Summary

• Raphael is reinvented in a new gritty storyline, starting in prison, with more narrative potential than if he were the Last Ronin.
• The Last Ronin focuses on sorrow, while Raphael's rage and fight for survival in prison make for a thrilling story.
• Raphael's character shines best when faced with adversity, making his prison storyline a perfect fit for the new dark and gritty TMNT era.

Warning: Contains SPOILERS for Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Vol. 2 #1! The if Raphael had been the Last Ronin.

In a preview shared by Raphael somehow landed himself in prison. But not just that, Raphael is the only mutant in a totally human prison, meaning he has a massive target on his back.

The preview isn’t colored and has no dialogue/narration, but Jones’ artwork truly does speak for itself, and what it says is viciously hardcore. The preview shows Raphael getting mean glares from practically everyone around him as he’s trying to eat his lunch, before cutting to a scene where Raph is lying down in his prison cell only to be disturbed by something that isn’t shown on-. The preview ends with Raphael back in the sewers, presumably after a prison escape, where he fights some of his fellow inmates that try to attack him.

Putting Raphael in Prison Offers Way More Narrative Potential than the Apocalypse

When there was still a shroud of mystery surrounding the identity of the one surviving Turtle that became the Last Ronin, fans speculated that it was Raphael. At the time, it made sense - and still does - as Raphael is famously the most hardcore out of his brothers, and would seemingly thrive in a post-apocalyptic landscape. While the story ended up being infinitely better with Michelangelo as the Last Ronin (as it showed how far even a ‘party dude’ like him could fall), there are still some fans out there that wish it had been Raphael - but now, there needn’t be.

Throwing Raphael into an all-new solo story that starts with him in prison offers far more narrative potential than if he were the Last Ronin. Raphael is filled with rage, and his standoffish personality makes him perfect for a storyline where he’s being targeted by dangerous criminals while locked up in prison. Raphael’s been fighting his whole life, and now he’s in a situation where he has to fight for his life every second of every day - and that is the perfect starting point for this new ‘dark and gritty’ TMNT era.

While it may seem like the same would be true if Raphael was the Last Ronin, nothing could be further from the truth, and The Last Ronin itself confirms why.

Raphael Can Thrive in a Story That Taps Into His Rage, & That Isn’t The Last Ronin

The Last Ronin may have moments of elevated violence and brutal action, but at its core, The Last Ronin isn’t filled with gritty rage, but utter sorrow. The Last Ronin was a sad, lonely tale that had action in it, sure, but the violence was hollow, not exciting. When Michelangelo killed his enemies, his brothers were still dead, and his world was still ruined. He even died as a result of his quest for vengeance, leaving an emptiness in readers’ hearts, knowing that they were saying goodbye to the last of the original Turtles in such a tragic way.

Michelangelo being the Last Ronin added to the tragedy of the entire story due to the contrast between his character in the main continuity and what he became. Raphael would have been wasted in that role, as he’s at his best when his back’s against the wall, not when he’s thrown into a pit of untold despair. And that’s exactly how fans are about to see him at the start of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles’ new era, as the series just found the perfect way to reinvent Raphael that is way better than if he was the Last Ronin.

Source: The Hollywood Reporter