Scratch is an animal-born mutant cat and an enemy of Splinter and the Ninja Turtles. He is the primary antagonist of Rise of the Night Ninja, The Night Ninja Returns, and The Itching Scratch.
History[]
Scratch was a pet cat who was abandoned by his owners in an alley about fifteen years prior to the start of the series. Forced to fend for himself, he encountered a rat in the alley one day and tried to eat him, but was stopped when Vito opened the back door to his pizzeria and accidentally slammed it into the cat. Later, he found the rat again in the sewers and tried again to catch him, but he retaliated and clawed out the cat's right eye. On a third attempt to eat the rat, he encountered him in a puddle of mutagen along with four baby turtles, and he ended up stepping in the ooze himself. Scratch was mutated into an anthropomorphic form, as well as four fleas that had been on him at the time.
For a few years thereafter, Scratch would enter the rat (Splinter)'s home and attempt revenge, but was always thwarted by the baby mutant turtles, usually thinking he wanted to play. All of this was unbeknownst to Splinter, who was always asleep or distracted when Scratch arrived.
After somehow amassing enough money to hire the amoral florist La Fleur and her Flower Society Club, he tasked them with dognapping and gun running. He also ended up acquiring or making "stink pod" pheromone bombs, which would turn any dog that could smell its discharge feral.
The dognapping ended up catching the attention of Leonardo and the other Turtles, who were stopping crimes as the "Night Ninjas". They tracked La Fleur and the Flower Society to Fur Seasons, an upscale dog kennel, but the resulting battle left the building aflame. La Fleur and her minions escaped, while the Turtles rescued the attendant and dogs. La Fleur then met with Scratch to debrief. Rise of the Night Ninja
Scratch sent his mutant fleas to drop a stink pod near a dog owner, which made his three small dogs attempt (and fail) to attack him, but he ended up in the hospital anyway due to being allergic to fleas. Scratch delivered a video message to the police, which was shown on the news, including a clip of the dogs about to attack their owner, as well as a challenge for his archenemies, the Night Ninjas, to find him. The Turtles had no idea where to find him, so after interrogating the dog owner and encountering one of Scratch's fleas in the park, Scratch sent a second message with a couple of dog kennels and a pet store as targets, telling them he was going to be at one of the three. The Turtles and April split into groups and went to them, but found that he was at none of the three. April realized after seeing a poster of a dog show happening at the time, that that must be where he actually is.
Scratch was not at the dog show, but his four fleas were there to disperse a giant stink pod. Leo, and later the other Turtles when the arrived, fended off the fleas and April dismantled the pod, but when they questioned the fleas, they were told that the operation wasn't really about the dogs, but instead the one thing a cat would hate more than dogs. Leo realized that that meant a rat, and that he was after Splinter. The Night Ninja Returns
Scratch and one of the fleas enter the lair, but find Scumbug there alone. Realizing from the photos that Scumbug is romantically involved with Splinter, he decides to kidnap her instead. The Turtles arrive before they can leave, and they hide in a tent. The Turtles open a tent and they burst out, and Scratch threatens Scumbug's life, saying he'll take her as bait to the highest cat tree" where he can "scratch the sky". The Turtles fail to solve the riddle but April realizes it's the Metro Tower.
The Turtles scale the building and begin a battle with La Fleur, Scratch, and the fleas. Scratch sets off a detonation that causes the antenna of the tower to be damaged and almost fall, rending Scumbug's life in danger. When April opens a door and knocks out La Fleur, she takes her laser and attempts to fire it at Scratch, hitting the antenna instead, cleaving it in half. Leo tries to save Scratch, but he refuses and falls off. The other Turtles save Leo and Scumbug.
Despite falling dozens of stories, Scratch lands on his feet. However, the fleas are upset at having been denied a meal, and attack him in an effort to sup on his blood, leaving his fate uncertain. The Itching Scratch
Notes and trivia[]
- This character is named after Scratch, a character created by Ryan Brown for the 1988 toyline. However, his design and backstory are patterned after Old Hob from IDW continuity.