(Screencap Provider & Creative Consultant: ShadowRay22)
Representation matters, and in 2020, it’s more important than ever. Seeing your identity on-screen is so affirming, and at often times it can be life saving. Children’s shows especially have finally started highlighting queer characters and storylines—shows such as Andi Mack, Steven Universe, The Loud House, Voltron, She-Ra and the Princess of Power, and even My Little Pony. Kids need to see themselves represented in media. They should be able to see a character that looks like them, a character that talks like them, a character that loves like them. They should be able to see that and know that nothing is wrong with them.
While queer rep in media is on the rise, the Power Rangers brand as a whole still lacks the level of queer inclusivity we desperately need. The BOOM! comics have given us more queer rep in a few issues than the show has in 27 years. Even the 2017 reboot gave us a vaguely queer Trini. But the show itself has yet to go beyond mere subtext. Imagine how groundbreaking it would be to have a storyline of a Ranger struggling with their sexuality, and coming out to their team who then fully embraces them. The impact that would have on the show’s audience—and pop culture, in general—would be monumental.
I hope the show’s writing evolves enough to include a queer character and storyline in the very near future. But for now, I’d like to highlight the canon queer characters we have seen from the franchise, and a few characters that I believe to be queer-coded.
CANON QUEER CHARACTERS
ARI & REMI (BEYOND THE GRID)
Ari & Remi, the Purple and Orange Solar Rangers, are a confirmed queer couple from the MMPR BOOM! Studios comics. They first appeared in Issues #31-39, which was subtitled Beyond the Grid, and most recently in Issue #50, the final issue of the Necessary Evil arc. After the Solar Rangers defeated The Praetor and the other Rangers returned to their dimension, Ari & Remi began a search for new members of their team.
TRINI (2017 REBOOT)
Trini from the 2017 Power Rangers reboot, played by acclaimed singer/songwriter Becky G, made history by being the first queer superhero ever seen in a big-budget movie. During a bonfire scene in which the Rangers all open up to each another, Trini silently admits to having “girlfriend problems.” It’s a small acknowledgment of the character’s queerness, however, it was still groundbreaking at the time to finally see a confirmed queer character not only in the franchise, but in a mainstream superhero film.
QUEER-CODED CHARACTERS
MAYA & KENDRIX MORGAN (LOST GALAXY)
Maya (played by Cerina Vincent) and Kendrix Morgan (played by Valerie Vernon) are the Yellow and Pink Galaxy Rangers, respectively. Episodes with moments of queer subtext between the two include: “Orion Rising,” where Maya eats the birthday cake that Kendrix made for Damon; “Memories of Mirinoi,” in which a monster disguises herself as Maya’s childhood friend from Mirinoi, Shondra, and Kendrix grows extremely jealous of them; and “Protect the Quasar Saber,” where we see Maya deal with the emotional aftermath of Kendrix’s sacrifice.
KELSEY WINSLOW (LIGHTSPEED RESCUE)
Kelsey Winslow (played by Sasha Craig) is the Yellow Lightspeed Ranger. In the episode “Riding the Edge,” Kelsey becomes infatuated with an astronaut named Nancy.
DANNY DELGADO & MAX COOPER (WILD FORCE)
Danny Delgado (played by Jack Guzman) and Max Cooper (played by Phillip Jeanmarie) are the Black and Blue Wild Force Rangers, respectively. While Danny and Max are nearly inseparable the entire season, there’s clear subtext in the episode “Never Give Up,” where Max is jealous that Danny is crushing on a girl named Kendall. Also, in the season finale, the two travel the world together.
VIDA ROCCA (MYSTIC FORCE)
Vida Rocca (played by Angie Diaz) is the Pink Mystic Ranger. In the season finale, Xander makes a comment that “Leelee’s mom is hot,” and Vida nods in agreement.
SCOTT TRUMAN & DILLON (RPM)
Scott Truman (played by Eka Darville) and Dillon (played by Dan Ewing) are Ranger Operator Series Red and Black, respectively. In “Brother’s Keeper,” the two are chained together, with Scott showering and Dillon handing him his loofa. Also, in “The Dome Dolls,” they pass out and are seen holding hands.
JAYDEN SHIBA & ANTONIO GARCIA (SAMURAI/SUPER SAMURAI)
Jayden Shiba (played by Alex Heartman) and Antonio Garcia (played by Steven Skyler) are the Red and Gold Samurai Rangers, respectively. Jayden and Antonio were childhood friends, and when Antonio returns as the Gold Ranger in “Unexpected Arrival,” the two have a very homoerotic reunion, with Antonio saying, “Believe it, baby, I’m back! And I’m ready for some action.”
KEVIN & MIKE (SAMURAI/SUPER SAMURAI)
Kevin (played by Najee De-Tiege) and Mike (played by Hector David Jr.) are the Blue and Green Samurai Rangers, respectively. In the Super Samurai episode, “A Sticky Situation,” the pair is stuck together. There’s a scene of them doing the Waltz in the park, with Mike taking the lead.
GIA MORAN & EMMA GOODALL (MEGAFORCE/SUPER MEGAFORCE)
Gia Moran (played by Ciara Hanna) and Emma Goodall (played by Christina Masterson) are the Yellow and Pink Megaforce Rangers, respectively. Like Danny and Max, Gia and Emma are inseparable in both of their seasons. The most notable subtext between the two occurs in “United We Stand,” where Gia and Emma turn into enemies, but they make up by the end of the episode.
CHASE RANDALL & RILEY GRIFFIN (DINO CHARGE/DINO SUPER CHARGE)
Chase Randall (played by James Davies) and Riley Griffin (played by Michael Taber) are the Black and Green Dino Charge Rangers, respectively. Chase and Riley are my personal favorite queer-coded characters, as you can spot subtext between the two in nearly every Dino Charge episode. More specifically, “The Tooth Hurts” features the two bickering like an old married couple, and the episode ends with Riley opening up to Chase about people making assumptions about him, and they were “mostly wrong ones.”
RAVI SHAW (BEAST MORPHERS)
Ravi Shaw (played by Jazz Baduwalia) is the Blue Beast Morphers Ranger. In the Season 1 episode “Gorilla Art,” we learn that Ravi is an artist, but he’s hiding it from his mom out of fear that he’ll disappoint her. This storyline continues in the Season 2 episode “Artist Anonymous,” where Ravi admits to his mom that he loves to paint, and she realizes her mistakes and accepts him as he is. Additionally, in the Season 2 sports special, “Boxed In,” Ravi is very excited about seeing men lifting weights, to the point where he gets frustrated with the other Rangers about missing the event.
HONORABLE MENTION
HAYLEY ZIKTOR (DINO THUNDER)
Hayley Ziktor (played by Ismay Johnston) was the team’s technical advisor. While never shown to be queer during the season, Jackie Marchand confirmed in an interview with the Toku Ladies Podcast that they intended to include a subtextual scene in the season finale that would make her a lesbian. Sadly, it was cut for time.
CLOSING THOUGHTS
Admittedly, Power Rangers has many more queer-coded characters than it does canon ones. That’s a problem. For a show that prides itself on being all about diversity and teamwork and accepting everyone for who they are, it’s honestly baffling that the show has never featured an explicitly queer character and storyline. While it’s great that queer people—like myself, and many others—can read between the lines and see themselves in a character that isn’t explicitly stated to be queer, we need actual representation if we’re going to see any real progress. I would love for Hasbro to include a queer Ranger in Dino Fury, which is slated to premiere in early 2021. Like I stated at the beginning of this article, it would be so historic to see a Ranger struggling with their sexuality and coming out to their team, and possibly even forging a romance with another Ranger.
The world is constantly changing, for better or worse. I used to think that we would never see any queer characters in Power Rangers. But then we got Trini from the 2017 movie. And then we got Ari and Remi from Beyond the Grid. And that’s just the beginning. I hope Hasbro realizes how powerful of a message it would be to include queer rep in the franchise going forward. The time for LGBTQ+ rep in Power Rangers isn’t in a few years, or somewhere else down the line.
The time is now.
“We can’t change the past, but we can work for a better future.” —Jen Scotts, Power Rangers Time Force
