Power Rangers’ Obsession with Zombie Rangers Is Exactly What ’90s Fans Want

While the undead are not normally associated with the Mighty Morphin Power Rangers universe, several recent and upcoming storylines featuring the walking dead suggest that a zombie-based Power Rangers future might not be a bad thing.

Whereas zombies have become a common element in other superhero comic universes, the Power Rangers have largely avoided the trend. That is, until the arrival of the Death Ranger in Paul Allor, Katherine Lobo, and Anna Kekovsky Chandra’s Power Rangers Unlimited: The Death Ranger #1, a one-shot book that dropped last year. Power Rangers Unlimited chronicles the origin of Death Ranger, a brand-new type of Ranger in the Power Ranger corpus. As depicted in the comic book, the Death Ranger is a member of the Power Rangers Special Ops Team – aka the Omega Rangers – who becomes so overcome with grief from the death of a colleague that he attempts to resurrect her using a combination of his species’ unique connection with death and his Ranger powers. While the Death Ranger succeeds in resurrecting his colleague, he also realizes that he can resurrect and control countless other zombies, which he sends against his former teammates who are trying to stop him.

More Zombie Stories Would Be Good For The Power Rangers Franchise

Naturally, the ability to control the undead is a new power that fans probably never expected from a Power Rangers story. However, for a 30-year-old franchise that must constantly reinvent itself to stay relevant, it’s a thematic choice by the creators at BOOM! Studios that makes absolute creative sense. It finally satisfies the wishes of more than a few fans of the 1990s Power Rangers television series who hoped the story would eventually get past the campy, over-the-top stories and scenes of that initial Power Rangers generation.

The darker vibe of zombie stories allows creators to explore the kind of stories fans of the 1990s show believed the series would evolve into. This is especially true considering that so many other mainstream comic book franchises, from Batman to Spider-Man, have tapped into the “zombie apocalypse” to deliver some excellent and well-regarded adaptations of their original stories. A full-fledged Power Rangers zombie arc could provide the action-packed storylines of the original series but with the added benefit of having a grittier edge.

Moreover, a zombie-based Power Rangers story need not upset the franchise’s mainstream stories. It could be run alongside them, such as was done with the Death Ranger one-shot; or they can be periodically introduced into the mainstream storyline as a particular story arc. This could be what BOOM! Studios is planning to do with its upcoming “Darkest Hour” comic event in its Mighty Morphin Power Rangers comic book. Cover art for the event shows a zombified Pink Ranger seemingly being risen from the dead. If the event does indeed include the undead, it’s a smart move by the creators. Zombies can give Mighty Morphin Power Rangers fans the franchise they crave but with a darker edge.

Mighty Morphin Power Rangers is now available from BOOM! Studios.