Summary
Tales of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtlesacted as the perfect follow-up to 2023’sMutant Mayhem, and while most actors reprised their roles, the new show perfectly covered up one major absence. The spinoff series provided a fun new adventure for the four turtles, as they took on new foes and continued to expand this fresh animated universe. Being split into two separate stories allowed the show to get the best out of the protagonists both individually, and as a collective, which helped add to their character development while setting up the future of theMutant Mayhemuniverse.
WithTeenage Mutant Ninja Turtleshaving more upcoming movieson the way, the charming spinoff show proved that the franchise is in a good place, and this depiction of the characters has easily been one of the best so far.Tales of the TMNTbringing back the same voice castfromMutant Mayhemcertainly helped both projects keep a similar personality, but unfortunately, not everyone returned for the spinoff.One huge name failed to reprise their role inTMNT’s new series, but the writers cleverly explained the change in voice actor through a hilarious gag.
Splinter Speaking ‘Vermin’ Explains Jackie Chan’s Absence In Tales Of The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
Jackie Chan Not Reprising His Role Was Perfectly Covered Up By Splinter’s ‘Vermin’ Joke
Although he played Splinter inTMNT: Mutant Mayhem, Jackie Chan didn’t return for the spinoff show, but his absence was explained perfectly. Splinter didn’t have an overly prominent role inTales of the TMNT, but his conversation with the turtles expertly disguised the lack of Chan. In episode 1, the turtles were heading out to a Halloween party before being confronted by their father figure, who talked to the protagonists in a unique language that Michelangelo described as “vermin”. To the audience, this simply sounded like the incoherent noises of a rat, but the turtles seemed to understand him fluently.
I Really Need Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem 2 To Bring Back This Great New TMNT Character
Tales of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles added a bunch of fun new characters, but I need the show’s best addition to return for Mutant Mayhem 2.
The simplistic gag provided a fun bit of humor to the show and highlighted its playful nature, but it also acted as the perfect disguise for Jackie Chan’s absence. It’s unclear why the actor didn’t return, but given he is such a huge name and has numerous projects in the works, it’s possible he was simply too busy. He will hopefully be a part ofTMNT: Mutant Mayhem 2’s cast; however, finding a suitable replacement for the spinoff show was always going to be tough. Therefore, this straightforward yet hilarious Splinter gag was the best way to temporarily replace him.
Who Voices Splinter In Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles’ New Spinoff?
James Sie Took Over As Splinter In Tales Of The TMNT
James Sie took over as Splinter inTales of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtlesanddid a great job filling in for the legendary Jackie Chan. Sie may not be the most mainstream name in Hollywood, but he has an extensive voice-acting history and has even been part of theTMNTfranchise before. In 2012, the actor voiced Tsoi in theTeenage Mutant Ninja Turtlesanimated series, who was a member of the Purple Dragons. He has also been involved in some iconic video game franchises, such asDiablo,Final Fantasy,Uncharted,Fallout,Hitman, and many more.
Sie’s voice acting experience made him an excellent choice for this simple yet effective cameo, as Splinter needed to be inTales of the TMNTwhile having a smaller, more discrete role, and the actor absolutely nailed it.
His resume in other projects is also impressive, with the actor having parts inKung Fu Panda,The Simpsons,How to Train Your Dragon, andAvatar: The Last Airbender. Sie even reprised his role as theCabbage Man inAvatar: The Last Airbender’s live-actionseries, paying homage to his nearly two-decade-old character. Sie’s voice acting experience made him an excellent choice for this simple yet effective cameo, as Splinter needed to be inTales of the TMNTwhile having a smaller, more discrete role, and the actor absolutely nailed it.
Brady Noon reportedly played Splinter in the second arc, where the character had actual voice lines. Deciding to give Raphael’s voice actor this part was a strange decision, especially after casting Sie for the first arc, and it makes the differences between Chan’s version of the character more noticeable. However, given the second arc explains this by having Raphael narrate the story, meaning the changes aren’t a big deal in the long run, especially if Chan returns for Mutant Mayhem 2.
James Sie & Jackie Chan Are Connected Outside The TMNT Franchise
Sie Played Jackie Chan In 2004’s Jackie Chan Adventures Video Game
Playing Splinter isn’t the first time Sie has covered one of Jackie Chan’s roles, as the actor also played Chan in a 2004 video game.Jackie Chan Adventureswas a popular animated series in the early 2000s that followed a fictionalized version of the movie star in a paranormal world. Chan faced off against ghosts, demons, and other spiritual monsters in one of the most unique cartoons ever made, and with the show gathering a large fanbase all across the world, it was eventually turned into a video game, which saw James Sie voice the protagonist.
Sie also acted as a voice double for Chan in the animated showand played several other characters throughout its five-season run. Depicting the fictionalized version of the martial artist is still one of his biggest roles, and it makes the duo’s connection in theTMNTfranchise even better. The two clearly share a connected history and, despite the Jackie Chan cartoon finishing nearly two decades ago, their careers are still crossing paths to this day. Therefore, having Sie fill in for Chan inTales of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtleswas the right call and a touching callback.
Tales of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
A spin-off of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem, Tales of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles is an animated action-adventure series that sees the titular heroic turtles strike out on their own in an all-new storyline penned for television. Voice actors Micah Abbey, Shamon Brown Jr., Nicolas Cantu, and Brady Noon will return to reprise their roles as the four turtles.
