Please, Power Rangers, There Are Other Seasons Besides Mighty Morphin

Summary Mighty Morphin has been the focus of Power Rangers for too long, overshadowing other seasons.

Some of the best Power Rangers stories and characters came after the original Mighty Morphin series.

Despite the success and iconic status of Mighty Morphin, other seasons deserve equal love and focus.

Mighty Morphin Power Rangers is the most iconic part of the saga, but the Power Rangers universe is much more than just Zordon and his pupils. Following the reported cancelation of the long-rumored Netflix Power Rangers reboot, I’m interested to see what the next series will be after Power Rangers Cosmic Fury’s ending. 2024 marked the first year without a new Power Rangers season since 2010, during which only a re-edited of Mighty Morphin aired. A hiatus can be good news for Power Rangers given and allow the show to reinvent itself, but the franchise needs more than just Mighty Morphin.

Mighty Morphin, also known as MMPR, premiered 31 years ago in August 1993. Since then, multiple actors and characters have become Power Rangers. The American series has followed the structure of the Super Sentai shows for the most part, with each annual season featuring new characters and a new motif. Every Power Rangers season has a Super Sentai counterpart, with some being more popular than others. While every fan has their favorite season, Mighty Morphin is the common denominator for Power Rangers and has informed the saga’s most important projects for three decades.

Related 15 Best Power Rangers Episodes I Never Get Tired Of Watching Some of the best Power Rangers episodes still hold up many years later, from the introduction of all-time favorite characters to major crossovers.

Mighty Morphin Has Been The Focus Of Power Rangers For Too Long

MMPR Has Had The Most Seasons, Movies, Specials, & Comics

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Mighty Morphin Power Rangers has set the tone for the franchise for over 30 years now, even though the original show ended in 1995 and only got a legacy sequel in 2023 with Once & Always. Naturally, seasons like Zeo and Turbo were very much a Mighty Morphin sequel featuring most of the cast of the original series who were still on the show. That said, Power Rangers has released plenty of seasons since the end of the Zordon Era, none of which are directly tied to Mighty Morphin. However, MMPR continues to be the face of the franchise.

Season Release Year Mighty Morphin 1993 Zeo 1996 Turbo 1997 In Space 1998 Lost Galaxy 1999 Lightspeed Rescue 2000 Time Force 2001 Wild Force 2002 Ninja Storm 2003 Dino Thunder 2004 S.P.D. 2005 Mystic Force 2006 Operation Overdrive 2007 Jungle Fury 2008 R.P.M. 2009 Samurai/Super Samurai 2011 Megaforce/Super Megaforce 2013 Dino Charge/Super Dino Charge 2015 Ninja Steel/ Super Ninja Steel 2017 Beast Morphers 2019 Dino Fury 2021 Cosmic Fury 2023

There is no question that Mighty Morphin is the most recognizable property within Power Rangers and should often be front and center. Still, MMPR has been the focus of the franchise for too long. From newer seasons using portions of the “Go, Go, Power Rangers” theme in their intros to the comics, Power Rangers continues to rely on the popularity of MMPR. Nostalgia has always been part of Power Rangers, but this universe has more to offer than just Mighty Morphin. I would like to see other seasons being in the spotlight too regarding new projects and adaptations.

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Other Power Rangers Seasons Deserve The Same Love As Mighty Morphin

Some Of The Greatest Power Rangers Stories Came After MMPR

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The Power Rangers chronology currently includes 30 seasons, of which the first three are Mighty Morphin. Even when considering that Zeo and the first half of Turbo are essentially Mighty Morphin with different costumes, the vast majority of Power Rangers’ seasons have nothing to do with Zordon’s original team. Having watched the 1995 Power Rangers movie hundreds of times and countless reruns of the first three seasons, I’m a massive MMPR fan. That said, some of the best Power Rangers characters and episodes only came years after the first three seasons.

Mighty Morphin is almost a franchise of its own compared to Power Rangers, which doesn’t mean other seasons can’t shine too.

For example, Power Rangers in Space is widely considered one of the best entries in the franchise, if not the best. Although In Space was still part of the Zordon Era, it moved the show away from Angel Grove and proved that Power Rangers could break free of its original formula. Lost Galaxy did something similar, this time with no connections to the previous seasons at all other than the return of the In Space Rangers and the Astro Megaship. Seasons like Lost Galaxy, Lightspeed Rescue, and Time Force were all impactful in their own way.

The popularity of the Power Rangers seasons released in the 21st century arguably cannot compare to how massive Mighty Morphin was in the 1990s. Still, they all created their own legacy within the franchise and brought in new generations of fans year after year. Despite all its flaws, Power Rangers has had a rich shared universe for three decades. This is why I would love to see other seasons being revisited more often in crossovers, reunions, games, and comics. Mighty Morphin is almost a franchise of its own compared to Power Rangers, which doesn’t mean other seasons can’t shine too.

How Mighty Morphin Became A Franchise Of Its Own Within Power Rangers

Power Rangers Never Outgrew Its First Three Seasons

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An American localized version of a Japanese TV show about superheroes in colorful costumes fighting monsters every week could have gone terribly. However, Mighty Morphin worked incredibly well. Based on Zyuranger, the series quickly became a phenomenon and made sure that the once risky project would now become a consistent franchise. Although Power Rangers has had hiatuses and other issues before, the franchise has been around for over 30 years, and much of this success traces back to the popularity of the original show. The original Power Rangers characters are the perfect example of this phenomenon.

Not many people may be aware of who Ransik or Taylor are, yet even those who are not major Power Rangers fans will be familiar with Rita Repulsa or Tommy Oliver. Even though there are hundreds of Power Rangers in canon, the first team will forever be the franchise’s most iconic in terms of impact and popularity. The late Jason David Frank played Tommy Oliver in multiple seasons and cameos, with other stars such as David Yost and Walter Emanuel Jones also reprising their roles. That’s not to mention the second-generation characters such as Adam and Rocky.

I’m Tired Of Mighty Morphin, But I Would Be Interested In A Reboot

Mighty Morphin Could Still Make For Fun New Interpretations

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It is almost paradoxical that, despite how much Power Rangers has focused on Mighty Morphin for 30 years, the original series was never properly rebooted or remade. The only exception is the 2017 Power Rangers movie, which was a very different take on the world of Mighty Morphin. Given the popularity of MMPR, there is room for Power Rangers to try to reinvent the series for a new generation in exciting ways. BOOM! Studios’ Power Rangers comics are a great example of how to combine nostalgia with new ideas and characters.

Power Rangers (2017) grossed $142 million on a $100 million budget.

I would love to see Power Rangers try different formats and media in a potential MMPR reboot. For example, an animated Power Rangers series based on the first three seasons would be an incredible way of rebooting the original show. An adaptation of the comics would also be a very exciting project, particularly if meant bringing stories like Shattered Grid to the screen in either live-action or animation form. Power Rangers (2017) may have flopped at the box office, but the team formed by Jason, Trini, Zack, Billy, Kimberly, and Tommy can still shine in other interpretations.