Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Last Ronin Reveals How Key Characters Died

The second issue of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Last Ronin has finally arrived from IDW Publishing, quickly becoming the most printed comic in company history. The series tells the tale of far-flung future where only one Turtle is still living, previously revealed to be none other than Michelangelo, now haunted by visions of his three brothers who have mysteriously died before the events of the series. With issue two though, Turtle creators Kevin Eastman & Peter Laird and co-writer Tom Waltz revealed how one of the brothers (and another pivotal character) died before The Last Ronin. Full spoilers for the issue below!

Much of the second issue of The Last Ronin is devoted to flashbacks. We see what Michelangelo was doing in the years before the series began, but also see the time before that even, when the other heroes were still alive. The first sequence shows an injured Raphael entering April and Casey’s apartment sporting wounds of his own while making room for a heavily injured Master Splinter. It’s revealed that though a truce had been formed between the Foot and the Turtles, the evil ninja clan had broken it and ambushed the group, attacking and mortally injuring Splinter.

After it appears that Splinter succumbs to his wounds, or is very close to it, Raphael flies into a rage and runs toward where the Foot and their leader, Karai, have assembled. He eventually finds them and rushes at the ninjas, slicing, hacking, dicing, and eventually coming face to face with Karai. As the pair battle they fall into the nearby East River, where both of them are revealed to have sunk their weapon into their foe, killing each other. Raphael sinks into the bottom of the river, and Splinter seemingly dies in April and Casey’s apartment.

Three issues remain in the new series, and it seems likely that we’ll get even more flashbacks revealing what happened to the other two turtles in this time.

You can find the full solicitation for the next below!

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Last Ronin #3

Unexpected allies from the past reveal a possible path to salvation! As the Foot Clan sweeps NYC for the rogue Ronin, a final desperate plan in the name of vengeance is made! Spanning decades, this issue’s action and intrigue will set up the astounding final issues!

AVAILABLE: May 2021
CREATORS: Kevin Eastman (Author, Artist, Cover Artist) Peter Laird (Author) Tom Waltz (Author) Ben Bishop (Artist, Cover Artist) Esau (Artist, Cover Artist) Isaac Escorza (Artist, Cover Artist)
PAGE COUNT: 48