Rita Repulsa and Lord Zedd returned in 2023 and did the original Power Rangers It seems very inefficient in retrospect. No matter how many Power Rangers seasons that exist – the franchise will always be associated with Powerful Morphine at some level. From longtime fans of the show to casual viewers, names like Lord Zedd and Rita Repulsa will always be iconic. As such, it is no surprise that both originals Powerful Morphine Power Rangers villains returned in 2023the year you celebrated Power Rangers’30th anniversary.
While Rita Repulsa was the first Power Rangers villain, she was technically working for Lord Zedd the whole time. In MMPR in season 2, we learn that Rita responds to a greater evil, Lord Zedd. Interestingly, Zedd also responded to a larger threat, Dark Spectre, which we learned about in Power Rangers in space. Lord Zedd was supposed to be a more serious and menacing replacement for Rita Repulsabut they eventually bonded and became even dumber versions of themselves. Looking back, it’s curious how the original Power Rangers team never defeated their final villains.
Neither Rita Repulsa nor Lord Zedd were defeated in the original Power Rangers show
Rita Repulsa and Lord Zedd were just “defeated” in Power Rangers in Space
Rita Repulsa was not defeated by Power Rangers in season 2 – she was imprisoned by Lord Zedd when the new villain took over. Rita was eventually freed and joined Zedd, which led to a bizarre storyline that ended with Rita and Zedd’s wedding. At the end of MMPR In season three, Lord Zedd and Rita Repulsa were still active villains and had their minions on their side. At the beginning of Power Rangers Zeothe sequence of Powerful Morphine, Zedd and Rita need to escape a new group of villains, the Machine Empire.
In other words, the original Power Rangers‘The most important villains were not dealt with by the Rangers themselves, but rather by a new group of antagonists. Zedd and Rita would eventually return Power Rangers in spaceat the end of which Zordon sacrificed himself to purify all evil from the galaxy. Zedd and Rita were rescued thanks to the Z wave and turned into good, human versions of themselves. While this was certainly a happy ending, it’s interesting how there was never a final battle between the Rangers and these two villains until much later.
Rita Repulsa and Lord Zedd returned in 2023 and caused a lot of problems for Power Rangers
Rita Repulsa returned once and again; Lord Zedd has returned in cosmic fury
Rita Repulsa and Lord Zedd returned Power Rangers as part of the celebration of the show’s 30th anniversary, although in different projects. Rita was kind of resurrected in Power Rangers: Once and Forever after Billy failed to bring Zordon back to life by accessing what was left of Z-Wave. Instead of bringing Zordon back, the original Blue Ranger restored the evil part of Rita Repulsa. She then took over Alpha’s body and became Robot Rita. Rita’s return led to a very bittersweet moment in which the villain killed Trini, the original Yellow Ranger.
Season/Specials |
Year of release |
---|---|
Powerful Morphine |
1993 |
Zeo |
1996 |
Turbo |
1997 |
In space |
1998 |
Lost Galaxy |
1999 |
Rescue at the speed of light |
2000 |
Time Force |
2001 |
Wild Force |
2002 |
Ninja Storm |
2003 |
Dino Thunder |
2004 |
SPD |
2005 |
Mystic Force |
2006 |
Operation Overdrive |
2007 |
Jungle Fury |
2008 |
RPM |
2009 |
Samurais/Super Samurais |
2011 |
Megaforce/Super Megaforce |
2013 |
Dino Charge/Super Dino Charge |
2015 |
Ninja Steel / Super Ninja Steel |
2017 |
Beast Morphers |
2019 |
Dino Fury |
2021 |
Once and always |
2023 |
Cosmic Fury |
2023 |
Once and always gave closure to Trini’s character 22 years after Thuy Trang’s death. The special focused on the original Yellow Ranger and his legacy and ended with Billy delivering the final blow against Robot Rita, avenging Trini in the process. Lord Zedd, on the other hand, was brought back thanks to dark magic and time travel shenanigans in 2022 Dino Fury 2nd season. Zedd would then appear again in Cosmic Furythis time as the main villain of the season. With Billy’s help, the Cosmic Fury Rangers defeated Lord Zedd by trapping him in a loop.
Will Rita Repulsa and Lord Zedd appear again in Power Rangers?
The Power Rangers Show’s Future Is Unclear
Given that 2023 saw the return of both Powerful Morphine main villains, I find it hard to believe that they will appear in live-action so soon. Power Rangers is currently on hiatus and it’s unclear where the show goes next Cosmic Furyis ending. With Power Rangers transfer of production from New Zealand and no update on a new Super Sentai adaptation, many assumed the next project would be a reboot.
However, TV Line recently reported that the Power Rangers reboot on Netflix is no longer moving forward. That being said, if Power Rangers always restarts Powerful Morphinewill likely feature new versions of characters like Rita and Zedd. Until then, they and the rest of the Powerful Morphine characters continue to be revisited in BOOM! Studio comics, many of which take place during the original show and tell entirely new stories set in that world.