[Meeting…] Rat King

If we mention the names Leonardo, Raphael, Donatello and Michelangelo, most of you will probably think of four mutant turtles who practice martial arts and eat pizza. This is nothing strange, since the Ninja Turtles were a huge phenomenon years ago, after their humble origins in an independent black and white comic and their popular animated series that delighted children in the 90s. The success of the characters created by Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird is so high that new versions of them are still being created today (as demonstrated by the new Nickelodeon series and the recent movie released in theaters).

Within each version the characters are modified or updated with greater or lesser success, and while it is true that the protagonists may have notable similarities in all their reincarnations, the same does not happen with the secondary ones such as the Rat King, to whom I am going to dedicate today's section.

I, Monster...

"I am a grotesque representation, helpless before what I have become. The waters part as I emerge. I am a moldy mass, a repulsive mockery of the man I was. It is starting to get too cold to be in the swamp, from now on I will have to settle for remaining locked in the factory."

With those words begins the story of Rat King (better known as King Rat or King of the Rats). In his first appearance, his monstrous appearance emerging from a swamp and the title of the comic itself (I, Monster) demonstrate to the reader that that issue of Tales of The TMNT It will be focused on this new character, who for the moment lacks the name by which he is known today.

In said comic, the Ninja Turtles and Casey Jones decide to visit an old abandoned factory after hearing some sinister stories about it. This place gives off a strange sensation in the protagonists, which is accentuated when they verify that in the factory there is no graffiti, no bottles or any remains that would be common to find in a place like that, where teenagers could easily gather or serve as a refuge for homeless people and drug addicts.

While the four turtles walk through the area, Rat King observes them in silence, trying to guess what they are and what their reason for visiting his factory is, to finally come to the conclusion that these four beings are coming to take away his home, where he has lived with the rats for a long time.

Obviously this “human-monster” takes matters into his own hands, leading the turtles and Casey Jones into a trap, in which he will offer them as a sacrifice to the rats, whom he considers his only family.

And that is the origin of Rat King, a tremendously sinister character worthy of having been created for a horror story or movie. We are not given details about his real name, or what situation led him to renounce his humanity and live as an animal, hidden in the swamp or in the factory, surrounded by rats, with whom he seems to share some kind of bond.

Human and rat

This relationship between this character and the rats would be accentuated in his return to the series, where Splinter undertakes a solo journey after feeling some type of presence or sensation that motivates him to do so. The turtle master, old and tired, will soon arrive at the factory where Rat King first appeared, with such bad luck that he breaks his leg when he falls from a part of the old factory that gives way under his weight.

In this situation, the badly injured Splinter faces dying of cold and hunger, at which point the Rat King appears, who will remind the mutant rodent that no matter how much he lives as a human, his real nature is to be a rat, and rats are capable of surviving even by feeding on carrion and even other rats. This humanity-animality duel between Rat King and Splinter lasts long enough for us to know the darker side of both characters, which despite appearing to be totally different, have a lot in common.

After this story, Rat King reappeared in Volume 2 and years later in Volume 4 of the comics. Tales of the TMNT, where more was explained about his origin and his relationship with Splinter. Rat King also appeared in TMNT Adventures (Archie Comics) where he had a design close to the original, but he called himself Lord Ha'ntaan the Rat King.

Many years later, the IDW company started a collection of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles comics that includes characters from practically all versions of the series, so they brought back the character, along with other more popular ones such as Krang, Bebop or Rocksteady.

Other versions of the Rat King

However, I am convinced that everyone remembers this character from the Ninja Turtles animated series that became tremendously popular in the 90s. In it, Rat King had a similar appearance to the original, but his character was less sinister and more stupid, mainly due to the fact that the series was watered down to excess in order to focus on the younger audience. This incarnation of Rat King also possessed the ability to communicate and control rats, which once again led him to have a particular duel with Splinter. In later chapters of the series, Rat King was slightly redesigned by adding a trench coat and a hat to his usual outfit, which gave him a more mysterious appearance (or at least made him look like a normal person if he was walking around the city).

In the following Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles series, this character was recovered in various ways, for example in the series that began in 2003, a deformed clone of Bishop (the turtles' enemy in said series) ended up living in the factory with the rats, making that chapter a particular tribute to the original comic.

Also appearing in the Nickelodeon animated series is what turns out to be the fusion of the other Rat Kings into one. His civilian identity is that of Victor Falco and his origin is different from previous versions, although his powers are still linked to control over rats, and his design is clearly inspired by the Rat King from the 90s series while his personality is as terrifying as the original from Mirage Comics.

Conclusion and recommendations:

Among the turtle villains, Rat King seems to be one of the most forgotten. However, his first appearance in the comics and his relationship with Splinter give us a much more elaborate profile of the character than that of other much better-known main villains.

I highly recommend read his appearances in Mirage Comics, especially the first, “I, Monster” which was published in the Tales of TMNT #4 as well as the story in which he returns to communicate with Splinter, which is distributed in the final issues of the first turtle collection, during the City At War event. These stories can be easily found thanks to the fact that the first Ninja Turtles comic series has been collected in volumes on more than one occasion.

Whoever wants something more about this character can search among the other comic collections: TMNT Adventures from Archie Comics, the IDW comic series or their momentary reappearances in Tales of the TMNT volumen 2 y volumen 4.

Por supuesto, también recomiendo ver los capítulos de las series de animación donde aparece este particular personaje, tanto de la versión de los 90, como la de la serie de 2003 o la actual de Nickelodeon.