As a Tear Jerker page, all spoilers are unmarked as per wiki policy. You Have Been Warned!
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem has moments that make you excited, laugh, scared, and make you go 'Aww'. But when it comes to the moments where the waterworks can be turned on, they too are just as effective.
- In general, the Turtles' having to live in the sewers, beneath the surface world due to Splinter's firm Humans Are the Real Monsters ideals, only ever going out for grocery runs without being seen. Probably the best moment that emphasizes the heartbreak of it all is when they sneak into an outdoor showing of Ferris Bueller's Day Off, only to immediately get dejected and leave upon seeing how popular and loved Ferris is compared to them.
- Then we learn what happened, the event that convinced Splinter to hide in the sewers with the Turtles. He gave the surface a chance precisely once when his sons were toddlers, went out into Times Square with them... and everyone promptly started reacting in fear and prejudice. While the Turtles thankfully didn't come out that much worse for wear physically or mentally, the experience traumatized Splinter so badly that he taught his four sons martial arts. The whole reason our heroes have their skills and weapons, all because their father was that scared of seeing them hurt again.
- After giving them the "long version" of their backstory, Splinter grounds them from leaving the sewers for a month, and he's clearly not happy doing this, but firmly believes it's the only way to keep them safe. Leo is the only one who thinks it's fair, while Raph and Donnie are none too pleased by this, and Mikey disappointingly doesn't say a word about it. Donnie calling out Leo emphasizes the sad atmosphere.Donatello: "Was it worth it, Mr. Leader?"
- Leo looks at his father, while Splinter can only look away, saddened that he has to punish his sons for wanting to be with humans.
- Despite some moments of genuine hilarity, April's puking incident has a lot of emotional weight on her due to it making her the laughingstock at the school, and she knows it. It doesn't even help that the Turtles think the whole ordeal is funny (sans Leo, who is appropriately horrified).
- The party scene at the sewers is a whole 'nother level of heartbreaking. Splinter tries to make his sons happy by decorating the sewers to resemble the surface, only to be brushed off by them due to being already neck-deep into the Superfly investigation. The next time we see him, he's sadly looking at old photos of his family together as Bobby Vinton's "Mr. Lonely" plays in the background. Poor guy looks like he needs a hug...
- Even worse, they know how hard their father is trying to meet them halfway, and as they leave you can see by the looks on all of their faces that they feel like garbage having to blow him off like that.
- As it turns out, Splinter and the Turtles weren't the only ones who suffered a horrible experience in the surface world. Superfly and his gang did as well. They went to the surface for a bite, and everyone who saw them reacted with horror and prejudice. But the difference is that one person didn't give up chase, and Superfly beat him with an inch of his life, likely resulting in fatal injuries, effectively kickstarting the housefly's Start of Darkness.
- Not only that but what happened to Superfly beforehand makes you pity him, even if it's just a little. His creator, Baxter Stockman, was an outcast lacking in almost all of his villainous traits from previous incarnations, and poor Superfly watched him die in an explosion as he tried to protect him and his brethren. He was only a child when it all happened, and he ended up having to raise the other mutants by himself. No wonder he feels so betrayed when the others turn on him in the final act.
- The conclusion of the chase scene is a very somber scene. Not only did they lose the trust of Superfly's gang, the one group of people they can relate to the most, but it also looks like April is abandoning them in their time of need when TCRI surrounds them. With the weight of the guilt being too much, they simply resign to their fate, not even bothering to fight back. It punctuates the movie's first Darkest Hour and our hero's first crossing the Despair Event Horizon.TCRI Squad Leader Spider: "Say goodnight, freak." (WHAM!)
- After that mess, we see Superfly's gang assembling the final touches on the mutagen machine... and none of them are happy at all. Ray and Mondo even sing a sad acoustic version of "What's Up" as they toil away and Superfly berates and tells them to lighten up. It's ambiguous as to whether they're sad about the Turtles leaving them after they spent a whole night bonding, them not really believing in killing all humans for the sake of Superfly's ambition, but both is a high possibility.
- And that feeling of betrayal is not forgotten either. When the Turtles and Splinter infiltrate the shipwreck, they've been waiting for them, and do not receive a warm welcome.
"Scram!", "Betrayers!", "You're the ones that instigated this!" - Splinter's Anger Born of Worry when he saves his sons from TCRI's clutches. He declares that once Superfly's plans are foiled, they're forbidden from ever going back to the surface, and, despite calling her the only good human, says that April can just forget about her story.
- Later, when Superfly's mutants betray him, he screams at them "The only way you'll be safe is if you listen to me!", which is exactly what Splinter said to his sons just earlier. At that point, Splinter has his Jerkass Realization, especially when the villain gives him a "Not So Different" Remark.
- During the Final Battle, the heroes, already on the losing end, see the news declaring them all to be monsters that need to be destroyed. At that point, they all just look and sound so thoroughly crushed that society just won't accept them no matter what, adding heavy emphasis on the film's second (and most impactful) Darkest Hour. Thankfully, Leo rallies them regardless, and April manages to turn the story in the mutant's favor, allowing them to be accepted by society after SuperDuperFly's defeat, making all the effort worth it in the end for all parties.
