Dr. Seymour Gutz - TMNT Mutant Mayhem

After a month of attempting to figure out his design, I've finally completed my Mutant Mayhem version of Seymour Gutz, aka Mutagen Man.

Instead of portraying Seymour as a delivery guy from the 1987 TMNT or as Timothy, the TMNT enthusiast, I've reimagined him as a scientist working for TCRI, tasked with researching the mutagen left behind by the Turtle's milking machine. During his analysis, Cynthia Utrom took it upon herself to test the ooze by pouring it inside Seymour's biohazard suit. The result was catastrophic—his body dissolved almost instantly. Cynthia, believing him dead, ordered her guards to dispose of what remained. But after they left, Seymour was reanimated in a new, horrifying form. Now, his biohazard suit is the only thing keeping his grotesque mix of pulsating flesh and exposed bone together.

In designing Mutagen Man, my goal was to create a figure that is both terrifying and distinctly human. I began with the conventional appearance of the 1987 Mutagen Man as a reference and incorporated elements from various sources, including images of zombies, biohazard suits, zombies in hazmat suits, and skulls that I found on Pinterest.

I started with the skull, making it appear as though the flesh was slowly peeling off, creating the effect that the mutagen is continuously consuming him. His extraordinarily large brain protrudes from the skull, while his heart, lungs, and other organs are concealed within the suit and the SCBA tank. His eyes, unattached from their sockets, float around inside the suit. The suit itself has a rip where the mutagen was poured in, and it’s deformed and leaking.

Mutagen Man's posture is slumped, his upper body hunched forward as if the weight of the mutagen is almost too much for the suit to support. He moves slowly, deliberately, with a disturbing lack of fluidity. Each step causes his upper body to lurch forward as though something unseen is pulling him. When he reaches out or makes a gesture, his movements are jerky and erratic.

The trauma of his transformation has left his once logical mind twisted, leading to unpredictable, zombie-like behavior. Despite his grotesque appearance, he remains intelligent and retains some of his original identity. However, his voice is now raspy and hoarse, a result of the damage inflicted on his vocal cords during his transformation.

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year, fellas.

TMNT © Nickelodeon
Art © Sowells