Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem‘s latest trailer introduced audiences to the film’s main villains, a street gang composed of several of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles’ long-time mutant co-stars. One of the members of this anti-human alliance is Ray Fillet, an oceanic mutant who has been both a friend and a foe to the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. Here is everything you need to know about Ray Fillet before seeing Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem.
Who is Ray Fillet?
Ray Fillet is one of the many non-turtle mutants introduced in Archie Comics’ Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles comic series. Debuting as a marine biologist named Jack Finney, Ray was exposed to mutagenic ooze after he attempted to investigate an illegal chemical dumping operation carried out by Shredder and the Foot Clan. Transformed into a humanoid manta ray, Ray would use his new form to battle Shredder and the Foot, quickly befriending the Turtles before joining a team of mutant heroes known as the Mighty Mutanimals.
Ray and the other Mutanimals would serve as the Turtles’ greatest allies, eventually getting their spin-off series. Unfortunately, the Mighty Mutanimals comic was quickly canceled due to poor sales. Unwilling to allow the Mutanimals to become a “side-act” for the Turtles, their creator Ryan Brown had every member of the team killed off by cybernetic mercenaries hired by the Mutanimals’ archenemy Null in the seven-issue “Megadeath” storyline.
Ray didn’t technically appear in the 1987 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles cartoon, but a similar character with the same first name appeared in the episode “Rebel Without a Fin.” Created by the ocean-obsessed mad scientist Dr. Polidorius, Ray helped carry out his creator’s plan to sink New York City into the sea and traded blows with the Turtles before eventually turning on Polidorius. While Ray was meant to be Ray Fillet, Ryan Brown didn’t want the cartoon to portray Ray as a villain the same way many of his other original characters had been.
After going without an official appearance for nearly three decades, Ray would be drastically re-imagined in IDW’s Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles comic. Now going by the moniker of “Man Ray.” Ray was genetically engineered by the extradimensional conglomerate Null Group to be a mutant super soldier. Released from captivity by the Turtles’ feline adversary Old Hob, Ray would become a member of the Mighty Mutanimals.
Unlike many other members of the Mutanimals, who gradually left the team after being fed up with Old Hob’s increasingly violent anti-human bigotry, Ray remained loyal to the feline mutant. Despite this, Ray’s relationship with the Turtles is much less hostile than Hob’s due to their shared desire to protect New York’s growing mutant population.
Who Plays Ray Fillet in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem?
Ray Fillet is one of the many Mighty Mutanimals members that will appear in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem. Like many of his fellow mutants, Ray will be voiced by a very well-known actor, which in his case is the legendary rapper and music producer Post Malone. Other high-profile actors and actresses like Ice Cube, Rose Bryne, and Seth Rogan.
Based on what was shown in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem, Ray and the rest of the Mighty Mutanimals will serve as allies to the film’s main villain Superfly, who seeks to transform the world into a paradise for mutants by destroying humanity. However, given their track record within the series, Ray and his teammates may develop a bond with the turtles and turn on their leader as the film progresses.
