Warning: Contains SPOILERS for Mighty Morphin Power Rangers #104When it comes to the villains of BOOM! StudiosMighty Morphin Power Rangers lore, the recently returned Rita Repulsa is one of the most iconic, and possibly the most tragic. But just because Rita – now Mistress Vile – claims her spot as the Rangers’ original foe, that doesn’t mean she’s done so alone. Despite her poisonous prominence, she’s far from the only alien adversary the Teenagers with Attitude have faced over the years.

In their battle against the Power Rangers, Rita’s minions have become arguably as iconic as she has. But the secrets behind their relationship with their dark mistress have never been revealed. And Mighty Morphin Power Rangers #104 totally repaints her relationship with her underlings in a heartbreaking new light. Her minions were not people she enslaved or creatures she created, but instead were those she felt a connection to.

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Rita Repulsa Makes Her Entourage Grow

Rita Repulsa Power Rangers Minions

Mighty Morphin Power Rangers #104 by Melissa Flores, Kath Lobo, and Simona De Gianfelice finds Mistress Vile revealing her origin as Rita Repulsa – including the recruitment of her dark minions along the way. Kidnapped from her mother at a young age before being rejected and pawned off to Lord Zedd by her evil overlord father, Rita's origin as the Power Rangers' ultimate foe sees her recruit such classic minions as Goldar, Finster, and more, with each dark disciple more broken and lost than the last. Referring to her quest, she even says, “I grew my army. Finding strays in every world who needed a guiding touch or a stern hand.” Mistress Vile may not be the most magnanimous master, but the fact that she couldn’t help but take in these "strays" could definitely reform how fans view the dynamic of their relationships.

Time and time again, Rita Repulsa has been downright abusive to many of her fellow members of the Rangers’ rogues gallery. While such cruelty is in her nature as an enemy of the Power Rangers, there’s something to be said for the way she sought to give these lost souls what she deemed to be a much-needed structure. After all, the respective isolating origins of her dark minions reflects the rejection she felt at the hands of her own father and repeatedly at the hands of Lord Zedd.

The Power Rangers’ Most Tragic Foe

Rita Repulsa on the cover of Mighty Morphin Power Rangers 101

This in no way excuses Rita Repulsa’s abhorrent treatment of her evil entourage. But the fact that she chose to give power to the alone and downtrodden suggests a hidden desire to help those in need much like the Power Rangers. And with this desire comes a potential for good long thought buried by her cruel upbringing.

Rita Repulsa, now Mistress Vile, is one of the Power Rangers' most evil villains. But based on her background, she’s also one of their most tragic. But if Rita Repulsa's warped sense of salvation towards her old cronies is any indication, BOOM! Studios' Mighty Morphin Power Rangers may yet find some good within her.

More: Power Rangers: Zordon & Zedd's History Will Blow the Minds of 90s Fans

Mighty Morphin Power Rangers #104 is on sale now from BOOM! Studios