Mutagen

In *Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles*, the **Mutagen**, commonly referred to as "**Ooze**", is an alchemical concoction developed by Baron Draxum to create mutants. It is most commonly found in the abdomens of Oozesquitoes, from which it can be pumped into a victim upon being stung.

## Overview

Baron Draxum's mutagen is a neon green glowing liquid that functions by combining DNA with its user. While the rest of its ingredients are currently unknown, Empyrean is his mutagen's activator which is responsible for the mutagen's ability to give mystic traits to its users. While the mutagen itself doesn't seem to cause pain when it comes in contact with one's body, the mutation process it evokes is typically painful and completes in seconds.

Thus far, Draxum's mutagen has been shown to work in five different ways:

* Application to a human results in them mutating into the anthropomorphic form of the animal with which they have most recently been in contact, including animal by-products (e.g., Rupert Swaggart handled pork and mutated into a pig, Stanley ingested beef jerky and mutated into a bull, Lou Jitsu handled a rat and mutated into a rat, Mezmer-Ron handled his hippopotamus assistant Doug and mutated into a hippopotamus).
* Application to an ordinary animal, combined with human DNA, results in an anthropomorphic body and sapient intelligence (e.g., the Turtles).
* Application to a human holding a plant will cause the two lifeforms to fuse into a single entity (e.g., Harold held a corpse flower and mutated into that very corpse flower).
* Application to an ordinary animal results in a mutated anthropomorphic body, but its non-sapience remains (e.g., the magpie that was mutated in "Shadow of Evil"). It is currently unclear whether its intelligence can change with time and experience as Piebald was an ordinary animal who was mutated, but is sapient.
* Application to an ordinary animal exposed to a human-born mutant results in a non-sapient hybrid creature that is non-anthropomorphic (e.g., Mrs. Nubbins was handled by Repo Mantis and mutated into a mantis).

## History

Draxum engineered his mutagen in order to create an army of mutants that would fight to overtake the Earth's surface from humanity for the sake of the Yōkai population. He struggled to find a source of DNA that would bestow his mutants with the great combat abilities they needed until he encountered Lou Jitsu at the Battle Nexus. Draxum eventually used him in an experiment to mutate the Turtles when they were still ordinary turtles and the experiment ended in success. However, during a fight with Lou Jitsu, Draxum's store of mutagen was spilled and obliterated once his laboratory was set on fire by Huginn and Muninn.

It wasn't until 13 years later in "Mystic Mayhem" that Draxum was able to recreate his mutagen and he tested it on a human named Stewart, affirming its success. He planned to make swarms of Oozesquitoes ingest his mutagen to carry it and mutate the human public. However, by "Shadow of Evil", Draxum had moved on from that aspect of his plan, instead deciding to eliminate the threat of humanity by donning the Kuroi Yōroi and simply eradicating humanity with the armor's power.