The multicolored masks worn by the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles symbolize their independence while also linking them as brothers.

The multicolored masks worn by the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles symbolizes their independence while also linking them as brothers who share the same drive and passion to help those who need them, but Raphael’s new mask has officially severed that symbolic bond.

Within the continuity established by IDW Publishing’s Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles series, Leonardo, Donatello, and Michelangelo all wore identical red masks while searching for Raphael who was lost upon their initial mutation from turtles into humanoid mutant turtles. Master Splinter knew that the color that best fit Raphael was red, so the rest of the Turtles wore red in honor of their brother during their near constant search. When Raph was found, he too received a red mask and all of them wore that color together for quite some time before Master Splinter gave the other Turtles the colors that best fit them as individuals. While the colors eventually changed, the Turtles began their lives as a family united over the color that Raphael claimed as his own, a mask that truly represents his brothers’ love for him.

Related: TMNT’s Casey Jones Redeems His Most Devastating Defeat In Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #122 by Sophie Campbell and Jodi Nishijima with story consulting from Kevin Eastman and Tom Waltz, Raphael officially made the decision to partially sever the ties to his past and instead focus on the future. In the issue, the Turtles are discussing how to go about helping all of the newly created mutants of Mutant Town, and Raphael decides that he is going to be the sheriff of the community. When he takes this role, Raphael also creates a uniform for himself, one that separates 'Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle Raphael' from 'Sheriff Raphael'. The uniform consists of light armor and a cloak, but the biggest change to Raph’s look is a black mask he wears in lieu of his red one. By taking this new position and accepting the responsibilities that came with it, Raphael started on a journey to define himself as an individual separate from his brothers, with the change in mask colors being symbolic of that separation.

This point was recently touched on by the Turtles themselves in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Annual 2022 by Juni Ba. In the issue, the Turtles go on a mission together, just the four of them, for the first time basically since the founding of Mutant Town. Their mission was one of mourning and acceptance over the loss of their father, Master Splinter, who sacrificed himself many issues prior. The issue delved into how the Turtles aren’t the same team they once were, but that that was okay and natural growth is a part of life especially with each of them trying to figure out who they truly are as individuals.

While Raphael’s new mask color is a literal change representing a symbolic detachment from the rest of the team, each of the other Turtles are going through similar changes themselves. Donatello is focused on running a dojo to train the mutants in Mutant Town in the ways of self defense, Michelangelo is making new friends with the newly mutated residents, and Leonardo is discovering how to put himself first rather than constantly having to think about the betterment of those he feels responsible for. Raphael’s new mask color officially separates him from the other Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, and that’s okay, because in the end they will always be brothers and they will always be there for each other even if things aren’t exactly as they were before. Next: TMNT’s Original Design Is Officially Their Most Brutal

Spencer Connolly is a Staff Writer for Screen Rant. With years of writing and journalism experience under his belt, Spencer joined Screen Rant in 2020. Prior to writing for Screen Rant, Spencer was a Photojournalist and News Producer. Throughout his career as a journalist and even his entire life, Spencer always had a deep love for comics and is now applying everything he has learned throughout his career to the fun and informative articles he writes for Screen Rant. You can follow Spencer on Twitter: @TheSpencerVerse.