Sh'Okanabo is, according to President Bishop, regarded as a myth, or an alien bogeyman, by many. In reality, he is a dark shapeshifter who attained the title Dread Lord, whose ambition is to cause what is known as "The Day of Awakening" on Earth. To this end, he has executed several plans, both by proxy: an attempted infiltration of O’Neil Tech by assistant Viral; and the successful deactivation of the Terran Defense Grid (by mercenary Torbin Zixx), which allowed him to smuggle his ship to Earth. Given the turtles (incidental) involvement in both plans, he has concluded that they know of The Day of Awakening, and has taken measures to stop them. He stole some of their DNA and created the Dark Turtles.