Warning: Spoilers for Mighty Morphin Power Rangers 30th Anniversary Special #1!
The fate of Alpha 5 from Mighty Morphin Power Rangers is finally revealed, but it’s not a fate his fans may want to hear. In the original show, Alpha 5’s presence in the franchise spanned across several seasons. But the Power Rangers Turbo season opens with Zordon being presented with the opportunity to return to his home planet Eltar, and his trusty sidekick decides to accompany him. The two were replaced by Dimitria and Alpha 6.
While Zordon eventually returns to the franchise, Alpha’s whereabouts and fate are never mentioned — until Mighty Morphin’ Power Rangers 30th Anniversary Special #1 in the story “Alpha Directive” by Mat Groom, Sara Antonellini, Marco Renna, Sharon Marino, and Ed Dukeshire. The story examines Alpha’s life — from the moment he’s activated by King Lexian and brought to Zordon to his final moments.
The final pages of “Alpha Directive” reveal where Zordon and Alpha 5 are during the Power Rangers Turbo finale, which leads into Power Rangers in Space. Eltar and its people are under attack by the forces of Dark Specter, led by Power Rangers in Space’s antagonist, Ecliptor. This new story marks the moment when Zordon is kidnapped during that season, but it also finally reveals what happens to Alpha 5 in the midst of all this chaos. As it turns out, Zordon urges Alpha to flee before he’s destroyed on the planet, but the final panel sees Alpha telling Zordon that fleeing would defy the prime directive that Alpha gave himself: ensure that his best friend is never alone.
Alpha-5 Most Likely Died Between Turbo & In Space
It can be presumed that Alpha 5 is either destroyed in the destruction or imprisoned with the rest of Eltar under Dark Specter’s ruling. Considering fans never hear of or see Alpha again after Dark Specter is vanquished in the In Space finale, it might be safe to assume to former. It certainly explains why, in future seasons, Alpha 5 is never mentioned and only future iterations of Alpha take his place. This is also the case in the most recent Power Rangers Netflix special, as it features Alpha 8 and Alpha 9.
While this comic story gives the audience the best explanation yet as to what happened to the original Alpha, it’s a sad way for a beloved character to go out. On the other hand, it adds a new context to the level of sentience that Alpha 5 is capable of. In the story, when Alpha is first activated, King Lexian makes the concept of free will clear to Alpha, telling him he must find his own purpose rather than be programmed with one.
Alpha’s relationship with Zordon becomes so close that he decides his purpose is to ensure the galactic wizard has a friend by his side at all times, even in times of distress like this. Alpha 5 is likely dead, but the Mighty Morphin’ Power Rangers alum dies giving Zordon a lasting confidante.
Check out Mighty Morphin Power Rangers 30th Anniversary Special #1, available now from BOOM! Studios!
