The True Mighty Morphin Power Rangers Sequel Released 9 Years After the OG Show Ended and Even Had Its Own Evil Green Ranger

Power Rangers Dino Thunder came out almost a decade later Powerful Morphinebut it was the perfect sequel to the original Power Rangers show. Mighty Morphin Power Rangers it ran from 1993 to 1995 and ended its run with 145 episodes. To this day, MMPR and the Power Rangers program with the most episodes by far. To put things into perspective, the only other Power Rangers team that will headline the show for three years was Dino Fury/Cosmic Furywhich, in total, accounted for only 54 episodes. That’s why Powerful Morphine can be considered its own franchise.

From toys to costumes and everything in between, Mighty Morphin Power Rangers was a pop culture phenomenon in the 1990s. The American show was a localized version of Super Sentai series Zyuranger and would be the first of several similar adaptations. Power Rangers‘the story goes further MMPRbut much of the franchise’s identity goes back to what the original series did. That’s why almost everyone Power Rangers season borrows from MMPR at some level. However, Powerful Morphinethe true spiritual successor only came out in 2004and got the nostalgia right.

Dino Thunder was a spiritual successor to the Mighty Morphin Power Rangers

Dinosaurs, teenagers with attitude and Tommy Oliver

Dino Thunder It was a return to form for Power Rangers. From having the Rangers in high school to the return of Power Rangers legend Tommy Oliver, Dino Thunder was just as exciting for a new generation of kids discovering the show as it was for longtime fans who watched MMPR when he left. It should be noted that Power Rangers abandoned the “high school teens fighting monsters” formula since 1998of Power Rangers in spacebut Dino Thunder brought it back without lowering the stakes of the show.

In truth, Dino Thunder undoubtedly made a better version of this formula than MMPR he did. Although the Power Rangers were now children again, as opposed to adult officers, as in Time Force or trained ninjas like in Ninja Storm, Dino Thunder it didn’t present itself as a silly show and made its characters three-dimensional. Of course, It’s impossible to compare Dino Thunder to MMPR without recognizing that they had the same reason – dinosaurs. This is one of the reasons why bringing back Jason David Frank’s Tommy Oliver made so much sense.

Tommy’s return in Dino Thunder made it a legacy Power Rangers season

The Original Green Ranger was now a teacher

Disney’s approach to Power Rangers it was significantly different from what the franchise had been doing up to that point. While Power Rangers had been doing independent seasons since Lost Galaxythe Disney seasons were even more independent. In addition to the usual crossover episodes, shows like Ninja Storm and SPD could easily have happened outside of the main Power Rangers chronology – Ninja Storm There wasn’t even a team episode. The fact that Power Rangers Now filmed in New Zealand, it also gave the Disney season a distinct look. Therefore, Tommy’s return to Dino Thunder it was quite surprising.

Instead of doing Dino Thunder an independent possible as Ninja Storm, Power Rangers brought back one of the franchise’s most iconic characters to serve as a mentor for new heroes. Tommy was now Dr. Oliver, a high school teacher with a doctorate in paleontology working in Reefside. The last time we saw Tommy was in 2002’s “Forever Red,” during which we didn’t learn much about what the original Green Ranger had been up to since his death. Turbo the days are over. By bringing Tommy back, Dino Thunder it became a legacy season.

Dino Thunder’s White Ranger gave the show its own “Evil Green Ranger”

White Ranger Trent had his own “Green with Evil” arc

The dinosaur motif, the high school setting, and Tommy’s return weren’t the only ways in which Dino Thunder was a spiritual successor to Mighty Morphin Power Rangers. The 2004 series also had its own evil Ranger, the White Ranger. Is it true that the evil Rangers were a thing in both Super Sentai and Power Rangers decades ago, still The story of Trent in Dino Thunder was clearly designed to mirror Tommy’s. Trent was friends with Power Rangers at school until he was brainwashed by villains and became an evil Power Ranger.

The White Ranger gave Dino Thunder his own “Green With Evil” arc, with Trent going from a terrifying villain to a member of the team. When the Rangers were discussing whether Trent could be saved, Tommy told them not to give up on him. The new Black Ranger was speaking from experience, as he went through the same thing during Powerful Morphine after Rita Repulsa brainwashed him and made him the evil Green Ranger. Dino Thunder had one of the best evil Rangers in the series, and the fact that his story echoed Tommy’s arc made it even better.

Few seasons of Power Rangers have been as nostalgic as Dino Thunder

Dino Thunder was more than just nostalgia and callbacks

One of the biggest problems Power Rangers It’s how the franchise can trust too much Powerful Morphine nostalgia. For example, Power Rangers Samurai brought back the “Go, go, Power Rangers” theme song and tried to make his own version of MMPR bringing the Rangers back to school. Not to mention smaller things like modern Rangers saying “It’s time to transform.” When it comes to other media – like comics and video games – Power Rangers it depends even more Powerful Morphinelegacy.

Dino Thunder managed to embrace nostalgia and at the same time be a new and excellent story on your own. THE MMPR the connections only enhanced the story and were never the main focus of the show. Even Tommy Oliver, who usually stole the spotlight in whatever he appeared in, works very well as a supporting character in Dino Thunder. Conner, the Red Ranger, was the leader in Dino ThunderNo Tommy. Episodes like “White Thunder” or “Fighting Spirit” are great examples of what he did Dino Thunder such a good spiritual successor to Powerful Morphine.

Mighty Morphin Power Rangers has had many “sequels” since 1995

From Power Rangers Zeo to Once & Always and the comics

Dino Thunder was one of many “sequels” Mighty Morphin Power Rangers received over the years. The first and most “official” sequel to the original show was Power Rangers Zeowhich served as a direct sequel to Powerful Morphine. Zeo then it would lead to Turboduring which the remaining cast members from previous seasons left and were replaced by new characters. The Zordon Era concluded in 1998 with Power Rangers in spacebut that wasn’t the end Powerful Morphineinfluence on the franchise.

In addition to all the cameos over the years – from Adam on In space for Tommy, Kat and Rocky in Ninja Steel – Power Rangers also celebrated its first show with 2023 Once and always. That same year, Billy, who had already appeared in Once and alwayswas a recurring character in Cosmic Furya season that also saw the return of Lord Zedd. Powerful Morphine it also received sequels in the comics, most of them set in alternate continuities. Even with so much MMPR presence in the franchise, Power Rangers Dino Thunder was a beautiful love letter to the original show.