WARNING: The following contains major spoilers for Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #117 by Kevin Eastman, Tom Waltz, Sophie Campbell, Ronda Pattison and Shawn Lee, on sale now.
The most recent events that the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles have been dealing with are some of the worst that they have ever seen. Following a dire warning from the future, they have had to rescue their worst enemy, save two of the most horrifying mutants of all time from two of the most ruthless, and finally come together to win a Battle of the Bands. As wild as it all sounds, every piece of this puzzle has come together to shape what years to come will look like, and the Turtles have succeeded in the best way possible. While their previous expectations weren't far removed from the nightmare that is The Last Ronin, the vision of their future that they have all just glimpsed is a veritable paradise on Earth.
Now that Mutant Town is officially safe from Bebop and Rocksteady, and the rescued Foot Clan members have healed, the time has come for everyone to go their separate ways, including Big Lita. Before she returns to whatever has become of her own time, Lita has a few words of advice for this particular version of her family, including her younger self. With all of her goodbyes said, Lita prepares to step through the portal into the future with Tokka and Rahzar at her side, giving the Splinter Clan and readers alike a glimpse at what might happen in the years to come. Most shocking of all is the fact that Lita's new future may well be a literal utopia for everyone involved.
Apart from every single one of them looking happy and healthy, the Turtles themselves are far from alone in their rustic new home. April and Casey are there as well, along with the Weasels, Mona Lisa and Alopex. All of the younger members of the Splinter Clan seem to have grown up just as one would expect, with the lone exception of little dinosaur Pepperoni who has grown up into the largest member of the clan by far. It isn't even just the easily recognizable faces that make this future such a wonder to behold, as this future sees the introductions of Bob and Carmen from one of the Turtles' earlier incarnations under Archie Comics, as well as one Turtle in particular who could very easily be Venus de Milo of Ninja Turtles: The Next Mutation fame. All of these Easter eggs and predictions are incredible in their own right, but there is one that stands above them all, and that is seeing the Splinter and Foot Clans united as one. It isn't just the fact that the long standing feud between these two clans has seemingly been resolved for good, but that this would be the first time in the history of the franchise that any such truce has stuck.
When Splinter took control of the Foot Clan in the current ongoing continuity, it didn't take long for Karai to lead an assault against him, an act that would have resulted in all out war had greater threats not emerged in the meantime. Even in the alternate future of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Last Ronin, the war between the clans led to the heroes' downfall when the Foot finally brought both of them to the brink of destruction and emerged victorious over the Turtles. Now in complete control of New York City, the Foot Clan being led by Karai's son Oroku Hiroto is hunting down the last of the resisting forces within the city, and they have no qualms over harming any innocent bystanders who get in the way.
To think that after so many decades spent fighting across various mediums that the Turtles may finally have found the one victory that would mean the most to them is truly a fan's dream come true. The near endless struggle against the Foot Clan has been such a central part of the series' identity that it is hard to imagine what might come next for the heroes, especially since they have already dealt with many of their other iconic enemies throughout the IDW comics. If the future that the Turtles just saw really is the one waiting for them, the journey to it is sure to be just as exciting as everything so far has been.
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