The firstPower Rangersteam did not originate in 1993, despite being the year thatMighty Morphin Power Rangersfirst hit the airwaves. Naturally, most audiences would assume they were canonically Zordon’s first Rangers team. However, thanks to BOOM! Studios’ effort toredefine the lore of thePower Rangersfranchise, the comics offer an additional history that paints the show in a new light.
Mighty Morphin Power Rangers#20 by Kyle Higgins and Daniele Di Nicuolo reveals that Zordon found his first crop of Rangers not in 1993, but in 1969. Zordon never would’ve mentioned it becausetheir first mission ended so disastrously that it puts a stain on his legacy, as revealed by Grace Sterling, who has her own big moment in issue #19 by Higgins and Hendry Prasetya.
The knowledge that Zordon led Rangers who pre-date even the original “teenagers with attitude” adds a new element to the canon. It recontextualizes exactly why Zordon approaches the 1993 Rangers the way that he does and adds new nuances to characters like Zordon that weren’t there in the original series.
Who Is Grace Sterling, Zordon’s First Power Rangers Leader?
Zordon’s Original Red Ranger from 1969
In #19, the Power Rangers face the unforeseen challenge ofFinster becoming the Big Badwhile Rita Repulsa is M.I.A - as is Zordon afterLord Drakkon unleashed his Black Dragonon the Command Center. He crafts a master plan of creating not just monsters, buthumans who become monsters who transform at random, planting them all over the globe. Not even Finster knows when his creations will become monstrous, nor do the creations, as they are so detailed in their conceptions that the monsters think they’re human until they transform.
As the Power Rangers struggle to understand how to combat such a unique threat, they get a proximity alert at their doorstep. They are shocked to see thatit’s the world-renowned billionaire-philanthropist and founder of the tech company, Promethea, Grace Sterling. They’re just as shocked to see Zordon’s trusty companion, Alpha 5, greet her as if he knows her personally. When asked how she knows where the Command Center is and how she knows Zordon, Sterling drops the bombshell that she was once his Red Ranger.
The world is watching - especially a young Grace Sterling.
Grace Sterling explains her history to the Power Rangers in issue #20, which immediatelylaunches the story back to 1969, moments after the moon landing. The world is watching - especially a young Grace Sterling. Sterling was already qualified and highly educated on all things space-related, even working at NASADA during the ’90s and applying to be a part of the moon landing mission. Unfortunately, 1969 wasn’t ready for a woman astronaut. More pressingly, Zordon wasn’t ready for the sudden return of the Psycho Green Ranger.
What Happened to the 1969 Power Rangers?
Big Consequences for the Entire Franchise
Psycho Green embarks to the moon that same day, preparing to free Rita Repulsa from her moon prison. In desperation, Zordon summons five random adults from different countries to his Command Center to become Power Rangers:Blue Ranger Nikolai Chukarin, Pink Ranger Daniel O’Halloran, Black Ranger Jamie Gilmore, Yellow Ranger Terona Washington, and Red Ranger Grace Sterling.With no time to explain, Zordon immediately gifts them powers and sets them on their mission, even though they’re quick to argue against fighting. Thinking they were being pranked or even kidnapped, they can’t stop bickering with Zordon and each other.
Expanding Power Rangers History Before the Classic 1990s Team Sets the Franchise Up To Thrive Long Term
The original Mighty Morphin team was long considered the first Power Rangers squad, but the expanding lore of the comic books has revealed otherwise.
It takes Grace’s insistence to convince everyone to embark into the unknown, but that doesn’t change that they were never on the same page from the start. They were already undertrained and outmatched, andit’s in the midst of their bickering that Psycho Green sneaks up on them, killing three Rangers in quick succession. The third comes when Nikolai sacrifices himself after Psycho Green grows into a giant monster, with theBlue Ranger proving himselfas a Problem Solver by allowing himself to be swallowed so he can shoot Green with a cannon from the inside.
A crisis is averted, but neither Grace nor Terona are happy, knowing that they lost soldiers on the field.They hold Zordon accountable for recruiting five strangerswith no training or knowledge of their powers or each other before going into such a fight. While Zordon takes accountability, he also takes back their powers, since the world is no longer at risk. Grace and Terona are understandably crushed, determined to be heroes on their own terms. They found Promethea together, using their resources tocreate their own Power Ranger.
How Zordon’s Failure in 1969 Shapes His 1993 Power Rangers Team
History Shapes the Present
Zordon’s recruitment of the 1969 Power Rangers mirrors how he recruited his Rangers in 1993, albeit with significant differences. Both teams are shocked about being essentially abducted by a floating head before the team’s Red Ranger gets everyone else onboard. The most obvious difference is that, in 1969, Zordon recruits fully grown adults who lack the eagerness and enthusiasm of ambitious teenagers. Most importantly,the second time around,they were all from Angel Grove and around the same age. Even knowing each other prior to meeting is a small change that might’ve made all the difference in 1969.
The ‘69 Rangers all having different backgrounds meant they could not be more different from each other,which in itself made teamwork all the more difficult. Nikolai from Russia particularly detested the thought of taking orders from an American woman. Meanwhile, Daniel was a hippie who protested war, Terona was a military veteran, and Jamie was a British bandmate for The Familiars. With differences like these and without Zordon creating the space for them to grow together, this team was doomed to fail.
Zordon understood how inexcusable his approach to naming his Power Rangers was in 1969.
Zordon lived with this guilt for years. He was at odds with Grace and Terona (Grace’s second in command at Promethea) for years. Recruiting the 1993 Power Rangers and even slightly tweaking his approach can becontextualized now as his redemption, especially after he and Grace finally gain closure over their past together, promising to"never again lose another Ranger.“Zordon understood how inexcusable his approach to naming his Power Rangers was in 1969, but he continued to learn and improve his execution, reflected in the success of his 1993 squad.
What Is the Fate of Power Rangers’ Grace Sterling?
It’s Not a Happy Ending
After the fact, Grace dies at the hands of her own creation, Mistress Vile (a rechristened Rita Repulsa), but her legacy lives on in Billy, who is determined toprotect the Morphin Gridon her behalf at theend of the series. Grace Sterling’s lasting legacy comes out of wanting to protect the future and fellow Rangers, a legacy that can now be said to have left a lasting impression on Zordon’s psyche. In 1993, Zordon was careful about picking the right choices forPowerRangers, but that approach can be redefined as possible only because of his 1969 failure.
Power Rangers
Power Rangersis a long-running multimedia franchise that debuted in 1993 with the TV seriesMighty Morphin Power Rangers. Created by Haim Saban and adapted from the JapaneseSuper Sentaiseries,Power Rangersbecame a cultural phenomenon by combining action-packed footage fromSuper Sentaiwith new scenes featuring American actors. The franchise follows teams of young heroes who transform into Power Rangers to battle various villains, using martial arts, special powers, and giant mechas called Zords. Over the decades, the franchise has expanded into multiple TV series, films, comics, video games, and merchandise, becoming one of the most successful children’s franchises in the world.
