# 42 Years Later, TMNT's Original Continuity Gets Official Codename
The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles franchise has established an official designation for its original continuity after four decades of storytelling. The latest issue of the ongoing TMNT comic series introduced a codename that retroactively categorizes the foundational narrative running from the characters' 1984 debut through their various iterations.
This move addresses a longstanding gap in the franchise's internal mythology. As the TMNT universe expanded across multiple timelines, alternate universes, and rebooted continuities across comics, films, and television shows, the original storyline lacked a formal designation. The new codename provides clarity for longtime fans tracking the complex web of TMNT narratives and helps new readers navigate which version of Splinter, Leonardo, Raphael, Donatello, and Michelangelo they're following.
The original continuity remains the spine of the franchise. It launched in 1984 as a parody of superhero tropes and spawned the 1990 live-action film, the acclaimed 2007 animated feature, and the recent live-action films. While other universes have explored different tones and timelines, the original continuity established the turtles' origin story, their relationships with supporting characters like April O'Neill and Casey Jones, and their nemesis Shredder.
The franchise has thrived on multiverse storytelling. The comics have explicitly explored alternate realities, variant origins, and different character deaths. The recent animated series Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles created a distinct continuity with redesigned characters and mythology. Netflix's hybrid live-action/CGI approach offered yet another interpretation. This nomenclature clarifies which thread readers are following.
The codename represents practical houseke