Rat King (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles) cameo appearance in "Teenage Mutant Ninjas Turtles" Vol. 4, watching as Splinter succumbs to a heart attack and dies while retrieving milk from a refrigerator. Much of the Rat King's origin is later revealed in an issue of "Tales of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles" Vol. 2; the story reveals that a group of beings known as the Pantheon exists, with each member of the group having jurisdiction over a species of animal. When the time of the Pantheon member who rules the rats reaches an end, a new one is chosen, a scarred and heavily bandaged (explaining the Rat
Splinter (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles) all incarnations of the character; he is portrayed as an elderly rat dressed in robes. In the original live-action movies, he is missing part of his right ear, which was cut off by Saki. In the 2003 animated series, Splinter is depicted as having gray fur instead of the brown fur of his other incarnations. In the 2012 series, Splinter is physically taller and younger than he was in past incarnations. He also has a more rat-like design along with distinctive body marks on his fur. Splinter is portrayed as wise, intelligent and a skilled "elderly martial arts master". He