Power Rangers played up the mystery during the character's initial appearance, so who did the original Gold Ranger turn out to be? Mighty Morphin Power Rangers debuted in 1993 and became an instant, worldwide success. The show pulled its fight footage from Japanese series Super Sentai and the premise finds five teenagers tasked by Zordon to become Power Rangers to battle the sorceress Rita Repulsa and her minions. The Power Rangers can also pilot mechs knows as Zords, which they can combine into a giant, Voltron-style mecha known as the Megazord.
The show was such a success in the 1990s it spawned toys, comics, and video games. The show also received a high-profile movie with 1995's Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: The Movie, and while Paul Freeman (Indiana Jones And The Raiders Of The Lost Ark) received good reviews for his hammy turn as villain Ivan Ooze, the movie itself was met with a mostly negative reception. That said, it was a solid hit and later received a sequel with 1997's Turbo: A Power Rangers Movie, which proved to be a flop. The property was rebooted with 2017's Power Rangers, featuring a darker tone and a cast that boosted Bryan Cranston and Elizabeth Banks (Brightburn). While it was expected to launch a new franchise it ultimately underperformed.
The Power Rangers TV series never went away, however, and is currently on its 26th season with Power Rangers Beast Morphers. One longstanding tradition of the show is the introduction of a sixth Power Ranger to the core group, who dons a different color to the rest of the team. In Power Rangers Zeo, the show's fourth season, fans were introduced to the Gold Ranger. This mysterious fighter seemingly appears out of nowhere to bail the group out of a jam, before disappearing again. There were multiple suspects for who was really behind the Gold Ranger's helmet, including Blue Ranger Billy Cranston and David Trueheart.
Power Rangers Zeo eventually reveals the character to be an alien called Trey of Triforia. Triforia is a planet where everyone is an identical triplet, and the character is played by real-life triplets Tim, Ted, and Tom DiFilippo. The trio merges to become the Gold Ranger, but when Trey is injured, former Red Ranger Jason Lee Scott inherits his powers to become the new Gold Ranger.
Supposedly, the character of the Gold Ranger was originally supposed to be a crossover with another Saban series VR Troopers. The character of Ryan Steele would have been revealed to be the Gold Ranger on Power Rangers Zeo, which is supported by the fact Steele's performer Brad Hawkins voiced the Gold Ranger. Other characters would don the mantle of the Gold Ranger on later series of Power Rangers too, including Levi Weston and Gem.