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From the first TMNT movie credits song (emphasis mine):

They were once normal, but now they're mutants
Splinter's the teacher so they are the students
Leonardo, Michaelangelo, and Donatello
Make up the team with one other fellow
Raphael. He's the leader of the group
Transformed from the norm by the nuclear goop

Why was Raph labelled as the leader? Did Partnerz In Kryme base this song off a different version of the movie/script? Or does this have basis in the original comics?

DCOPTimDowd
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  • There's also the little backstory comic that came with the original early 80's RPG, which first appeared in a 1/2 inch ad in Dragon magazine. – Spencer Nov 26 '19 at 01:02
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    The plot of the movie heavily centered around Raphael going "cowboy" over a fight with Leo, and the consequences of that. I think the lyric could be a nod to Raphael's belief that he should be the leader -- or possibly they got a script synopsis and took "central to plot" to mean "leader". Raphael is cool - but rude. – rld Nov 26 '19 at 16:20
  • It's worth noting that Raphael is the leader in the 2018 series Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rise_of_the_Teenage_Mutant_Ninja_Turtles#Turtles – TheIronCheek Nov 26 '19 at 21:57

1 Answers1

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Leonardo being the leader has consistent across all the franchise; his characterization, in fact, has generally been the most stable all the adaptations in terms of being the more serious and straightlaced of the brothers, while the others have more variability; Michaelangelo, for example, while always the more fun-loving one has ranged from goofy and not very bright surfer dude to being smart but simply intellectually lazy and having more interest in goofing off than work. Raphael, with the exception of the 1987 animated series (the one most of us of a certain age know the best, being the first) has always been the berserker of the group, whether due to frustration at not being the leader, being a Blood Knight and loving combat, to just being angry at the world.

If you had to summarize the group across all incarnations it would be Leonardo is the leader and the serious one, Donatello is the smart one, Michaelangelo is the most laid back, and Raphael is the angry one. At best, Raphael has been second-in-command and sometimes takes charge, or thinks he should be in charge, but always cedes leadership back to Leo.

Keith Morrison
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