#anyway I like the DID Raph head cannon (also a thing that should be written with care)

[getindumdums]

You guys ever think about how the episode where Rise Raph was “Weird” for an episode? (“Man Vs. Sewer”) And how out of place it seemed? I mean what made my boi like this?? Cause, looking at the previous tmnt iterations, it was probably a concept in which the writers were trying to combine “Leatherhead” with “Raphael”. A character you don’t see in rottmnt.

Cause Leatherhead is an alligator. A gentle sweet soul. Raph is an alligator snapping turtle. And a sweet soul. They are both, ridiculously huge in stature. Towering over the turtles.

And they both get weird.

The whole concept of Leatherhead is that he is a character that is very sweet and kind. He started out as a baby alligator. But due to the oddity of his mutation, succumbs to “animal instincts” as a mental defense mechanism. Acting like how a provoked alligator would. And accidentally hurting the ones he loves because of it. I find the fact he and Raph were both originally baby animals that were mutated to be a potential connection.

Is this what’s up with Raph? An odd mutation that makes Raph lose himself when he can’t handle something? His instincts taking over to protect himself? An odd mutation caused from perhaps an interrupted process designed to make them be weapons of war? Or would allowing the full mutation have made the turtles more feral, monstrous? Perfect to destroy all of humanity.

I want to say that 03 Leatherhead had more of an impact on this choice. 03 is specifically very kind. And the brothers welcomed him in their lair. Excitedly and basically called him brother.

In 03 it seems to be more in his “nature” that he needed help to get through with. But be an allegory for trauma for ptsd (I think). In 12 he was tortured from the beginning implying a combination of trauma and the nature of his mutation. Either way, trauma makes this “defense mechanism” worse, as in 03 after being tortured by “Bishop”, his episodes become worse.

I think 03 wrote a very compelling episode, and I think Rise could have taken the episode in a different direction if this was their idea. Regardless, it has some interesting implications.

Because, what would happen to a turtle who gets “weird” after being possessed by the Krang?

His episodes would get worse.

In rottmnt.

Raph IS. Leatherhead.