If You Think You Know Shredder, the Original TMNT Comic Is Ready to Prove You Wrong

Every Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles fan recognizes Shredder as the series' long-standing "big bad" and a powerful foe of the turtles, but the original comics tell a different story about the iconic villain. He may be a hit among those who follow the franchise now, yet he didn't make nearly as much of an impact when he first debuted. The truth is, Shredder's origin isn't what most would expect, and it redefines his role in the TMNT's history.

In 1984, Mirage Studios released Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #1 by Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird, the comic debut of the TMNT. Within this same story, the Shredder also made his first appearance as an antagonistic force from Splinter's past. When Splinter revealed that he has trained his sons to exact vengeance against Shredder, they hunted him down and challenged him to a deathmatch.

Surprisingly, it didn't take long for the turtles to defeat Shredder, even though he's given them a hard time in every other continuity. Shredder's immediate loss made him a far cry from the character readers are familiar with nowadays.

The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Killed Shredder Off In Their First Ever Issue

The TMNT Disposed of Their Greatest Villain in Brutal Fashion

Shredder's defeat at the hands of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles came more easily than most would suspect, considering how dominant he is on the battlefield in later portrayals. In the original comics, however, Oroku Saki became the target of the turtles' hunger for vengeance. He brought the Foot Clan in hopes of procuring strength in numbers, but the turtles swiftly eliminated his ninja allies from the equation, and Leonardo ended up landing a fatal blow on Shredder. To conclude their fight, Leo then handed him his sword so that he could "commit seppuku" and reclaim his honor.

Shredder refused Leonardo's offer to end his own life because he had one more trick up his sleeve. In a shocking twist, he pulled out a grenade in hopes of killing them all. The Shredder knew his fate was sealed thanks to the ninja turtles, so he decided that his best option was to take them down with him. Unfortunately for him, this plan didn't pan out as he'd hoped. He instead fell and got caught in the explosion alone, to which Leo commented, "The Shredder...has been shredded." With the Shredder's death, it seemed that his role in TMNT lore had drawn to a close prematurely.

Shredder's Death Led to A Disturbing Attempt at Resurrecting Him

TMNT Tried to Revive Shredder, But The Results Were Horrifying

For years, Shredder was absent from Mirage Studios' Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles comics in the aftermath of his crushing loss. Eastman and Laird hadn't known at the time that the series would last as long as it did, so they'd eliminated Shredder without factoring in the possibility of a comeback. It wasn't until 1989's Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #21 that the series made an attempt at reviving the character. The Foot Clan employed a mysterious ritual to bring Shredder back from the dead, though this arrival came with consequences in the form of his flesh being mutilated with scars.

Not only did Shredder return in bad shape, but he also brought company. As it turns out, the Foot's resurrection of Shredder was aided by mystic worms that could spawn a clone of him by feeding on his remains, hence his grotesque appearance upon his return. To test this morbid process before creating a true Oroku Saki clone, the Foot Clan had produced various other Shredder Clones that underwent even more sickening mutations. These clones' battle against Leonardo proved to be one of the series' most violent, but once again, Shredder was vanquished by the TMNT and left with a slim chance of returning.

TMNT Making Shredder A Long-Term Nemesis Was the Right Call

Shredder's Dark Fate in the Original Comics Wasted His Potential

The classic TMNT comics were known for being darker than future takes on the titular ninjas, but killing Shredder in their first outing wasn't the best move in the grand scheme of things. Oroku Saki has proven to be a layered villain with deep ties to the turtles' history - especially with his connection to Splinter - and none of that compelling exploration could have been built upon if he'd remained dead permanently. Thanks to Shredder's popularity among fans, he's been able to cheat death and live up to his potential as the greatest threat the TMNT have ever faced.

Shredder's increase in prominence across the pop culture landscape, despite his initial fate, can be largely attributed to TMNT's adaptations. Specifically, the '90s cartoon played a key role in putting him on the map. Shredder was such a hit in other mediums that he made a comeback in the comics, becoming a staple of the franchise in a way that readers of the series' first issue never would have anticipated at the time. The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles' ultimate nemesis was conceived as a throwaway villain who suffered a gruesome fate, and it's now become impossible to imagine the series without Shredder.