Warning! Major spoilers for TMNT: The Last Ronin II ahead!

The sequel to The Last Ronin, the lauded miniseries that revitalized the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles franchise, has just concluded with a shocking death, as the creators behind the book refused to pull punches with the climax of the story, instead delivering the traumatic death of franchise mainstay April O'Neil, in a scene devoted TMNT fans won't get out of their heads anytime soon.

In an interview with IGN, TMNT: The Last Ronin II: Re-Evolution #5 authors Kevin Eastman and Tom Waltz spoke about the decision to kill off the older, future version of April, who served a very different role in the mythos of The Last Ronin, compared to her traditional place in franchise lore.

According to the creators, April's death serves as the official end of one chapter of Turtles history, and the beginning of another, suggesting that this is far from the final story left to be told in this version of Ninja Turtles continuity.

TMNT Kills Off April O'Neil In The Climax Of "Last Ronin II"; The Book's Authors Explain The Decision

TMNT: The Last Ronin II: Re-Evolution #5; Written By Kevin Eastman And Tom Waltz; Art By Ben Bishop, And Esau And Isac Escorza

As explained by Ninja Turtles co-creator, and Last Ronin co-author Kevin Eastman, April's death was the logical extension of what began with the wildly successful original Last Ronin miniseries, published between 2020 and 2022. Eastman told IGN:

What happens in The Last Ronin II is, of course, the unfortunate, but very critical, story concept of April ing. It really is handing the torch to a new generation that we wanted to make very specific. So she's kind of the last of the original series, last of Casey, last of Turtles, last of Splinter, last of everything. So that is officially handing the torch to the new Turtles, much like we did with Last Ronin I, which was having each of the Turtles have a specific, and very significant, and very important demise in that series, that transitions into a much bigger picture.

The Last Ronin was centered around Michelangelo as the last surviving Turtle, fighting against all odds in a future New York City ruled by the Foot Clan. The series ended with Michelangelo's heroic death, but not before a new generation of Turtles had been introduced, under the guidance of April O'Neil and her daughter.

In other words, The Last Ronin served as a sort of stealth reboot for TMNT; while the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and their human allies fighting to protect New York City. In order to finally, fully break from the past, however, it was time for April O’Neil to make her exit.

What April O'Neil's Death Means For The TMNT Franchise Moving Forward

Kevin Eastman And Tom Waltz Tease More Last Ronin

Last Ronin II: Re-Evolution co-author Tom Waltz elaborated further on the death of April O'Neil in the miniseries' final issue, stating:

This moment became even bigger than I thought it would be, before we got to it, because all the pieces were there, and it came together, and it was just a matter of putting words in their mouths and actions in their hands. And I had a hard time writing it. It was hard to write that with April. I like April, as a character across all iterations, very much. She's one of my favorite characters. But like Kevin said, it was time. All this work she's done, and the Turtles before, now what is the payoff? Will these kids be able to continue forward successfully? Was it worth it or wasn't it? And that's the story that's yet to be told.

April's death has all the hallmarks of a classic noble sacrifice; it is a moment that the story earns on its own merit, but one that is given even more weight, as alluded to by Waltz, by the character's central importance to the TMNT franchise since its formative days in the 1980s. More than just an emotional gutpunch to end the series on, April O'Neil's death was a fitting and necessary story beat for the Last Ronin continuity.

The question now is whether April's sacrifice...was "worth it," giving subsequent installments in the Last Ronin-verse a potent narrative drive to affirm that it was.

It will weigh on fans precisely because it was designed to, but as both of Last Ronin's authors concluded, "it was time." It is precisely the kind of dramatic turning point that The Last Ronin needed in order for the story to be propelled forward in an organic and significant way. As Tom Waltz asked, the question now is whether April's sacrifice, and beyond that, her decades of devotion to the Turtles, old and new, was "worth it," giving subsequent installments in the Last Ronin-verse a potent narrative drive to affirm that it was.

April's Tragic Ending Confirms "Last Ronin II" As A Worthy Sequel, And The Start Of Something More

A Heroic Sacrifice Inaugurates A New Era For The Turtles

essential reading for TMNT fans. Further, while it might have been the end for an iconic character, it confirmed that this is truly only the beginning for the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles in the Last Ronin timeline.

Source: IGN, Kevin Eastman and Tom Waltz Interview

TMNT: The Last Ronin II: Re-Evolution #5 is available now from IDW Publishing.