Rat King (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles) facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Rat King
The 2003 TV series version of the Rat King.
Publication information
Publisher	Mirage Studios
First appearance	Tales of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #4 (Feb. 1988)
Created by	Jim Lawson
In-story information
Team affiliations	The Pantheon
Notable aliases	Monster, Ghost, The Rat, Ha'ntaan, The Slayer, The Ultimate Slayer, Dr. Victor Falco
Abilities	Capable of communicating with and telepathically controlling rats Enhanced strength Enhanced speed and agility Cloaking Inhuman healing factor

The Rat King is a character from the popular Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles stories. He was created by Jim Lawson. The Rat King first appeared in a comic book called Tales of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #4 in 1988. Since then, he has shown up in many different places. You can find him in comic books, animated TV shows, and even video games.

The Rat King is a bit of a mystery. Sometimes he acts like a bad guy, trying to cause trouble. Other times, he is a neutral character, meaning he doesn't pick sides. He can even be an ally to the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles! He is easy to spot because he wears old, torn clothes and has many bandages all over his body. His special power is that he can talk to and control rats with his mind.

Where the Rat King Appears

In the Original Comics (Mirage)

The Rat King first appeared in the Mirage Studios comics. In Tales of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #4, he was the main villain. He lived in a swamp for months. Then he moved into an old industrial park to escape the cold.

There, he found the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and their friend Casey Jones. They were training in the park. The Rat King thought they were "monsters" trying to take his home. He started to follow them. He even captured Michelangelo and left him for the rats. Luckily, Michelangelo escaped!

Later, Leonardo fought the Rat King. Leonardo threw shurikens at him. This made the Rat King lose his balance. He fell into a deep hole in a silo.

The Rat King appeared again in a story called "City at War." Splinter fell into the same silo and hurt his leg. The Rat King appeared to Splinter many times. He would talk to Splinter and give him strange advice in dreams. In one dream, the Rat King looked like a scary rat monster. He told Splinter to eat a rat to get strong again. After two months, Splinter got strong enough to leave. He was surprised to find the Rat King's body buried under rocks. It was very decayed.

Years later, the Rat King appeared as a ghost. He watched as Splinter passed away. More about the Rat King's past was shown in a later comic. It revealed a group called the Pantheon. Each member of this group controls a type of animal. When the old rat ruler's time ended, a new one was chosen. This new ruler was a scarred patient from a hospital. This person became the Rat King. He fought Splinter but lost. The Pantheon offered Splinter a place with them, but he said no.

In the 1987 TV Show

The Rat King was a regular character in the 1987 animated TV series. He was voiced by Townsend Coleman. He was one of the few villains from the original comics to be in the cartoon. In this show, he had blonde or orange hair. His costume was also a bit different.

At first, he controlled rats with a flute, like the Pied Piper. Later, he used his mind, just like in the comics. Even Splinter was affected by his music once! The cartoon Rat King was very smart. He could make chemicals and bombs.

He was a homeless man living in the New York City sewers. The Rat King often tried to create a rat-controlled government. He believed rats were better than all other creatures. Sometimes, he teamed up with other villains. But he always wanted to help his own goals.

Sometimes, he was like an anti-hero. He even helped the Turtles save April O'Neil once. Later, he seemed happy just living underground with his rats. He realized it was better to be friends with the Turtles than enemies. His last appearance was in season 8. He had new clothes and weapons. He also had mutant rats, thanks to Shredder and Krang. The Turtles caught him, and he was likely sent to jail.

Here are some episodes he appeared in:

• "Enter the Rat King"
• "Return of the Fly"
• "Pizza by the Shred"
• "Leatherhead Meets the Rat King"
• "The Great Boldini"
• "Were-Rats from Channel 6"
• "Splinter Vanishes"
• "Donatello's Duplicate"
• "Night of the Rogues"
• "Wrath of the Rat King"

In the 2003 TV Show

In the 2003 TV series, the Rat King was voiced by David Zen Mansley. He was never called "Rat King" in this show. He appeared in the episode "I, Monster," which was based on his first comic appearance. In this version, he survived his fall into the silo.

Flashbacks in "I, Monster" showed his origin. He was originally the Slayer. The Slayer was a robot super soldier. Agent Bishop created him using different DNA. The Slayer was supposed to fight alien threats. He was thought to be destroyed when Bishop's lab flooded. But he survived and ended up in the sewers. He lost some robot parts and became the Rat King.

He later appeared briefly at Casey and April's wedding. He was secretly watching with a smile.

In the 2012 TV Show

The Rat King appeared in the 2012 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles cartoon. He was voiced by Jeffrey Combs. In this show, he was first known as Victor Falco. He was a scientist working on a special chemical. This chemical let him read thoughts. This helped him predict the Turtles' moves.

In "Monkey Brains," the Turtles found out Falco was experimenting on his partner. He turned him into a mutant chimpanzee. Donatello defeated Falco by using Splinter's lessons. In "I, Monster," Falco went into hiding. He continued his research in a lab full of rats. An explosion happened when a rat chewed through a wire. The wire fell into his chemical. This made Falco blind and disfigured. But it also gave him the power to control rats and see through their eyes!

Now looking like a zombie, Falco called himself The Rat King. He tried to control Splinter with his mind. He wanted Splinter to fight and kill his own sons. But Splinter fought back and knocked out the Rat King. His rats carried his unconscious body away.

In "Of Rats and Men," the Rat King came back. He used his powers to get knowledge from Splinter's mind. He wanted to create an army of mutant rats. Splinter kept fighting his control. Michaelangelo broke the Rat King's control by throwing his "ice cream kitty" at him. The Rat King fell off a high ledge and seemed to die.

He returned in "Darkest Plight." A hurt Splinter fell into a deep hole. The Rat King tortured Splinter. But it was all a dream caused by Splinter's fever. Splinter woke up and found the real Rat King's bones.

In the IDW Comics

In the IDW comic book series, the Rat King is the brother of Kitsune. Kitsune had previously brainwashed Leonardo. Both are part of an old, immortal family. This family ruled Earth before humans. They have been hiding for ages. They only use their powers sometimes. The Rat King said his role was "Sometimes to reward. Sometimes to punish." He often speaks in rhymes.

He has strong magic powers, like his sister. He can stop Leonardo from speaking. He can also stop Splinter from moving. He creates illusions in their minds. He lives with and eats rats. He makes rats crawl on Leo and Splinter before casting his spells. He admires Splinter's fatherly instincts. He is impressed that Leonardo can resist his illusions. Before he leaves, he says he wants to use them in a "game for the world." Then he makes them forget their meeting.

This series also mentions the Pantheon from the Mirage Comics. They are a group of immortal creatures. The Rat King, Kitsune, and Chi-You are part of them. They want to control humanity through a subtle game. The Turtles, Splinter, and Alopex are important players in this game.

Video Games

The Rat King appears as a boss in some video games:

• He is a boss in the Super NES version of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Turtles in Time. He fights using a Footski with missiles.
• He is also a boss and a character you can play as in the Super NES version of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Tournament Fighters.
• The Slayer version of the Rat King from the 2003 TV series is a boss in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 3: Mutant Nightmare. He also appears as a recurring boss in the Nintendo DS version. Sometimes he even fights alongside Agent Bishop.
• The Rat King is the main enemy in the first part of the 2014 3DS game. He is also the game's second boss.