The first Power Rangers team did not originate in 1993, despite it being the year in which Mighty Morphin Power Rangers first hit the airwaves. Naturally, most audiences would assume they were canonically Zordon’s first team of Rangers. However, thanks to BOOM! The studios’ effort to redefine the tradition of Power Rangers franchise, the comics offer an additional story that paints the series 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 would never have mentioned this because their first mission ended so disastrously that it tarnishes their legacyas revealed by Grace Sterling, who has her big moment in issue #19 by Higgins and Hendry Prasetya.
The knowledge that Zordon led Rangers before even the original “teens with attitude” adds a new element to the canon. It recontextualizes exactly why Zordon approaches the 1993 Rangers the way he does and adds new nuances to characters like Zordon that didn’t exist in the original series.
Who is Grace Sterling, the first leader of Zordon’s Power Rangers?
Zordon’s Original Red Ranger from 1969
In #19, the Power Rangers face the unforeseen challenge of Finster becoming the Big Bad while Rita Repulsa is missing – as is Zordon after Lord Drakkon unleashed his Black Dragon on the Command Center. He devises a master plan to create not just monsters, but humans who become randomly transforming monstersplanting them all over the world. 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 are human until they transform.
As the Power Rangers struggle to understand how to combat such a unique threat, they receive a proximity alert on their doorstep. They are shocked to see this is world-renowned billionaire philanthropist and founder of technology company Promethea, Grace Sterling. They are equally shocked to see Zordon’s faithful companion, Alpha 5, greet her as if he knew 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 young Grace Sterling.
Grace Sterling explains her story to the Power Rangers in issue #20, which immediately launches the story until 1969, moments after the moon landing. The world is watching – especially young Grace Sterling. Sterling was already qualified and highly educated in all things space-related, even working at NASADA during the 1990s and applying to be part of the Moon landing mission. Unfortunately, 1969 was not ready for a female astronaut. More pressingly, Zordon was not ready for the Psycho Green Ranger’s sudden return.
What happened to the 1969 Power Rangers?
Major consequences for the entire franchise
Psycho Green embarks for the moon the same day, preparing to free Rita Repulsa from her lunar 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 gives them powers and sets them on their mission, though they are quick to argue against fighting. Thinking they were being tricked or even kidnapped, they keep fighting with Zordon and each other.
It takes Grace’s insistence to convince everyone to embark on the unknown, but that doesn’t change the fact that they’ve never been on the same page from the beginning. They were already undertrained and overmatched, and it is in the midst of their fights that Psycho Green approaches them, killing three Rangers in quick succession.. The third occurs when Nikolai sacrifices himself after Psycho Green transforms into a giant monster, with the Blue Ranger proving to be 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 they lost soldiers on the field. They hold Zordon responsible for recruiting five strangers without any training or knowledge of their or each other’s powers before entering into such a fight. Although Zordon takes responsibility, he also regains his powers since the world is no longer at risk. Grace and Terona are understandably devastated, determined to be heroes on their own terms. They found Promethea together, using its resources to create their own Power Ranger.
How Zordon’s 1969 Failure Shapes His 1993 Power Rangers Team
History shapes the present
Zordon’s 1969 recruitment of the Power Rangers mirrors how he recruited his Rangers in 1993, albeit with significant differences. Both teams are shocked that they were essentially kidnapped by a floating head before the team’s Red Ranger got everyone else on board. The most obvious difference is that in 1969, Zordon recruits full-grown adults who lack the drive and enthusiasm of ambitious teenagers. Most importantly, for the second time, they were all from Angel Grove and were about the same age. Even getting to know each other before the meeting is a small change that could have made all the difference in 1969.
The 1969 Rangers all had different backgrounds meant they couldn’t be more different from each other, which in itself made teamwork even more difficult. Nikolai from Russia particularly hated the idea of taking orders from an American woman. Meanwhile, Daniel was a war-protesting hippie, Terona was a military veteran, and Jamie was a British bandmate from The Familiars. With differences like these and without Zordon creating 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 has been at odds with Grace and Terona (Grace’s second-in-command on Promethea) for years. Recruiting the 1993 Power Rangers and even slightly tweaking their approach could be contextualized now as your redemptionespecially after he and Grace finally put closure to their past together, promising “Never lose another Ranger again.” Zordon understood how inexcusable his approach to naming his Power Rangers was in 1969, but he continued to learn and improve his execution, which was reflected in the success of his 1993 team.
What is the fate of Grace Sterling from Power Rangers?
It’s not a happy ending
After the fact, Grace dies at the hands of her own creation, Mistress Vile (a renamed Rita Repulsa), but her legacy lives on in Billy, who is determined to protect the Morphin Grid on her behalf in the series finale. Grace Sterling’s lasting legacy arises from her desire to protect the future and her fellow Rangers, a legacy that can now be considered to have left a lasting impression on Zordon’s psyche. In 1993, Zordon was careful about choosing the right choices for Power Rangersbut this approach can only be redefined as possible because of its failure in 1969.
Mighty Morphin Power Rangers #20 is now available on BOOM! Studios.