Quite a few of the stages this time around seem to be referencing specific episodes in comparison to the original game (which I'm not opposed to).
By far, Manny is my most exciting pick this time around. Totally underrated show, and his powerset is really cool.
I'm m sure I'm still going to love the game even with cuts, though I still think they need to keep them as minimal as possible. Like, no more than four or five total, in my opinion, is really acceptable (unless they're planning to do them as free post launch updates like Garfield and Shredder in the first game, though I don't see that as super likely).
I'd be most okay with Lincoln, Shredder, Sandy, Hugh, and Helga getting axed if they had to cut five, though I think the cuts are likely going to be Oblina, CatDog, PTM, and Shredder.