Power Rangers Lightspeed Rescueintroduced the franchise’s second proper evil Power Ranger, and he was somehow even cooler than the original Green Ranger. The concept of an evil Power Ranger is a trope that comes from theSuper Sentaishowsand has been used multiple times inPower Rangers.Not every evil Ranger on the show is the same, though. While some are brainwashed heroes who have no control over their actions, others are misguided warriors or even anti-heroes whose beliefs clash with those of the Power Rangers.
ThePower Rangersfranchisehas also seen characters that may look like Power Rangers but can hardly be described as such, including but not limited to the Psycho Rangers and the Cyborg Rangers. When it comes to human characters who became evil for at least a while, Tommy Oliver is the first and arguably most iconic example we have. However, as cool as the original Green Ranger was,Power Rangers’ second evil Ranger was even more interesting than Tommydue to his dark backstory and how well the show used him.
Lightspeed Rescue’s Titanium Ranger Was Not Under A Spell Like Tommy
Ryan Mitchell Was Raised By Demons And Tricked Into Hating His Father
Whereasthe original Green Rangerwas under Rita Repulsa’s spell during most of “Green With Evil,”the Titanium Ranger clashed with the Power Rangers out of choice.It must be noted that, while Ryan Mitchell was not magically brainwashed, he was taken from his family and groomed by Diabolico to become a weapon. When Ryan was a child, he and his family suffered a car accident, during which Captain Mitchell was about to lose both of his kids and could only save one of them from falling from a cliff.
The Titanium Ranger had noSuper Sentaicounterpart, meaning he was a character created exclusively for Power Rangers. This is why the Titanium Ranger was rarely seen fighting side by side with the core team.
This was when Diabolico showed up and offered to save Ryan, but only if he could take the child with him. Captain Mitchell had no choice but to let this demon take his son. However, Ryan was never told the truth about what happened, instead being raised to believe that his father chose his sister – who was now the Lightspeed Pink Ranger – over him.Ryan was sent to steal the experimental and highly powerful Titanium Morpher, thus becoming the Titanium Ranger. Diabolico and his allies now had a Power Ranger of their own.
The Titanium Ranger Was Able To See Through The Demons’ Lies
No evil Ranger arc is complete without the redemption stage. In the originalPower Rangersshow,Jason quite literally beat Rita Repulsa’s spell out of Tommy and freed the Green Ranger.This led to one of the most iconic moments in the franchise, with Tommy morphing alongside the rest of the team for the very first time. Considering that Tommy was brainwashed the whole time, the Green Ranger did not actually need redemption.Lightspeed Rescue’s Titanium Ranger, on the other hand, was making his own choices. Fortunately, Ryan eventually saw through Diabolico’s lies.
Ryan Mitchell
Titanium Ranger
After some emotional moments with his father and his sister, including an epic battle between the Titanium Ranger and the Pink Ranger, Ryan started to remember what happened the night of the accident.The Titanium Ranger understood that his father had no choice,and that the demons had fed him lies for years. The Power Rangers’ toughest enemy yet ended up joining the team against the demons, thus concluding one of the best redemption arcs inPower Rangers. Ryan would then become a recurrent character on the show, although he was usually doing his own thing apart from the team.
The Original Green Ranger Walked So That Other Evil Rangers Could Run
Most Evil Power Rangers On The Show Were Inspired By Tommy In Some Way
Even though whatLightspeed Rescuedid with Ryan was arguably more interesting than “Green With Evil,” Tommy’s importance toPower Rangerscannot be taken for granted. The introduction of an evil Power Ranger with a cooler costume and a bunch of “exclusive toys” was a recipe for greatness, with the Green Ranger quickly becoming a fan-favorite among everyone who was watching the show. While there have been a bunch of evil Rangers in Sentai since then,Power Rangersnever stopped referencing or at least having callbacks to “Green With Evil.”
The Best Version Of The Original Green Ranger Was Introduced 11 Years After Tommy Oliver’s First Appearance
Original Green Ranger Tommy Oliver took on many different colors throughout the franchise, and his coolest version only happened in the 2000s.
For example, inDino Thunder, Tommy points out that he knows what Trent – the brainwashed evil White Ranger – is going through because Tommy himself went through something similar back in his Green Ranger days. InDino Fury, when Izzy and her brother were put under a spell, the new Green Ranger was wearing similar clothes to what Tommy wore in his firstMMPRappearance. The Green Ranger’s legacy is unmatched, but other redemption stories like Ryan’s inPower Rangers Lightspeed Rescuewere also great.
Power Rangers Lightspeed Rescue
Cast
Power Rangers Lightspeed Rescue is a television series that premiered in 2000, serving as the eighth season of the Power Rangers franchise. The show follows a team of five rescue workers who become superheroes known as the Lightspeed Rescue Power Rangers, tasked with saving the world from demonic forces led by the evil Diabolico.
