| Tyler Rockwell | |
|---|---|
| |
| Information | |
| Real Name | Tyler Rockwell |
| Alias | Dr. Tyler Rockwell • Rockwell • Doc • Dr. Rockwell • Monkey Rockwell • Monkey Brains • Mad Monkey |
| Gender | Male |
| Species | Human (British) (Formerly) Mutant Chimpanzee (Currently) |
| Occupations | Neuro-Scientist (Formerly) Scientist of the Mighty Mutanimals (Currently) |
| Team | Mighty Mutanimals |
| Allies | Ninja Turtles • Dr. Víctor Falco (Formerly) • Splinter • April O'Neil • Casey Jones • Mighty Mutanimals • Jack J. Kurtzman • The Foot Clan (Karai) • Utrom High Council |
| Enemies | Kraang Hive Mind • Dr. Víctor Falco • The Foot Clan • Triceraton Empire • Italian Mafia |
| Weapons | Psychic Helmet • Telepathy • Telekinesis |
| Home | New York City |
| Height | Unknown |
| Age | 37 |
| Hair Color | Dark Brown |
| Eye Color | Brown |
| First Appearance | Monkey Brains |
| Last Appearance | Owari |
| Voiced By | Frank Welker (Season 1) Tom Kenny (Season 3 - Season 4) |
Tyler Rockwell, aka Dr. Rockwell, Dr. Tyler Rockwell, Monkey Rockwell, or simply Rockwell, is an ally of the Ninja Turtles. Formerly a British neuro-scientist and former colleague of Victor Falco, he was mutated by his own friend with his modified Mutagen for his own purposes of gaining psychic powers. When the Turtles and April O'Neil were investigating the disappearance of the scientist and found out his own friend betrayed him, he was set free by the Turtles into the streets of New York City, where he would survive on his own. During some time, he was held hostage by The Kraang, as they were running some experiments on him. When these experiments failed, the mutant gained his intellect back and his psychic powers increased. While the Kraang Invasion was taking place, Jack J. Kurtzman recruits him to become a part of the Mighty Mutanimals. He has a rivalry with Victor Falco and Donatello. Tyler Rockwell debuts in Monkey Brains.
Backstory
The neuro-scientist, Tyler Rockwell, was raised in New York City by his family. Once he matured, he became a neurochemist and gained a lab colleague for himself, Victor Falco. As the two partners worked together in the laboratory, there was a day when Falco met The Kraang. The aliens approached him and they wanted him to run some experiments with the Mutagen involving telekinesis. With the DNA of a chimpanzee and a psychic formula within the Mutagen that Falco created, he betrays his partner and uses the ooze on him. With the chemical component within the Mutagen causing effect, Rockwell mutated into a psychic mutant chimpanzee.
History
Appearance
Personality
Powers, Abilities, and Weaponry
- Enhanced Strength: Rockwell has some strength of his own, as seen when he was able to defeat Donatello with ease when he attacked him. He also has some strength thanks to his psychic powers, as he's been able to lift up heavy objects such as cars, Leatherhead, or Slash (even if Tyler Rockwell is injured).
- Enhanced Endurance: Even though his endurance is pretty limited in combat, he can recover and proceed during a fight without any problems. Unless he is fighting off a much more stronger opponent such as Tiger Claw, Zog, or Super Shredder.
- Enhanced Agility: Possibly due to him being a mutant chimpanzee, Rockwell has some enhanced agility that he uses when fighting off an opponent. He has been able to use it to avoid projectiles or blows from his opponents, such as Super Shredder when he was launching his steel claws at the scientist.
- Enhanced Intellect: Even though he is a scientist and had an education to become a neuro-scientist, Rockwell's intellect was also enhanced thanks to his mutation. Especially after a failed experiment that The Kraang performed on him, Tyler's intelligence was increased further more.
- Telekinesis: As part of the chemical component contained within the Mutagen that Victor Falco used on him, Rockwell was able to gain telekinetic powers. And thanks to the powers that Rockwell had within him, Falco used him to his advantage to gain temporarily psychic powers of his own. But after a failed experiment that The Kraang performed on him, Rockwell's telekinetic powers were enhanced. With the ability to move objects that surround him, he can use his telekinetic powers to lift up objects such as cars, weapons, or any object. Or even use his abilities to levitate people such as Slash, Leatherhead, or the Mafiosi Guards of Don Vizioso. Monkey Rockwell also has the ability to project psychic wave blasts that are strong even though to affect any opponents in combat. But a con about this ability is that Rockwell cannot control it without the aid of his Psychic Amplifier, even though he can use them without the helmet if he's given enough time to concentrate.
- Telepathy: As part of his psychic abilities, Rockwell also has telepathic powers that he can use to read minds (such as the minds of Vic Fulci and Vincenzo Fulci), manipulate minds (such as The Kraang), or send telepathic messages to others (Just like he did to the Ninja Turtles before).
- Levitation: Thanks to his psychic powers, Rockwell is able to levitate either himself, other people, or any object. As a way to fly, Rockwell can levitate in the air for aerial attacks or avoid his opponents. He can also levitate alongside other characters, even Slash and Leatherhead at the same time.
- Psychic Amplifier: Even though Rockwell has psychic powers of his own, his abilities can be limited without his helmet. Created out of technology of The Kraang, Rockwell utilizes the helmet in order to control his psychic powers.
- Psychic Plasma Cannon: Thanks to his psychic powers, Tyler can use these abilities to control a cannon that can shoot super heated plasma rays at any opponent. This was seen being used during the infiltration in the Mutanimals Lair, when Super Shredder came to hunt down Karai.
- Kraang Laser Blasters (Temporarily): During the infiltration in T.C.R.I., Rockwell uses some of the Kraang Laser Blasters that he found to blast The Kraang.
- Shuriken (The Hamato Clan) (Temporarily): When the mind controlled Rockwell was attacking the Ninja Turtles inside of their lair, he levitated shurikens that he tossed at his friends.
- Bisento (Temporarily): When Rockwell fights Donatello inside of The Shredder's Underground Temple, he is seen levitating a nearby Bisento.
- Katana Swords (The Foot Clan) (Temporarily): When Rockwell fights Donatello inside of The Shredder's Underground Temple, he is seen levitating a nearby Katana Sword of The Foot Clan.
- Trident (Temporarily): When Rockwell fights Donatello inside of The Shredder's Underground Temple, he is seen levitating a nearby Trident.
Weaknesses
- Loss Of Psychic Amplifier: Following the experiment that The Kraang performed on him, which miserably failed, Rockwell was able to increase both his telekinetic and telepathic powers in the process of this experiment. But even though he has these abilities, he cannot amplify them without the aid of his helmet. And if the helmet is removed from him, Tyler's psychic powers will render useless and come to his defeat. The helmet has been remove in various occasions by either Mrs. Campbell, The Shredder, or Mozar, with the last one taking it to the next level when he stomped on it in front of the helpless psychic chimpanzee.
- Vulnerability To Mind Control: Even though Rockwell is a mutant chimpanzee with psychic powers, he doesn't seem to have some type of immunity towards mind control. Due to his vulnerability, his psychic powers can become a major threat against his friends if under the command of an opponent, just like The Shredder did when he used his Parasites on him and Slash.
Relationships
Episodes
Season 1
- Monkey Brains (Debut)
Season 2
- Metalhead Rewired
- Mazes & Mutants (Illusion)
Season 3
- Battle for New York Part One
- Battle for New York Part Two
- Clash of the Mutanimals
- Dinosaur Seen in Sewers!
- Annihilation: Earth! Part One (Silent Cameo)
- Annihilation: Earth! Part Two
Season 4
- Earth's Last Stand
- Mutant Gangland
- Requiem
- Owari (Silent Cameo/ Last Appearance)
Gallery
Trivia
- Tyler Rockwell is very similar to the DC Comics character, Gorilla Grodd, who is a, evil, psychic gorilla with a psychic amplification helmet similar to Rockwell's.
- Also during his entrance in Battle for New York Part Two, Rockwell's background has an illustration of a gorilla, which might be a resemblance to Gorilla Grodd.
- After once again gaining the ability to speak, Rockwell seems to speak in faux Received Pronunciation.
- As one of the few mutants that doesn't have a mutant name, Tyler Rockwell has been referred to by his real name only.
- In the IDW New Animated Adventures comics whatsoever, Michelangelo refers to Dr. Rockwell as "Monkey Brains" and even claims he named him already (in the episode).
- In the merchandise that involves Rockwell, he has been given names such as "Monkey Rockwell", "Mad Monkey", or "Monkey Brains". Even the action figure released by Playmates Toys refers to Rockwell as "Monkey Brains".
- Before joining the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Tom Kenny and Ciro Nieli both collaborated together on Super Robot Monkey Team Hyper Force Go!, where Kenny played Gibson, the team's scientist and another overly articulate scientifically inclined primate character. And if this wasn't enough, Tom Kenny uses an identical version of his voice for the character when voicing Tyler Rockwell.
- In Annihilation: Earth! Part Two, when everyone on Earth is being sucked into the black hole that was projected by the Heart of Darkness, Rockwell and Leatherhead are seen mimicking the poses of God and Adam as seen in the fresco painting, "The Creation of Adam". Painted by Michelangelo di Lodovico Buonarroti Simoni, the famous fresco painting can be seen on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel.