TMNT: Mutant Mayhem's Ending Changes Everything About The Turtles

The newest and best-looking take of the TMNT in recent years has popped out of the sewer with "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem," and in doing so, given us a story that's oozing with originality. The most significant and compelling change is that the ninjas are actually teenagers this time around. Historically, most iterations of Leonardo and his brothers have screamed post-pubescence or young adulthood. Thankfully, that isn't the case here, as New York's sewer-inhabiting saviors are still growing into their shells, and their biggest concerns are girls and high school.

What a treat, then, that by the end of the film, the green-tinted gang gets at least one of their hopes fulfilled. After saving New York from Superfly (Ice Cube), the city accepts the Turtles and, more importantly, enrolls them into April's high school with open arms. While it's great to see the sons of Splinter (Jackie Chan) finally living their best life, it's a massive shift in the traditional "TMNT" story — not just in regard to the core four themselves, but the legendary foes they've faced off against for years who they're seemingly best buds with now. Just how much of an impact will these changes have on them going forward, and what issues could they cause when their most feared enemy, Shredder, makes his cutting debut?

Many heroes struggle to keep a good rep on the turf they're sworn to protect. Batman, Spider-Man, and those other notable mutants, the X-Men, have all fought to be accepted as the heroes they're trying to be. Thanks to the reporting of April O'Neill (Ayo Edibiri), the Turtles have managed to do it in one film, but will this make things more difficult than anticipated?

During their time as sub-dwelling heroes hiding in the shadows, the only person they had to explain themselves to was Splinter. What are they going to do now that they're in school? Bail out of a science test halfway through because there's a bank robbery in progress? Nip home to get their weapons when duty calls? These characters have always been devoted to the way of the ninja and taking a stealthy approach. That doesn't look to be the case anymore, and when the Turtles return for the recently greenlit "TMNT" series on Paramount+, it sets up a strange new sandbox for our heroes to play around in.

With that eventual transition to television, does that mean that the Shredder, who's teased in the mid-credits scene of the movie, will be dropping in to cause trouble? Or could some new enemies be on the horizon? Whoever they are, they'll have to appear pretty soon because, thanks to another unique turn with these Turtles, iconic foes are now friends, which switches things up dramatically.

In another wild but equally wonderful creative shift in the well-known "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles" timeline, a band of their most legendary adversaries is now just as welcome in New York as they are. It's certainly an intriguing direction to take these well-known characters, particularly when you've got notorious bad guys Bebop (Seth Rogen) and Rocksteady (John Cena) on the winning side when they're better known for being the muscle-headed henchmen of the Shredder. The question is, will this newly developed take on the Turtles stick to its sais and keep these two lugs as good guys, or turn their back on them? If they swap back to being baddies, might the TV show be the place to do it?

Given that the film leaves us with the Turtles welcomed as the heroes we know them to be, could the same be said for the mutants that join up with them? There's every chance that the shelled saviors of New York City will be getting all of the spotlight, which might not sit well with their new housemates. That would certainly make for an easy route for them to turn their backs on the Turtles and team up with Shredder in the future, as has long been their way in the franchise. If not, then at least when Oroku Saki does take a stab at taking over the Big Apple, the Turtles will have a huge team to help them along the way.