Western Animation / Batman vs. The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles

Turtle Power with a side-order of Bat-Justice.

"Ninja... turtles...?"

— Batman

Batman vs. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles is an animated crossover between Batman and the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles that was released on May 14, 2019 on digital and June 4, 2019 on DVD. Based on the Batman/Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles comic book, the Ninja Turtles have arrived in Gotham City as they learned their old nemesis, the Shredder and his Foot Clan, have arrived and are seeking to ally themselves with Ra's al Ghul. However, this puts them in the sights of Gotham's protector, the Batman. Can the Heroes in a Half Shell work together with the Dark Knight to stop this deadly union?

The voice cast includes Troy Baker as Batman and The Joker, Eric Bauza as Leonardo, Darren Criss as Raphael, Kyle Mooney as Michelangelo, Baron Vaughn as Donatello, Rachel Bloom as Batgirl, Tom Kenny as The Penguin, John DiMaggio as Mr. Freeze, Tara Strong as both Harley Quinn and Poison Ivy, Carlos Alazraqui as Bane, Keith Ferguson as Two-Face and Baxter Stockman, Andrew Kishino as Shredder, and Cas Anvar as Ra's al Ghul.

Look here for more information.

Trailer #1

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The movie contains examples of:

• Action Prologue: The movie starts with the Foot Clan raiding the laboratory Barbara's studying at, with the Turtles intervening.
• Adaptation Distillation: The movie combines the first two Batman/Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles storylines and alters several elements from both - most notably the fact that being in Gotham affects the Turtles' sapience.
• Adapted Out: April, Casey, Splinter, Killer Croc, the Mad Hatter, and The Riddler were involved in the crossover in the comics, but don't show up in the movie (though Splinter's mentioned a few times).
• Adaptational Achilles Heel: In this story, Batman is injured for much of the film from the Shredder's Sato-Oshi strike and it's even mentioned as being a factor in his sparring session with Leonardo. This particular injury wasn't present in the source material for Batman.
• Adaptational Badass:
  • As opposed to the original story where all the Turtles fight Ra's al Ghul at once, Leonardo manages to fight and defeat the Demon's Head on his own, albeit with some dirty street-fighting tactics.
  • Batman does significantly better against the Turtles in their first fight than he did in the source material. In their comic book fight, Batman was shown having the slight upper hand while battling all four Turtles but it wasn't totally one sided and Leonardo did show he had what it took to fight on even footing with the Dark Knight. In the film, the Turtles don't land a single hit on Batman and get totally demolished by Bruce. Bonus points for the fact that Batman managed to accomplish this shortly after being severely injured by the Shredder in a fight.
  • The mutated Batman villains pose far more of a threat than in the comic where the threat is due to their sheer numbers. In particular, Mr. Freeze is too strong for the heroes to defeat and is only beaten by a mutated Batman.
  • While their fight is intense, Shredder actually defeats Batman, unlike in the comic.
• Adaptational Comic Relief:
  • Damian's Comically Serious and immature traits are given far more focus than in the comic, where he was mostly played seriously.
  • Surprisingly done with the Joker, since his brief appearance in the comic presents him as a serious character. The movie gives him more screen time, putting his Laughably Evil traits on full display.
• Adaptational Curves: Raphael is given some extra muscle compared to his appearance in the comic, making him noticeably bigger than his brothers.
• Adaptational Nice Guy: Damian is considerably nicer to the Turtles than he was in the original comic crossovers.
• Adaptational Wimp:
  • Poison Ivy actually proves less of a threat than in the comic because she's turned into a plant who is rooted to the floor, allowing the heroes to avoid fighting her.
  • Ra's al Ghul goes from taking all four of the turtles to defeat him to getting defeated by Leonardo, albeit because he got careless and Leonardo fought dirty.
  • The version of Baxter Stockman created for the movie exists to act as a comical minion for the Shredder, as opposed to being a threat to the Turtles in his own right like he normally is.
• Adaptational Villainy: Ra's Al Ghul lacks a lot of his more admirable qualities, with his motivation seemingly being gaining as much power as he can. He's also less respectful of Batman, and indirectly mocks him by calling Leonardo 'another child that Batman sent to his demise'.
• Adaptation Species Change: Some of the Batman rogues' mutant forms are different from the comics, for example Bane's a jaguar instead of an elephant, Two-Face is a Janus cat instead of a baboon, and Poison Ivy is some mutant plant creature instead of a praying mantis.
• Adaptation Explanation Extrication: In the comic, the turtles discovered the Batcave thanks to Splinter following him there after their fight. But as he was Adapted Out of the movie it meant the turtles had to find the cave through some other means that Donatello begins to explain, but is cut off by Leonardo before he has the chance.
• The Ageless: Ra's Al Ghul, as someone who's bathed in the Lazarus pit, is practically immortal to natural causes.
• Alternate Continuity: To every other incarnation of Batman and the Turtles. In contrast to the original comic crossover, here they share the same universe.
• Always Someone Better:
  • Shredder is shown to be slightly above Batman's level during their first battle, catching Batman off-guard with the Sato-Oshi technique. During their second battle, he almost succeeds in killing Batman, who hasn't fully recovered from their first battle and just recovered from his mutation at Arkham Asylum. Batman only prevails thanks to Raphael jumping in for a distraction.
  • Ra's maintains the upper-hand against Leonardo for most of the fight, despite holding one arm behind his back. It's not until Leo pulls a Groin Attack that he loses.
• Any Last Words?: Shredder asks Batman this question when he's about to use the Sato-Oshi technique during their final fight. Batman’s answer? "Cowabunga!"
• Arbitrary Skepticism: Donatello mentions that he'd heard of Batman but had dismissed the idea of a supernatural bat-creature that runs around Gotham at night fighting crime as an urban legend. He also mentions that he did consider that he might have been another mutant like them.
• Armor Is Useless: Freeze's protective suit fails to shield him from the mutagen rain Joker douses his fellow villains in.
• Armor-Piercing Question: When Batman and the turtles have a falling-out after Arkham, Raph tries to get Batman to let them help him, saying they are family and family needs to learn from their mistakes. Batman dismisses this, saying "This isn't a family, it's a team." Raph replies "Ain't that the same thing?" This, and the looks Batman gets from Robin, Batgirl, and Alfred, convinces Batman that Raph is right.
• Artistic License – Paleontology: The Tyrannosaurus statue placed in the Batcave has three fingers instead of the actual two that the animal had in real life. The foot member who was mutated into a T-rex had two fingers.
  • Turned out to be a Justified Trope because the statue in the cave is actually a robot from one of the early Batman adventures in the comics, and was meant to be more dangerous than the animal which inspired it, hence the third finger on each hand for greater killing ability.
• Ascended Extra: As opposed to just being another criminal broken out of jail, the Joker is instead the ringleader of the Batman villains released from Arkham.
• Ax-Crazy: As is part and parcel, the Joker and Harley are absolutely insane and violent.
• Bad Boss:
  • Shredder disregards his underlings' lives, as he casually kills one of his own ninjas to ensure Batman can't get any information about the turtles.
  • Ra's isn't much better. When one of his men offers himself up to test the mutagen and Shredder notes he might die, Ra's isn't concerned noting he has more followers where that came from.
• Badass Cape: Not only Batman's All-Encompassing Mantle, but also Shredder's cape, designed in conjunction with his iconic outfits from the eighties. There's also Ra's Al Ghul's cape, complete with a High Collar of Doom.
• Badass Normal: Batman and the Shredder, in contrast to the turtles.
• Bait-and-Switch: A cute meta one. At the start of the movie, one of the researchers looks like April as she looked in the 2003 series who was indeed a researcher in that incarnation (like the original Mirage comics) and the fact she manages to deflect some of the Foot attacks isn't implausible as April is later trained to at least defend herself. But afterwards, it's revealed that this is Barbara a.k.a. Batgirl.
• Bait the Dog: Mr. Freeze and Poison Ivy initially show no interest in joining the Shredder and R'as al Ghul's plans, but after being mutated and seeing what they can now do, quickly change their tune.
• Barbell Beating: After being pummeled by Bane into Arkham's gym, Batgirl quickly rescues Donatello by swing a barbell squarely into Bane's face. It finally knocks him out.
• Barehanded Blade Block: Ra's does this to Leonardo, then snaps the blade for good measure.
• Baritone of Strength: Troy Baker provides the voice of Batman, and it definitely suits his physical prowess and martial arts skills.
• Bat People: When exposed to the Ooze, Batman transforms into a large, winged humanoid bat-monster.
• Battle Strip: Ra's takes off his cloak before fighting Leonardo and Donatello in the climax.
• Bears Are Bad News: Mr. Freeze is mutated into a polar bear.
• Berserk Button: Woe betide anyone who hurts Leonardo's brothers, as it causes him to fly into a rage and attack wildly. However, it also causes him to be reckless and unfocused, leaving him open to attack himself; overcoming this weakness proves vital to him shrugging off the effects of Scarecrow's fear gas and during his duel with Ra's al Ghul in the climax.
• Big Bad Duumvirate: The main foes of the movie are Ra's al Ghul and the Shredder.
• Big "NO!": Shredder yells this as he falls into a vat of chemicals at the end of the film.
• Blade Below the Shoulder: The fins on Batman's gauntlets act as this, able to deflect both Raph's sais as well as Shredder's own Blade Below the Shoulder set.
• Blood Knight: Robin and Raphael both go out eager for a fight. During the climax Robin even looks around hoping to find someone to fight before settling on Stockman. To his disappointment, Stockman surrenders with no resistance.
• Body Horror:
  • The transformations of the Arkham inmates, especially Two-Face's whose head splits into two cat heads!
  • Scarecrow's fear gas causes Leonardo to see his brothers as emaciated husks.
  • There's an immense focus on Harley Quinn transforming into a hyena. She clutches her head, her pupils grow, and her mouth turns into a muzzle... all while she laughs insanely.
• Bond Villain Stupidity: When Ra's al Ghul has Leonardo beat, he begins to gloat and give a speech about his centuries of experience, which in turn allows Leo to knee him in the groin and take him out with nerve strikes afterwards.
• Boring, but Practical: Here, Leonardo wears his katanas on the hip, which is generally more practical than slinging them across the back (as in most adaptations of the Turtles), as the latter makes it practically impossible for drawing unless one has a specialized scabbard.
• Borrowed Biometric Bypass: Ra's accesses Joker's cell by amputating a guard's hand to get past the scanner.
• Both Sides Have a Point: Before the heroes are about to storm Ace Chemicals to stop Ra's and Shredder, Batman tells the Turtles to go home and that they do not need their help. Despite Robin stating the Turtles saved Batman, Batman points out that it was because the Turtles didn't follow orders and rushed in put him in the situation where he needed to be saved in the first place. Leo, on the other hand points out that the whole Arkham Asylum plot was just a distraction and the only reason they ended up there in the first place was specifically because they followed Batman's lead and decides that they should go after Shredder without the Bat family's help. Raph however points out to Batman that he understands Batman's frustration, but as a family they have to learn from their mistakes. Batman agrees with him.
• Bring It: Batman tells the Turtles "You're welcome to try." when Leonardo tells them to take him down for answers.
• Butt-Monkey:
  • Baxter Stockman. The first thing that happens to him on screen is getting abused by Shredder, after which Stockman contemplates whether or not he is Shredder's employee or hostage. Later he notes that Shredder has never paid him.
  • The Penguin. At the start of the movie his gang are beaten by the turtles, forcing him to make a Villain: Exit, Stage Left. Later when he's hired by Ra's to steal the Cloud Seeder, he is "paid" by Shredder and the Foot killing his entire gang, then threatening to kill him.
• Calling Your Attacks: Michelangelo does this pretty often.
• Cape Snag: Defied. During the fight against the mutated Joker, he manages to grab onto Batgirl's cape only for her to unfasten it from her cowl to get free.
• Chekhov's Gun: The blimps that fly though the city, which Mikey comments on at the start of the movie. In the climax, after the Cloud Seeder is destroyed, both Mikey and Don are saved when they land on top of one, breaking their fall.
• Clipped-Wing Angel: Ivy's mutated transformation. Sure it turns her into a plant like she wanted. But since it likewise rooted her to the ground, she can't walk causing her attacks to have a limited range. Raph, Mikey and Robin avoid her easily by just hugging the wall and making their way to an exit while she feebly keeps trying to bite them.
• Color-Coded for Your Convenience: In the instances where the groups split up into teams, the Bat-Family seems to color coordinate with particular turtles. Batman wears a Blue Cowl and is mostly seen with Leonardo, Batgirl wears a purple outfit and is mostly with Donatello, Robin wears a Red tunic and and is mostly seen with Raphael. Michelangelo is the odd one out but also seems to be around Robin more than the other Bat-team members, this also fits as Robins outfit has Yellow highlights, similar to his orange bandana.
• Combat Pragmatist: Ra's and Shredder are superior hand-to-hand fighters compared to Batman and the Turtles, but the latter are willing to fight dirty to win.
• The Comically Serious:
  • Batman, naturally.
  • Alfred Pennyworth, especially when dealing with Michelangelo.
• Comic-Book Fantasy Casting:
  • Like every other time he's voiced the Joker, Troy Baker is channeling Mark Hamill.
  • In a likely Shout-Out to The Fly (1986), Keith Ferguson is channeling Jeff Goldblum as Baxter Stockman.
• Commonality Connection: Batgirl and Donatello develop a friendship over their nerdy interests.
• Composite Character: Shredder's design implements the red hue from his Mirage Comics' costume, but he has the purple cape from the 1987 cartoon. The Foot symbol on his belt buckle looks like the one from the 2003 cartoon, albeit colored purple. When his mask gets removed in the climax, he also has the rat-scratch facial scars from the 1990s live action movie.
• Conservation of Ninjutsu:
  • Batman is able to take down the TMNT by himself with little to no problem (Leo even commenting that he could tell that Batman was holding back), but both times he fights Shredder he's at a slight disadvantage.^note In some fairness, it's not uncommon for the Shredder to be more powerful than the four Turtles at once himself, and Batman brings out the gadgets much more against the four.
    • While the two of them were only sparring, Leonardo later defeats Batman. Notably, Batman wasn't using any gadgets like when he first fought the turtles, and does state he was still injured from his defeat from Shredder.
  • Played for Laughs when the Turtles infiltrate the Batcave and are attacked by Robin, who is able to fend off all four of them easily, both individually and in a group, despite being much smaller and less imposing - only for him to be taken out by Michelangelo blindsiding him with a "sneak attack" and then sitting on top of Robin to immobilize him.^note The turtles aren't trying to fight Robin/Damian, just get him to calm down.
• Cool Car: The film features both the Batmobile and the Party Wagon, two iconic tricked out vehicles in a massive Storm the Castle type sequence.
• Cool vs. Awesome: The goddamn Batman vs. the Shredder in the opening of the film.
• Crossover: This is the second time outside of the comics where Batman teams up with the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.
• Crossover Power Acquisition: Much like the comics they're based on, some of Batman's most notorious villains get exposed by the TCRI mutagen, and transform into mutants.
• Curb-Stomp Battle: Batman's confrontation with the Turtles is completely one-sided in the former's favor, the Turtles failing to land even a single hit on the Caped Crusader.
• Darker and Edgier: While it's not uncommon for animated Batman movies to be rated PG-13, the movie falls into this even more due to being the first animated Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles movie, as well as the first animated Nickelodeon movie, to be rated PG-13. There are a number of brutal moments in the movie including, but not limited to, Shredder nailing a Foot Soldier in the head with a shuriken on-screen, Ra's Al Ghul decapitating a guard with a very subtle Gory Discretion Shot, Shredder impaling a guard with his claws, Leo's Scarecrow induced nightmare of his brothers dying as rotting corpses, and Donatello's brutal arm shatter. Plus the turtles swear on occasion (albeit the milder swears like damn and hell, but still a bit of a shock for a Nick film).
• Decomposite Character: Penguin is Demoted to Extra compared to the comic, with the role of Shredder's unwilling lackey being given to Stockman.
• Destination Defenestration: After being turned into a bat-monster, the first thing Batman does is to grab Two-Face and throw him through a glass window.
• Didn't See That Coming: Essentially how both Shredder and Ra's al Ghul lose their fights in the climax Shredder didn't expect Batman to say "cowabunga" followed by a ballistic Raphael to the face and Ra's didn't expect Leo to launch a Groin Attack while on the ground at swordpoint.
• Didn't Think This Through: Bane is about to pull off the move he used to break Batman's spine on Donnie, however, he didn't take into account that since Donnie is a turtle, his spine is actually a hard protective shell. He ends up taking out his own knee.
• Disney Villain Death: Shredder seemingly dies when he falls into a vat of chemicals at the end of the movie. Subverted, as he's revealed to have survived in The Stinger.
• Don't Touch It, You Idiot!: When Michelangelo gets into the Batmobile, Batman tells him not to press any buttons. However, he eventually allows him to do so when they're cornered by the Foot and the League, much to Robin's jealousy.
• Dork Knight: Donatello and Michelangelo are both pretty well-versed in combat, and both are pretty darn dorky in this film.
  Batgirl: Oh, I see you. "BoStaffsAreCool" ...really?
  Donatello: (giggles) They are.
• Dramatic Spine Injury: When Batgirl and Donatello are confronted by Bane, Bane quickly overpowers them, then tries to break Donatello's back like he did with Batman in their first encounter. However, instead of Donatello's shell, it's Bane's leg that cracks. As he's distracted by the pain, Donnie kicks him in the face and breaks free, and then Batgirl KOs him with a dumbbell.
• Dude, Where's My Respect?: Harley is not impressed by the Joker referring to her as "Nurse".
  Harley Quinn: Eight years of college, a three year residency and he says nurse?!
• Dude, Where's My Reward?: Penguin doesn't get compensated by Ra or Shredder for the trouble he had to go through stealing the Cloud Seeder, but realizing he's outnumbered and overpowered, he simply walks out the fight and lets them keep it deciding he can still list it on his resume for an actual paying job. Stockman tries to make him feel better by admitting to never being paid for his servitude to Shredder for many years.
• Enhanced Punch: The Sato Oshi strike channels all of the energy of the body into a single blow, which is as harmful to the wielder as it is to the one on the receiving end. While Batman loses the first encounter with Shredder because of it, it's also clear that Shredder is only "being merciful" because he himself can barely stand.
• Enraged by Idiocy: Shredder's reaction to some of Arkham's inmates is a subdued version of this, particularly Harley Quinn, who asks him to use his mouthguard as a mirror. He only scowls in frustration.
• Even Evil Has Standards: Harley shows a little concern when the mutated Batman attacks their ally Two-Face. Joker couldn't care less, though.
• Evil Sounds Deep: Mr. Freeze speaks in a notably deep, gruff voice.
• Evil Sounds Raspy:
  • Shredder is given a notably coarse, gruff voice in this film.
  • The same trope applies for the Joker's voice as well.
• Expy: Barbara Gordon in the opening acts the part of 2003 April O'Neil: red-haired girl working in part of a super secret scientific project and then saved by the TMNT. She even teams up with Donatello as science buddies.
• Family-Unfriendly Death: Several instances: A foot clan ninja getting killed with a shuriken to the forehead, Ra's Al Ghul cutting off a guard's head, and Shredder impaling a guard with his claws.
• Family-Unfriendly Violence: A lot, with special mention going to the raid on Arkham Asylum. One poor guard gets his head cut off.
• Foil: Batman and Shredder. Both are skilled ninjas, trained by the best, and there are few in the world who can match them in combat, let alone beat them. While Shredder prefers traditional ninja techniques, Batman is more tech oriented. This is best displayed during their first battle where Batman makes Shredder desperate enough to use a long forgotten technique to beat Batman to a standstill and escape.
• For the Evulz: As per usual, the Joker. His portion of the Villain Team-Up largely consists of him thinking Ra's and Shredder's plan would be funny and he gets the chance to cause trouble with the Ooze in exchange.
• Giving Them the Strip: When Joker grabs Batgirl by the cape, her hands instantly go for the latches connecting to her jacket, freeing her in time to save the anti-ooze serum.
• Glassy Prison: How Joker is kept in Arkham, though it's notably inside a much larger and more secure vault on top of him being secured inside it.
• Gory Discretion Shot:
  • We have no idea what happened to Mr. Freeze after a mutated Batman attacked him, but the sound doesn't suggest that the villain made it out alive.
  • During the charge to Ace Chemicals, Donnie fires manhole covers at a League member operating a crane. The camera cuts just as one smashes through the window on a collision course with his face. A few more shots demolish the operating cabin entirely and the crane begins veering wildly. Considering the first manhole cover embedded itself into the wall next to his head, it doesn't speak well for the guy.
  • During the same sequence, Batgirl is chased by a mutated elephant man. She leads him into charging a trio of parked tanker trucks, causing an explosion that we don't see the mutant walk away from.
• Groin Attack: How Leonardo defeats Ra's, with pressure points added in the mix while Ra's is clutching his nethers in pain.
• Handshake Refusal: When Ra's al Ghul first comes to meet the Foot Clan, Baxter tries to introduce himself and offers his hand. Ra's completely ignores him.
• Hope Spot: Leonardo seems to get the better of Ra's during their fight and disarms him, only for Ra's to catch his blade and snap it, gaining the upper hand once more. Then Leonardo kicks him in the groin.
• I Will Show You X!: Mr. Freeze says this before firing his ice gun at the Turtles, much to Michelangelo's delight.
  Michelangelo: A polar bear with an ice gun? That is so cool!
  Mr. Freeze: I'll show you cool, child!
• Immortality Seeker: This is Shredder's reason for partnering with Ra's: access to the Lazarus Pit. He reveals near the end that he also intends to overthrow Ra's for leadership of the League of Assassins at his earliest convenience.
  Raphael: An immortal Shredder? That would... suck.
• Incorrect Animal Noise: Harley's been mutated into an anthropomorphic hyena, but she still yelps and snarls like a dog.
• Ineffectual Loner: Discussed by Raphael. He admits that, like Batman, he finds his brothers annoying, and therefore he tends to go off on his own, much like how Batman is deciding to cut their team-up short. He then admits that every time he goes lone wolf, he ends up in over his head and the other Turtles have to save him, so maybe Batman should save some time and trouble keeping their alliance going to avoid a similar experience.
• Insistent Terminology: Batgirl insists on calling the ooze "mutagen", and the cure "retro-mutagen", though she slips on occasion.
• I've Never Seen Anything Like This Before: When telling Leonardo about his fight against Shredder, Batman mentions that he'd never seen an attack like the one he used to defeat him. Leonardo realizes it must have been the Sato-Oshi technique.
• The Juggernaut: Surprisingly, not Bane (who goes down in two hits), but the mutated Mr. Freeze of all people. He's the only Arkham inmate that doesn't stay down, forcing Raph, Mikey, and Robin to flee when everything they do just makes him madder. Even Raph burying both sai in his arm is met with only mild annoyance.
• Ki Manipulation: Shredder's ultimate technique lets him concentrate his energy into a single body blow that causes internal injuries severe enough to make Batman bleed from the mouth. Splinter is also said to know it.
• Knight of Cerebus: Ra's and Shredder. The movie is a mostly a fairly lighthearted action comedy, albeit with more violence than most previous Ninja Turtles incarnations. Most scenes with the two villains however have no humor, and have the most violent moments in the entire movie.
• The Knights Who Say "Squee!": Michelangelo, constantly, from the Penguin's Parasol of Pain to Batman himself. All of the turtles express admiration for the Batmobile as well.
• I Know What You Fear: Leonardo's Scarecrow gas-induced hallucination reveals his greatest fear: his brothers being hurt or killed and being powerless to stop it. However, rather than causing him a Heroic BSoD, it just sends him into a blind rage. It happens again in the final battle when Ra's al Ghul breaks Donatello's arm and throws him off a catwalk.
• Know When to Fold Them:
  • Ra's manages to get the Cloud Seeder for his machine by employing Penguin to get it for him. But naturally when he orders Shredder to "pay" him, Shredder has the Foot Ninja take out Penguin's goons while threatening to kill him. Penguin wisely decides it's not worth picking a fight over and leaves without payment. At the least, Stockman empathizes with him.
    Penguin: Fine! Take it! (leaves, grumbling) I'll consider this a resume building experience...
  • When the Turtles first get into a fight with Batman, Bats clearly wipes the floor with all four of them. Realizing they have no chance of winning, Donnie decides to call the fight, forcing them to vanish.
  • Baxter Stockman immediately surrenders when confronted by Robin during the final battle.
• Late to the Realization: Even though the Batcave is located right under the Wayne Manor, Michelangelo doesn't realize that Batman is Bruce Wayne until he sees him without his mask.
• Leave Him to Me!: During the final battle, Batman tells the Turtles he wants to take care of Shredder himself.
  Batman: Shredder is mine!
• Let's You and Him Fight: Thanks to a lot of misunderstandings on Batman's end, when he first confronts the Ninja Turtles, he considers them enemies. Doesn't help that Raph attacks first, since the Turtles had likewise concluded Batman might be Shredder's Gotham partner.
• Leeroy Jenkins:
  • Raph, he even acknowledges it when comparing Batman's "brooding loner" tendencies to his own and it does cause trouble several times, like when falling for Joker's hostage situation trick at Arkham which Batman rightly concludes caused his mutation in the first place.
  • Damian as well, as he starts the fight with the Turtles in the Bat Cave by attacking them before they can even explain why they're there.
• Lock-and-Load Montage: Both Batman and the Turtles share one while getting ready to thwart the robbery at Wayne Enterprises.
• Meaningful Echo: When Leonardo is hallucinating from fear gas, causing him to believe that his brothers have been killed and attack blindly at illusions of the Scarecrow, Batman is only able to talk him down by telling him "Your anger won't help your brothers. You have to focus." Later, when Ra's al Ghul injures Donatello, he again flies into a rage, attacking the villain wildly before being knocked to the ground hard. Remembering Batman's words, he gets back up and refocuses his attack.
• The Mind Is a Plaything of the Body: Discussed by Donatello and Batgirl at one point, the latter expressing fear that being mutated by Ooze could alter their personality. Donatello assures her this isn't the case and it's shown being mutated doesn't affect the Arkham inmates' insanity at all. This is actually a plot point because Ra's master plan is to mix Joker Venom with Ooze to shower it over Gotham and change everyone into violent mutants like Batman (temporarily) was.
• Mistaken Identity: When the Turtles get the drop on the Penguin's goons, Penguin automatically thinks it's Batman, leading Raphael to groan "Do I look like a freakin' Bat to you?!"
• Mythology Gag: Quite a few for the Ninja Turtles, and a few for Batman as well.
  • Shredder's first meeting with Batman has him mimic his arrival with the Turtles in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (1990).
  • One of Penguin's Goons looks like the robot body of Krang from Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (1987), with conical head and goggles. He also has what looks like a green mohawk that, combined with the goggles, makes him resemble one of the Mutants from The Dark Knight Returns.
  • Another of Penguin's goons resembles Mad Hatter from the 1966 Batman series.
  • Mikey scares one of Penguin's henchman by claiming that they're aliens. This is a reference to the infamous original concept for the turtles in the film Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (2014), which has then gained in-jokes within the franchise. They were also mistaken as aliens in an episode of the 2003 cartoon, and by Casey Jones when he first appeared in the '87 show.
  • The Sato-Oshi strike is a reference to the characters Sato and Oshi, from the original Mirage comics, who appeared in the two parter "Masks" storyline (issues 46 and 47 of volume 1). Sato and Oshi were two ronin, who trained alongside a time travelling Raphael and used everything they learned to establish the Foot Clan.
  • The turtles have their initials on their belts much like the 1987 cartoon, though it's cleverly done; all the turtles have straps, stitching, or belt buckles that resemble the respective letters instead of buckles emblazoned with them. Raph's is the most subtle because it's lowercase.
  • In the climatic battle, Michelangelo tosses a Foot Soldier towards the screen, similar to Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Turtles in Time. From the same game, Raph can be seen engaging in some Metronomic Man Mashing.
  • Pictures of the Sensei, Bronze Tiger, and who are possibly Talia al Ghul and Nyssa Raatko can be seen on the Batcomputer when Damian is giving a rundown of the League of Assassins to Raphael.
  • When trading contact info, Batgirl reveals her online handle is "Oracle".
  • Batman's mutated form resembles the Vampire!Batman from the Batman Vampire trilogy.
  • The calendar on the Turtle Van shows the month of April.
  • Ra's Al Ghul mentions one of Batman's sidekicks dying, likely referencing Jason Todd.
  • Similar to his Batman Begins incarnation, Ra's dominates in a straight fight but proves vulnerable to sucker punches.
  • There are several to the 1987 series' intro:
    • The way the turtles land on Gotham's rooftops at the end of the Lock-and-Load Montage is based on the intro's shot of them on New York's rooftops.
    • During the climax, Mikey has this to say.
    Michelangelo: [to Donatello] You do machines! I'm the party dude!
    • Michelangelo blocks some icicles shot by Mr. Freeze using the nunchaku moves he showed off in the intro.
  • Bane boasts that he "broke the bat" before attempting to break Donatello's spine. Doesn't work as well thanks to Donnie's shell.
  • During the Curb-Stomp Battle against Batman, Mikey screams out "Ow! My toe!"
  • The designs of the Turtles take cues from the 2012 cartoon; Raph is the bulkiest, Don the leanest and tallest, Mikey the shortest and roundest, and Leo being the average of all of them.
  • The Turtles' van shoots manhole covers painted to look like pizzas, a reference to the original toyline.
  • Right before Donnie shoots the manhole cover mentioned above, he quips "Bossa Nova!"^note ...Chevy Nova?
  • Among the older costumes featured in the Batcave's trophy gallery is a red suit with no cowl, a black domino mask, and large wings, after Bob Kane's initial sketch concept for the character.
  • This dialogue taken from Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: The Secret of the Ooze:
    Alfred: Would you care for some napkins?
    Raph and Mikey: (eating pizza) What for?
    [Alfred sighs]
  • Also from that movie, Leo's line "I learned this from a rat" is similar to Keno's.
  • Mr. Freeze makes a pun on the word "cool", which Mikey promptly lampshades.
  • When Mr. Freeze fires off his freezegun at one point, its angled into a spiral shot so it looks similar to how he fired it in the Batman: The Animated Series episode "Deep Freeze.".
  • Raph complains about losing his sai during the initial fight against Batman. A similar thing happened in the 1990 film where he lost it fighting some gang members.
  • The way Batman describes how things will go in Arkham once they get there, you think he was either prepping them for the fight or describing the Batman: Arkham Asylum game.
  • The way Shredder gets Jokerized is somewhat similar to Jack Napier's transformation into the Joker in Tim Burton's Batman (1989). Also, in the post-credits scene, Shredder raises from the rubbles at Ace Chemicals by raising his hand in a similar manner to when Super-Shredder raised his hand from the rubble at the pier at the climax of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: The Secret of the Ooze, though Shredder did make it this time.
  • As expected, several scenes are lifted straight from the original comic book story, including Michelangelo's abrupt entry into the pizza parlor where he warns the patrons to run, the scene where he analyzes Batman via dry-erase board, and his glee at riding Batman's robotic t-rex.
• Neck Lift: Shredder grabs Baxter Stockman by the throat at one point.
• Never Trust a Title: Aside from the obligatory, misunderstanding-scuffle at the beginning of the movie and a brief falling-out later on, there isn’t really much of a “vs” between Batman and the Turtles.
• Nice Job Breaking It, Hero: The combined raid of the Turtles and Batman's crew on Arkham Asylum was nothing but a red herring spun by the Joker, in order to give the League and Shredder time to procure the Cloud Seeder.
• Nice Kitty...: When he's attacked by a mutated wolf man in the climax, Donatello tries to calm him down by calling him a "nice little wolf", to no avail.
• Non-Action Guy: Baxter Stockman is strictly tech support, even debating over the course of the film whether he's a henchman or a hostage (deciding to lean more towards "hostage"). When Robin tries to pick a fight with him in the climax, Baxter pleads for his life, vomits on the floor, and faints.
• No One Could Survive That!: At the end of the film, Raphael says that there's no way Shredder could have survived falling into a vat of chemicals. However, Leonardo reminds him that this wouldn't be the first time they'd assumed him dead, only for him to surprise them. Sure enough, Shredder is revealed to be alive in The Stinger.
• Nothing Can Stop Me Now: Both members of the Big Bad Duumvirate say this during the final battle.
  • Ra's says it when they're about to launch the Cloud Seeder. Right after, the Bat-family and the Turtles arrive.
  Ra's: And now, nothing can stand in my way.
  • Shortly after, Shredder says the same thing to Batman and the Turtles, only for the Cloud Seeder to then fall on him.
  Shredder: The Foot and the League are mine. There's nothing any of you can do to stop me!
• Not So Above It All: Batman generally presents himself as curt, cold and stubborn, refusing to relax... unless he finds the time is opportune:
  Batman: [to the departing turtles] Wait! You can't leave now... [Beat] It's pizza time.
• Off with His Head!: An Arkham guard has his head cut off by Ra's.
• Oh, Crap!:
  • Donatello gave this reaction as he looks at the audience when the rocket containing the mutagen launched... taking him along.
  • Alfred has a very subdued version when Michelangelo plows into him while skate-boarding down the stairs in Wayne Manor.
  • The idea of an "immortal Shredder".
    Raph: That would... suck.
  • The Joker, while trying to escape, finds himself at eye level with Batgirl's boots.
    The Joker: Oh, hello Batgirl. Love the boots? (Batgirl kicks his teeth out)
  • Michelangelo says this when he gets caught by Batman's rope during their fight.
    Michelangelo: Oh, crud!
• Omnicidal Maniac: Ra's and Shredder's scheme is to spread the mutagen laced with Joker venom to mutate all of humanity into ravenous and homicidal beasts so they all can slaughter each other
• One-Winged Angel: In exchange for his Joker Venom to use in their plans, Ra's gives Joker some of the Ooze to have his fun with. Joker promptly uses it on himself and a large chunk of Batman's Rogues Gallery, turning them all into extremely powerful mutants.
• Painful Transformation: All those mutated by the Ooze are shown writhing in pain during their transformation, to the point that Shredder has to reassure Ra's that one of his men should survive. Probably...
• Papa Wolf: Batman very quickly and pretty angrily tells the boys to get off Robin when arrives in the Batcave.
• Plant Person: What Poison Ivy is mutated into—unfortunately for her, she doesn't end up as the kind that can walk.
• Pragmatic Adaptation: The casts of both franchises exist in the same universe for this film, rather than the Turtles being displaced from their world, which streamlines the plot. ^note Consequently, this also eliminates the subplot of the Turtles gradually reverting to their non-mutated forms It also mixes together the first two crossovers, to justify both of the franchise's most major villains (Joker and Shredder) to show up in the same plot.
• Prehensile Tail: Having transformed into a mutated cobra man, the Joker uses his tail to grab Batgirl at one point.
• Psycho Serum: Ooze on its own causes people to transform into monstrous mutants. Combined with Joker Venom, it also makes them psychotic.
• Punch! Punch! Punch! Uh Oh...: Constantly in Raphael, Mikey and Robin's fight against Mr. Freeze (who is mutated into a massive polar bear). The fight escalates constantly as they pull of bigger and bigger hail marys to take him down, only for him to shrug them off and get back up - eventually just run. A condensed example being a point where Raph stabs him in the arm, and Mr. Freeze just stands there glaring at him while he struggles to get his sai out.
• Pyrrhic Victory: The Shredder manages to defeat Batman in their first fight but the battle itself leaves him really tired and injured, in addition to being nearly drained due to the nature of his Sato-Oshi strike, that he can't do much else but threaten Batman and flee the scene afterwards.
• Ramming Always Works: The Turtle Van during the raid against Ace Chemicals towards the end. Twice.
• A Rare Sentence: Batman actually says "Cowabunga!" They needed something he would never say as a signal for Raph to distract Shredder.
• Red Oni, Blue Oni: Shredder and Ra's al Ghul, respectively. Shredder is Ax-Crazy and Hot-Blooded while Ra's is The Stoic and a Soft-Spoken Sadist.
• Reptiles Are Abhorrent: Inverted with the titular turtles, but played straight with Joker after he has mutated into a cobra hybrid.
• Required Secondary Powers: The film shows the Turtles making good use of their natural ability to retract into their shells, Mikey and Donnie even survive a massive fall this way.
• Revisiting the Roots: The film came out around the time Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles was in its first season, with the show presenting a significantly different leadership dynamic, altered personalities for the Turtles, and mostly different weapons. This film goes with the classic dynamic, personalities, and weapons, owing to it being an adaptation of Batman/Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles while the character models are closer to the 2003 series (albeit keeping in line with the unique body types given to them in the the 2012 series and onwards).
• Self-Made Orphan: Joker casually admits to having killed his own mother.
• Sequel Hook: The post-credits scene has Shredder escaping the ruins of Ace Chemicals...now Jokerized.
• Servile Snarker: As is part and parcel, Alfred is portrayed as having a fondness for making sassy remarks, and not even Batman is exempt from this.
• Shirtless Scene:
  • Ra's is shirtless during his duel with Leonardo.
  • Batman himself is stripped of his shirt when on medical support.
• Shout-Out:
  • "Hey, creature! Leave that kid alone!"
  • Also, Donatello's online handle is "Bo staffs are cool".
  • "New York and Gotham are pretty much the same". "Gotham" is an ancient nickname for New York.
  • As mentioned under "Comic Book Fantasy Casting", Baxter Stockman sounds like Seth Brundle.
• Shut Up, Hannibal!: In the final fight, Ra's has Leonardo at his mercy and gloats that his age and training make him superior. Leo's response? Groin Attack followed by pressure point strikes.
  Leonardo: I'm sixteen years old and I learned this from a rat.
• Sickening "Crunch!": When Ra's breaks Donatello's arm. Also when Leonardo delivers a Groin Attack to Ra's, suggesting a broken pelvis. And also, Bane performing his signature Bat-Breaker on Donatello and ends up breaking his own knee because of Donnie's shell.
• Sickening Sweethearts: Joker and Harley in this version. Them licking each other's tongues as mutants (snake and hyena, respectively) thoroughly grosses out the main characters.
• Skippable Boss: In a non-video game example, Poison Ivy turns out to be this as her mutated state resulted in her being rooted to the floor and unable to reach Raph, Mikey and Robin. The three effortlessly avoid her and casually move to the next door.
• Smoke Out: Both the Turtles and Shredder use smoke bombs at various points throughout the film.
• Snake People: The Ooze causes Joker to mutate into a cobra hybrid.
• Soft-Spoken Sadist: Ra's Al Ghul is portrayed this way, hardly ever raising his voice, unlike the more Hot-Blooded Shredder.
• Sophisticated as Hell: Damian is unusually eloquent for a child his age, using very scientific and formal phraseology.
• Squee: Mikey spends most of the film geeking out at all the crazy goings-on in Gotham, from the themed Rogues Gallery to Gotham's blimps and especially the Batcave. Donny also falls victim to this after finding the Batcomputer.
  Leo: This is pretty cool...
  Mikey: "Pretty cool"? THIS IS AMAZING! I don't know what to put my grubby paws on first!
• Sssssnake Talk: Naturally, Joker often talks like this after mutating into a cobra hybrid.
• Stationary Enemy: Poison Ivy becomes one, as her plant form is unable to move.
• Stealth Hi/Bye: Wouldn't be a Batman story if he didn't pull this on Commissioner Gordon. This time, the turtles join him in the vanishing act...only for Michelangelo to scare Gordon again by popping out behind him, as he never actually left.
• The Stinger: Shredder emerges from the ruins of Ace Chemicals Jokerized.
• Stomach of Holding: Joker swallowed the formula of his venom before being locked up in Arkham. When Ra's and Shredder come to see him, he regurgitates it in exchange for the Ooze.
• Superman Stays Out of Gotham: While Superman isn't mentioned in this film, there are clues suggesting he exists.
  • Batman has a blue mug with Superman's symbol.
  • The turtles' map mentions places like Star Labs and LexCorp.
• Teeth-Clenched Teamwork: On both sides.
  • The Turtles and Batman have a bit of a rocky partnership since it's, well, a seasoned superhero with four trained but still immature teens. Raph especially being problematic in a few cases with his brashness. Bruce nearly breaks off the partnership after the fight with the mutated criminals, only stopped when Raph convinced him that they as a family and a team need to work together and learn from their mistakes. Everyone comes together by the climax of course.
  • Shredder and Ra's likewise can barely get along with their plan, with both clearly detesting each other and only working to gain a benefit from the other (Ra's, the mutagen for his machine and Shredder, the secrets of the Lazarus Pit). Ra's in particular constantly keeps belittling Shredder for his setbacks through the film and Shredder looks moments away from just attacking him outright. It's also implied Ra's never intended to follow through on his end of the deal and later, Shredder reveals his intent to take over the League of Assassins from Ra's. But the Bat family and the Turtles showing up in the climax prevents the two from backstabbing the other.
• Teeth Flying: After being defeated, the mutated Joker tries to crawl away only to run into Batgirl who promptly kicks him and knocks out near all his fangs.
• Tempting Fate: During their fight with Batman, Raphael tells him it takes more than a jerk in a Halloween costume to shock him. Cue Batman using tasers on him.
• Terrifying Tyrannosaur: In the climax, the most dangerous of the mutated Foot members is one who has become a T. rex.
• There Was a Door: When Robin and the Turtles run away from Arkham's kitchen, Mr. Freeze chases after them by going through a wall instead of using the door.
• They Call Me MISTER Tibbs!: Harley refuses to give Joker the ooze when he initially calls her "Nurse Harley Quinn" until Joker corrects himself and calls her "Doctor Harley Quinn"
  Harley: You're damn straight!
• This Cannot Be!: Mr. Freeze utters a small "Impossible..." when a mutated Batman no-sells his freezegun.
• Tragic Ice Character: Downplayed. Mr. Freeze still fights along with the other rogues, but at first he states that he doesn't want to go along with them, and just wants to be left alone. The Joker douses him and the other rogues with mutagen anyway. Later on, Freeze is the only rogue to have an Uncertain Doom when he's attacked and possibly killed offscreen by a mutated Batman.
• Underestimating Badassery: Shredder sees the Joker and instantly assumes he's an idiot. Joker may not be able to beat Shredder in strength, but his unpredictability combined with incredible intelligence is a complete nightmare.
• Under the Truck: When chased by a mutated elephant man in the climax, Batgirl escapes him by sliding her bike under three Ace Chemicals tanker trucks. The elephant man then crashes into them, causing a huge explosion.
• Unusually Uninteresting Sight: The Shredder's reaction to the villains in Arkham.
  Shredder: I hate Gotham.
• Vile Villain, Laughable Lackey: Baxter Stockman is this to the Shredder. Shredder is a serious villain who murders people on screen. Stockman is a Punch-Clock Villain who is abused by Shredder and notes he is more of a hostage than underling.
• Villainous Breakdown: In the final fight, Shredder overpowers Batman and prepares to finish him off with the same technique as the first time they met. Batman calls in Raphael to smack Shredder in the head with his shell, then proceeds to pummel him senseless. Shredder begins ranting and raving at how he has control of both the Foot and the League of Shadows before he's finally taken down.
• Villain Team-Up: Shredder and Ra's al Ghul form one with both having something the other wants. Ra's needs Shredder's Ooze and assistance for his plan, while Shredder wants immortality from Ra's. Joker is nominally part of the team up as well, providing Joker Venom in exchange both for the overall chaos and misery it will cause and also some Ooze to have fun with.
• Vomit Indiscretion Shot: Stockman hurls rather grossly and fearfully when confronted with the possibility of being attacked by Robin, much to the boy's disappointment.
• Weaksauce Weakness: Poison Ivy is mutated into horrifying venus flytrap-like monster and lunges at Robin, Raph, and Mikey to devour them...but she is firmly rooted to the ground. Our heroes simply walk around her, staying out of her striking distance.
• We Have Reserves: When Shredder demonstrates the effect of the Ooze on one of the members of the League of Assassins and says he's not sure he'll survive, R'as shrugs it off as he has lots of men to spare.
  Ra's al Ghul: We are legions. I have many more just like him.
• What a Piece of Junk: Robin criticizes the Turtles' beat-up van, until they show off its modifications.
• What Does This Button Do?: Naturally, this is Michelangelo's reaction to getting to ride in the Batmobile. When the Batmobile gets anchored down by the Foot and the League, Batman lets Mikey have at all the buttons. Cue More Dakka.
  (Bat-signal-shaped firework explodes in the distance)
  Robin: (pouting) I've always wanted to hit every button...
• What Happened to the Mouse?: We never confirm if all the Arkham rogues were de-mutated.
  • It's never made clear if Two-Face and especially Freeze survived their encounter with the mutated Batman.
• What Measure Is a Mook?: During the final assault on Ace Chemicals, the Turtles and Bat-Family mow down Foot ninjas and League assassins by the truckload, both human and mutant. To be fair, though, they don't kill all of them.
• The Worf Effect:
  • While it's a close fight, Batman is nonetheless defeated to demonstrate how dangerous Shredder is.
  • Mr. Freeze, who proved to be a grueling foe for Raph, Mikey and Robin, is effortlessly defeated by the mutated Batman.
• Worf Had the Flu: While Batman beats the Turtles fairly easily in their fight, it's largely because they were taken off guard and don't know what he's capable of, as well as Leo's head not being fully in it. When sparring with Leo in the Bat Cave, it's shown if Leo's head is in it, he and Batman are roughly equal.
  • Likewise, Batman is hit by Shredder's ki attack and suffers internal injuries that persist throughout the film, so he isn't at his best when fighting Leo.
• Wrecked Weapon:
  • Batman's and Shredder's first fight has Batman shatter Shredder's gauntlet blades using his own gauntlet blades set that he wears.
  • The finale has Ra's shatter Leonardo and Donatello's weapons and Shredder cut off Batman's Utility Belt.

• You Are Too Late: Ra's tells Batman that he's too late when he and the Turtles come to stop him from launching the Cloud Seeder in the climax.
  Ra's al Ghul: You're too late, Detective! Gotham will fall! And be born anew!
• You Fool!: Ra's al Ghul calls Leonardo a "Foolish child" after overpowering him during their fight.
• You Have GOT to Be Kidding Me!: Leo lets out an exasperated "Oh, come on!" when he sees one of the Foot has mutated into a T-Rex.
• You Leave Him Alone!: Raphael says this when he tries to save Robin from Mr. Freeze.
  Raphael: Hey, creature! Leave that kid alone!
• Your Little Dismissive Diminutive: In their first face-to-face meeting, R'as al Ghul dismissively refers to Shredder's clan as "you and your little Foot Clan".

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