Hun is one of the recurring characters and prominent villains from the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. He is one of the primary antagonists in the 2003 TV series, and he is a large, hulking bully who is powerful, fast and quite skilled in martial arts. He is the leader of the Purple Dragons street gang in the 2003 series and he is also The Utrom Shredder's right hand man. Although he despises all four Ninja Turtles, he has developed an intense rivalry with Casey Jones (as Hun, along with the Purple Dragons, are responsible for burning down Casey's father's store and also presumably killing him).
History[]
Hun was originally the conjoined twin brother of the Garbageman. Hun and his brother were separated shortly after their birth in an illegal street clinic and his brother was 'discarded'. Many years later Hun found out that he had a long lost brother in the never aired episode "Nightmares Recycled".
Hun's criminal 'career' began at a young age; during his teen years, he was already a prominent member of the Purple Dragons street gang. They began their 'career', running among other things, protection rackets. When Hun and the Purple Dragons were younger, they burned down their 'customers' Arnold Jones, Sr.'s (Casey's father) store after he refused to pay the Purple Dragons protection money. Hun told Casey to tell his father to "pay up next time or else." However, Arnold instead went to the police which prompted Hun to murder him. This caused his son Arnold Casey Jones, Jr. to develop a personal vendetta against Hun and the Purple Dragons. The two became bitter opponents in later years.
Sometime later, the Utrom Shredder came to New York City, and enlisted the help of the Purple Dragons. Shredder found Hun, and realizing his potential, takes him under his wing, training him as his protégé. Hun was likewise impressed by the bloodthirsty nature of the Shredder and he established himself as one of his most loyal followers. At the beginning of the series, Hun is second-in-command of the New York faction of the Foot Clan, as well as leader of the Purple Dragons (although he leaves its day-to-day operations to people like Dragon Face or Johnny).
In this continuity, it was Hun that first entered the home of Hamato Yoshi in order to get information about the Utroms from him. Hun received three scars on his left cheek from Yoshi's rat pet Splinter, in an attempt to defend his master, before the rat escaped (in other continuities where Hamato Yoshi was killed, it was Oroku Saki himself who was scarred, but that would not be possible due to the nature of this version's Shredder).
Years later, however, Hun encountered Yoshi's heir, the now mutated Splinter and his sons, the Turtles. They always put a spanner in his and his master's works and the Shredder took out his anger over his defeats on Hun and even temporarily demoted him to coal heating, which left Hun feeling a deep hatred of the Turtles (Raphael in particularly).
Hun was also responsible for the gradual mutilation of Baxter Stockman, the head of Shredder's technology division. Later the two became reluctant partners due to the Shredder's harsh punishments, but unlike Stockman, Hun remained loyal to the Shredder. This submission also meant that he despised Ch'rell's adopted daughter Karai, because she was favored by the Shredder over him.
In "Attack of the Mousers", he was sent by the Shredder to bring Dr. Baxter Stockman to the Foot HQ and gave him his punishment by drilling out his left eye. He delivered the Sword of Tengu to Saki in "Darkness on the Edge of Town" and punished two Foot Technicians for later losing it to the TMNT. Hun was later ordered by the Shredder to team up with Stockman to find info on the Turtles in "The Way of Invisibility". Hun let Raph escape so the Foot Tech Ninja's could follow him to the other Turtles. The TMNT defeated the ninjas and Baxter Stockman blamed Hun for the failure of the mission. However, Stockman was taken away by two Foot Tech ninjas. Hun reported to Oroku Saki that based on his interrogation, the Turtles didn't know anything about Saki's enemies. Oroku Saki decided that the Turtles might be useful to him when the time was right. In "Fallen Angel", he hosts the Purple Dragons cage match. He knocked out Casey and took him hostage. Later he fought the Turtles, before being knocked out by Casey.
During the "City at War" arc, where New York's underworld is fractured due to the Utrom Shredder's presumed demise, he leaves the Foot and takes direct control of the Purple Dragons, until he is informed of his master's true fate and returns to the Foot. A more definitive split occurs in season 4, after the Shredder's true identity as an Utrom is revealed and he is exiled. With the Shredder gone, Hun turns to the Purple Dragons, successfully remaking them into a Foot-like organization. Hun is a lethal fighter due his brute strength (his strength is at near superhuman levels, although the Utrom Shredder has shown to be stronger than him), surprisingly agile, despite his massive size and skilled with a multitude of weapons (although he prefers to use his fists). He has used weapons beside his powerful, enormous fists such as a metal-chain and a bazooka. In part 1 of "The Shredder Strikes", Hun was seen using a sword. Hun has proven himself to be quite smart, as evidenced by his leading and commanding of the Purple Dragons street gang (which he developed into an organized crime syndicate). However, his power level, as it is, has been inconsistently portrayed throughout the series: although sometimes he is able to hold his own against all four Turtles (in their first fight against him, he actually overpowered them, they were only saved by Casey Jones), at other times, he is able to be defeated by a single fighter. Generally, he is defeated more easily in the later episodes as he appears in the series, presumably due to the Turtles' increasing skills.
Although loyal to the Utrom Shredder, Hun's loyalty does not extend to the rest of the Foot, as evidenced by his defections and his hatred for Karai, Saki's other protégé. During Karai's time in New York, Hun made no secret of his desire to see her disgraced and dead, resulting in an attempt on her life aided by Dr. Baxter Stockman.
During season 3, Hun and Stockman have an uneasy partnership due to the fact they both serve the Utrom Shredder but are now considered expendable failures to him, as both have lost to the Ninja Turtles so many times and were demoted with their former positions filled by the more competent Dr. Chaplin and Karai - although unlike Stockman, Hun is still loyal to the Shredder, despite being regularly demoralized (sometimes physically abused) by his Master. While Stockman receives humiliating scars from the Utrom Shredder for his failures, Hun is not so permanently damaged for his. This could either be because Utrom Shredder values his physical health (whereas Stockman is only needed in a mental capacity) or because, unlike Stockman, Hun accepts responsibility for his failure. Possibly Hun's punishments are not as severe as Stockman's, given that Hun has been a very loyal and competent servant until his run of bad luck with the Turtles. It is also noteworthy that the Utrom Shredder gives Hun a last chance to redeem himself in "Hun on the Run".
In "Same As It Never Was", when Donatello is transported to a post-apocalyptic future courtesy of an enemy, Ultimate Drako, the Turtles find Hun, now weak and out of shape, confined to a wheelchair and Baxter Stockman's brain container attached to Hun's body (due to a punishment of the Shredder's) and that they have joined the Turtles' rebellion army - although Hun still retains some loyalty to the Shredder.
In almost every major battle, Hun falls off or down something extremely high and yells "oh, crud", and is shown again. Sometimes, (usually when there is nothing to fall from) he will instead groggily stagger backwards and fall down onto the floor. This happens often, and he always survives falls that would seemingly kill him, such as in the "City at War" trilogy, where he is dropped from the top floor of the Foot tower into a police car on the streets.
He later found out that the Shredder (Oroku Saki) is actually an Utrom and was shocked. He was left behind when Shredder leaves for outer space, after falling down a shaft while fighting Leatherhead and surviving.
During the show's fourth season; with Ch'rell exiled in space and his daughter, Karai, ruling in his stead, Hun left the Foot and overhauled the Purple Dragons. Hun changed the Purple Dragons from a lowly street gang to an organized criminal syndicate, similar to the Utrom Shredder's, and begins big-time operations mainly dealing with the trade of illegal high-tech weapons. So far, the new direction has proved successful. Hun now doesn't seem to like the Shredder after learning he is an Utrom and even asks Karai how could she serve the Shredder, knowing that he was an Utrom. He was mentioned to be recruiting other smaller street gangs (such as the Turks) to his cause.
The Lost Episodes[]
Hun and the Purple Dragons were later recruited to aid the Turtles against the armies of the resurrected Tengu Shredder, although Hun first thought he could join the Tengu Shredder, the Utrom Shredder's minions were not welcomed. He would later betray the group to steal Tengu Shredder's treasure, only for it to dissipate, following the Tengu Shredder's destruction.
Fast Forward[]
Hun appears in Michelangelo's story in "Clash of the Turtle Titans" and in a story in the episode "The Journal".
Back to the Sewer[]
Hun was independent and courageous, especially after the Turtles were gone for a year in the future. Hun's first appearance in TMNT: Back to the Sewer is in "The Engagement Ring". The episode sees Hun seeking the Ring of Yin, wishing to use its monster-creating powers to build an army against The Shredder, who he had heard was coming into power. Since he and the Foot Clan fought, the return of the Shredder would bring his corresponding anger - a prospect that gave him little joy. He lords over the Purple Dragons, which have grown into an organized crime syndicate. When the ring is given to April by Casey as an engagement ring, Hun and the Purple Dragons kidnap April in an attempt to obtain it from her, going as far as to even considering cutting off her finger to get to it. Upon seeing Raphael, Waxer asks him about the Turtles' supposed defeat at his hands, alluding to a section of Bō and a sai on Hun's belt as "trophies", and Hun becomes visibly nervous when called on his bluff. In the end, Hun failed to obtain the ring, having been knocked off of the giant flying Demon April, and into the river.
In "Hacking Stockman" he pays Stockman to give him and the Dragons weapons to help him rob Foot treasure vaults.
Hun has been revealed to be a hardcore gamer, playing on "SuperQuest" as the Elfinator, a trash talking green elf. He worked with the Turtles, though not knowing it is them. When they obtained the keys to the chest holding Splinter's data bits, the Ultimate Gamer appeared, having masked himself as an NPC. Hun worked with the Turtles to turn Leonardo into a level 50 White Lion to defeat the Ultimate Gamer. He and Mikey (whom he had a rivalry with online), befriend each other. Just then, a Purple Dragon walked in on Hun, who immediately signed off and threatened to rip out the lackey's tongue if he told anyone.
Turtles Forever[]
Hun made an appearance in the crossover special Turtles Forever, and plays a central role at the beginning as his gang captures the "80's Turtles" and becoming intrigued with the mutagen that those Turtles stole from 80's Shredder. Later, Hun unfortunately gets mutated by accident, turning him into a monstrous mutant turtle which does not exactly improve his views of the Turtles. Hun was furious that he had been transformed into a giant turtle, the one thing he hates most in the world, even more than the Shredder. Consumed with hatred, he rejoined with the Utrom Shredder to help him destroy the Turtles. However he later aided the Turtles with his own technology when he learns that the Utrom Shredder wishes to destroy any reality that has Ninja Turtles' before he dissolves in the wake of rampant destruction.
It's unknown whether or not Hun returns to his normal self after the restoration of the Turtle worlds since he is last seen getting erased from existence due to the Utrom Shredder's plan and was most likely returned to reality once the Utrom Shredder was defeated. Hun also hates it when 80's Raphael constantly breaks the fourth wall as he doesn't understand who Raph is talking to.
Abilities[]
Hun's overall might made him the the Utrom Shredder's right-hand man of the Foot and leader of the Purple Dragons. Next to the Utrom Shredder himself, the strongest fighter in the the Foot, capable of handling and overpowering all four turtles simultaneously.
Hun's most noticeable trait is his incredible raw strength, bordering on superhuman. He is shown able to tear down steel barriers, hoist large slabs of concrete, and swing about various objects like metal doors as if they were basic weapons. His raw strength is even shown able to contend with other physically strong beings like Leatherhead and the Triceratons. Hun is shown able to endure extreme levels of blunt-force trauma with little-to-no harm, rarely ever being knocked out of even staying down for long. He has even fallen from great heights onto solid floors with only minor harm. Belying his hulking physique, Hun is deceptively fast and agile, able to keep up with the Turtles and maneuver about with great efficiency.
While most of his fighting tactics are brutish and rely on his superior raw strength, Hun is in fact a master of martial arts, by Utrom Shredder. Likewise, he shows quite capable skill in wielding a katana, able to compete for a period against Leonardo. While seeming like the stereotypical big brutish thug, but Hun is also shown to be very intelligent and cunning, having efficiently handled various high-level assignments from the Utrom Shredder for years. Likewise, once breaking from the Foot, he single-handedly turns the Purple Dragon from low life-street thugs into a huge crime syndicate.
Personality[]
Hun is, first and foremost, a pitiless and heartless individual. He is incredibly cruel and mean. He has deep hatred for those he calls "freaks", by that meaning turtles, and he openly dislikes Karai whom he attempted to murder on several occasions. He also has no compunctions about inflicting suffering; Hun is directly responsible for carrying out many of Baxter Stockman's "punishments" as he is gradually turned into a cyborg. It is implied that Hun takes pleasure in this torture, though exactly why is unclear (hatred of Stockman, eagerness to please his master, simple sadism, or a combination of the above). Hun also seems to believe in an authoritarian way of doing things; he tends to lash out when gang members disobey or fail him, but he in turn obeys his own superior without question. He is very loyal to his master, the Shredder, and reacts with deep sadness when disappointing or failing him.
Beyond this, much of Hun's personality is as "the big man." More than just "the muscle", Hun is a huge man, with a squared-off aesthetic and small head to accentuate his muscle. He looms over most other characters in the series and, because of this, is easily identifiable in any scene. He hits hard, takes a beating, and is sometimes referred to as fat (especially by Raphael). Heavy weaponry like missile launchers are often in his hands, he frequently uses strength-based grappling methods (like bear hugs), and he is regularly found doing the heavy lifting, whether physically (moving rubble, shoveling coal, etc.). or metaphorically (acting as a field commander, executing the Shredder's plan, etc.) Finally, he is the strongman of a street gang (later a crime syndicate) who tends to lead from the front, trigger large explosions, and survive crushing falls from great heights.
Other episodes have fleshed out his character. He is someone who revels in destruction, tricked-out cars, and other things of the type. Despite the emphasis on his strength, he has been shown to be surprisingly cunning and flexible, using a combination of ninjutsu and street fighting to severely challenge the Turtles in early episodes. Finally, he is a "hardcore gamer" (or at least is in the future) who is more malicious than outright destructive.
See also[]
Family ties[]
The children's book Lean, Green Smackdown Machine!, written by Stephen Murphy, establishes that Hun has a brother named Ahnold who appears nearly identical to him. There was also an unproduced episode of the 2003 series, "Nightmares Recycled", which would have dealt with the fact that Hun and Garbageman were born as conjoined twins. It is unknown whether of these brothers can be considered related to Hun in the canon of the 2003 TV series, due to one only appearing in an obscure children's book (even if it was written by a well-known scribe of both TMNT comics and cartoons), and the other was never established as a sibling in a broadcast episode.
Trivia[]
- Hun's name comes from the conqueror Attila the Hun.
- In the late 2002 Hun was going to be Hispanic in the 2003 TV series but the writer change him into Slavic.[citation needed]
- In Back to the sewer, Hun's Foot Clan tattoo on his right shoulder is gone.
- After becoming a mutant in Turtles Forever, his scars and his tattoo of a dragon turned dark green.
- His mutant form bears some resemblance to Slash, most of which is his Purple Dragon belt buckle mimicking Slash's backwards 'S' belt buckle.
- Favorite food is Pound Cake.[citation needed]