Krang

Krang is a fictional character, a supervillain appearing in the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles TV shows and most frequently in the 1987 STH cartoon and its associated media, such as the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Adventures comic book and most of the classic TMNT video games.

Krang's first comics appearance was in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Adventures vol. 1, #1, published by Archie Comics in August 1988. In the 1987 TV series, Krang was voiced by Pat Fraley. He is still one of the primary antagonists to the Ninja Turtles, appearing as General Krang in the 2012 IDW comic publication.

Biography
Prior to the start of the 1987 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles cartoon, Krang was in command of an army of Rock Soldiers under the leadership of General Traag. He took the completed Technodrome (a powerful mobile battle fortress) for himself, then banished Von Drakus (who helped Krang build it) to Earth. When he was banished from Dimension X, Krang was stripped of his body and reduced to a human brain-like form.

While on Earth, Krang allied himself with the Shredder, who, along with his robotic Foot Soldier army, moved into the Technodrome. In exchange, the Shredder had to design and build a new body for Krang, a human-shaped exo-suit. Shredder lived up to his part of the bargain in the season 1 episode "Shredder was Splintered", in no small part because he was unable to deal with the Turtles and needed Krang's help. In the season 3 episode "Shredderville", the Turtles have a dream of a parallel world in which they never lived, and Shredder had no problem taking over the world; in that world, Shredder abandoned Krang after his conquest was complete, leaving him with no body and a heavily-damaged Technodrome.

Krang's ultimate goal is to take over the Earth; it probably only became his objective after he was exiled on the Earth, but this point is never made clear. Every plan Krang conceives is either aimed at that goal, or towards the short-term objective of powering-up the Technodrome. He does not share Shredder's obsession with the Turtles and Splinter; while Shredder sees them as mortal enemies, Krang seems to regard them more like annoyances to be destroyed when they interfere in his plans. He and Shredder are constantly bickering about tactics and often take pleasure in the other's failings (and sometimes intentionally sabotage each other). From season eight onwards, their friendship appeared to have grown. There were many times that Shredder could have just left Krang at the mercy of the Turtles or Lord Dregg, but he always rescued him, and went as far as to donate his life energy to save him.

Counting from the first meeting between the Turtles and Shredder and Krang, Krang spent seven seasons in the Technodrome, either somewhere on Earth or in Dimension X, scheming to power up his battle fortress and take over the Earth. Eventually the Turtles managed to banish the Technodrome back to Dimension X without Krang and Shredder. At that point they began operating out of an old science building. Krang and Shredder eventually returned to the Technodrome in the season 8 episode Turtle Trek, but the Turtles destroy the engines of the Technodrome, trapping it and its inhabitants in Dimension X and putting an end to Krang's plans.

Krang spent the next two years in Dimension X, until he was contacted by Dregg. Dregg arranged for him and Shredder to come back to Earth, to help him fight the Turtles. Together, they capture the Turtles, but Dregg then betrays them, and tries to drain the life energy of the Turtles, Krang, and Shredder all at once, making them weaker while Dregg becomes stronger. Shredder alone escapes the trap and restores Krang, but Dregg captures them again. Finally, the Turtles spoil Dregg's plan and transport Shredder and Krang back to Dimension X.

In the series finale, Divide and Conquer, the Turtles return to the Technodrome to take Krang's android body, which they need to fight Dregg. Krang is nowhere to be seen, but it is assumed that he is still somewhere in Dimension X.

In the Archie Comics series, Krang was depicted as far more evil and wicked than in the cartoon. He was said to have the blood of whole races on his hands, like Wingnut and Screwloose's home planet Huanu.

In the 2009 film Turtles Forever, the later 2003 Turtles also encounter Krang, who eventually aids the turtles in defeating Utrom Shredder.

The 2012 IDW comic series show an even darker depiction of Krang. In issue 7 of the current ongoing, General Krang is shown invading the Neutrino planet alongside Traag and his Rock Soldiers. He is working with Baxter Stockman on Earth to create Mutagen in order to have more mutant soldiers.

Abilities
Krang used a large, bulky, powerful mechanical body. Krang rested inside a cockpit within the torso. Originally, the suit had a microchip installed that allowed both Krang and the robot to change his size to near Godzilla proportions. This chip was subsequently destroyed in the first episode the suit debuted, though it was apparently repaired in a later episode in which the suit is brought to life by a computer chip from a videogame being played by Bebop and Rocksteady, only for the robot's entire body to be destroyed by a powerful explosive developed by an at the time amnesiac Shredder after Michelangelo managed to take control of the machine via his own copy of the same game, though he obviously found a way to somehow repair it in Turtles Forever, as he again uses its ability to increase in size. The Utrom Shredder Ch'Rell co-opted this technology and quickly defeated Krang in direct hand to hand combat in a matter of seconds.

Even without the microchip, the exosuit had many capabilities. The hands could shapeshift into various weapons (axes, maces, pincers) and even a communication device. In later episodes, however, Krang could be seen changing his arms from a collection of different types he had in his personal quarters aboard the Technodrome. Krang's suit also could "grow" jet wings in place of his arms, which he used to manage a quick escape with Shredder in its first appearance.

Krang also occasionally employed a machine he referred to as a 'walker'. This device was primarily a set of mechanical legs attached to a platform with either glass or some form of transparent but protective covering through which Krang could see, and holes for him to extend his tentacles through so that he could manipulate objects. This particular mode of transport was the version used for the first toy of Krang produced by the toy company Playmates. There were also two toys of Krang and his android body, one a large-scale figure and the other in scale with the regular-sized figures. Both came with removable Krang figures.

In the old Archie comics version of TMNT, Krang was shown to have the ability to completey attach his own body to the heads of other living things while they are unconscious and have full control of that beings body while attached, as seen when he attached himself to Shredder's unconscious body after a new ally of Krang's knocked Shredder out.

In the final season of the 1987 cartoon series, Krang showed signs of psychic powers when he hypnotized one of Lord Dregg's soldiers into obeying his and Shredder's commands, saying it would only work on weak willed people.

Utroms
Krang's physical appearance was inspired by the Utroms from the original TMNT comic book and in the 2003 animated series there is an Utrom named Krang. However, in the 1987 cartoon, Krang is not stated to be an Utrom. There are several important differences:


 * The Utroms are stated to come from another planet in the Milky Way galaxy, while in the 1987 cartoon Krang says he comes from Dimension X.
 * The Utroms are naturally brain-like aliens, while in the first animated series Krang claims to be an alien who has been stripped of his body and left with only his brain.
 * Krang never refers to himself as an Utrom, nor does anyone else, in the 1987 cartoon.

In the 1987 animated series, Krang's natural physical shape may not be brain-like:


 * When he cloned himself in Invasion of the Krangazoids, his clones, though initially brain-creatures like himself, continued developing until they had complete bodies, leading to the thought that Krang's true form is a large reptilian creature
 * In Four Musketurtles, members of Krang's species appeared in a flashback looking just like him without the body, using bubble-walkers like his own to move.
 * Some consider this to be one of multiple mistakes within the series. It may be contradicted by other episodes. If the clones' reptilian mutation were a mistake and not his true body, it could be that the brain-like Utrom form is Krang's real body and that he was lying about having a real body to get Shredder to build him an exo-suit.

The Dan Berger run on the TMNT comic strip in the mid-1990s indicated that Krang was an Utrom criminal.

While the Utrom race was not in any way featured in the 1987 cartoon, other than Krang having a similar design, they would appear in the 2003 TMNT series. Krang of the 1987 universe comes face to face with the Utrom Shredder during Turtles Forever and was initially pleased with his resemblance to the Shredder's Utrom form.

Krang is an Utrom in the IDW comic series.

2012 series
An alien species based on both Krang and the Utroms appear in the 2012 Nickelodeon show, named The Kraang as the main antagonists of season 1. They are voiced by Nolan North.

The Kraang are a race of brain-shaped aliens from Dimension X that pilot robotic bodies and are responsible for bringing mutagen to Earth. The Kraang have not mastered English and communicate in redundant speech.

In "The Gauntlet," the Turtles learn that the Kraang have been abducting scientists so that they can help modify the mutagen's properties. Since the physical laws of Dimension X are different, the mutagen has different effects in this dimension.

In "The Alien Agenda," the Kraang establish the World Wide Genome Project as a front while they were collecting the DNA of every animal and plant species on Earth. In "The Pulverizer," the Kraang reclaim the power cell that Leatherhead stole from them.

In "TCRI," it is revealed that the Kraang have their headquarters in the higher parts of the TCRI building. It is also revealed that the Kraang can only survive in poisonous gas. While inside the TCRI building, the Turtles discover the Kraang's invasion plan: To mutate the whole planet so that their kind can live here, which will wipe out everyone else in the process. The Kraang even brought Traag from Dimension X to attack the Turtles until it was dragged back into Dimension X by Leatherhead. When the Turtles get away when their explosives are unable to destroy the Kraang's portal, Michelangelo managed to obtain a Kraang data storage device which revealed that the Kraang are also after April.

In "Cockroach Terminator," the Kraang steal a special lens as part of a plot to use their laser drill to burrow to the Earth's core as part of the Kraang's invasion plan. This plot was thwarted by the Turtles.

In "Enemy of My Enemy," two Kraang operatives pilot a spacecraft when hunting the Turtles up to the point where they end up crashing a weapons trade involving the Shredder. The spacecraft was repelled by the Turtles and one of the pilots was captured by Shredder.

In "Karai's Vendetta," a captured Kraang is interrogated by Shredder on why they hunt the Turtles and learns on how they've been targeting April. The Kraang set up a base in the East River where they have started a plot to turn Earth's water into Kraang water (which can dissolve a pizza and not have any harm on the humans, or perhaps it just has no effect on April O'Neil, hence the Kraang's interest) and have brought a large unnamed sea monster from Dimension X to help guard the base. The Turtles managed to destroy the base and escape from the sea monster. We do not know if it can harm humans or not as April is the one who the kraang water splashed on and the Kraang want April for a special reason.

In "The Pulverizer Returns", the Foot Clan steal mutagen from TCRI as part of Shredder's plan to create a mutant army. The captured Kraang tries to warn Shredder about how dangerous the mutagen is, but Shredder does not listen and tries to go through with his plan. When the turtles foil it, Shredder and the captured Kraang agree that they have a common enemy, likely hinting at an allegiance.

In "Operation: Break Out", it's shown that Shredder and the Kraang are working together, and that they engineered Kirby O'Neil's "escape" with the aid of the Turtles. In "Showdown", it is revealed that they have planted a mind control device on Kirby, which they use to force him to capture April and deliver her to Shredder, who uses her as bait to lure out Splinter. Having accomplished this, Shredder turns April over to the Kraag, who precede to use their portal to Dimension X to bring the Technodrone to Earth, though the Turtles subsequently succeed in destroying the TCRI building. The leader of the Kraang (dubbed "Kraang Prime" in promotional material) also appears as a much larger version of the typical Kraang, who attempts to drain April's unique mental energy to aid the terraforming process. However, the Turtles interfere in this plan, and the Technodrone is subsequently brought down off the coast of New York City, though it is revealed to be intact and partially active.

Other series
While he did not appear as a villain in the 2003 series there was a homage to him in the episode "Secret Origins Part 3". As the Utroms are walking to the transmat to go home one of them complains, "I hate walking on my tentacles". Then, another Utrom replies "Oh, shut up, Krang!". This Krang was voiced by Wayne Grayson.

Krang also appeares in the 2009 crossover movie, Turtles Forever, in which he, Shredder and the turtles from the 1987 show end up in the 2003 universe. Although Shredder was able to find his 2003 counterpart, he was unable to find Krang's, even though he exists in this universe (albeit as a regular, non-evil Utrom). Krang is voiced here by Bradford Cameron.

Krang appears briefly in the August 2011 fan film Casey Jones.

Krang is also referenced in a song in Childish Gambino's November 2011 album Camp titled "Backpackers" in the line "busy getting brain like Krang."

The January–May 2012 sixth season of NBC's 30 Rock contained at least two references to Krang.

Video games
Krang frequently appears in TMNT games as either a final boss or the penultimate boss, as the final boss before fighting Shredder.
 * In the first arcade game (and the version ported to the NES), he is one of the bosses of the final Technodrome stage. He is the penultimate boss of the game.
 * In Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Fall of the Foot Clan, he is the final boss, rather than Shredder.
 * In Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles III: The Manhattan Project, he is once again the penultimate boss.
 * In Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: Back from the Sewers, he has two boss battles. The first is at the end of the third level, where he fights the Turtles in his walker. He is also the final boss, and fights the Turtles in his exosuit.
 * In Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Turtles in Time, Krang initially makes an appearance in the opening, using his giant-sized exosuit to steal the Statue of Liberty. The exosuit appears once again in its giant form on the opening stage, "Big Apple: 3 AM", and near the end of the game he has two boss battles. The Turtles face him first at the end of "Neon Night Riders", and destroy his exosuit. The Turtles face him again in "Starbase: Where No Turtle Has Gone Before", where with his exosuit destroyed, Krang instead flies an archetypal flying saucer. In the 2009 Turtles in Time: Reshelled remake, Krang is voiced by Wayne Grayson.
 * In Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Hyperstone Heist, he is the mid-level boss of the final stage, featuring the exosuit.
 * In the Mega Drive/Genesis version of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Tournament Fighters, Krang appears as a non-playable boss with his exosuit.

Utroms
In Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Smash-Up, an Utrominator (from the 2003 episode Same As It Never Was) is a player character. It is a homage to Krang. It features a visible Utrom inside the stomach cavity of the suit.