Warning: Spoilers for Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #3Leonardo has the reputation of being the leader of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtlesand thus remains firm as the voice of reason that prevents them from going too far. But without his brothers by his side, this ninja turtle takes a dark turn. In a shocking moment, Leonardo takes the life of an opponent, abandoning mercy in his darkest era.
In Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #3 by Jason Aaron, Cliff Chiang and Shawn Lee, after his brothers were separated, Leonardo went into exile on the Ganges River. The former leader of the Ninja Turtles tries to leave his old life behind, but that life returns with a vengeance when the Foot Clan ambushes him. Leonardo retaliates violently, even throwing one of the ninjas into the water after learning he can’t swim and drowning him in the process.
Leonardo and his brothers have killed before in the heat of battle, but killing someone thoughtlessly while they beg for mercy is a critical betrayal of your moral codeand this scene reveals how far he has fallen in the new era of the turtles.
Leonardo becomes an assassin in the TMNT tradition, redefining his character in a shocking way
Leonardo’s failure to abandon his ninja ways drives him into darkness
This edition narrates Leonardo’s journey when, after a disagreement with his brothers, he begins an isolated existence among the turtles of the Ganges River. He has reached a point where he feels like he is no longer alive and seeks to remedy this by abandoning his ninja lifestyle to behave like an ordinary turtle. Ultimately, with the arrival of the Foot Clan forces, Leonardo returns to his old ways and wields his ninja weapons once again. The difference is that when he fights them this time, Leonardo doesn’t hold back the way he could have done it before.
Leonardo killing like he does here is a huge step forward for him, as a firm believer in Splinter’s teachings. Surprisingly, it’s been through a dark turn before TMNT tradition; in the “City Fall” arc of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles put Kevin Eastman, Bobby Curnow, Tom Waltz and Mateus Santolouco, Leonardo becomes a villain as a result of brainwashing by Kitsune and the Foot Clan. What makes this moment scarier compared to his time as “Dark Leo” is that Leonardo has full control of himself this timeso the cold-blooded murder of an enemy is no one’s doing but his own.
Leonardo’s reunion with his brothers could bring him out of the darkness
Can Leonardo return to the light after taking a life?
Leonardo is not the only one of his brothers who is walking a dark path on your solo travels. Rafael has been fighting for his life in prison, while Michelangelo has officially turned against his brothers. Additionally, as seen in a preview of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Alpha by Aaron and Chris Burnham, Donatello faces the terrible fate of being trapped in a mutant zoo.
Still, Leonardo may be in the darkest place of all by abandoning his ideals against the Foot Clan. He’s back to his ninja ways, but with the twisted caveat of having blood on his hands. Hopefully reuniting with the rest of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles can bring Leonardo – and his brothers, by extension – back into the light before he loses what’s left of himself.
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #3 is now available from IDW Publishing.