These five dark facts about thePower Rangersare rarely, if ever, addressed in-universe, but it’s hard not to consider them once you realize how true they are.Power Rangershave been on the air since 1993, and have wound their way through television, movies, video games, and toys since, with almost no breaks in between. The long-running kids' superhero series has a style so singular, it often only takes a single frame to recognize the franchise. Rarely deviating from the classic template,Power Rangerssays if it’s not broke, don’t fix it.
With their flashy colors, dazzling weapons, and charmingly crude explosions,Power Rangersare clearly heroes designed with young children in mind. That doesn’t mean, however, that thePower Rangershaven’t had some dark momentsover the decades. Behind the exciting transformations, affirmations of friendship, and vanquishing of evildoers, there are some dark realities about thePower Rangersworld.Just about any kids' show suggests some disturbing implications if you look under the hood, butPower Rangersis particularly egregious.
5The Battles Result In Citywide Destruction
Buildings, Bridges, And More Are Destroyed By Megazords And Aliens
Just about every battle with thePower Rangersand the aliens that come to fight them results in the aliens growing to massive proportions, and the Rangers coming togetherto form their mighty Megazords to challenge their foes. These battles are essentially Kaiju fights and at times are almost indistinguishable from the leviathan battles in the original TohoGodzillamovies.The Zords, Megazords, and aliens smash and crash into bridges, skyscrapers, and other large buildings, likely leaving football field-sized craters in the ground as they do so.
The cities the Power Rangers fight in have to be uninhabitable for months, if not years, after they get through with them. Much of the action inPower Rangerstakes place in Angel Grove, California, so who knows, maybe they have a high concentration of construction companies who can get the city running again after a fight, but that has to cost the municipality an incredible amount of money. I’m doubtful insurance companies include Acts of Zordon in their policies.
4Teenagers Are Roped Into Wars
Even The Power Ranger Leaders Are Young
It’s hard to miss the fact that the soldiers Zordon recruits to his team to protect the Earth are literal teenagers, with the originalMighty Morphin Power Rangerseven describing them as “teenagers with attitude”.Zordon empowers these young teens, some of whom are barely out of their pre-teen years, with fighting skills, large vehicles, and weapons capable of maiming and even killing. Furthermore, these Power Rangers are explicitly brought into Zordon’s fight as soldiers.
This is an existential war between good and evil, and these kids are only a few years out of primary school before they are sent into a war. Even the leaders of the Power Rangers often aren’t very old. Jason Lee Scott, the original Red Ranger, was only 14 at the start of the series, and he was responsible for the lives of everyone on his team. That’s a heavy burden for anyone, much less a young teen.
3Civilians Must Have Been Killed By Massive Monsters
Sometimes People Are Evacuated Before A Big Battle
Power Rangersoften takes great pains to let the audience know that Angel Grove has been evacuated, usually with a reporter on the screen informing everyone as much. There have even been scenes of the Rangers themselves personally evacuating civilians before the big fight commences. Still, unless that specific sequence is shown, and even if it is, considering how far-ranging these fights are, you have to imagine there are a significant amount of civilian deaths.
Movies likeGodzilla,Pacific Rim, andBatman V Supermanshow that no matter how good the intentions of a hero, people are always collateral.
These aliens are constantly coming to Earth and their battles level cities. Surely, a civilian did not make it out of a building on time, or more likely, a piece of skyscraper or robot was sent flying miles away, likely crushing whoever was in its path. Movies likeGodzilla,Pacific Rim, andBatman V Supermanshow that no matter how good the intentions of a hero, people are always collateral.
2"The Power Rangers Curse" Is An Unnerving Legacy
Several Power Ranger Cast Members Have Died Young
There’s been some darkness outside thePower Rangersstorylines as well. “The Power Rangers Curse” is an unofficial explanation for the unfortunate deaths that have surrounded the former casts of the shows. Several notable actors on the series have passed away under various tragic and sudden circumstances. Erik Frank, who played David Trueheart, died of an unspecified illness. Thuy Trang, the original Yellow Ranger, Trini Kwan, died in a car accident in 2001.
Maurice Mendoza, who played Trini’s love interest, Richie, in the original series, also passed away far too young, at the age of 39. No explanation has been given. Richard Genelle, who was a constant presence in multiplePower Rangersseries as Ernie, passed away from a heart attack at age 47. Beyond those major characters,plenty of smaller ones also died under tragic circumstances, lending a lot of credence to the “Curse”.
1The Power Rangers Kill Many Of Their Enemies
Characters Don’t Usually Die In Kids' Shows
Batman has a code, Superman doesn’t want to kill,Spider-Man pulls his punches whenever he can, most superheroes make attempts to capture (or horribly maim) rather than kill an enemy. Not the Power Rangers. Though their swords and guns mostly result in cheesy blue and silver explosions, the aliens they attack often disappear within these explosions, meaning they’re destroyed, or killed. That’s a lot for a kids' show.
Showing death, even villain deaths, is a lot more than most children can handle, andPower Rangersshows it nearly every episode. It’s not that the monsters and aliens inPower Rangersare misunderstood, but they are definitely more Saturday-morning-cartoon villains than they are terrifying invaders who need to be stopped at all costs. It’s never a question that a villain is going to be killed inPower Rangers, and the dark fact that thePower Rangersare lethal is never addressed.
