Casey Jones (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles)

Arnold Bernid "Casey" Jones is a fictional character that appears in ''Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles'' comics and related media. Created by Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird, he first appeared in the one-shot, ''Raphael: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle'' (April 1985). Like the turtles, Casey Jones is a vigilante, and was created as a parody of vigilante characters that were popular in comics at the time. Casey usually has long dark hair, wears an ice hockey mask and cut-off biking gloves, and carries his weapons in a golf bag over his shoulder.

His weapons include various sports equipment, such as baseball bats, ice hockey sticks, golf clubs, cricket bats, and tennis rackets. He becomes a love interest of April O'Neil in most continuities.

The character has been featured in various adaptations, and has been portrayed by several actors. He was first voiced by Pat Fraley in the 1987 series, Marc Thompson in the 2003 series, Chris Evans in the 2007 film, Josh Peck in the 2012 series, and Haley Joel Osment in the 2022 film adaptation of the 2018 series, in which Zelda Williams also voiced Cassandra "Casey" Jones, a Foot Clan recruit who was intended to be a female iteration of the character, and has been portrayed in live-action by Elias Koteas in the 1990 and 1993 films and by Stephen Amell in the 2016 film.

Comic books

Mirage Studios

In the original Mirage series, Casey first appeared in the ''Raphael'' one-shot, by Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird. Casey was introduced as a violent, hot-tempered vigilante whose anger concerned even Raphael. The turtle stopped Casey from killing some muggers, causing an initial conflict between the two. This clash was quickly resolved, and Casey and Raphael became fast friends. Later, Casey came to the turtles' aid when they are attacked by the Shredder in April O'Neil's home. The vigilante even took the turtles to his grandmother's old farmhouse in Northampton, cementing his place with the group.

In the Mirage series, Casey is extremely violent, even more so than Raphael, but he mellows throughout the course of the series. In ''Shades of Gray'', Casey accidentally kills a teenager who tried to mug him. The incident sent him into a drunken spiral, damaging his relationship with April O'Neil. His initial homicidal tendencies are especially present in his first appearance, although he never actually murders anyone in that instance.

During the three-part episode ''City at War'', Casey leaves the farmhouse and begins to drive to Los Angeles, planning to find April, but instead meets a pregnant woman named Gabrielle with whom he falls in love and marries. Gabrielle dies during childbirth and Casey is left to take care of her daughter, whom he names Shadow. After spreading Gabrielle's ashes, Casey returns to New York with Shadow to stay with his mother. In a chance encounter, Casey is reunited with April when she comes to buy the apartment building owned by Casey's mother. During this meeting it is revealed that Casey's real name is Arnold but prefers to use his middle name only.

Casey repairs his relationship with April and they begin dating. By volume four, he and April are married, raising Shadow as their daughter and trying to have a child of their own. April eventually leaves Casey and Shadow when April learns that she is a living drawing that was brought to life by a magic crystal. As April comes to terms with herself in Alaska, Casey takes to the nightclubs to drown his sorrows. He meets up with the Foot Clan leader Karai at one of these clubs and, after a few drinks, awakens at Karai's retreat with no memory of the night before, although Karai knows something of what had happened. This plotline was left unresolved as the fourth volume ended.

IDW Comics

In the ''TMNT'' series released by IDW Publishing, Casey is a young college scholarship holder. Following his mother's death from cancer, his father, formerly Hun of the Purple Dragons, became an alcoholic thug who would vent his daily frustration on his son. On one such occasion, Casey was saved from another violent beating by Raphael, who had at that time lived a solitary life as a street vagrant following his mutation (unaware that he had a family searching for him), and the two quickly became fast friends and fellow vigilantes until Raphael was reunited with his family, at which point Casey was introduced to and befriended the other three turtles as well. He later meets April when she becomes his tutor, and introduces her to the turtles. After an especially violent beating by his father, Casey comes to live with the turtles, while his father returns to the Purple Dragons.

In other media

Television

* Casey Jones appears in ''Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles'' (1987), voiced by Pat Fraley. A green check mark indicates that a role has been confirmed using a screenshot (or collage of screenshots) of a title's list of voice actors and their respective characters found in its credits or other reliable sources of information. This version is a crazed vigilante with a Dirty Harry-like persona, who goes after all sorts of criminals, from robbers to litterers. He never takes off his mask on screen, even when once going undercover in a business suit.
* Casey Jones appears in ''Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles'' (2003), voiced by Marc Thompson. This version displays a vendetta against the Purple Dragon gang, who killed his father. Additionally, Casey and the Turtles met when they were children, with the latter having been disguised as humans.
* Casey Jones appears in ''Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles'' (2012), voiced by Josh Peck. This version is initially a hockey player who April O'Neil tutors in school. He later becomes a vigilante and ally to the Turtles, specifically Raphael, who becomes his best friend.
* A gender-flipped version of Casey Jones named Cassandra Jones appears in ''Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles'' (2018), voiced by Zelda Williams. This version is a member of the Foot Clan. Additionally, Casey Jones, who is Cassandra's future son from the year 2044, appears in '' Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Movie'', voiced by Haley Joel Osment.

Film

* Casey Jones appears in ''Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles'' (1990), portrayed by Elias Koteas. This version is a former professional ice hockey player who became a vigilante after sustaining a career-ending injury.
* Casey Jones appears in '' Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles III'' (1993), portrayed again by Elias Koteas.
* Casey Jones appears in ''TMNT'' (2007), voiced by Chris Evans. This version is in a relationship with April O'Neil and works for her shipping company as a delivery man.
* Casey Jones appears in '' Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows'' (2016), portrayed by Stephen Amell. This version is a hot-headed prison guard and aspiring detective.

Video games

*Casey Jones makes minor appearances in '' Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Manhattan Missions'' (1991), rescuing the Turtles if they lose all their health.
*Casey Jones appears as a playable character in '' Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Tournament Fighters'' (1993).
*Casey Jones appears as a boss and unlockable playable character in ''Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles'' (2003).
*Casey Jones appears as an unlockable alternate costume for Raphael in '' Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 2: Battle Nexus'' (2004).
*Casey Jones appears in '' Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 3: Mutant Nightmare'' (2005).
*Casey Jones appears as a playable character in '' TMNT: Mutant Melee'' (2005).
*Casey Jones appears as a playable character in '' Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Smash-Up'' (2009), voiced again by Marc Thompson.
*Casey Jones appears in '' Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Danger of the Ooze'' (2014), voiced again by Josh Peck.
*Casey Jones appears as a playable character in '' Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder's Revenge'' (2022), voiced by Darren Worts.
*Casey Jones appears as a playable character in '' Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Splintered Fate'' (2023) via the "Junkyard Jam" DLC, voiced by Ben Lepley.
*Casey Jones appears as an unlockable costume in '' Fortnite'' (2025).

References

External links

Read the comic that introduced Casey Jones at the Official Mirage Group site

{{DEFAULTSORT:Jones, Casey
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles characters
Comics characters introduced in 1985
Fictional characters from New York City
Fictional clubfighters
Fictional ice hockey players
Fictional stick-fighters
Male characters in comics
Vigilante characters in comics