| Krang | |
|---|---|
 Kraang Prime in the
2012 series | |
| Publication information | |
| Publisher | Archie Comics
IDW Publishing |
| First appearance | "Enter The Shredder" (1987) |
| Created by | David Wise Patti Howeth |
| In-story information | |
| Species | Utrom (Alien Brain) |
| Place of origin | Dimension X |
| Notable aliases | Lord Krang (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (1987 TV series)) Kraang Prime (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (2012 TV series)) General Krang (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (IDW Publishing) and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutants in Manhattan) |
Krang (also spelled Kraang) is a fictional supervillain appearing in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles-related media, most frequently in the 1987 animated series and its associated merchandise, such as the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Adventures comic book and most of the classic TMNT video games.[1]
Krang's first comics appearance was in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Adventures vol. 1, #1, published by Archie Comics in August 1988. In the 1987 TV series, Krang was voiced by Pat Fraley. He is still one of the primary antagonists to the Ninja Turtles, appearing as General Krang in the 2012 IDW comic publication.[2] The character made his first live action appearance in the 2016 sequel, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows, with his voice provided by Brad Garrett.
Krang was created by David Wise, with inspirations from the Utroms, to supply the Shredder with extraterrestrial technology.[3][4]
In the 2012 series, Krang is referred to as Kraang Prime, and is the leader of a rogue hive mind faction of Utroms known as "the Kraang".
Abilities[]
In the final season of the 1987 animated series,[5] Krang showed signs of psychic powers when he hypnotized one of Lord Dregg's soldiers into obeying his and Shredder's commands, saying it would only work on weak-willed people.
Relating to the Utroms[]
Krang's physical appearance was inspired by the Utroms from the original TMNT comic book.[6]
1987 series[]
Prior to the start of the 1987 cartoon, Krang was in command of an army of Rock Soldiers under the leadership of General Traag, and took the completed Technodrome, a powerful mobile battle fortress, and banished Von Drakus, who helped Krang build it, to Earth. When he was banished from Dimension X, Krang was stripped of his body and reduced to a brain-like form.
While on Earth, Krang allied himself with the Shredder, who, along with his robotic Foot Soldier army, moved into the Technodrome. In exchange, the Shredder had to design and build a new body for Krang, a human-shaped exo-suit. Shredder lived up to his part of the bargain in the season 1 episode "Shredder was Splintered", in no small part because he was unable to deal with the Turtles and needed Krang's help. In the season 3 episode "Shredderville", the Turtles have a dream of a parallel world in which they never lived, and Shredder had no problem taking over the world; in that world, Shredder abandoned Krang after his conquest was complete, leaving him with no body and a heavily-damaged Technodrome.
Krang's ultimate goal is to take over the Earth; it probably only became his objective after he was exiled on the Earth, but this point is never made clear. Every plan Krang conceives is either aimed at that goal, or towards the short-term objective of powering-up the Technodrome. He does not share Shredder's obsession with the Turtles and Splinter; while Shredder sees them as mortal enemies, Krang seems to regard them more like annoyances to be destroyed when they interfere in his plans.
Counting from the first meeting between the Turtles and Shredder and Krang, Krang spent seven seasons in the Technodrome, either somewhere on Earth or in Dimension X, scheming to power up his battle fortress and take over the Earth. Eventually the Turtles managed to banish the Technodrome back to Dimension X without Krang and Shredder. At that point they began operating out of an old science building. Krang and Shredder eventually returned to the Technodrome in the season 8 episode Turtle Trek, but the Turtles destroy the engines of the Technodrome, trapping it and its inhabitants in Dimension X and putting an end to Krang's plans.
Krang spent the next two years in Dimension X, until he was contacted by Dregg. Dregg arranged for him and Shredder to come back to Earth, to help him fight the Turtles. However, Dregg betrays them, and drains Krang's intelligence. Shredder escapes and restores Krang, but Dregg captures them again. Finally, the Turtles spoil his plan and transport Shredder and Krang back to Dimension X.
In the series finale, Divide and Conquer, the Turtles return to the Technodrome to take Krang's android body, which they need to fight Dregg. Krang is nowhere to be seen, but it is assumed that he is still somewhere in Dimension X.
IDW Comics[]
In the IDW Comics Krang is both an Utrom and a denizen of Dimension X. He is the heir of Quanin, the former Prime Minister of the Utroms' ruling council who appointed himself Emperor and aggressively expanded the Utrom domain into an empire. However, his megalomanic expansion drive both deprived his home planet of its most essential natural resource, the Ooze, and incited rebellion among the subjugated people of Dimension X, eventually leading to the destruction of Utrominon. Krang, who was as brutal as his father but opposed his uncautious politics, fled with a few survivors of his people through an interdimensional portal to Burnow Island on Earth, where he established a base from which he intended to terraform this world into a new home for his people.[7]
In order to augment his troops, Krang, initially disguised as a despotic human warlord, forms a business relationship with Baxter Stockman, head of the genetics research institute Stock Gen,[8] and supplies him with Ooze, which could be used as a natural mutagen on Earth's organisms. It is through Stockman's experiments that the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and Splinter evolve into intelligent, humanoid mutants.[9] When the Turtles learn of Krang's genocidal plans thanks to their human friend April O'Neil, a former intern at Stock Gen, they, together with their ally, the Fugitoid (a former Neutrino scientist whose mind is trapped in a robot body and who was forcibly conscripted by Krang to complete his terraforming machine, the Technodrome), and the Foot Clan stop Krang from destroying the Earth, and the Utrom warlord is surrendered to the Neutrinos for trial for his numerous war crimes.[10]
While imprisoned on Neutrino, Kraang hires the bounty hunter Hakk-R to eliminate several material witnesses in order to get the trial cancelled, but Hakk-R fails thanks to the efforts of the Turtles.[11] Eventually, Krang is found guilty and sentenced to permanent exile from Dimension X on Earth. However, Leatherhead, one of his former victims[12] and a key witness in the trial, refuses to accept the mild verdict and kills Krang by devouring him.[13] However, as the Fugitoid belatedly realizes, the Utroms possess a natural parasitic physiology, enabling Krang to regenerate himself and take possession of Leatherhead's body.[14]
2003 series[]
While he did not appear as a villain or major character in the 2003 series, there was an homage to Krang in the episode "Secret Origins Part 3". As the Utroms are all walking to the transmat to go back home one of them complains, "I hate walking on my tentacles," to which another Utrom replies, "Oh, shut up, Krang!". This Krang was voiced by Wayne Grayson.[15]
Krang also appears in the 2009 crossover film, Turtles Forever, in which he, Shredder and the Turtles from the 1987 show end up in the 2003 universe. Although Shredder was able to find his 2003 counterpart, he was unable to find Krang's, even though he exists in this universe (albeit as a regular, non-evil Utrom). Krang is voiced here by Bradford Cameron.[16]
2012 series[]
An alien species based on both Krang and the Utroms appear in the 2012 Nickelodeon show, named The Kraang.[17] Kraang Prime is the leader of the hive mind and was a normal Utrom scientist until he made the mutagen, which he used to mutate himself into Kraang Prime. He then used his powers to enslave most of the Utroms into becoming hive mind slaves.
Given the series introduces the 1987 show as an alternate universe, the original Krang makes an appearance, still voiced by Pat Fraley, being said to be a cousin of Kraang Sub-Prime that wound up exiled to that dimension.[18]
Film[]
- Brad Garrett voices Krang in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows, where it was the first official live-action appearance of the character.[19][20][21] Fred Armisen was originally going to voice the character, but scheduling conflicts made Armisen unavailable.[22]
References[]
- ↑ "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles On TV". IGN. http://uk.tv.ign.com/articles/774/774796p1.html.
- ↑ Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #7
- ↑ Jacob Hall (3 June 2016). "The Secret Origin of the 'Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles' Animated Series". Screencrush. Retrieved 6 June 2017.<templatestyles src="Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css"></templatestyles>
- ↑ Mansoor Mithaiwala (2014). "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: 10 Things You Need To Know About Krang". Screenrant. Retrieved 6 June 2017.<templatestyles src="Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css"></templatestyles>
- ↑ Mathew Stevens (12 March 2017). "Shell Shockers: The 15 Deadliest TMNT Villains". CBS. Retrieved 15 April 2017.<templatestyles src="Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css"></templatestyles>
- ↑ "The Great Chase". Mirage Studios. March 1985. Retrieved 3 May 2012.<templatestyles src="Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css"></templatestyles>
- ↑ Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (IDW): Utrom Empire #1-#3 (January–March 2014).
- ↑ Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (IDW) #7-8
- ↑ Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (IDW) #1-4: "Change is Constant" (2011).
- ↑ Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (IDW) #41-44: "Attack on Technodrome" (December 2014-March 2015).
- ↑ Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (IDW): TMNT: Dimension X #1-#5 (August 2017).
- ↑ Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (IDW) #58: "Leatherhead, chapter 3" (May 2016).
- ↑ Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (IDW) #73-75: "The Trial of Krang" (August–October 2017).
- ↑ Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (IDW) #100: "City at War: The End" (December 2019).
- ↑ Secret Origins Part 3, TMNT 2003
- ↑ Turtles Forever, 2009
- ↑ Goellner, Caleb (March 9, 2012). "Parting Shot: Nickelodeon Shells Out New 'Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles' Images". Comics Alliance. Archived from the original on March 14, 2012. Retrieved March 27, 2012.<templatestyles src="Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css"></templatestyles>
- ↑ Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Special: Original '80s Turtles Return in New Clip
- ↑ Times, Los Angeles (2016-05-19). "Brad Garrett is the new voice of Krang in 'Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows'". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 12 June 2016.<templatestyles src="Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css"></templatestyles>
- ↑ "'13 Hours': Can Michael Bay Pull Off a Gritty Movie About Benghazi?". Rollingstone.com. 4 January 2016. Retrieved 12 June 2016.<templatestyles src="Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css"></templatestyles>
- ↑ Comingsoon.net Staff (February 7, 2016). "The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows Super Bowl Spot!". Comingsoon.net. Retrieved February 8, 2016.<templatestyles src="Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css"></templatestyles>
- ↑ Schwartz, Terr (March 25, 2016). "KRANG'S VOICE ACTOR AND 7 MORE TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES: OUT OF THE SHADOWS DETAILS LEARNED AT WONDERCON". IGN.<templatestyles src="Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css"></templatestyles>
External links[]
- Kranag's profile at the Nickelodeon website (in English)
- Krang's Android Body on X-Entertainment. (in English)
- Krang - A Tribute on The Rubber Chicken. (in English)
| This page uses Creative Commons Licensed content from Wikipedia (view authors). |