Warning: SPOILERS for Mighty Morphin Power Rangers #100When initially introduced into Power Rangers lore and their powers were first revealed, it appeared as though the Death Ranger was virtually unbeatable. Death Ranger has served as the main villain of the massive Power Rangers comics event Charge To 100, but they finally meet their end in an ingenious way at the conclusion of the crossover.
The Death Ranger was formerly Spa'ark, the original Gold Omega Ranger. The notion of death was something foreign to Spa'ark and their species, to the point that the concept perplexed them. This confusion soon became an obsession that they wanted to correct by "curing" death. This and a series of questionable experiments eventually led to Spa'ark becoming the Death Ranger, adopting the ability to control both life and death. They can even use their abilities to possess living beings, turning them into undead versions of themselves. In addition, the Death Ranger can bring the dead back to life, albeit as zombified versions of their former selves.
Going into the landmark 100th issue of Mighty Morphin Power Rangers by Ryan Parrott and several artists (Marco Renna, Moisés Hidalgo, Hendry Prasetya, Danielle Di Nicuolo, Eleonora Carlini, Francesco Mortarino, Miguel Mercado, and Dan Mora), the Rangers are fighting a seemingly unwinnable battle against the Death Ranger and their undead army. Physically, the Rangers are outmatched, but the Death Ranger finally meets defeat after possessing the Red Omega Ranger Jason. The Red Space Ranger Andros is able to pull Jason and the Death Ranger into the Morphin Grid itself. Using the power of every Morpher he has wielded before, Jason is able to destroy the Death Ranger's Morpher. This both frees Jason from the Death Ranger's control and severs Spa'ark's connection to the Morphin Grid, defeating them once and for all.
The Death Ranger Meets a Satisfying End
From both a character perspective and a storytelling perspective, what the Red Ranger does is a smart move. Character-wise, this is enough to remind readers that not every battle in Ranger history is won by pure strength. Sometimes, a battle demands Rangers to use their brains instead of their brawn and this is a prime example of that notion.
Meanwhile, from a storytelling perspective, this is the best way creatively that Parrott could have come up with that does not undermine the character of the Death Ranger, or undermine their powers. That can be the most difficult thing about writing for a villain like this. A writer can successfully make a villain appear both as a threat and virtually unstoppable, but writing a means for the protagonist to finally stop them that doesn't feel overly convenient can be a challenge for a writer. It isn't satisfying for readers to see a villain like the Death Ranger defeated by way of a deus ex machina or a means that doesn't feel rewarding for those who paid attention to the story. The Power Rangers beating the metaphysical part of the Death Ranger by means of the Morphin Grid is a pretty brilliant twist.