Character Information:
Name: Leatherhead
Canon: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (2003 TV Series)
Canon Point: Season 3, early on in the "Hunted" episode.
Age: Unknown, but based on conjecture + canon circumstances, I've guesstimated to be around 20 years old.
Reference:

⊱ Leatherhead
⊱ TMNT 2003

Setting:

In a world much like our own, there's a New York City that seems identical to the real-life version: it's a city that never sleeps, a concrete jungle where crime and corruption run wild and most of the population tends to view such problems as being somebody else's problem. The streets and alleyways are overflowing with garbage, both literal and human — large numbers of gangs and homeless people make it a real struggle for the city's police force to keep violence and poverty in check. All in all, it's a hard place to live, but no different from any other crowded metropolis. ....Yet that is merely the outermost face of the city, the most public of its pretenses. When the surface is peeled away, the differences between this world and our own rapidly increase. This New York is a place where surreal and impossible things unfold in the shadows (elements of fantasy and sci-fi are used liberally in various story arcs, e.g there is technology that can teleport people across time and space and mystic rituals have been used here and there) and entire races of non-humans go about their business undetected.

The most relevant example of the latter would be the Utroms — small, squidlike aliens with not much to speak of in the way of limbs. Their squishy forms require them to be heavily dependent on technology for survival, and ever since their ship first crashed on Earth centuries ago, they have secretly lived among humans for centuries through the use of exo-suits: humanoid disguises with a robotic skeleton. During the long wait for more advanced technology to be developed and so open up a way home, the Utroms carefully gathered a small circle of trusted humans to assist them in all the necessary ways, such as protection and the safeguarding of Utrom secrets. Rather notably, the Utroms are also responsible for creating the mutagen that forever transformed the TMNT, Splinter, and Leatherhead from ordinary critters into sentient beings. In Leatherhead's case, they were also his adoptive family for many years until an assault on the TCRI building (the headquarters of the Utroms) by outside forces caused a permanent separation.

As for why the Utroms ended up on Earth to begin with, that's entirely the fault of Ch'rell — a fugitive Utrom that escaped after arranging his captors' ship to malfunction and crash. Already a cruel and vicious individual, Ch'rell's hatred of the other Utroms eventually led to the murder of Yoshi Hamato, a Guardian and the master of Splinter, Yoshi's pet rat. This begat a blood feud between the Shredder and Splinter, and as the the latter would become the adoptive father of the TMNT, it extended to them as well. After his mutation, Leatherhead was raised by the Utroms on stories of Ch'rell's evil and came to loathe him just as fiercely.

Under the guise of Oroku Saki — a "man" that's equal parts entrepreneur and philanthropist — Ch'rell built a favorable reputation for himself among the human populace of New York, which he used to become politically/socially influential and thus amass both wealth and power. He also cultivated a second, less squeaky-clean identity for himself as the Shredder — the leader of a clan of ninjas (called the Foot) that are not only utterly loyal to him, but numerous enough to serve as his own personal army. He also took command of the Purple Dragons gang, although the majority of the leadership was usually left to Hun — a massive thug and trusted lieutenant.

Ch'rell, Oroku Saki, the Shredder....three names, three identities, the same twisted individual. The most hated enemy of the Utroms, and one of the deadliest foes you could hope to face. Which leads us, if in a roundabout way, to Baxter Stockman — a brilliant, but painfully arrogant man whose body is gradually reduced to a brain in a jar over the course of the series. Originally employed by the Shredder, one too many failures on Stockman's part led to the Shredder dishing out more punishment and humiliation than Stockman could tolerate. During the assault on the TCRI building, he betrayed the Shredder and escaped into the sewers. It was there that he eventually came across Leatherhead and tricked the crocodile into building an exo-suit for him in exchange for help in building a transportation device known as a "transmat", which Leatherhead hoped to use to follow the Utroms to their homeworld.

While unaffiliated with the Shredder, it would be quite amiss to not mention Bishop — an agent of the United States government that acts outside of said government's laws. In charge of the Earth Protection Force, an agency dedicated to protecting humanity from alien invasions, Bishop is a ruthless, intelligent, and frighteningly capable man that is wholly dedicated to keeping Earth safe by any means necessary. His scruples are exceedingly few in number when it comes to his job; he will manipulate or outright crush anyone (or anything) that he has to in order to achieve his goals, and has worked with both Stockman and the TMNT for his own benefit. Past experiences with aliens have left him with an intense prejudice towards non-humans. He was responsible for the weeks and weeks of torture and experimentation that Leatherhead suffered.

Personality:

If the average person came across Leatherhead for the first time, chances are they'd think they had wandered into the path of a monster.

But despite his intimidating appearance, this isn't the truth. Leatherhead possesses both a brilliant mind and a gentle disposition. A thoughtful and inquisitive type with the heart of a scientist, he finds great pleasure in tinkering away on new inventions and puzzling out answers to nature's mysteries. Perhaps the only thing he enjoys more than those kinds of scientific pursuits is sharing the company of those he cares about, and this isn't surprising when one considers just how deeply significant the concepts of home and family are to Leatherhead. The Utroms accepted him as one of their own without question after his mutation and were the only family he knew or wanted for many years; being separated from them was such a devastating blow to Leatherhead's morale that, when it became clear that a reunion would never occur, he tried to choose oblivion in a moment of despair.

Unfortunately, such dark moments are fairly commonplace for Leatherhead. His self-esteem is deceptively fragile in places, and when wounded just so, he sinks beneath very intense feelings of unhappiness and self-loathing. Being utterly and completely alone only exacerbates this problem, as any loneliness that Leatherhead might feel is quick to turn into the sort of gloomy thoughts that only lead to dark places. And so it's hardly strange that not only does Leatherhead harbor an intense dislike of being totally isolated, but that he treasures the bonds he's formed with the TMNT and Master Splinter. He's unfailingly loyal to them and, indeed, values their safety and happiness above his own. Leatherhead would do anything to protect those important to him, even should the price be his own life.

Even so, there are parts of his nature that aren't fully under his control, and this sometimes causes him to act the complete opposite of what he truly desires. Possibly as a result of the mutagen that transformed him, he isn't the most stable of individuals: it's easy to trigger a wrathful outburst if the right buttons are pressed. When this happens, Leatherhead tends to lose all reason and becomes little more than a wild animal focused only on destroying the source of his distress. These triggers are simple and few in number: a threat to himself is bad enough, but a threat to his friends is infinitely worse, and god help you if you admit to being affiliated with any of Leatherhead's enemies. This brutal, angry part of an otherwise gentle nature is something Leatherhead cannot keep in check once it's been awakened. It's also a source of deep shame and terror for him, especially should it result in harm coming to a loved one; the last thing he wants is to hurt (or worse, kill) someone he cares about while trapped in a fit of rage.

(After being tortured by Agent Bishop, this condition has worsened severely, becoming even easier to set off and more difficult to subdue.)

In the end, Leatherhead is a sweet-natured intellectual and intensely loyal friend.....but he isn't the most stable one, and might never be so.

After being informed of the In Between, concern for the friends that he had left behind will supersede confusion, fear or anger on his own behalf. Only once he can confirm either their safety within Keeliali or the total absence of their presence upon Tu Vishan will Leatherhead focus on his own circumstances. But since the kedan will be accommodating and hospitable rather than, say, trying to attack or dissect the enormous bipedal talking crocodile that arrived in their midst, Leatherhead will cautiously allow himself to relax a little once he's had some time to adjust to the situation. He's a rational and intelligent individual, and while he'll be guarded and wary, he'll also be willing enough to engage with the kedan to puzzle out not only his new surroundings, but a way home.

Appearance:

About 7~ feet tall, rather bulky, very sturdy.

Abilities: Leatherhead's most immediately apparent ability is his strength. He's got a massive build that allows him to not only dish out a lot of damage — enough to leave craters behind! — but also take a great deal of punishment before being brought low. While an inexperienced combatant compared to the ninja turtles that he's befriended, Leatherhead nonetheless possesses a certain measure of fighting prowess: he knows how to use his body in conjunction with his raw strength to gain an edge during a fight.

He also possesses a very high intelligence and a keenly scientific mind that make him an excellent technician, chemist, physicist, and so on — if he's not Donatello's equal, he can at least keep up with him. (In canon, the two often work on projects together and have developed various gadgets through their joint effort.) Leatherhead also has a particular aptitude when it comes to Utrom technology, as he was raised by the Utroms and worked alongside them for years.

It should also be mentioned that Leatherhead can hold his breath underwater for an extended period of time.

Inventory: Nothing except for his wrist & ankle bandages + purple waist sash.

Suite: Water, please! Leatherhead is an unstable individual, so the relaxed atmosphere of the Water Sector should prove beneficial for him. Any floor is fine.

In-Character Samples:
Third Person: words

Network: