Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles

The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles are fictional characters that were originally created by Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird. They first appeared in Mirage Studios' 1984 comic book series of the same name, which later spawned a multi-media franchise with numerous other comics, animated series, movies and video games that are still being produced to this day.
==Background==
The Ninja Turtles are a group of turtles that became anthropomorphic after being exposed to a substance known as Mutagen. Leonardo is the leader of the group with the other members including Donatello, Michelangelo and Raphael. They live in the sewers of New York City with their master Splinter, who is a mutant rat that trained them in Ninjutsu to fight crime. Some of their most notable enemies are the Shredder, Baxter Stockman and the Kraang.
In most of their incarnations, the Ninja Turtles wear different color bandanas to distinguish them. However, this was not the case in the original comic as this concept was introduced in the 1987 animated series. Another notable change that also originated from that series is that Master Splinter used to be a human named Hamato Yoshi, while in the original comic, he was just Yoshi's pet rat before his owner died.
Mirage Studios' comic series features several encounters with the Cthulhu Mythos. While teaming up with Clark Ashton Allard (a nod to Clark Ashton Smith), the Ninja Turtles managed to fight off Dagon and his vampire cult. (: "Men of Shadow") The Norse god Loki summoned Nyarlathotep to attack them but the ritual was interrupted by Michelangelo. (: "Hall of Lost Legends") Leonardo once found a copy of De Vermis Mysteriis in an abandoned building. (: "Circle of Darkness") Savanti Juliet resurrected several famous people from the past to ambush the Ninja Turtles. However, after H. P. Lovecraft refused to help her, Juliet punished him by banishing his soul to R'lyeh. The ghost of Robert E. Howard also references Lovecraft when he mentions his nickname "Two-Gun Bob" to Raphael. (: "Juliet's Revenge")
When the Elder Gods broke free from unspace, the IDW incarnation of the Ninja Turtles had their universe invaded by Shub-Niggurath. (: Infestation 2)
Other incarnations also have some Lovecraftian themes. In the 1987 animated series, the Shredder casted a spell that accidentally summoned an extra-dimensional tentacle monster at a subterranean temple, with both the spell and the temple being used by a cult during the 1920s. (: "Splinter No More") In the 2003 animated series, the Ninja Turtles were forced to face their worst fears while under the influence of the Necro Monster, an extraterrestrial entity that resembles Cthulhu. The creature had a servant named C.F. Volpehart, which is an anagram of H. P. Lovecraft. (: "The Darkness Within") The 2012 animated series features a race known as the Daagon, a pastiche of the Deep Ones, who have a creature named Cthugha at their service. (: "The Cosmic Ocean") Additionally, the 2012 depiction of the Rat King was heavily inspired by Herbert West, with the character even being voiced by Jeffrey Combs.
Category:Characters Originating From Mythos-Adjacent Works