TMNT: The Last Ronin was Saved By an Ally Making Gandalf’s Sacrifice

Warning! Spoilers ahead for Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Last Ronin #3!

A recent flashback in The Last Roninreveals that classicTeenage Mutant Ninja Turtles ally Professor Zayton Honeycutt saved Michelangelo’s life in just as equally an epic manner as Lord of the Ring‘s Gandalf.

Even those who aren’t LOTR diehards are familiar with the line (and the millions of memes that followed) where Gandalf proclaims: “You shall not pass!” This memorable scene transpires after the eponymous fellowship of the One Ring is forced to take a detour on their journey to Mordor by descending deep into the Mines of Moria. Of the many perils that await the fellowship in this vast Dwarven kingdom, the most dauntingly insurmountable of them all is the creature of the deep that the Dwarfs accidentally awoke, Durin’s Bane, a demonic primordial spirit known as the Balrog.

The Balrog endeavors to slaughter the fellowship after their presence reawakens it. When the group narrowly escapes the creature by crossing the Bridge of Khazad-dûm, the Balrog attempts to follow suit. But Gandalf bars its way by first proclaiming the epic line before slamming his staff onto the bridge, an act that causes it to crumble, sending both himself and the creature tumbling. In The Last Ronin, Honeycutt, also known as The Fugitoid, quotes Gandalf word for word when attempting to save his allies during a flashback in issue #3 from creators Peter Laird and Kevin Eastman. Shortly beforehand, Shredder’s grandson, Hiroto Oroku, who had just become leader of The Foot Clan, announced that his first act as leader would be to initiate peace proceedings with the turtles and numerous other clans. But much like other major villains, Hiroto had just used the prospect of peace to lure his enemies into a false sense of complacency and launched his attack against the turtles’ sewers.

Donatello and Master Splinter had already left the sewers when the assault began, leaving Michelangelo, Leonardo, Casey Jones, Honeycutt and April to contend with the Foot shinobi. While Michelangelo lead Honeycutt and April to safety, Leonardo and Casey Jones held off the invaders. Realizing that the attack was his fault because he’d been tracked, Honeycutt pushes his way to the front line, quotes Gandalf’s epic line and then self-destructs, ending the assault.

While Professor Zayton Honeycutt’s sacrifice staved off the Foot Clan’s invasion, his efforts were not as effective as Gandalf’s, seeing as Honeycutt took out both Leonardo and Casey Jones with him. Why he didn’t wait to self-destruct until they had time to get to a safe distance is unknown. Meanwhile, Gandalf’s sacrifice in the Lord of the Rings only affected him while all of his companions were able to escape. Plus, when Gandalf emerged from his epic battle against the Balrog much later in the series, he came back not as Gandalf the Grey, but the much more powerful Gandalf the White. Maybe the same could happen to Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles‘ Honeycutt? It’s possible. April is currently reconstructing him. Could The Last Ronin #4 feature the introduction of Professor Zayton Honeycutt the White? Only one way to find out.

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