Warning: Contains SPOILERS for Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem!

Summary

  • Splinter's romantic relationship with Scumbug in TMNT: Mutant Mayhem led to confusion about his sexuality, but he is not gay.
  • Previous iterations of Splinter in TMNT have not explored his romantic pursuits, except for his relationship with Tang Shen.
  • The confusion about Splinter's sexuality was fueled by a marketing mistake that incorrectly identified Scumbug's gender as male.

A romance with Scumbug has left audiences wondering if Splinter is gay in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem, and here is the official answer. The animated reboot for the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles brings Leonardo, Raphael, Donatello, and Michelangelo back to the big screen alongside a plethora of other mutants. This includes their mutant rat father-figure Splinter as expected, with Jackie Chan providing the voice for the wise, martial arts expert. TMNT: Mutant Mayhem's Splinter receives a prominent storyline in the movie as he hates humanity and primarily wants to keep the Turtles underground.

The more personal approach to the character meant TMNT: Mutant Mayhem changing Splinter's origin to explain why he is so fearful of humans. The new backstory for Splinter allows the movie to craft a completely unique version of him while still staying true to the core values that make Splinter who he is. But, one of the unexpected developments comes with his relationship with cockroaches. Not only is a cockroach tied to his past, but a surprising romance forms between Splinter and Scumbug by the time the movie concludes. The reveal has created some confusion about if Splinter is gay in TMNT.

Splinter Is Not Gay In TMNT Mutant Mayhem

tmnt mutant mayhem splinter

Despite what some might think, Splinter is not gay in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem. The general confusion stems from Splinter and Scumbug's romance which becomes quite clear in TMNT: Mutant Mayhem's ending. The two characters quite clearly form a connection and make out after the Turtles defeat Superfly. They are last seen together in the sewers with the rest of the mutants as they stand side-by-side and hold hands. Scumbug is portrayed as a female cockroach throughout the movie, confirming that Splinter is not gay in TMNT: Mutant Mayhem.

Splinter has never been portrayed as gay canonically in any previous TMNT movies, shows, or comics. The character's romantic interests are not typically given too much attention at all. The only romance that Splinter has been part of in the extended TMNT lore is with the human Tang Shen. In some versions of Splinter's origin, he is a human who is in love with Tang Shen before she is killed by Shredder and he is mutated into a rat. Otherwise, Splinter's romantic pursuits are unexplored.

TMNT Marketing Mistake Made Audiences Think Splinter Is Gay

Scumbug in TMNT Mutant Mayhem

The primary reason why there is confusion about Splinter being gay in TMNT: Mutant Mayhem stems from Paramount's marketing mistake. In the lead-up to the movie, they released individual posters for each of the movie's characters, including Scumbug. While every poster included the TMNT: Mutant Mayhem voice actor behind the animated character, Scumbug's poster said the cockroach was played by "Himself." This created an expectation that Scumbug was male, so anyone who saw that poster before seeing the movie would understandably think that Scumbug is Splinter's boyfriend.

It has been confirmed that Scumbug's poster incorrectly identified the character's gender, though. Director Jeff Rowe confirmed as much to Slashfilm as he said, "That was a marketing mistake, and we were furious about it... We always imagined her to be a female cockroach." The official response from the movie's director eliminates any doubt or room for debate about the intent of Scumbug and Splinter's romance. That is why it can confidently be said that Splinter is not gay in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem.

Source: Slashfilm