Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Reveals Dark New Shredder Redesign, And He's Now Unstoppable

Published Sep 27, 2026, 11:35 PM EDT Mark has been a comic book journalist for over 15 years and has interviewed comic book creators like Gail Simone and Caspar Wijngaard. And when he's not writing, he's working on beating his record of 1,200 comics read in a year. Dan Watters’ Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder has shown that a brilliant writer can make a reader root for deplorable people. In the first issue of Watters' new Shredder series, the lead character, Oroku Saki, was on a mission to reclaim the Foot Clan and restore his name as the most dangerous person on Earth. Sadly, that plan didn’t work. Despite strategic moves, trust in a new ally (Earth Protection Force Agent Alda Avon), and a lot of physical damage, Oroku Saki failed. He may have defeated Mourner and won the day, but Shredder didn’t get the Foot Clan back. As disappointing as that seemed, it led to something even better. In the next storyline, Shredder ends up in Japan, where he comes across a cybernetic ninja group called the Dog Star Clan. They were slaves to a petulant and arrogant leader named Norinaga Kenji, thanks to an alien parasite he controlled called the Vreen. After easily defeating Norinaga Kenji and taking control of the Vreen, Oroku Saki moves towards his new goal of leading the Earth Protection Force (EPF). Which, once again, he did so with ease. Shredder's Dark Redesign Is The Beginning Of A Bold New Era For TMNT IDW Comics During Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder No. 12, Saki brought in six of the heads of the EPF for a meeting. His one rule was that they wouldn’t try anything foolish, like attempting to kill him. Of course, two of them tried and were dispatched. The first fool pulled a gun on him and ended up gutted by Shredder's claws. The second attempt was thwarted thanks to one of the EPF’s former directors, Louis Braunze, who apparently has some cryptaesthetic that his bosses were unaware of. After that, the remaining four fell in line and made a deal that put the Shredder in charge of the Earth Protection Force. Later, one of the heads of the EPF typed up their report saying that Oroku Saki was the best person for the job. He said the EPF had grown weak, but the Shredder is strong. Plus, Saki has loyal soldiers and an alien parasite that's imprinted on him. With that being said, fans of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles universe should be both excited and terrified. Shredder Is Back To His Former Glory The best way to put this into perspective is to remember when Norman Osborn was in charge of the world’s safety (Dark Reign). He ran a team of Avengers that was full of murderous villains. If Osborn hadn't listened to Loki or fallen under the Green Goblin’s influence, he would have done a good job. Shredder may not be as deranged as the Green Goblin, but he'll have the same downfall. As one of the heads of the EPF pointed out, Shredder is a good leader. He’s not going to give his followers an inspiring speech like Captain America or Optimus Prime. Saki leads by example and intimidation. His soldiers will follow him because they know what he’s capable of and can handle himself. They also know failure is punishable by death. Like Norman Osborn during Dark Reign, there’s no way this works out. Shredder isn’t as unhinged as Norman was before he had his sins removed, but he’s still dealing with the trauma of death and being manipulated by Kitsune. At some point, all of that will be the reason that Saki’s empire comes crashing down. However, that’s not before he reaches a new height of power. Seeing a villain rise and fall is one of the best things about comic books. For example, Thanos getting defeated after having the Infinity Gauntlet and Batman returning to Gotham after Bane took over were amazing moments. In this case, fans will likely see Shredder. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles' Oroku Saki will reach heights never seen before after he saves the day from a seemingly unbeatable force. Then, he will do something unthinkable that will start his downfall. And if there’s anyone who can make that look good, it’s writer Dan Watters. 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 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 First Film Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (1990) First TV Show Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Cast Cam Clarke, Rob Paulsen, Barry Gordon, Townsend Coleman, Seth Green, Sean Astin, Nicolas Cantu, Brady Noon Created by Kevin Eastman, Peter Laird Comics Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles