TMNT: Mutant Mayhem Could Be Hiding Krang In Plain Sight
This post contains spoilers for "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem."
"Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem" brings us a fresh new take on the heroes in a half-shell (read our review here). The visual style is unlike anything we've seen in the film franchise before, bringing a mix of "Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse" innovation with unique sketchbook-esque artistic flourishes that make the entire production feel scrappy and cool. Even beyond the animation, the development of the turtles being portrayed and voiced by actual teens adds a dynamic that makes them feel more like genuine teens than any other iteration.
Another key way that "Mutant Mayhem" stands out among all the other "TMNT" movies is by delivering on the movie's title. This time, there are more mutants in the movie than ever. Along with the turtles and their adoptive father Splinter, the chief villain of the film is Superfly (Ice Cube), a mutated fly created by the signature green ooze, and he's not the only villainous mutant on the scene. Superfly has henchman in the form of Bebop, Rocksteady, Mondo Gecko, Leatherhead, and many more mutants with a history in the comics and classic 1987 animated series.
Because there are so many mutants, that leaves a couple key "TMNT" villains out in the wind for this first outing. However, longtime fans may have picked up on a sneaky little detail that just may tease the forthcoming arrival of one of those villains, and it's not Shredder (who is being saved for the sequel). Instead, it's one of the other villains in "Mutant Mayhem" who isn't a mutant that teases an interesting spin on a classic character. Specifically, Krang.
Who is Cynthia Utrom?
Even though Superfly is the primary villain in "Mutant Mayhem," there's a secondary baddie who is lingering throughout the movie. Her name is Cynthia Utrom. Voiced by Maya Rudolph with some kind of undefined European accent, the character runs the Techno Cosmic Research Institute (TCRI), and she's trying to get ahold of the ooze created by Baxter Stockman (Giancarlo Esposito) so that she can create a mutant army of her own. But Baxter isn't keen on helping Cynthia, and he just wants to have a weird little family of his own because he loves animals.
After her soldiers (seen above, with Utrom glowing in green on the screen) fail to get ahold of the ooze or mutants created by Baxter Stockman — all of which eventually grow up to be Superfly, Bebop, Rocksteady, Mondo Gecko, and a whole swarm of mutants who are hellbent on turning millions of other creatures into mutant beings and dominating the human race — Cynthia captures the turtles so she can milk them for their blood. Of course, Splinter rescues his four sons, and Cynthia is left empty-handed.
In fact, once the turtles have defeated the giant, kaiju-esque version of Superfly, TCRI has been cleared out entirely and no one knows where they've gone. But a credits scene reveals that she's still watching from afar, and she will try to capture the turtles once more. However, next time, she'll be calling upon the help of the Shredder, who is teased in the mid-credits scene of the movie.
But there's more to observe about Cynthia, and fans of the franchise likely picked up on a couple interesting details about this character.
Krang, is that you?
First of all, let's look at Cynthia Utrom's name. Utrom just so happens to be the name of the alien race that the pink, brain-like alien Krang belongs to. Krang is a signature villain from "TMNT" media, and is often seen scheming and fighting our heroes along with Shredder. Is it possible that an eventual "Mutant Mayhem" sequel will feature some kind of mutagen accident that turns Cynthia into Krang rather than making the character an alien? Perhaps it will be revealed that Cynthia Utrom is some kind of body suit that Krang is controlling? There's actually a little more evidence to be found that makes the latter a bit more likely.
Take a closer look at this side-by-side image of Cynthia Utrom and Krang's body suit that he often wore:
Paramount Animation
Notice any similarities? Cynthia's professional suit is the same color as Krang's overall body suit, and the gray stripes on the lapels act as the shoulder straps. She's even wearing a pink shirt under it to represent Krang's body that typically sits in the abdomen of the suit. Furthermore, the glasses Cynthia wears resemble the goggles on Krang's suit, and though you can't see them in this poster, she also wears red gloves along with her red boots. Even Cynthia's hair has a look that somewhat resembles the grooves of a brain, which resembles Krang's weird little body.
No matter how it happens, we're betting there will be something that happens in the future of the new "TMNT" franchise that turns Cynthia into Krang or reveals that she's actually been Krang this whole time. Since a sequel is already in the works, not to mention an animated series to fill in the gaps, we can't wait to see what happens.
"Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem" is in theaters now.