Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: Once & Always, the long-awaited Power Rangers reunion, can solve multiple mysteries regarding the original show and the saga. While some of the Mighty Morphin Rangers returned after the Zordon Era, Once & Always will be the first Mighty Morphin-focused Power Rangers release since the classic show ended. With 30 years of Power Rangers lore to address, nailing the Power Rangers reunion in terms of canon can be difficult.
The Power Rangers franchise was not always too focused on worldbuilding and keeping a strict, solid canon. There have been multiple Power Rangers retcons to explain why this or that Ranger could return, not to mention several Power Rangers events that directly contradicted something previously established. Still, recent Power Rangers shows such as Dino Fury are way more mindful of canon and lore, increasing the expectation for the Power Rangers reunion. Here are the 10 biggest questions Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: Once & Always can answer.
Are The Power Rangers Comics Canon To The TV Shows?
Perhaps the biggest question Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: Once & Always can answer is whether the BOOM! Power Rangers comics are considered canon to the TV shows. The Power Rangers comics are mostly set during Mighty Morphin Power Rangers, and they acknowledge the show's events. The only difference is that the Power Rangers comics place the events of Mighty Morphin during the present day as if Zordon and Alpha picked the five teenagers with attitude during the 2020s rather than the 1990s. Still, the Power Rangers comics ask the reader to remember the show's events, with the stories working as an “expanded tie-in” between the MMPR episodes.
Some concepts from the Power Rangers comics have been referenced in recent Power Rangers seasons, such as Dino Fury, yet whether the events of the comics happened in the TV show canon remains to be seen. Considering that the Power Rangers comics dove into the Mighty Morphin era and added a lot to the lore and the characters, the Power Rangers reunion will necessarily have to settle the comics’ canon status. For example, Trini and Zack became Omega Rangers in the comics, something that did not exist on the show. Should Power Rangers: Once & Always reference the Omega Rangers, then the BOOM! Power Rangers comics are for sure canon.
What Happened To Zack After Mighty Morphin Power Rangers?
Zack left Zordon’s Power Rangers team in Mighty Morphin Power Rangers season 2’s “The Power Transfer” along with Trini and Jason to participate in a peace conference in Switzerland – Zack never appeared in a Power Rangers TV show again. In the Power Rangers comics, it was revealed that Zack, Trini, and Jason never actually went to the peace conference. Instead, the travel was a cover for their true mission – to become the Omega Rangers with the help of the Blue Emissary. The Power Rangers comics are currently covering the events of Mighty Morphin Power Rangers season 2, and Zack is currently the Omega Black Ranger.
The only mention of what happened to Zack after Mighty Morphin Power Rangers is in Mighty Morphin Power Rangers Pink, a Power Rangers comic focused on Kimberly, which suggested that Zack eventually stopped being an Omega Ranger and that he and Trini were in a relationship. When it comes to the show canon only, there is nothing regarding what happened to Zack after Mighty Morphin Power Rangers season 2. The answer to that question depends on whether Power Rangers: Once & Always will acknowledge the Power Rangers comics.
What Happened To Trini After Mighty Morphin Power Rangers?
What happened to Trini after Mighty Morphin Power Rangers season 2 is a similar question to what happened to Zack. Trini and Zack’s journey were very much the same, from "The Power Transfer” to the events referenced in Power Rangers Pink, always assuming that Power Rangers: Once & Always will consider the comics as canon. Whereas Jason eventually returns to Angel Grove and becomes the Gold Zeo Ranger, Trini and Zack operated as Omega Rangers for quite a while. Still, between the Mighty Morphin era and Trini’s death in Power Rangers: Once & Always, the original Yellow Ranger’s story is a mystery.
When Did Billy Return From Aquitar?
Billy left the Power Rangers of Earth to go to Aquitar during the events of Power Rangers Zeo. Billy had helped the Aquitar Rangers before, and his intelligence could keep up with the alien technology quite fast. The Power Rangers: Once & Always trailer sees Billy as the Blue Ranger on Earth, raising the question of when Billy returned from Aquitar. The Power Rangers trailer also reveals a new Command Center with a design that references the Rangers of Aquitar, and it shows that Billy eventually creates a company – Cranston Technologies. This suggests that Billy has been on Earth for a while now.
What Happened To The Zeo Powers In Power Rangers?
Though not necessarily a Mighty Morphin question, what happened to the Zeo Powers in Power Rangers is one of the franchise’s biggest mysteries. The Zeo Crystals were said to be the greatest source of power in the Power Rangers universe, making the Zeo Rangers arguably the strongest Power Rangers team that ever was. However, during Turbo: A Power Rangers Movie, the Power Rangers simply “shift into Turbo” without explaining what happened to the Zeo Powers. A famous Power Rangers theory is that Billy helped create the Turbo Morphers, which could be referenced and finally settled in Power Rangers: Once & Always.
Who Built Tommy Oliver’s Master Morpher?
Tommy Oliver returned in Power Rangers Super Ninja Steel’s “Dimensions in Danger,” Jason David Frank’s last appearance as Tommy in a Power Rangers show. The legendary Ranger now had a unique morpher – the Master Morpher – which allowed Tommy to transform into each of his previous Power Ranger forms whenever he wanted. The Master Morpher avoided any potential Power Rangers plot holes regarding Tommy Oliver’s transformations, as it offered a much simpler explanation for how Tommy could be the Green Ranger or the Zeo Red Ranger again. Still, not much is known about Tommy’s Master Morpher, and it is possible that Billy helped create it. This could be explained in Once & Always.
When Did Kimberly Become A Power Ranger Again?
Amy Jo Johnson did not return for the Power Rangers reunion, but the Power Rangers: Once & Always trailer suggests that Kimberly will initially be part of the story – with her helmets on. The Pink, Green, and Red Rangers are the only ones that don’t remove their helmets in the initial part of the Once & Always trailer, suggesting that those are Kimberly, Tommy, and Jason. Kimberly left the team toward the end of Mighty Morphin season 3, as she no longer wanted to be a Power Ranger. Kimberly never became a Ranger after that, so it will be interesting to see why Kimberly morphs into the Pink Ranger again.
How Can The Mighty Morphin Rangers Still Access Their Original Powers?
The original Mighty Morphin Power Rangers' Power Coins were destroyed during season 3, which led the Rangers to seek the Ninjeti powers with the help of Ninjor. Destroying the Power Coins created a canon headscratcher for Power Rangers, though, as it should now be impossible for the original Mighty Morphin powers to return. Still, many were the occasions in which the Mighty Morphin Rangers returned throughout the franchise using their original powers. For example, Power Rangers’ Red Ranger Jason returned in both “Forever Red” and “Grid Connection,” using his original Power Coin and morpher. Now, all the Mighty Morphin Power Rangers and their Power Coins are back.
A Power Rangers reunion would never be complete without the classic powers – Mastodon, Pyterodactiuls, Triceratops, Saber-Toothed Tiger, and Tyronasaurs – but how exactly these powers return is a mystery. It could be established that Alpha helped recreate the Power Coins, although some incredible source of energy or magic would have had to be involved. Either way, the classic Power Coins returning in Power Rangers: Once & Always mean that the iconic Mighty Morphin Power Rangers morphing sequence can help in the upcoming Power Rangers reunion.
When Did The Mighty Morphin Power Rangers Get Back Together?
The Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: Once & Always trailer sees the original Rangers operating as a team, which is curious. The original Power Rangers lineup was no more by the second half of Mighty Morphin Power Rangers season 2, as Jason, Zack, and Trini left the team. By the end of Power Rangers Turbo season 1, all the Rangers from Mighty Morphin had left the show. Each of the original Power Rangers followed a different path, and there was no indication in the Power Rangers canon that they ever got back together. Perhaps Rita Repulsa’s return is what brings Zordon’s pupils back.
Did Zordon Really Die In Power Rangers in Space?
Zordon does not appear in the Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: Once & Always trailer, and there is a good reason for it. Zordon died in Power Rangers in Space’s “Countdown to Destruction,” which wrapped up the show and concluded Power Rangers’ Zordon Era. Still, how Zordon works has always been a Power Rangers universe mystery. Zordon’s death in Power Rangers in Space happened after Andros, the Red Ranger, destroyed Zordon’s tube so that all of his good energy could wipe out the bad energy in the universe – redeeming Rita, Lord Zedd, and Astronema in the process. But did Zordon really die, or did he simply lose his physical presence?