One of the biggest lore changes in Power Rangers Franchise history happens in the comics. The boom! Studios Comics constantly found new ways to redefine classic Power Rangers lore, as well as reinvent classic characters from the franchise. As an extension of the show, it presented the franchise with the opportunity to recontextualize staples of the series in fresh ways.
Among the classic ideas reinvented for the modern Power Rangers Franchise comes in Mighty Morphin Power Rangers #4 by Kyle Higgins, Hendry Prasetya, Matt Herms and Ed Dukeshire, which puts a twist on Zords vs. Monsters. There was a time when there was a full-blown, in-universe rule uttered by Zordon for Rangers not to bring out their Zords until a monster grows. The introduction of the Black Dragon puts a twist on the dynamic in a way that has major implications for the difference between the heroes and villains of the world..
The Power Rangers' Black Dragon Zord, explained
Unraveling the origins of a zord/monster hybrid
The TV show mainly saw Tommy Oliver leave Rita Repulsa's side and join the Power Rangers, but the comics show that this is not a betrayal she would take lightly. She uses her iconic (yet underrated) henchwoman Scorpina to exact revenge on Finster (another underrated monster) creating a duplicate Dragon Dagger to overtake the Green Ranger's Dragonzord. Scorpina's plan is thwarted, and she is brought to the command center, but as tensions flare, the chaos energy of the duplicate dagger is fueled by Tommy's anger, exploding and causing the command center to explode.
When the smoke clears, it turns out that the destruction of the dagger opens a gate to another dimension, and through it the black dragon emerges. The Black Dragon is initially presented as a mysterious monster that has the ability to grow to the size of a giant monster and shrink back to meet the Rangers at eye level. It also has a sonic scream that forces the Rangers to de-power. Additionally, once it steals and uses the Blue Ranger's Power Coin as an access point to the Morphine Grid, it completely neutralizes the Rangers' powers.
Meanwhile, Tommy and Billy find a way to destroy the Black Dragon, but oddly enough, the monster dematerializes as metal parts, revealing it to be a zord, not a monster. Trini soon discovers that the Black Dragon was built from parts that are exactly identical to Tommy's Dragonzord. It is soon revealed that the Black Dragon was created by and belongs to Lord DragonAn alternate version of Tommy and the final villain of the franchise. When the Black Dragon spoke, it was Drakkon communicating from the world of the Coinless.
How the Black Dragon broke the franchise's Zord vs. Monsters rule
In the pilot episode of the Mighty Morphin Power Rangers TV show, Zordon lays down the three ground rules of being a Ranger: "Never use your power for personal gain...never escalate a battle unless Rita forces you to, and finally, keep your identity secret." In relation to "never escalate a battle unless Rita forces you to," this specifically refers to the Rangers using their zords. Their Giant Zods and Megazord combo is enough to win a battle immediately, however If they were to pit their skyscraper-sized zords against a normal-sized monster, it wouldn't be fair or brave.
This explains why the Rangers would always wait to use their zords as opposed to pulling them out at the first sign of danger. It's also reason enough to explain why the show followed the common formula of waiting for the monster to grow before introducing the zords. To do otherwise would be against one of Zordon's rules. While the heroes aren't breaking the rules during this story arc, when the monsters themselves break the rule is practically a game changer.
What happened when Power Rangers broke the franchise rule?
Throws the Rangers off their game
Future issues since his debut would showcase how the Black Dragon was unlike anything the Power Rangers faced before. This is a monster/zord that is able to switch back and forth between growing to fight zords and shrinking to fight the rangers. One second, the Black Dragon is fighting the Green Ranger on the ground, and moments later, it grows to punch the Dragonzord in the face. Another moment, it shrinks to pilot a stolen Triceratops Zord, and grows to fight a Megazord.
This is a monster that actively throws the Rangers off their game. The Rangers do not need to escalate the battle, as the monster escalates and even de-escalates the battle when it wants to. The moment the Rangers meet the Black Dragon, they think they have to draw their zords until the Black Dragon immediately shrinks down to their level. This is a monster that the Power Rangers Can't prepare for because the Black Dragon is playing with an unfair advantage at all times.