"Only a true genius could choreograph this many betrayals and double-crosses."
―Baron Draxum
Baron Draxum, or always simply known as Draxum by his last name, is a Yōkai who desires to take over Earth's surface by mutating all the humans for his mutant army. He serves as the main antagonist of the first season and the central antagonist-turned-tetartagonist of the second season.
Physical appearance[]
Draxum is a caprid Yōkai with long straight red hair, bright orange sclerae, teal cloven hooves, and a large, muscular figure. He wears a dark teal bodysuit (with a black collar and legs) with teal spots on his sleeves, a breastplate and a large black and teal belt with gold trim, a dark teal loincloth, matching spiked gauntlets with gold trim and attached to the back of his belt is a teal train, and a gold mask with a turquoise face panel and a pair of gold horns with geometric engravings on them.
Without his mask and bodysuit, Draxum has caprid ears, a dark purple nose, red mutton chop sideburns, and orange eyes. He has a dark pink body and dark purple cloven hooves.
His season 2 appearance debuts in "The Hidden City's Most Wanted". He styles his hair half up in a bun and is clean-shaven. He dons a white kimono-like garment with teal and turquoise trim, two blue-green pauldrons, and a black hair tie.
Personality[]
Draxum is a visionary with eccentric ambition and he takes himself and his work seriously. He has a confidence that teeters into arrogance, referring to himself as "the great Baron Draxum" and expecting near reverence from others. He is so loyal to his own ideas that he is willing to conduct outlawed science and kill his own meddling creations to realize them.
Draxum can be cruel and deceptive. He lies to both Warren Stone and Hypno-Potamus and plays them against each other in order to possess a mystic gauntlet and to Splinter about the state of the Turtles. Despite his cunning and because of his warrior identity, Draxum often utilizes violence and brute force to achieve his goals.
His care for Yōkai comes at the cost of Draxum resenting humans and wanting to be rid of them in the interests of Yōkai as a whole. He has a self-righteous air in this way. However, Draxum has come to be more sympathetic towards humans since moving to New York City, seen in his developing friendship with April O'Neil.
Draxum's impatient streak is spurred by his high value for efficiency and sense of entitlement such as in "How to Make Enemies and Bend People to Your Will" where he refuses to stand in line to order at a café. He is also theatrical, shown in his dark manner of speech, wardrobe, vast laboratory, and overall dramatic posing.
Due to his pride, it is hard for Draxum to admit he is wrong and to any wrongdoing he may have committed. He often rejects support from others because he thinks he is too good for it such as in "Repairin' the Baron" when Draxum vehemently asserts that he doesn't need Michelangelo's help despite clearly benefiting from it. When he does require help from others, he prefers to order those helping him around.
Draxum makes efforts to maintain an intimidating image thus he is not known for tenderness and is usually physically distant.
Powers and Abilities[]
Powers[]
- Chlorokinesis: Draxum's mystic powers allow him to use hand-held activator cells of varying properties to rapidly grow vines and wield a glue-like substance to wholly restrict his opponent's movement when hit with it. However, Draxum is not beholden to using activator cells, able harness these abilities without them as long as they are mystic plants summoned himself.
- Vine manipulation: Draxum can masterfully choreograph several mystic vines at once to weaponize them, provide him with increased mobility and sight, and grapple and capture objects/opponents. Draxum can also dictate the size of his vines from pencil-thin to gigantic and any size in between.
- Organic constructs: Draxum can fashion himself armor such as gauntlets out of plant-like substances for elevated defense and manipulate their form into a saber shape to be used offensively. His organic gauntlets also magnify the power behind Draxum's strikes, shown to be capable of creating large craters in the ground while wearing them. He can also create organic creatures to carry out tasks.
- Golem creation: Using activator cells, Draxum can summon gigantic golems to obey him.
- Portal creation: Draxum can create portals to teleport from one location to another.
- Telekinesis: Draxum has been shown capable of mentally manipulating objects: cups, and a pillar. However, this ability seems to be somewhat petty as Draxum struggled to manipulate the pillar.
Abilities[]
- Genius intellect: Draxum has an exceptionally high level of intelligence. His ability to analyze subjects and concentrate allow him to invent solutions at an enhanced degree and he possesses a high capacity for learning shown in his wealth of knowledge in mystic powers and science.
- Alchemy: Draxum has acquired considerable knowledge in alchemy, creating his own strain of ooze to mutate animals and humans from their original state that is capable of heightening their previous abilities and bestowing them new ones.
- Strength: Draxum has exhibited remarkable physical strength.
- Agility: Draxum possesses notable speed and has even been shown to be able to keep up with Splinter's exceptional burst of speed in their attack on the Shredder.
- Durability: Draxum has heightened durability allowing him to withstand being crushed under a large piece of rubble and quickly recover from being forced through multiple floors of a building.
Relationships[]
Family[]
- Leonardo - Creation
- Raphael - Creation
- Donatello - Creation
- Michelangelo - Creation
Allies[]
- Huginn & Muninn - Former Minions
- Todd Capybara
- April O'Neil - Former Enemy
- Hamato Yoshi - Former Enemy
- Cassandra Jones - Former Teammate, Former Enemy
Enemies[]
- Mayhem
- Big Mama
- Warren Stone - Former Teammate
- Hypno-Potamus - Former Teammate
- The Foot Clan
- The Shredder
- Foot Lieutenant - Former Teammate/Boss
- Foot Brute - Former Teammate/Boss
- Guardsmen - Former Bounty Hunters
- Stewart - Test Subject
- Council of Heads
Trivia[]
- Draxum is the second villain to be the main antagonist of a TMNT TV series aside from the Shredder.
- The first villain to do so was the Dragon Lord from Ninja Turtles: The Next Mutation.
- Although one of Draxum's official bios refers to him as being a mutant, he is confirmed to be a Yōkai.
- Draxum is very skilled at playing Rock, Paper, Scissors.
- It was revealed in August 2020 by Rise of the TMNT writer Russ Carney in a Tweet that Draxum may be "a couple hundred years old".
- It was always planned by Rise of the TMNT co-executive producers Andy Suriano and Ant Ward that Draxum would become an ally of the Mad Dogs after donning the Kuroi Yōroi.
- However, it was revealed in December 2020 by Rise of the TMNT writer Ron Corcillo in a Tweet that, "But how [Draxum becoming an ally] played out definitely developed over time, especially his relationship with Splinter. [Andy Suriano] was a big advocate of the 2 dads dynamic that played so well.".
- When asked where Draxum got his mystic weapons that the Turtles steal in "Mystic Mayhem" in July 2022, Rise of the TMNT writer Corcillo answered in a Tweet, "Draxum is a warrior who played a big role in the security of the Hidden City, so many of the yokai's most important weapons were entrusted to him.".