TMNT2012 is great teenage hero content compared to other hero type television
As I continue to consume more superhero type content, I begin to realize what a great job TMNT did portraying teenage heroes. The conflict, arcs, and relationships between characters aren’t perfect, but there’s a lot to learn from this show.
I feel like a lot of superhero tv really struggles to create conflict for teenage characters that is relevant to the plot, engaging, and isn’t treated as completely trivial. For example, I know this is an unpopular opinion, but the way that the MCU portrays teenage heroes has been getting on my nerves. Tom Holland’s Spider-Man has some good moments, but a lot of the main plot in the movies is really quite boring in my opinion. The MCU has been struggling to make emotional conflict align with actual combative conflict and it leaves the movies feeling dry and not very impactful. TMNT, on the other hand, does an amazing job of this most of the time. I do want to acknowledge that TMNT is a show and not a movie which allows for more character development and whatnot, but it you compare one of the best episodes of TMNT to a Spider-Man movie, TMNT feels 100% more meaningful and developed.
I would love to talk more about why this is.