Bat in the Belfry

"Mutant Gangland"

**Bat in the Belfry** is the nineteenth episode of the fourth season of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and the 97th episode of the series overall.

## Synopsis

Michelangelo befriends some odd, new superheroes named Wingnut and Screwloose.

## Characters

### Major Characters

* April O'Neil (Mae Whitman)
* Casey Jones (Josh Peck)
* Donatello (Rob Paulsen)
* Leonardo (Seth Green)
* Michelangelo (Greg Cipes)
* Raphael (Sean Astin)
* Screwloose (Jeff Bennett)
* Wingnut (Daran Norris)

### Minor characters

* Monoculus
* Purple Dragons
	+ Hun
	+ [Fong]]
	+ Sid
	+ Tsoi
* Splinter (Hoon Lee)
* Skullface McGillin (Fred Tatasciore)

## Plot

In the Turtles' lair, Mikey, Raph, and Leo argue over which comics are better, while in Donnie's lab, he is analyzing April, who's been experiencing some headaches and strange nightmares about outer space. As Mikey joins them, Donnie believes that April's crystal from the Aeons is causing her headaches and wants to look at it, but April swats his arm away, demanding he back off as it is her crystal. When Mikey suggests she's being overly-possessive of her crystal, she is able to somehow agree to part with it for Donnie to look at.

As Donnie takes a look at it with his space bo staff from Professor Honeycutt after noticing some strange things through his microscope with the crystal, he causes the crystal to release some sort of spectral apparition that flies through Mikey and disappears, drawing the attention of Leo and Raph. Putting it out of their minds for the time being, Mikey returns to his room to talk about his favorite comic with Ice Cream Kitty, before being told that Splinter wants to see him. After Mikey leaves with Ice Cream Kitty, the apparition reappears and disappears into Mikey's comic book.

Up on the street, Casey is bored out of his mind as he rides his bike, before noticing several citizens running for their lives. He goes to investigate, only to find himself face to face with a giant eyeball monster. Taking a picture to send to the Turtles, Mikey recognizes it as the monster from his Wingnut comic book, Monoculus. Casey is able to hold his own until the Turtles show up, but after all of them are overpowered by Monoculus, April steps up, armed with her Aeon crystal. Donnie is stunned she took it from his lab, but April once again counters that it's hers and she needs it. With its help, she is able to destroy Monoculus with just her Tessen fan, but afterwards wonders what was up with that thing. Mikey reveals that it must have come from his comic book as the image of Monoculus is gone from one page and April's Aeon crystal must have brought it to life. Donnie agrees that April needs to return to his lab to look over her Aeon crystal more to see what's up with it, but while April, Donnie, Raph, and Leo return to the lair, Mikey and Casey remain behind as Mikey is inspired to bring Wingnut and his sidekick, Screwloose, to life as well with April's Aeon crystal.

Arriving back in the lair, Mikey sneaks into Donnie's lab, and with him asleep, switches April's Aeon crystal and escapes. Showing it to Casey, Mikey attempts to bring Wingnut and Screwloose to life, but nothing seems to happen. As Mikey and Casey soon get into an argument, the Aeon crystal soon begins to glow and crackle, and after knocking Mikey and Casey off their feet with a sudden burst of energy, when it fades, there stands Wingnut and Screwloose, in the flesh.

As Mikey tries to get their attention, in Wingnut's eyes, he mistakes Mikey for one of his arch-enemies that escaped from prison, and attacks him and Casey. Only when he tries to un-mask Mikey does Wingnut realize he's real and apologizes. On Casey and Mikey's suggestion, Wingnut and Screwloose agree to patrol NYC with them, with Mikey taking on his Tur-fly-tle appearance again to do so.

Back in the lair, Donnie is awoken as a furious April tears his lab apart looking for her Aeon crystal, blaming him for losing it after she gave it back to him to analyze. Donnie becomes concerned about April's behavior, but as she becomes more livid, even lashing out at Donnie to leave her alone, Splinter arrives with Leo and Raph and tries to calm her down, saying she relies too much on her Aeon crystal and is using it as a crutch. April tries to deny this, but it is clear that she is seriously rattled without her Aeon crystal. As Leo and Raph realize Mikey must have it, they attempt to contact him.

Meanwhile, when Mikey and Casey accidentally confess to how Wingnut and Screwloose are just comic book characters after battling another of Wingnut's arch-villains in Skullface McGillin, they overhear Mikey and Casey stating about Wingnut and Screwloose being from the comic and end up revealing how much of their history that they know. When accused to being associated with their enemy Captain Confusion, Mikey reveals April's Aeon crystal to them. As a result, they immediately become obsessed with it and try to take it. When they succeed, the energy from the crystal causes them to become more animalistic, easily overpowering Casey and Mikey before fleeing with the crystal. As Mikey and Casey give pursuit and call the others to tell them, April overhears everything and snaps at Mikey in fury for taking her crystal. Tracking Wingnut and Screwloose to a church tower, Casey and Mikey try to confront them and get the crystal back before they are joined by the others on the Turtle Blimp. Even with the increased numbers, Wingnut and Screwloose prove too powerful, until April, obsessed with getting her crystal back from Wingnut, hits the church bell with the garbage cannon, causing it to ring, which results in Wingnut and Screwloose covering their ears in pain.

Getting an idea, Mikey goes up to ring the bell again. The ultrasonic noise the bell makes as it rings is too much for Wingnut and Screwloose to handle, and on Donnie's guidance, April is able to focus her psychic powers to retrieve her Aeon crystal from Wingnut, and begin taking back the energy that caused their transformation, calming her down now that she had her crystal back.

As Wingnut and Screwloose come to the realization that they have to go back to their comic book world, they apologize for everything they put the Turtles, April, and Casey through, before April has the honor of returning them home, much to Mikey's sadness after being able to fight crime alongside them.

However, while Leo, Raph, and Casey comfort Mikey, Donnie speaks to April about going back to his lab to analyze her Aeon crystal more, but April refuses. As Donnie looks on with concern, April once again says the Aeon crystal is hers, and no one is taking it away from her, ever again...

## Quotes

**Donnie:** April, when we get back to the lair, I think I had better run some more tests on that crystal. **April:** No, Donnie. **Donnie:** April...are you alright? **April:** It's my crystal. I'm never gonna take it off again for anyone, or anything, *ever again*...

## Trivia

* There are several references to the *DC Comics* character Batman.
	+ The episode's title is similar to the first episode of the 2004 Batman animated series, "The Bat in the Belfry".
	+ Wingnut is voiced by Daran Norris, who voiced Batman in the Imaginext's DC Super Frieds mini-series.
	+ Wingnut and Screwloose first appear as comic book characters.
	+ Wingnut's costume, much like in his classic counterpart, counts with his black gloves, black trunks and a utility belt.
	+ The "Wingnut-a-rangs" are a homage to Batman's iconic Batarang gadget.
	+ In this episode Wingnut ans Screwloose are parodies of a specific version of Batman and Robin, the ones from the 1966 TV series where the characters were played by Adam West and Burt Ward.
		- Wingnut's mask with the black front and the drawn eyebrows is a nod to Adam West's mask.
		- The Wing-Zookas are a homage to the series' Bat-Zooka.
		- Sound effects appear written on the screen as they did in the series to mimic the comics.
		- Screwloose's hair is based on that of Burt Ward's himself.
		- Screwloose's "Holly [blank], Wingnut!" is a reference to Burt Ward's Robin catchphrase, "Holly [blank], Batman!".
* Aside from these references, the Turtles make nods to other comic book heroes from both DC and Marvel comics while debating which one is the best comic. Wingnut and Screwloose (*Batman and Robin*), Arachnid-Man (*Spider-Man*), Superb Man (*Superman*), The Indelible Bulge (*The Incredible Hulk*), and the Fantastic Four Food Groups (*Fantastic Four*).
	+ Each of the comic covers shown are homages to real comic covers:
		- The Amazing Spider-Man #300, The Incredible Hulk #1 and Fantastic Four #1.
* Wingnut and Screwloose's corrupted forms resemble their classic counterparts, as Wingnut's ears get uncovered by his cowl, his teeth get more protuberant and he changes into a hunched over posture. While Screwloose gets bald, matching his other versions.
* April's obsession with the Aeon crystal was referenced from the "The Lord of the Rings" character named Gollum who been obsessed with the One Ring that he has found.
	+ Michelangelo even points out that she's been acting as if the crystal was her "precious", the way Gollum refered to the one ring.