42 Years Later, The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Are Officially Teaming Up With Shredder

Published Nov 12, 2026, 3:36 PM EST Nicolas Ayala is a Senior Writer for the Comics team at ScreenRant, with over five years of experience writing about Superhero media, action movies, and TV shows. Shredder finally leaves his hatred for the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles aside and joins their battle against evil. Shredder is the Ninja Turtles' ultimate archnemesis above all other villains, with a rivalry forged in generational honor and personal betrayal. Unlike alien conquerors like Krang or mutant opportunists like Baxter Stockman, Oroku Saki shares an intimate history with the Hamato clan. Shredder is the direct reason Splinter and the Turtles were forced into the shadows, after all. He despises the Turtles as mutant aberrations who embody the surviving legacy of his sworn rival, while the brothers hate him as the ruthless warlord who destroyed their family and continues to threaten their home. In the original Mirage comic, the Turtles confront Shredder on a New York rooftop in a brutal duel that ends with Donatello knocking him off the roof with his own thermite grenade. The 1990 live-action movie adapted the rooftop clash, culminating in Splinter catching a hidden dagger thrown by Shredder, forcing Splinter to drop him into a garbage truck. Later, the 2003 animated series pushed their rivalry to apocalyptic heights across battles with the Utrom Shredder and the demonic Tengu Shredder, and IDW’s Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #50 pitted Splinter and Shredder against each other in a high-honor Gauntlet duel that upended the leadership of the Foot Clan for years to come. Rarely do Shredder and the Turtles' goals overlap, and even more rarely do they find themselves fighting side by side against the same enemy. Shredder Becomes The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles' Ally In Their Fight Against General Eight Thunders Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #24; Written By Gene Luen Yang; Art By Fero Pe & Luis Antonio Delgado In IDW’s Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #24, Shredder turns into an unexpected ally to the Turtles during their climactic defense of New York City. While Leonardo, Donatello, and Master Splinter journey through the underworld to revive the mystical Tree of Fates, Raphael and Michelangelo are left behind to hold off General Eight Thunders and his undead army. Overwhelmed by the supernatural invasion spilling into the streets, Raph and Mike receive timely backup from Tang Shen, the Foot Clan, and Oroku Saki himself. Shredder lends his lethal martial arts mastery to push back the spectral army and keep the city from falling. With a literal army of the dead threatening the entire planet, protecting Earth supersedes any lingering personal animosities between Shredder and the Hamato clan. IDW continuity has spent years moving Oroku Saki past his old cycle of hatred, so Shredder's decision to defend New York alongside Tang Shen and her sons feels earned. Although Shredder won't be a permanent honorary member of the Hamato clan anytime soon, his willingness to become a hero in the face of an apocalyptic threat allows him to honor his new duty as the leader of the Earth Protection Force. Other TMNT Villains Are Waiting Their Chance To Become The Turtles' Main Nemeses Shredder Can Rest For A While Several iconic TMNT villains are more than capable of claiming the spotlight as the Turtles' primary antagonists while Shredder takes his time away from their crosshairs. General Krang is an interdimensional threat, in possession of the Technodrome and the ruthless Rock Soldiers, and more than capable of conquering the Earth with his alien technology. Bishop's obsession with eliminating all mutant life turns the entire human military apparatus against the brothers, and Baxter Stockman provides an ego-driven foil whose mastery over robotics and genetic engineering allows him to wage war from the shadows while he hides behind public legitimacy. Without Shredder at the helm, Karai can steer a rogue faction of the Foot Clan back toward ruthless criminal dominance. Meanwhile, the street-smart mutant cat who leads the Mutanimals, Old Hob, could be the perfect dark mutant mirror to the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and the complete opposite kind of threat as Shredder. Other villains like the Triceraton Empire, Kitsune, and the Rat King could also receive their time in the spotlight as the brothers' primary antagonists before Shredder inevitably returns to reclaim his crown as their deadliest nemesis. Would you like to see Shredder become a permanent hero? Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #24 is now available from IDW Entertainment Created by Kevin Eastman, Peter Laird TV Show(s) Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (2012), Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Tales of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles First Film Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (1990) Video Game(s) Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Last Ronin, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem - The Game, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Cowabunga Collection, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Arcade: Wrath of the Mutants, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (2003), Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (2014), Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Smash-Up, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 2: Battle Nexus, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Splintered Fate, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Turtles In Time, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 3: Radical Rescue, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Danger Of The Ooze, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 3: Mutant Nightmare, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder's Revenge, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Tournament Fighters, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Hyperstone Heist, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutants in Manhattan, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 3: The Manhattan Project Latest Film Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem Upcoming Films Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem 2