WARNING: The following contains major spoilers for Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Last Ronin #2 by Kevin Eastman, Peter Laird, Tom Waltz, Esau, Isaac Escorza, Ben Bishop, Samuel Plata, Luis Antonio Delgado, and Shawn Lee, on sale now.
The world of The Last Ronin is one of the darkest futures that the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles have ever seen. The Foot Clan have taken control of a destitute and polluted New York City, the people living there are crushed underfoot if they aren't among the social elite, and the Splinter Clan is no more. Michelangelo is all that remains of his family, and his attempt to avenge their deaths almost killed him. Mikey only survived thanks to the kindness of a stranger, and the care of one of his oldest allies April O'Neil.
When Mikey awakens, he finds himself back in his old home deep in the city sewers. After making himself some tea and talking to the ghosts of his brothers that live inside his mind, he is greeted by April who chides him for being up when he is still recovering. The old friends catch up briefly before April starts making them breakfast, and she takes a moment to call Casey to the table. Michelangelo is shocked to hear Casey Jones's name, and he's even more shocked when this Casey Jones is revealed to be April and the old Casey's daughter.
April introduces Michelangelo to her daughter, Casey Marie Jones, named after her father. First appearing in 1985's Raphael: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle one-shot by Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird, the original Casey Jones' introduction to the Turtles was when Raphael stopped him from going overboard on a gang of muggers he was stopping. The two begrudgingly formed an alliance, though Raphael stayed wary of Casey's proclivity for incredible violence towards even the most minor of criminals.
No matter what incarnation of the series he appears in, Casey is always a hot headed, hockey stick wielding ally to the Splinter Clan, as well as April's primary love interest, and it seems like none of that has changed in the pages of The Last Ronin. Even if the original is deceased, his legacy is living on through his daughter, and from the looks of it she is doing the family name proud.
This Casey grew up hearing about the Turtles and their adventures with her parents, regarding them much like any child would their favorite storybook protagonists. Her life was shaped not just by the environment around her, but by the tales she was told and the ideals instilled in her through their residual influence. She's also quick to proudly announce her role in the resistance effort against the Foot Clan, and refuses to back down when Michelangelo tells her he doesn't need help in taking them down.
Though she is certainly more level-headed than her father, she still has his cunning mean streak hiding just below the surface, a trait that has surely helped her survive the world she's grown up in. Mikey even wonders aloud whether she takes more after April or Casey, a question many readers are also waiting in anticipation to see. Casey Jones has always been a fan-favorite character in the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles lineup, and knowing that even in the worst-case scenario his legacy is living on in such phenomenal fashion gives it a little more hope than it had before.
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