Thanks to the Power Rangers comic books, Scorpina has finally become the iconic villain that she should have always been on the original show. Scorpina first debuted during the iconic five-parter “Green with Evil” and thus, almost immediately, was immortalized into Ranger lore forever. Despite only appearing in a handful of episodes, Scorpina developed a core fanbase and is fondly remembered to this day. However, that’s mostly in spite of how the show handled her, not because of it.
Today, Scorpina is not only viewed as one of Power Rangers‘ most underrated villains, but also a wasted opportunity, given her few and far between appearances. She’s showcased as a great fighter and perhaps Rita Repulsa’s only competent henchman, yet Scorpina was criminally underused. Luckily, BOOM! Studios has gone out of its way to give Scorpina a second chance to shine through the Power Rangers comics.
10 Epic Fight Against Tommy Oliver
Mighty Morphin Power Rangers #2 by Kyle Higgins, Hendry Prasetya, Matt Herms, and Ed Dukeshire
Mighty Morphin Power Rangers #1 marked the on-panel comic debut of Scorpina, who immediately posed a threat by suddenly appearing in Tommy Oliver’s room holding a sword to his throat. The second issue of the series opens with her making it clear that she’s there to retrieve Rita’s Dragon Power Coin. Tommy obviously isn’t handing it over without a fight. Thus begins a pitched battle between two world-class fighters, with Scorpina holding her own against the iconic Ranger.
9 Pilots the Dragon Zord
Mighty Morphin Power Rangers #3 by Kyle Higgins, Hendry Prasetya, Matt Herms, and Ed Dukeshire
Not missing a beat, Scorpina follows up her fight with Tommy by stealing and piloting his Dragon Zord in the next issue. She then spends the entirety of the fourth issue causing insurmountable damage across the city, even going as far as to attack a ship full of civilians. In a short amount of time, Scorpina manages to rock the core of not only the Rangers, but the entire world, causing several casualties in the process. Immediately, Scorpina is established to be as big of a problem for the Rangers as she should’ve been on the show.
8 Becoming Drakkon’s Right Hand
Power Rangers: Drakkon: New Dawn #2 by Anthony Burch, Simone Ragazzoni, Raúl Angulo and Ed Dukeshire
Mighty Morphin Power Rangers #13 marks the first time Scorpina is seen as the right-hand woman of Lord Drakkon in the World of the Coinless. Power Rangers: Drakkon: New Dawn #2 showcases a flashback in which Lord Drakkon first offers Scorpina the promotion. He lets it be known that he can’t be Rita, but he wants to honor her memory with Scorpina by his side. From being one main villain’s second-in-command to another, it highlights how Scorpina is so highly sought after as an asset within the villain community, constantly impressing and earning the respect of the world’s most influential evil-doers.
7 Ruling Drakkon’s Empire as Commander Scorpina
Power Rangers: Ranger Slayer #1 by Ryan Parrott, Dan Mora, Raul Angulo, and Ed Dukeshire
This one-shot reveals that in a post-Drakkon world after the Shattered Grid arc, the empire he leaves behind in the World of the Coinless is taken over by his right hand, now asserting herself as Commander Scorpina. She takes over the army, his devoted following from the likes of Ranger Sentry Adam Park, the servitude of Finster, and the throne that once belonged to Lord Drakkon. As much as Scorpina is revered for being the ultimate henchwoman, years of hard work pay off whenshe finally gets her own empire.
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6 Day Out with Goldar Teases Heroic Potential
“Sabrina’s Day Out” by Caitlin Kittredge, Dajung Lee, Sarah Stern, and Jim Campbell for Mighty Morphin Power Rangers 2017 Annual
While she started out as a villain, Scorpina also showcases heroic qualities. Rita orders Scorpina and Goldar to go to Angel Grove in disguise to learn the Rangers’ secrets, then expose them when they least expect it. Under the guise of Sabrina and her suspiciously blue friend in a “Goldar costume,” they don’t find the results they’re looking for. To compensate for a wasted day, they take some time off to play games and win prizes at a carnival.
Rita sends an onslaught of monsters the Rangers’ way to distract them while Scorpina and Goldar “embark on their mission”, but one monster goes rogue by attacking the carnival. Because he doesn’t recognize Scorpina and Goldar in their disguises, he attacks them, and the only way not to blow their cover is if the duo fight off and defeat the monster. The story shows a more human side to Scorpina, highlighting the fact that under the right circumstances, she’s not just capable of heroism, but able to truly enjoy helping others. Scorpina is so pleased with herself and Goldar that she quips, “We should be heroes more often.” Little did she know she was predicting her own future.
5 Gaining Redemption with Kimberly, Becoming Her Second-in-Command
Power Rangers: Ranger Slayer #1 by Ryan Parrott, Dan Mora, Raul Angulo, and Ed Dukeshire
Of course, Scorpina is still a villain, and she must eventually surrender her empire to someone who can boost the morale of a dying nation. That someone arrives in the form of the original Pink Ranger Kimberly Hart, who in this post-apocalyptic timeline was reinvented as the Ranger Slayer. Following Finster’s urging to consider a strategic ceasefire, Scorpina begrudgingly gives up her throne. However, because of her skills and for proving a loyal ally during the unexpected return of Rita Repulsa, Kim appoints Scorpina as her second-in-command alongside Trini.
On one hand, it shows how the hero community is just as impressed with Scorpina’s abilities as the villains, but on the other hand, this position beside Kimberly also offers Scorpina the chance to redeem herself into a hero. Whenever BOOM! Studios revisits the World of the Coinless, Scorpina showcases new heroic, morally uplifting qualities. It gets to the point that Kimberly urges Scorpina not to kill Drakkon in Power Rangers Unlimited: The Coinless#1 because “you’re not this person anymore.”
4 Vulnerable Moment with Adam
Power Rangers: Drakkon: New Dawn #2 by Anthony Burch, Simone Ragazzoni, Raul Angulo, and Ed Dukeshire
In the World of the Coinless, Drakkon was able to manipulate Scorpina into joining his side by lying and saying that the Power Rangers killed Rita Repulsa, when in reality, it was him. Long after he’s gone, Scorpina learns the truth. Learning that she swore blind allegiance for so long to the man who killed her mentor completely shakes her to the core, leading to her crying in the arms of former Black Ranger Adam. It’s easy to portray Scorpina as a heartless killing machine, but moments like this help portray her redemption as a multi-layered person who cares about those around her, even if her initial allegiances were to the wrong person.
3 New Armor as Part of the Shattering
Power Rangers: Drakkon: New Dawn #3 by Anthony Burch, Simone Ragazzoni, Raul Angulo, and Ed Dukeshire
Following the Shattered Grid storyline, Lord Drakkon became trapped in the main canon timeline, but he left a contingency plan of sorts in the World of the Coinless: an alliance with Eclipta, who has the opportunity to bring Drakkon back into their world. To combat her, former Mighty Morphin Rangers use their leftover Power Coins to power a diffuser created by Drakkon that will help share the power among the team of Kimberly, Zack, Jason, Trini, and Scorpina, which Finster refers to as the Shattering. Completing her redemption story, Scorpina is rewarded by essentially becoming an unofficial Power Ranger in the World of the Coinless.
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2 Becoming the Black Ranger of the Drakkon Rangers
Power Rangers Unlimited: The Coinless #1 by Adam Cesare, Moises Hidalgo, Arthur Hesli, and Ed Dukeshire
Scorpina’s unofficial Ranger status becomes official when she becomes the Black Ranger for a new team created to combat Dark Specter. Much to Scorpina’s chagrin, Lord Drakkon does manage to return to the World of the Coinless, but his return comes during the Darkest Hour. To survive Dark Specter’s army of corrupted rangers, Drakkon shares his power (and that of the remains of the world’s Power Coins) to form a new team of Rangers comprised of enemies from his past. If her hero status wasn’t already solidified, it is when Scorpina dons the colors of a Power Ranger.
1 Becoming The Witch, Final Boss of the MMPR Universe in the Future
Power Rangers: Soul of the Dragon by Kyle Higgins, Giuseppe Cafaro, Marcelo Costa, and Ed Dukeshire
As gratifying as it is to see Scorpina learn the error of her ways and become a hero, it’s even more fulfilling to see such an underrated supporting villain finally be promoted to the main antagonist. Even better, she’s essentially the final boss of the main canon MMPR universe in the future. In Tommy Oliver’s final mission, he tries to save his son JJ after the SPD cadet goes undercover to stop a new villain on the scene calling herself the Witch. All signs point to Rita Repulsa’s return, but actually the Witch is a returning Scorpina.
Years prior, during Tommy’s more active years as a Ranger, Scorpina was betrayed by Rita and banished to an otherworldly dimension. It took her years before she could return to the world, but her absence allowed her to avoid Zordon’s evil-crushing Z-Wave during Power Rangers in Space. As the last purely evil force on the planet, Scorpina returns with a vengeance.
While Mighty Morphin Power Rangers fans didn’t get enough of Scorpina on TV – and ultimately saw her vanish from the narrative – the comics have embraced her potential, exploring Scorpina’s capacity both as a redeemed hero and official ranger, and as the franchise’s final big bad, the Witch.
