelangelo even allows Alfred to keep his skateboard.
Before the Turtles can begin their drive back to New York City, Batman then tells them that they can’t leave just yet as he reveals a large stack of pizzas waiting for them and his teammates. As such, our heroes proceed to enjoy their celebratory pizza party with even the Dark Knight taking in a slice for himself.
And so, the film ends on a post-credits scene within the destroyed ruins of Ace Chemicals as Shredder emerges from the rubble having survived its destruction. Not only that, but the toxin that he fell into has now made him Joker-ized.
Now that this clashing crossover has come to a close, allow me to delve into my character analysis. For this section, I’ll be separating the movie’s core cast into three different groups. First up, we have Batman, Robin and Batgirl. Out of all of our main heroes, the Dark Knight is the most experienced, most developed and most serious member. For his character arc, it sees him learning and growing alongside fellow figures who’re outside of the regular Bat Family. While Alfred, Damian and Barbara are firmly entrenched within his trust-filled inner circle, the Ninja Turtles serve as special beings who are vital towards the main conflict, yet their genetic make-up leads him to have some initial doubt towards them before their various & sometimes impulsive personalities result in him briefly transformed into a mentally unhinging Man-Bat. Even when they worked together with Robin & Batgirl in order to return him to his human form, this still leads into his biggest character flaw where he becomes distrusting of them and feels like they lack the necessary self-control needed to properly deal with their current dilemma. As such, it takes an impassioned speech from Raphael to convince him into giving the heroes in a half-shell another chance, especially given how close their main foes are towards accomplishing their own devious goals. By the end, he winds up with newfound respect towards the group, especially with Leonardo whom he spends the most time with. Speaking of Batman and his Bat-Family, all of them gets to interact with each of those Turtles and it leads to one of the movie’s biggest strengths (especially when it comes to crossover stories) in that we see how one set of characters from one universe gets to interact and compliment those that come from a completely separate universe. I’ll save my thoughts for how this all helps the Ninja Turtles with their own developments over in their section, so I briefly impart the ways that Bruce and his comrades are able to help them. With Batman, he uses a key moment against a member of his own Rogues Gallery in order to help Leo function as an even-more effective fighter, especially during a prime moment during the climax. Robin doesn’t properly show up until the Turtles first get into the Bat Cave, but he ultimately interacts the most with Raph. Both have their own hardened & serious attitudes and at different points of the movie, they help each other out during different action scenes. They prove that if these two properties were allowed to remain with each other, then they would continue to refine any budding semblance of crime-fighting teamwork that they have with each other. Damian doesn’t seem to impart any major lesson towards the familiar dual Sai-wielding reptile, but they do rightfully earn each other’s respect when all is said and done. With Batgirl, she gets to pair her intellectual mind up with Donnie especially when it comes to them creating the Anti-Ooze. They also get to share their own physical teamwork against a mutated Bane, even though he gets the drop on them, and it ultimately requires a key misconception from their foe in order for them to each deliver successive blows that takes him out. Just like with Robin, she doesn’t seem to provide the familiar Bo Staff-wielding tech genius with any significant personal development skills that come from her experiences. Similar to Robin & Raphael, Barbara and Donatello’s significant time together is somewhat limited yet manages to shine in brief bursts. Finally, we have Alfred whose major contribution is to help Mikey learn some indoor respect. After the Party Dude’s stairway skateboarding session causes him to create a mess with Pennyworth and he ends up getting mildly punished as a result, it becomes clear in a subtle way later on that this lesson has had an effective touch onto him, especially when the Wayne Family butler gets rewarded with said skateboard as a “Thank You” gift. Even in his age, Alfred is capable of being stern when he has to be in order to make sure that proper inside manners are followed and that he’s not just full of useful advice & witty quips. For their respective roles, Troy Baker, Ben Giroux, Rachel Bloom and Brian George all handled their parts in a professional, energetic and range-filled manner. While none of them stood out in a notable way, they all complimented each other and not only provided good support towards the rest of the cast, but also shined whenever their characters were needed to help move the story forward. All-in-all, they came together to make this heroic half of protagonists significantly function as a whole unit.
Next up, let’s talk about the familiar green fighting force known as the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. As I mentioned in the previous section, they each have individual character arcs that’re tied into the Bat Family member that they each spend the most time with. When he and his brothers initially fight and lose to Batman, Leonardo proves himself as a skillful swordsman, yet he has a tendency to lose focus at the worst moments and the person he goes up against is able to take advantage of it. He initially regains some of that crucial focal point during his successful sparring session with the Caped Crusader, but things get both challenging and progressive once he goes up against Scarecrow. When he gets hit with Crane’s Fear Gas, it brings up something that was subtle towards the end of the Turtles’ scuffle against the Dark Knight in that as the leader, it’s his responsibility to make sure that nothing severely bad happens to his brothers. Jonathan’s signature concoction brings his inner worry to the surface, along with Shredder breaking Don’s right arm and forcing him off the scaffolding. His need to keep his closest family members/teammates safe leads to his own emotions taking over and he ends up becoming sloppy in his fighting. Thankfully, it’s a key moment from Batman vocally reaching out to him in order to let him know that he has to remain focused, which ultimately helps him defeat both Dr. Crane and Ra’s Al Ghul. With that retaining moment of self-control helping him take down some big baddies in surprising ways (especially against the Demon’s Head himself in the climax), he’s earned a newfound level of respect from Bruce and it’s a progressive lesson that he can take back to New York City in order to become a better team leader. Raphael mainly finds himself alongside Robin once Damian fully steps onto the main stage. In terms of his personal flaws, the main one seems to be that he’ll jump into a fight despite being told by a leader to wait for the right moment. Both times ultimately lead him towards a disaster of some kind, yet it isn’t Damian who calls him out for his reckless approach. When Batman initially dismisses him and his brothers for their impulsive display ultimately getting him mutated, Raph notices that Bruce is being similar towards him in that they both want to go off on their own due to their team failing in some capacity, yet they ultimately need to have their main teammates help them out by the end. Maybe combining Batman and Robin’s dual mentorship together would’ve helped Raphael’s character arc stand out a little better, especially if it was also tied into Leonardo’s personal progression. Despite his own development not being as noteworthy as Leo’s, Raph still left a good-sized impact throughout the movie. Donatello gets himself paired up with Batgirl and he ultimately becomes something of a guiding figure since he helps her create the Anti-Ooze (or Retro-Mutagen as she calls it) and eventually helps Mikey destroy the mechanized Cloud Seeder. His dual team-up with Barbara is mainly present within the Bat Cave and in Arkham Asylum up to their encounter with the mutated Bane, though he does also share a Bo Staff-wielding moment alongside Robin during the massive chase scene upon the Ace Chemicals compound. Donnie doesn’t seem to get much in terms of character arcs, since he’s something of a wise, technological genius who mainly slips into a strong supporting role. His lack of major personal progression is part of the film’s overall problem, which I’ll get into over in the final section, but he still makes himself noteworthy amongst the large cast and is just as likable as everyone else within the film. Finally, there’s Michelangelo whose major progressive beat sees him toning down one level of his usually energetic and child-like personality. This is where his noteworthy pairing with Alfred comes into play, since he recklessly shreds down the main stairs on his skateboard and ends up crashing into Pennyworth who’s trying to take the paid-for pizzas down to the Bat Cave. For his action, Mikey is forced to pay by not only be the one who carefully takes the pizzas down below Wayne Manor, but he also gets his skateboard taken away as well. This life lesson has ultimately left an impact on him since while he does get his skateboard back for the eventual rooftop trek over to Arkham Asylum, Alfred’s influence shows up in a subtle way since when the whole group enters the facility, he places his skateboard up next to the front door before progressing forward. Aside from him making a blatantly obvious observation on how Bruce Wayne and Batman are the same person, he never seems to act as energetically rambunctious, to the point where he thanks Alfred for his stern lesson by giving him his skateboard. In the end, the character arc that he seems to go through is learning that there’s a time & place for his Party Dude levels of personality and that he must recognize when it’s appropriate for him to bring those energetic levels out. In terms of the Turtles as a whole, Eric Bauza, Darren Criss, Baron Vaughn and Kyle Mooney each bring the right amounts of energy, range and attitude towards their respective roles. Just like the present Bat Family members, they stand out more as a whole rather than on an individual level. Fortunately, they each leave a respected impact upon the viewing audience and are all solid within the entire cast.
Finally, we have our dual antagonists in Ra’s Al Ghul and the Shredder. Both men have their own largescale goals in mind, yet Ra’s is far-vaster with his intentions while Oroku looks to grow his secret operations. Thanks to an explanation from his grandson Damian, the Demon’s Head is looking for a way to tear Gotham City apart before building it back up in his own image. Unlike “Batman Begins” though, there doesn’t seem to be a deeper reasoning like that movie did where he and his group of assassins were looking to restore balance via destruction. As such, his scheme does seem to teeter towards that of a Saturday Morning cartoon villain. While his physical presence is hinted at during the break-in at Arkham Asylum, he doesn’t truly reveal it until his fight against Leonardo and Donatello where he proceeds to put his several centuries of experience to use into fending off those two Turtles, even shattering Donnie’s right arm in the process while taking advantage (for a while) of Leo’s emotional response. Even though the knowledge of war that he’s acquired from being alive for several centuries via the Lazarus Pit has made him into a singular force to be reckoned with, Leonardo’s regained focus and unexpected strikes allows him to bring Al Ghul to his defeat once and for all. That also happens to be the last time that we ever see him on screen, especially since Ace Chemicals blows up latter and Shredder managed to survive the blast. Even though I have no doubt that he would somehow find a way to cheat death in that situation, it’s a little baffling that he doesn’t return in some form, especially since his assassins and Ubu were spared from said fiery fate by our heroes. While both of our antagonists do operate their group of warriors out of sight from the regular masses, Ra’s end goal is broader while Shredder has the mindset of making his rule from within the shadows as long as he can via getting access to the Lazarus Pit, thus allowing him to ultimately smite the Turtles and their sensei in Master Splinter. After all, global domination never seems to be something that Oroku would be interested in since it would bring unneeded attention to the Foot Clan and they would prefer to operate in secret & away from society. As such, having access to the Lazarus Pit would allow the Shredder to build up a similar amount of experience that Ra’s Al Ghul has accumulated and not only serve as a looming terror to everyone on the planet, but he would even outlive his foes. Even though he ultimately serves the Demon’s Head for most of the runtime due to the film’s events taking place in Gotham City along with the fact that he couldn’t retrieve the Cloud Seeder himself, his deviously ambitious plan and the fact that he’s able to give the Dark Knight a physically worthy challenge helps make up for his shortcomings in a way. Even though this never got a follow-up, I would’ve loved to have seen how Oroku would’ve operated after having been Joker-ized. With Cas Anvar and Andrew Kishino, they give their respective parts some well-deserved vocal presence to make their villainous parts shine. Even though Ra’s didn’t shine as much as he should have in the role of a primary antagonist and Shredder didn’t get too much of an opportunity to show off his menacing mettle, their group of stealthy warriors combined with their own individual might still allowed them to be noticeably present and noteworthy throughout the preceding narrative.
Because this is based on a six-issue mini-series, there’s bound to be some differences concerning how the source material handled its story compared to what was done for the movie version. For starters, Batgirl isn’t even in the comic-based storyline. Batman learns about the Foot Clan’s generator heist at Powers Industrial along with the Turtles attempting to stop them from a female scientist that witnessed the opening scuffle. Then there’s the part where Bruce is heading to his own company to deal with the intruding ninjas. Unbeknownst to him, Killer Croc and his goons are looking to steal several parts of the Batmobile and sell them in the Black Market in order to make a fortune. In order for them to do so, they need to travel through the sewer system. Unfortunately for them, they come across the Turtles’ initial Gotham-based lair and get smacked around by the familiar heroes in a half-shell. All of which were replaced with the rooftop encounter with the Penguin and foiling his team’s attempted theft at Wayne Enterprises. Inside his company, Batman does come across Shredder, but Oroku simply warns him to stay out of his way before immediately using a smokescreen bomb to escape. Back with the Turtles, it’s also revealed that Master Splinter a.k.a. Hamato Yoshi had accompanied them on this venture before Donatello is the one who initially discovers the Batmobile. As for the early fight between Batman and the Ninja Turtles, the comic had our shell-wearing, weapon-wielding figures actually try to attack the Dark Knight together as opposed to one at a time. Unlike the film where Donnie realizes that he and his brothers are outmatched and thus uses some smokescreen to help them flee, the comic had Splinter tussle against the Caped Crusader for a bit before they escape via a smokescreen pellet. During their Internet Café-based education on Batman, it’s where we start to learn that unlike the film where the presented DC Universe also had the Turtles living in its New York City, these figures actually come from their own dimension. That notion is further confirmed in the source material since Lucius Fox (another person whom Batgirl replaces in the movie adaptation) analyzes Raphael’s Sai alongside Bruce and begins to make that realization based on what they find on said weapon. In addition, it’s where we first get the hint on how if the Turtles don’t return to their universe somewhat soon, then their mutated forms will become unstable due to the mutagen that initially transformed them into the figures we know them as will become inert and they’ll become regular turtles forever. The comic then somewhat moves up a scene that comes later in a film where the Penguin provides Shredder (and only him since Ra’s and Baxter don’t accompany him) with a piece of technology that Bruce’s company owns. Instead of a Cloud Seeder though, it’s a WayneTech Resonance Engine. Like before, Oroku tells Oswald that he’s not getting paid for his help and that the Foot Clan has killed his men off. Unlike the movie where Cobblepot begrudgingly takes his leave, Shredder keeps him on due to his knowledge of Gotham’s ins-and-outs, along with being his main supplier of secretly-acquired power, weapons and money. Also with Oroku, it’s then revealed that he is the main villain of the source material and that he plans on ruling both Gotham along with his world’s New York City via the dimensional portal that was built by the captured Dr. Naveen Khan (who’s film role was most likely filled by the mutated Dr. Baxter Stockman since he also mentions that he’s been working for the oppressive ninja master for a long time). As for the part where the Turtles (and Shredder) sneak into the Bat Cave, they’re not initially met upon by Robin before Batman discovers them within his hideout. The source material then had Hamato explaining to Bruce that he and the Turtles were teleported onto his world by Krang in order for them to not interfere with the interdimensional being’s attempt at global domination. Because Shredder was also transported to this plane of existence as well, he discovered and captured Dr. Khan in order to make him build an interdimensional portal so that he can return to his (and the Turtles’) world in order to overthrow Krang. Despite the unified team of Batman and the Turtles defeating his Foot Clan ninjas, Shredder had two different kinds of bombs ready. One of them destroys the interdimensional portal that Naveen had built and the other was implanted with Dr. Khan’s skin, effectively killing the just-rescued scientist. As if all of that wasn’t bad enough, Raphael decides to charge at Oroku, only for their longtime enemy to slash a vital artery and put him in critical condition. It’s not until Shredder gets rescued by helicopter that Ra’s Al Ghul finally shows up in the source material and asserts his command over the operations. Another noticeable difference is that unlike the movie where Batman doesn’t have a slice of pizza until the end, he actually has it following the initial order. This then leads into another difference that I came across. In the film, Batman dismisses the Turtles after their reckless approach at Arkham got him mutated into a Man-Bat. Later, Raphael gives a speech on how even though they’ll stumble and make mistakes, both teams and families have to learn & grow together. In the comic, a recovered Raph is furious that his brothers are relaxing with some pizzas instead of doing something to avert their impending regression back into regular turtles (along with a rat in the case of Splinter). He even tells Batman that he’s a rich person who’s only out punching bad guys for the fun of it before storming out to try and deal with their situation himself. After a brief scene where a notable Turtles ally named Casey Jones manages to reach the DC dimension while taking out a couple of Foot Clan ninjas shortly after his arrival, Bruce catches up to Raphael and takes him to Crime Alley before explaining that it’s where he saw his parents murdered when he was only a child. He then says that because he’s worked hard to personally recover and make sure that similar tragedies never befall onto any other families, he’s more than willing to help Raphael prevent him and his closest kin from getting torn down “by impossible science and dark intent”. Afterwards, Leo, Mikey and Don find Casey before learning that he had brought five canisters of mutagen over from their world in order to help them out. However, Ra’s and Shredder ultimately defeated him and swiped it all before making their way to Arkham Asylum. In terms of key differences during the part where Batman and the Ninja Turtles learn from James Gordon about the break-in at Arkham, only Leonardo and Raphael are present with the Caped Crusader while Michelangelo and Donatello stayed in the Bat Cave to look after a recovering Casey (shortly before Damian finally bothers to show up in the source material and fights all three of them for a short bit). Not only that, but Penguin is also present to help them out while even letting the Dark Knight know about Ra’s Al Ghul’s sudden involvement in all of this. After they take their leave, they’re forced to return to the Bat Cave due to Leo’s own mutagen self suddenly starting to wear off. Afterwards, Jones reveals that he has a device called a Slingshot which will only work once, yet it’ll be able to help him, and his close comrades return to their dimension once it has enough power. To add onto the impeding time scale, they have to use it very soon or else it’ll be several weeks before they can try it again and both the Turtles & Splinter will have mutated back into regular animals by then. Robin then informs his father that thanks to his overseas investigation on the League of Assassins, he’s learned that Ra’s is bringing several of his own warriors into Gotham in order to stage a coup on Shredder and take control of the city. Another difference has to do with Arkham Asylum itself. Not only are Batman and Robin initially the only ones who go there, but the mutations on some of the Dark Knight’s Rogues Gallery are also different. While Bane was a cheetah in the movie, the comic had him turned into an elephant. The source material also had Penguin involved here as Shredder mutated him into his namesake animal as punishment for informing the Caped Crusader about the Shredder’s “secrets”. Poison Ivy and Two-Face also had different mutations as well, since they’re a plant-like bug (probably a mantis) and a baboon. There were also a few foes that weren’t in the movie, but deserve a mention as the Mad Hatter became a rabbit, the Riddler was turned into a raccoon and Ventriloquist was transformed into an owl. Once he’s imprisoned within Mr. Freeze’s ice, Batman learns that Ra’s has no intention of usurping control from Oroku and that they truly intend on uniting their forces in order to have the planet’s people become mutated beings that will tear each other apart before they ultimately take charge of the world. On a quick side note, it’s interesting that the mutated Joker makes a quick mention on what the “mutagen might be like” combined “with the most powerful Joker toxins”, since that would be a major factor in the movie version of this tale. Either way, the Turtles and Splinter forgo their initial opportunity to return to their plane of existence in order to help Batman out. Donnie thaws him out of the ice before mentioning that he tinkered around and brought something that was hinted and foreshadowed at a few moments in the source material, which turned out to be Bruce’s Intimidator Suit. In terms of the final battle, not only does it take place at Arkham, but both Shredder and Ra’s are actually there to take our heroes on. Also, Al Ghul ends up taking on all four Turtles instead of just Leo and Don in the film. As far as how the main villains are defeated, Batman does fight Oroku and beats him up for the most part, yet Splinter delivers the knockout hit with his stick. As for Ra’s, his men were defeated by Robin and arrested by the Gotham Police, thus forcing him to retreat. In terms of the Turtles and Splinter ultimately returning to their home dimension alongside a defeated Shredder and his defeated team of Foot Clan ninjas, it turns out to be the combined effort of Casey Jones and their reporter ally April O’Neal (the latter of whom is referenced in the movie by a calendar in the Turtle Van that’s on the month of April), along with their scientist ally named Harold Lilja (who’s not even seen in either version of this story). Before they all head out, Raphael gives Batman his red mask as thanks and as a reminder that he’ll always have them as a family. Now that these major differences are finally out of the way, let’s talk about the movie itself. A lot of the differences that it makes from its source material are beneficial, such as cutting out some characters that were ultimately superfluous and weren’t all that important to the story. This helped the Arkham inmates that were kept for the film stand out a lot more and made them an imposing presence for their main fight. Also, it made the wise decision of having Shredder initially fight Batman in order to prove his powering might and give Bruce a better idea as to what he’s up against. As far as changing the Turtles, Shredder and the Foot Clan from coming from another universe, that can be seen as simplifying the narrative for another medium. While it would’ve been interesting to have seen a version of this movie where their impending reverted mutation back into regular turtles was a compelling background threat to help move the narrative along, the film makes it neat how the Turtles are essentially part of the DC Universe for this version of the story. Moving on to our main villains and their ultimate end goals, the mini-series does a far-better job of making Shredder a central and imposing figure. Even when Ra’s ultimately comes into the story, he doesn’t belittle Oroku for any failed task and they seem genuine in terms of joining forces in order to instill their unified dominance upon the world. The movie version instead has Al Ghul completely in charge of things and because they don’t share the same kind of evil ambitions, Shredder is essentially frowned upon following his initial failure to swipe the Cloud Seeder. On a positive side to this decision, it does ultimately see both of their warrior factions teaming up to deal with our heroes, along with some of them being mutated in order to provide the right amount of comic book silliness that helps to compliment the serious side of the story. Aside from those notable differences, the film has a somewhat largescale cast and as I mentioned earlier, it does a good job with handling the development of some characters while others mainly contribute to the story in a solid supporting fashion. There’s 20 central characters in total and they split evenly between those that’re vital to the story and those that’re relegated to roles that allows them to shine in a necessarily minimal capacity. The animation is very solid throughout, displaying lots of fluid movements from every major and minor figure without any notably awkward stutter in sight. Helping to compliment that is its color palette, which is bright and cheerful for the most part, yet never gets too overwhelming for its own good. Finally, the action gets progressively thrilling as the situation continues to escalate. From fierce fisticuffs and the clashing of steel from the weapons combat to some thrilling chases, it makes for an engaging visual ride. All of the aforementioned details do come together in order to provide its audience with some well-oiled pacing as nothing seemed to drag things out too badly. In the end, all of these elements come together in order to present a tale where two different intellectual properties are able to interact alongside each other in an entertaining way and it should convince those who aren’t familiar with its source material to check it out, as well as the other entries that came out and provided even more a radical time within our respective fan caves.
Overall, this is a street-level crossover that allows the best of two different worlds to shine as a whole. The familiar characters are likable & work incredibly well off of each other for the most part, the animation is pretty much flawless, the colors are presentably pleasing and the action wonderfully compliments its narrative. While some areas could’ve used some further retooling in order to make this shine a little bit better, this is a project that everyone involved in cared about and allowed it to show whether they were making it behind the animation desk or within the vocal booth. It’s absolutely worth checking out either by yourself or amongst friends & family in order to take in a tale worthy of saying “Cowabunga”.
Batman (created by Bob Kane and Bill Finger) and all related characters are owned by DC Comics. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (created by Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird) is owned by Nickelodeon/Viacom International, Inc.
