Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Casey Jones’ Father Hun Returns from the Dead in IDW Comics

Arnold “Hun” Jones, the abusive father of Casey Jones and former leader of the Purple Dragons, is back in the pages of IDW’s Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. His return unfolded across two connected releases: the one-shot Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Hunger #1 and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #23. The character was last seen dying a heroic death in TMNT #100, saving his son’s life. Now, a supernatural storyline has pulled him back into the living world, and his reunion with Casey is anything but peaceful.

Who Hun Is and Why His Return Carries Weight

Hun is not a simple villain. In IDW’s TMNT continuity, he is Casey Jones’ father, a man with a history of abuse toward his son. He also led the Purple Dragons, a street gang that has clashed with the Turtles for years. His death in TMNT #100 came with a measure of redemption: he gave his life to protect Casey. That ending made his return a sharp turn. The character who once chose his son over himself is now back with old ambitions and a far darker edge.

How Hun Came Back in The Hunger and TMNT #23

The return is tied to the story arc “The City That Never Dies,” which breaks the barrier between the living and the dead. Dead characters begin returning to New York City, and many of them are driven by a strange hunger. Hun is among the resurrected, but his focus is different from other returned souls. Instead of chasing life force, he sets out to reclaim control of the Purple Dragons.

The Hunger #1, written by Paul Allor with art by Gavin Smith, follows Hun as he makes his move back into the gang’s leadership. The one-shot also brings Slash and Ninjara into the conflict. Both characters have recently returned from the Battle Nexus, and they stand between Hun and Mutant Town.

The reunion with Casey lands in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #23, written by Gene Luen Yang with art by Fero Peniche. The issue ends with Hun facing his son directly. The final line is short and loaded:

“How ya doin’, son?” Hun asks Casey Jones in the cliffhanger ending to Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #23. “Long time no see,” he adds.

That moment places Casey, the Turtles, and the Jones family at the center of the arc’s biggest emotional conflict.

The Creative Team Behind the Return

Two creative teams handled Hun’s comeback across the two releases.

Paul Allor wrote The Hunger #1, with Gavin Smith on art and Luis Antonio Delgado on colors. The one-shot focuses on how Hun and Slash react to the same resurrected world in opposite ways. Allor’s script places Hun’s predatory instinct next to Slash’s search for peace.

Gene Luen Yang wrote the main TMNT issue that brings Hun face to face with Casey. Fero Peniche provided the art for TMNT #23. The issue is the penultimate chapter of “The City That Never Dies,” which means Hun’s return is not a one-scene shock. It feeds directly into the arc’s final conflict.

What Fans Are Saying About Hun’s Comeback

Fan response has been split, and that split is part of the story. On League of Comic Geeks, The Hunger #1 holds a “Mostly Positive” rating from 176 ratings. Some readers welcomed the return as a strong use of a classic villain.

“Also Hun is back baby! Glad the hunger one shot is so important. I’m just Stoked about the ending man. Really great issue. Peak tmnt baby,” wrote Chobis2166 in a review of TMNT #23.

Other readers questioned the choice to bring Hun back as a villain after his redemptive death. One reviewer on League of Comic Geeks said the arc’s habit of resurrecting dead characters risks undoing earlier character growth. That tension—between a dramatic comeback and the weight of Hun’s original sacrifice—is central to how the return is being received.

Release Details for Readers

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Hunger #1 arrived on September 30, 2026. The one-shot runs 40 pages and carries a cover price of $5.99.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #23 released on October 14, 2026. The issue is part of IDW’s ongoing TMNT series and serves as the second-to-last chapter of “The City That Never Dies”.

For readers following the arc, the two releases form a direct chain. The Hunger #1 shows Hun’s resurrection and his move on the Purple Dragons. TMNT #23 brings that thread into the main book and puts Casey in the path of his returned father.

What Hun’s Return Means for the Jones Family

Hun’s comeback is not only a villain problem. It is a family problem. Casey spent years dealing with the damage of his father’s abuse, and Hun’s death in TMNT #100 gave the character a complicated closing note: a final act of protection for his son. The resurrection reopens that wound.

In The Hunger #1, Hun’s time in the afterlife does not soften him. The solicitation text describes him as “always quick to anger,” with an afterlife that “has done little to mellow him”. His return is framed as a takeover attempt, not a redemption tour. For Casey, that means confronting a father who once died for him and is now back as a threat.

The emotional stakes also extend to April O’Neil. TMNT #23 places April in the middle of the chaos, and Casey’s mother becomes part of the issue’s tragic turns. The Jones family story is not isolated from the wider Turtles family, which raises the pressure on Casey as the arc moves toward its finale.

Other Dead Characters Returning in The City That Never Dies

Hun is the headline return, but he is not the only character pulled back into the story. Slash and Ninjara are both recent returns from the Battle Nexus, and they become the main resistance against Hun’s Purple Dragons in The Hunger #1. The arc also brings back other dead residents of New York, creating a citywide crisis for the Turtles.

That wider wave of returns matters because it changes the scale of Hun’s comeback. Hun is not a lone resurrection with a personal grudge. He is part of a larger supernatural event that the Turtles are already struggling to contain. TMNT #23 ends with the Turtles and Casey on a collision course with Hun and a mixed force of the living and the dead.

Also Read: The Masked Singer: Queen Corgi’s Sudden Exit Steals the Show on Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Night

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