Michaelangelo

One of four ordinary pet turtles exposed to a mysterious radioactive ooze in the sewers of New York City, Michelangelo grew into a humanoid ninja warrior trained by the rat sensei Splinter in the arts of ninjutsu.

Few characters capture the sheer exuberance of the Copper Age quite like Michaelangelo, the free-spirited, pizza-loving member of the Mirage Comics phenomenon who first graced the pages of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #6 in 1986. Born from the scrappy, black-and-white indie comics scene that made Mirage Studios a cult sensation, he's spent his run sharing wild adventures alongside Leonardo, Donatello, Raphael, Splinter, and April O'Neil — a crew that redefined what underground comics could become. His appearances stretch across the flagship TMNT series into wonderfully offbeat territory like the Flaming Carrot Crossover and even Damage Control, hinting at a character with real range and a knack for turning up somewhere unexpected. If you want to trace the raw, creator-owned energy that launched one of comics' most unlikely pop-culture juggernauts, Michaelangelo's Mirage-era issues are exactly where to start digging.