Anti-Woke Mob Resurfaces in Wake of 'Mutant Mayhem' Release

More Mutant Mayhem backlash has emerged from the sewers.

Everyone’s favorite half-shell heroes have emerged from the sewers again, as Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem (2023) is currently impressing cinemagoers in theaters worldwide.

The CG-animated film from producer Seth Rogen and director Jeff Rowe is the Ninja Turtles’ seventh outing in theaters (we don’t have time to count all the television shows and comic book iterations that span the last 39 years).

Related: ‘Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem’ Full Characters and Cast Guide

The film follows six previous installments: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (1990), Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: The Secret of the Ooze (1991), Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles III (1993), TMNT (2007), Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (2014), and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows (2016).

While numbers are yet to be crunched, the latest reboot is likely taking a big slice out of the box office, and the reviews are already glowing like a canister of green ooze. However, like many other reboots, the film has not been without its fair share of controversy.

Related: Will the Live-Action ‘Ninja Turtles’ Reboot Be All-Female?!

Earlier this year, when the first trailer for Mutant Mayhem dropped, despite impressing the majority of fans, a handful criticized the filmmakers’ decision to portray April O’Neil as African-American.

Some compared Mutant Mayhem to Disney’s The Little Mermaid (2023), which features an African-American Ariel (played by African-American actress Halle Bailey), and even threatened to boycott the film upon its release.

Related: Marvel and DC Actors Dominate Our New Live-Action ‘Ninja Turtles’ Cast

In the new film, the character is portrayed by African-American actress Ayo Edebiri. But this isn’t the first time the iconic character has been portrayed as and played by a person of color. In the Nickelodeon animated series Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (2018), April is African-American and is voiced by Americo-Liberian, Jewish actress Kat Graham.

Related: Will One of These Actresses Play April O’Neil In the Live-Action ‘Ninja Turtles’ Reboot?!

Either way, several fans didn’t take kindly to the latest version of April O’Neil. This led to much online discourse involving the character’s origins in Mirage Studios’ original “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles” comic books from the ’80s.

Some fans allege that April O’Neil is originally African-American, while others claim she isn’t, but ultimately, it doesn’t matter. What matters is the vitriol aimed toward both the new version of the character and, more importantly, the actress who voices her.

Related: All 12 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Explained (Yes, 12!)

Now, in light of the release of Mutant Mayhem, it seems the trolls are at it again on X (formerly known as Twitter), as they’re criticizing the new April O’Neil in the most vile ways.

One user commented on an interview with April O’Neil actress Ayo Edebiri, which was shared by the TMNT fan page “The Old Turtle Den” (via Screen Rant), saying Edebiri’s casting was a “diversity hire.”

Diversity hire

— j.m. Soto (@MessiahsMass) July 25, 2023

Elsewhere on X, the comments get worse, just as they did when the trailer dropped a few months ago. The below user, however, attacks the character’s size, describing her as “a less slim teenage version of Lizzo.”

“So April O’Neil in The New Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles is a less slim teenage version of Lizzo. Another movie I will be skipping. How is Lizzo O’Neil going to help by eating all the pizza?”

So April O'Neil in The New Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles is a less slim teenage version of Lizzo. Another movie I will be skipping. How is Lizzo O'Neil going to help by eating all the pizza? pic.twitter.com/jNuZJwm7YL

— Legal_Latino_Heat (@LatinoLegal) August 1, 2023

Another, who responded to a tweet shared by Discussing Film, seemed to enjoy the film, though they admitted they had a problem with the depiction of April:

“Pretty good despite having a fat black ugly April O’Neil”

Pretty good despite having a fat black ugly April O'Neil

— Snark (@fragglebug) August 4, 2023

The following comments are among the worst, in which the user refuses to “pay money and support a fat black April O’Neil”:

“I’m sure its a good movie, i’ve watched a few clips. The thing is we are in a culture war and I won’t pay money and support a fat black April O’Neil.”

I'm sure its a good movie, i've watched a few clips. The thing is we are in a culture war and I won't pay money and support a fat black April O'Neil.

— Ethan Caine (@RealEthanCaine) August 4, 2023

Mutant Mayhem is already impressing fans and critics. However, this handful of so-called fans consider the film to be “woke,” not only because April O’Neil is portrayed as a person of color, but also because several TMNT villains are now female.

We live in sad times. Targeting a character is one thing, but behind every character is a talented actor, and behind them, a human being with feelings. In fact, Edebiri is so incredibly talented and brings so much nuance and humanity to the character of April O’Neil, that her performance alone warrants a trip to the theaters.

Click here to find out how we’ve ranked all the mainstream versions of April O’Neil.

Mutant Mayhem is in theaters now. Check out the trailer below:

Related: Which ‘Ninja Turtles’ Characters Have Been Gender-Swapped In the Reboot?

As per Wikipedia, here’s the official synopsis for Mutant Mayhem:

After years of being sheltered from the human world, the Turtles set out to win the hearts of New Yorkers and be accepted as normal teenagers through heroic acts. Their new friend April O’Neil helps them take on a notorious crime syndicate, but they soon get in over their heads when an army of mutants is unleashed upon them.

Related: Is the New ‘Ninja Turtles’ Film Canon With Any of the Previous Installments?

Mutant Mayhem stars Nicolas Cantu (Leonardo), Micah Abbey (Donatello), Shamon Brown Jr. (Michelangelo), Brady Noon (Raphael), Jackie Chan (Splinter), Ayo Edebiri (April O’Neil), Seth Rogen (Bebop), John Cena (Rocksteady), Hannibal Buress (Genghis Frog), Rose Byrne (Leatherhead), Ice Cube (Superfly), Post Malone (Ray Fillet), Paul Rudd (Mondo Gecko), Maya Rudolph (Cynthia Utrom), Natasia Demetriou (Wingnut), and Giancarlo Esposito (Baxter Stockman).

What did you think of the new version of April O’Neil? Let Inside the Magic know in the comments down below!