Warning: Contains SPOILERS for Power Rangers Prime #1! 90s kids who were big fans of Power Rangers will probably remember VR Soldiersthe almost identical (but not quite) team of transforming heroes. VR Soldiers was also a Saban property, as was Power Rangersso it makes sense why they are so similar. But now, these similarities aren’t purely rooted in a similar style or a shared production company, like Power Rangers officially combines tradition with VR Soldiers. And in doing so, Power Rangers sets up VR Troopers as devastating enemies.
In Power Rangers Prime #1 by Melissa Flores and Michael Yg, fans are thrown into a completely new experience Power Rangers continuity unlike anything they’ve ever seen before. The Elterians conquered Earth under the guise of helping protect it from an alien invasion by the Beast Brigade, adding humanity to their growing galactic empire. When the Elterians arrived on Earth, they initially fought side by side with the Power Rangers. However, once the day was won and the Elterians put into action the real reason for being there, they saw the Power Rangers as a threat to their conquest.
The Elterians killed the Rangers and anyone who inherited their power (friends, family, and even their children). Not only that, but the Elterians relegated the Power Rangers to mere myth, denying their existence and claiming that any Power Rangers story was nothing more than fiction. Then, the Elterians created their own Power Ranger-like strike force: the VR Troopers. The VR Troopers effectively replaced the Power Rangers and fulfilled their role as a global protection unit. Meanwhile, the Power Rangers themselves were effectively extinct – that is, until the events of this new series.
In post X above BOOM! Studios revealing a variant cover by artist Inhyuk Lee, not only is it confirmed that the VR Troopers will be the enemies of the Power Rangers, but Most Dangerous VR Soldier Ever Named: Ryan Steele. Ryan was shown in Power Rangers Prime #1 as a student at an Elterian academy, training to become a virtual reality soldier. This is significant, given that Ryan was the leader of the VR Troopers in the original ’90s series, and it looks like he’ll fall into a corrupted version of that role in this one. new Power Rangers continuity.
Who are the VR soldiers? Power Rangers’ ‘sister series’, explained
Saban’s VR Soldiers Played 2 seasons between 1994 and 1996
The VR Troopers were three teenagers named Ryan Steele, JB Reese, and Kaitlin Star, who were tasked with protecting the world from the evils of the VR Dimension after they received advanced technology that allowed them to draw energy from that dimension and transform into the VR Troopers. The series’ “big bad” – a villain called Grimlord – wanted to break through the veil and conquer the physical universe just as he conquered VR, and he had no shortage of crazy minions for the VR Troopers to fight.
While it had an interesting premise and interesting special effects (in fact, the entire series leaned into the virtual reality craze of the ’90s), VR Soldiers wasn’t able to get out Power Rangers‘ shadow. Many fans saw it as a cheap imitation as opposed to its own unique series, unimpressed by the flashy CGI and familiar aesthetic. However, this deficit has just become an interesting development in the Power Rangers Prime.
New VR soldiers could add new villains to Power Rangers history
The VR dimension now exists in Power Rangers Continuity?
Power Rangers Prime #1 explains that the VR Troopers are basically Power Rangers lookalikes controlled by the Elterian Empire, which makes them terrible villains for the Power Rangers to eventually face later in the series. But what if there is more than that? Perhaps the Elterians became aware of the VR Dimension and harnessed its power to create their VR soldiers. The Elterians are aware of the Morphin Network (in fact, Zordon was an Elterian and led the Power Rangers for years), so perhaps they’ve found another source of supernatural energy and decided to make it their own.
The idea that the VR Dimension exists in Power Rangers Canon is really exciting and implies that all the villains from the 90s VR Troopers show also exist in Power Rangers lore – including Grimlord. Perhaps this could lead to an eventual VR Troopers/Power Rangers team-up once the Elterians are defeated, allowing the VR Troopers the chance to not only find redemption in this new world, but also to finally fight side by side with the heroes of their ‘sister series’, the Power Rangers.
While the prospect of VR Troopers teaming up with the Power Rangers is exciting, that’s not the current reality. As it stands, the VR Troopers are nothing more than an Elterian hit squad, and the Power Rangers are collectively public enemy number one (and virtually extinct). And now that the fans know VR Soldiers former student, Ryan Steele, will stake his claim as team leader, it is clear that the Power Rangers They will face the fight of their lives to recover what was taken from them.
Power Rangers Prime #1 by BOOM! The studios are now available.
Source: BOOM! Studios/X