Shattered Grid, the first Power Rangers comic event, is coming to a close this week – but that doesn’t mean the story is over yet. Mighty Morphin Power Rangers will continue from BOOM! Studios with a new creative team and an all-new, all-different cast of Rangers in Beyond the Grid. If you’re someone who never watched beyond the original series or need a reminder about some of these returning characters, check out these classic episodes from across the entire Power Rangers mythology.
Tanya
Rita Repulsa and Lord Zedd finally did it and defeated the Power Rangers and turned them into children. While the Alien Rangers of Aquitar looked after Angel Grove, Tommy, Billy, and the others traveled through time in search of the a new source of power – Zeo Crystal. Aisha, the Yellow Ranger, found her crystal in Africa where she decided to stay and help out. She sends a young girl named Aisha back to the present where she joins the others as the Yellow Zeo Ranger.
It’s such a bizarre sequence of events. A little girl teleported to another continent in the future and then turned into a teenager? Even as a kid I didn’t really understand how that was supposed to work and was really confused when Tanya was treated like just another American teenager two episodes later. Although considering the comic’s time-bending multiverses, Tanya fits right in!
Key Tanya Episodes
Hogday Afternoon – The origin of how Tanya left Africa and joined the Rangers. This is the last episode of Mighty Morphin Power Rangers. Tanya’s origin continues in A Zeo Beginning, the first episode of Power Rangers Zeo.
The Lore of Auric – Tanya tracks down her parents
Andros
Andros and his sister Karone were born on the human space colony of KO-35. When they were just children, Karone was kidnapped leaving Andros alone. Eventually, Andros became the Red Space Ranger. He and Earth’s former Turbo Rangers form a new team of Space Rangers in a search for Zordon and while being thwarted by the dark princess Astronema.
Andros’s search for his sister is the emotional heart of Power Rangers In Space. Early plot details about the upcoming comics already ensure that it will continue to be a big part of his story as he proves he’ll do anything to find her.
Key Andros Episodes
From Out of Nowhere – the premiere two-parter the introduces Andros.
Never Stop Searching – Andros returns to KO-35 in search of his sister.
Flashes of Darkonda – Andros learns the truth about who kidnapped Karone.
The Secret of the Locket – The fate of Karone is revealed. The four episodes immediately following this tell an extended arc about the two.
Countdown to Destruction – The series finale wraps up Andros’s quest for his sister.
Mike
Mike was a soldier aboard Terra Venture, a space station and human colony that left Earth in search of a new home. A series of events led to Mike to a planet called Mirinoi where he and four others pulled the legendary Quasar Sabers from a stone amidst an alien invasion. During the battle, Mike fell into a crevice and was presumed dead, but not before handing off his Saber to his brother Leo. Leo and the others went on to become the new Power Rangers.
Mike eventually returned, having survived the fall on Mirinoi after his body was possessed by a celestial warrior known as the Magna Defender. After the Magna Defender sacrifices himself, Mike’s body is released and he takes on the powers and mantle of the Magna Defender.
Key Mike Episodes
Quasar Quest – The series premiere introduces us to Mike and his relationship with Leo as well as his eventual fall in the battle on Mirinoi.
The Magna Defender – The Rangers meet The Magna Defender, a mysterious anti-hero who holds a grudge against Scorpius, the season’s big-bad, for killing his son.
Redemption Day & Destined For Greatness – These two episodes reveal that The Magna Defender’s spirit is simply possessing Mike’s body. The Magna Defender sacrifices himself and then Mike takes over his powers.
Escape the Lost Galaxy – Mike’s final battle as the Magna Defender.
Cam
Deep in the mountains, secret ninja academies train our future protectors. Ancient scrolls told of three who would be chosen above the others. Three who would become Power Rangers Ninja Storm. Cam’s father is the head teacher at the Wind Ninja Academy and although he grew up surrounded by ninjas, Cam was never allowed to train as one and buried himself in computers instead.
When the evil space ninja Lothor captures all but three of the Wind Academy students and turns his father into a guinea pig, Cam steps up as the Rangers’ technical assistant. But when the Rangers need a little extra help, Cam goes on a journey through time and discovers the truth about his family and becomes a Ranger of his own.
Key Cam Episodes
Prelude to a Storm – The premiere introduces us to Cam and his desire to train as a ninja despite his father refusing it.
The Samurai’s Journey – This three-parter tells of Cam’s travel to the past to become the Green Samurai Ranger. There he also learns the truth about his family, their connection to Lothor, and the reason why he was never allowed to train as a ninja.
Storm Before The Calm – The series finale shows Sam’s final encounter with Lothor.
Heckyl
Heckyl’s journey to become a Power Ranger might be one of the most unique of the bunch. For one thing: we haven’t actually seen him become a Ranger yet! He was introduced at the end of the first season of Dino Charge as a mysterious new villain who went on to take control of the evil forces the following season.
With a whopping ten Rangers, Dino Charge already had a huge cast. But fans spotted a few clues hidden in the Dino Charge toys that lead many to believe that a movie exclusive Kyoryuger Ranger form would be adapted as an eleventh Ranger. Heckyl was everyone’s first choice. And yet, this hypothetical Ranger never came to pass. The new creative team is clearly throwing fans a bone with this one. We’ll see Heckyl’s origin as a Ranger in an upcoming comic issue, but he does have a greatest hits list too.
Key Heckyl Episodes
Wishing For a Hero – The penultimate episode of Dino Charge introduces us to our weird and mysterious future villain and future hero.
When Evil Stirs – The premiere of Dino Supercharge fully introduces Heckyl as the new leader of the alien villains searching for the Rangers’ Energems. The episode immediately after that, Forgive and Forget, has some great Heckyl stuff too.
Wings of Danger – The true origin of Heckyl is revealed. Pretty much every episode after that, except for the skippable Worgworld, detail the truth about Heckyl and his eventual redemption as a hero.
Ranger Slayer
This is a comics-exclusive character and one that readers of Go Go Power Rangers should be very familiar with by now, although she hasn’t had much of an appearance in Mighty Morphin Power Rangers yet. In the alternate future where Tommy turned truly evil, we have known that Tommy and Bill are dead and Trini and Zack lead the “Coinless” resistance. But we never heard what happened to Coinless Kim.
From GGPR #9 through #12, each of the Shattered Grid tie-in issues begins with a few pages depicting what happened to the Kimberly from Drakkon’s world and how she eventually became his Ranger Slayer. Those issues also feature Ranger Slayer interacting with the GGPR team on her search for Lord Drakkon.
You can read the Ranger Slayer’s story in Go Go Power Rangers Vol.3, which you can pre-order here. However, that doesn’t come out until April and Beyond the Grid may very well have wrapped up by then. So if you want to read up on her story you’ll have to pick up the back issues at your local comic shop or your favorite digital service – they’re on Hoopla for free too.
So there we have it, the origins to our six new Mighty Morphin Power Rangers. At first glance, it’s a random bunch. I trust that the new creative team had a great reason for choosing them and I can’t wait to see what happens.
Beyond the Grid begins with Mighty Morphin Power Rangers #31 in stores September 26.
