Why Superfly From TMNT: Mutant Mayhem Sounds So Familiar

While fans are thrilled to witness the cinematic comeback of the heroes in a half shell in "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem," equally as exciting to see is the grab bag of villains who populate the animated film. But while you won't find the leader of the film's villainous mutant gang in any of the Turtles' nearly 40 years' worth of comics, toys, television shows, movies, or video games, his voice belongs to an all-around entertainer who needs no introduction. 

Heading the rogues' gallery of "Mutant Mayhem" is the original character Superfly. The son of TCRI scientist Baxter Stockman (voiced by Giancarlo Esposito), Superfly was mutated by the same ooze that transformed the Turtles. But unlike the reptilian brothers, Superfly's viewpoint on mankind is anything but optimistic. He runs a team of mutants that include the likes of Leatherhead (voiced by Rose Byrne), Bebop (voiced by Seth Rogen), Rocksteady (voiced by John Cena), and Genghis Frog (voiced by Hannibal Buress) amongst others, with ambitions to overtake humanity and make mutants the dominate species. 

Bringing the supervillain to life is none other than the self-proclaimed "cool supervillain" himself, Ice Cube. The longtime rapper, songwriter, and producer, best known for ushering in a new era of hip-hop with his group N.W.A., has more than made his mark on the big screen for over 30 years. If you don't think you've ever seen anything that Ice Cube has starred in before, think again. Here's where you may have seen or heard the prominent entertainer.

After firmly establishing himself in the music world, Ice Cube made his big screen debut in the John Singleton-directed classic "Boyz n the Hood." The 1991 film takes a slice-of-life look at the trials and tribulations of an urban community in South Los Angeles through the eyes of newcomer Tre Styles (Cuba Gooding Jr.). 

"Boyz n the Hood" sees Cube star as Darrin Baker, also known as Doughboy. Despite his rough exterior, Doughboy ultimately has a heart of gold and wants the best for his college-bound brother Ricky (Morris Chestnut). Following Chestnut's untimely murder, Doughboy becomes vengeful, but the subsequent actions that come from his bloodlust don't manage to heal his broken heart. As with much of the film, Doughboy was partially inspired by real-life figures in John Singleton's early life. Singleton wrote the role with Cube in mind following a chance encounter while the filmmaker was still attending college.

"Boyz n the Hood" became an instant success after its release. The film managed to gross over $57 million worldwide on an estimated budget of $6.5 million. It received critical acclaim as well, and it currently holds a 96% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. At age 23, Singleton became both the first Black and overall youngest individual to be nominated at the Academy Awards for directing. Along with Cube, much of the film's cast, including Gooding, Nia Long, Angela Bassett, and Regina King, owe their acting careers to the landmark film. 

Ice Cube's next recognizable role came in 1995's "Friday," a film that remains a fan-favorite hangout movie even nearly 30 years later. It follows best friends and slackers Craig Jones (Cube) and Smokey (Chris Tucker), who spend their Friday smoking marijuana and interacting with the quirky characters in their neighborhood. Trouble ensues as a drug dealer (Faizon Love) threatens their lives if the money they owe him is not paid by the end of the day. 

The film, helmed by past Cube collaborator and future "The Fate of the Furious" and "Straight Outta Compton" director F. Gary Gray, not only starred Cube, but was also co-written by him alongside record producer and rapper DJ Pooh. The film's release was another commercial hit for Cube and company, bringing in $27.4 million worldwide. The movie also received positive reviews from critics who largely agreed that the strength of the film's eccentric cast and humor made up for any shortcomings. It has retained a strong fanbase over the years, including Quentin Tarantino, who listed it as one of his favorite movies made between 1992 and 2009.

The success of the first "Friday" launched a media franchise that would go on to include 2000's "Next Friday," 2002's "Friday After Next," and even a short-lived animated series in 2007. Cube was one of the few actors to reprise his role in both film sequels while serving as an executive producer on "Friday: The Animated Series." 

Ice Cube entered the new millennium with another film that would shine a light on different corners of the Black community and grew a dedicated fanbase in the process with "Barbershop." The 2002 comedy stars Cube as Calvin Palmer Jr., the third-generation owner of a Chicago-based barbershop. While taking care of the colorful characters who visit the establishment, he must also contend with the business' struggling financial situation and a greedy loan shark (Keith David) who seeks to buy the barbershop. 

Cube saw working on "Barbershop" as a great opportunity to give viewers a peek into the cultural importance that barbershops play in African American society. In doing so, Calvin became a character that Cube identified with in many ways. When describing what makes him and his character similar in an interview with blackfilm, he commented, "Just as a young, black man trying to do the right thing, very ambitious, not really satisfied with what he has, always trying to grasp the next ring ... But like he's learned to appreciate what he's got, I've learned to appreciate what I'm doing and just try to do the best at what I'm doing instead of always looking for the next." 

This goodwill, coupled with a stacked cast also consisting of Eve, Anthony Anderson, and Cedric the Entertainer, helped "Barbershop" become another critical and commercial slam dunk in Cube's resume. Like "Friday," the film spawned two Cube-led followups with 2004's "Barbershop 2: Back in Business" and 2016's "Barbershop: The Next Cut" 

You don't want to get on Ice Cube's bad side, especially when dealing with his character from 2012's "21 Jump Street" and its 2014 sequel "22 Jump Street." The buddy cop franchise sees Cube portray Captain Dickson, the leader of the undercover Jump Street program, where young police officers are tasked to infiltrate schools and solve crimes. 

The police captain has little to no tolerance for bad behavior. Those unwilling to adhere to his direction are bound to be subject to a flurry of foul-mouthed, hard-hitting yells and threats. This is the case off the field as well, such as when Dickson discovers that Schmidt (Jonah Hill) is dating his daughter (Amber Stevens West) in "22 Jump Street" and throws a virulent temper tantrum in public. Nevertheless, Dickson takes his job with the utmost seriousness and ultimately does care for the Jump Street officers.

The franchise was a massive success, with both films bringing in a combined global box office total of $534 million. Plans were made for the third installment to cross over with "Men in Black." However, these plans, along with a female-led potential continuation, have seemingly picked up no traction since they were first rumored or announced.

Despite having conquered so many corners of the entertainment industry, Ice Cube doesn't have many voice-acting roles prior to "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem." Outside of providing the voice of Joseph Bowman in the 2010 game "Call of Duty: Black Ops," Cube only has one animated film role on his resume. Then again, if you're going to star in one animated movie, you can't get much better than 2014's "The Book of Life."

 The film, directed by Jorge R. Gutierrez, sees a bullfighter (voiced by Diego Luna) who goes on an adventure that spans multiple worlds in the afterlife to win the heart of a young woman (voiced by Zoe Saldaña). Along their journey, they encounter a variety of characters, including the jolly Candle Maker, who is voiced by Cube. The omnipotent being is in charge of keeping the Land of the Remembered and the Land of the Forgotten in harmony, as well as maintaining the titular book. Despite his awesome power, the Candle Maker is anything but threatening, proving to be a joyous individual who doesn't mind bending the rules a bit to help those he cares about. 

It may be a more eccentric role than what audiences are used to with Cube, but the actor's voice perfectly aids in breathing life into the boisterous character. The film grossed nearly $100 million worldwide and was enjoyed by critics, mostly for its striking visuals.

Ice Cube is no stranger to playing the straight man, as can be seen in his past work such as "Friday." But what happens when you pair that level-headed attitude with a buddy cop premise? You get none other than Cube's latest prominent franchise, "Ride Along." 

The 2014 film follows security guard Ben Barber (Kevin Hart) who seeks the approval of no-nonsense police officer James Payton (Cube) to be able to marry his sister (Tika Sumpter). To prove he has what it takes, Barber agrees to accompany Payton on a day-long police patrol of Atlanta, where the two get involved in a case involving a notorious arms dealer (Laurence Fishburne). The first film reunited Cube with "Barbershop" director Tim Story and "Boyz in the Hood" co-star Laurence Fishburne. While never coming close to achieving the critical status of his past work, sporting an 18% on Rotten Tomatoes, the film was another commercial hit for Cube and even more recently found renewed success on Netflix. 

2016 saw the follow-up, "Ride Along 2," get released. In it, Payton and Barber team up with a new band of operatives to take down a drug lord in Miami. Like the first film, despite being panned by critics, it once again struck gold at the box office. A third film is said to be in the works, but no plans have come to fruition given the conflicting schedules of the franchise's two leads.