Everyone Loves The Green Ranger, But Power Rangers’ New Show Must Avoid This Tommy Oliver Mistake

The original Green Ranger is my favorite character in the franchise, but Power Rangers‘ new show must avoid a dangerous Tommy Oliver mistake if it ends up being a Mighty Morphin reboot. While a new Power Rangers series is reportedly in development at Disney+, not much is known about the project other than the fact that Toei and Saban are not involved (via Deadline). There are a few different ways Power Rangers could reboot the franchise, one of which would be through a reimagining of the original series set in a new continuity.

We’ve had plenty of MMPR stories over the years, from the three seasons of the show to the countless comic books and video games released since then. That said, I believe rebooting Mighty Morphin with a modern, more mature TV series developed for streaming would not be a bad idea. The comics have shown over and over that the world of Mighty Morphin is worth revisiting, and I would love to see those types of stories told in live-action with a significant budget. However, rebooting MMPR comes with a Green Ranger challenge.

If Power Rangers’ New Show Is A Reboot, It Can’t Just Be All About Tommy

Tommy Is Great, But He Can Easily Overshadow Other Characters

From the moment the Green Ranger showed up in Mighty Morphin Power Rangers, Tommy naturally stole the spotlight and became the face of the show. Even before Jason, Trini, and Zack left the team, Tommy had already become the most exciting character in the series and was at the center of all of the important storylines. Whereas Power Rangers would rarely give its core characters multi-episode arcs, Tommy’s powers were a major plotpoint for almost an entire season. By the time Tommy lost his Green Ranger powers for good, it was impossible to picture MMPR without him.

In hindsight, it was obvious that the mysterious White Ranger that Zordon and Alpha were developing was going to be Tommy. Likewise, while Tommy’s big promotion in Power Rangers made no sense unless you knew Austin St. John was leaving the show, the White Ranger was the best possible choice to replace Jason. This would be the first of many episodes across the Zordon Era in which Tommy was not only the leader but also the center of attention. Tommy’s importance continued to grow until he became the Red Ranger going into Zeo.

Whenever Tommy was part of a Power Rangers show, movie, or comic book, the focus ended up shifting toward him. While this led to some of the best moments of the show, it also limited the franchise in a few ways. Tommy was always the one saving the day or showing up last in a crossover, almost as if the other MMPR and Zeo characters were not as important. This is why Tommy should take a back seat initially in a potential MMPR reboot, with the show instead focusing on the original five.

Power Rangers Focused Too Much On Tommy Oliver For Several Years

From MMPR To The Crossovers

The “Tommy mania” was not limited to his Green Ranger days or even to Mighty Morphin. Power Rangers Zeo was built around Tommy, with storylines such as Kimberly’s letter and his relationship with Kat being major turning points for the show. The problem is that Power Rangers never gave Tommy enough character development to justify all the attention that was given to him. Granted, Tommy did change significantly between his evil Green Ranger days and his team leader era, but that was all about it. The Tommy we see in MMPR season 3 is basically the same character from Turbo.

This is why I was glad to see a new generation of Rangers taking over in Turbo, which eventually led to one of my favorite seasons of the show, Power Rangers in Space. Still, the original Turbo Rangers stepping down midway through the show was not the end of Tommy’s role in the franchise. A few years later, he made his triumphant return in “Forever Red,” during which Tommy and Andros assembled a team of multiple Red Rangers. “Forever Red” is a classic Power Rangers episode, at the end of which all the other Rangers celebrate Tommy’s legacy.

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The next chapter in Tommy’s Power Rangers legacy would be written two years later in Dino Thunder. Unlike Zeo and Turbo, Dino Thunder did something different with Tommy and delivered what I consider to be the best version of the character. Older and wiser, this Tommy was the natural evolution of a character who had spent most of his life being a Power Ranger. The late Jason David Frank would also reprise his role for Super Megaforce and Super Ninja Steel, with Tommy joining other legendary Rangers on both occasions.

The Green Ranger Should Not Be Included In A Power Rangers Reboot’s First Season

A Power Rangers Reboot Should Save Tommy For Season 2

The original Green Ranger debuted pretty quickly in Mighty Morphin Power Rangers. We only had 16 episodes with the original five before Tommy, and while it was more than enough time for them to become pop culture icons, I would like to see an extended season just about Jason, Kimberly, Zack, Billy, and Trini. If we do get a reboot of MMPR, I believe the best approach would be to dedicate an entire season to the original team and only bring Tommy and the Green Ranger story in season 2.

“Green With Evil” is such an iconic Power Rangers arc that it needs its own season. Of course, longtime Power Rangers fans are well familiar with Tommy’s origin story, but any reboot must also bring in new viewers. The ideal modern MMPR show would take its time to develop the original five first, similar to what the 2017 Power Rangers movie did, before making Tommy the center of attention. While I would not mind briefly seeing Tommy in the first season of an MMPR reboot, he might be too big a character to only have a small role.

Tommy Should Still Play A Big Role In A Power Rangers Reboot

Tommy Still Has Untapped Potential In Live-Action

The fact that Power Rangers focused too much on the years doesn’t mean that he should not have a bigger role in a potential reboot. Some of the coolest, most iconic Power Rangers moments of all time involve Tommy after all. From the “Green With Evil” story to the White Ranger leading a new iteration of the team, Tommy is a big part of Power Rangers for a reason. That is not to mention the comics, with a lot of the fan-favorite BOOM! Studios books being about Tommy on some level.

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I would love to see “Shattered Grid” and Lord Drakkon in live-action, especially because the traditional Power Rangers series never got to incorporate elements from the comic books. Having a new take on “Green With Evil” that leads into a TV adaptation of “Shattered Grid” would be incredibly exciting. Regardless of what it is actually about, the new Power Rangers show must combine nostalgia with new ideas for it to work.

Power Rangers

Created by

Haim Saban, Shuki Levy, Shotaro Ishinomori

First TV Show

Mighty Morphin’ Power Rangers

Summary

Power Rangers is a long-running multimedia franchise that debuted in 1993 with the TV series Mighty Morphin Power Rangers. Created by Haim Saban and adapted from the Japanese Super Sentai series, Power Rangers became a cultural phenomenon by combining action-packed footage from Super Sentai with 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.

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