Billy Cranston’s impact on the Power Rangers franchise is undeniable, even after his original Mighty Morphin stint as the original Blue Ranger. Considered by many to be the brains of the operation, Billy was one of the more flexible members of the team, capable of being as useful behind the scenes as on the battlefield. When he wasn’t creating gadgets like the team’s communicators, he was finding new ways to resolve their toughest conflicts.
Next to Tommy Oliver, Billy is the second longest-running member of the Power Rangers after returning for Once & Always and Cosmic Fury. His highlights don’t begin and end with the several Rangers seasons he’s appeared in, however, as he has a significant presence in the comic book continuations as well. The Power Rangers comics released by BOOM! Studios not only offer readers new moments that they’ve never seen before, but also show them what else Billy has been up to in his post-Ranger life. Above all else, all of these moments showcase why, after all these years, the original Blue Ranger is still the best.
10 Convincing Goldar to Release Him
Mighty Morphin Power Rangers #9 (by Kyle Higgins and Hendry Prasetya)
One of Billy’s best skills was always his ability to think quickly on his feet. Whether by creating crafty tech or improvising during combat, the Blue Ranger knows how to take advantage of an opportunity whenever one presents itself. He sees such an opportunity at a time when he and Goldar are held as prisoners in Rita Repulsa’s lair: Billy because he was captured by the Black Dragon, Goldar because Rita wanted to punish his failures. Billy notices Goldar’s jealousy towards the Black Dragon, and persuades the villain to help him escape and foil the Dragon’s plans. Other Rangers wouldn’t have considered deploying diplomacy, but in this case, it was a genius call to make.
9 Growing Beyond Hero’s Quest
Mighty Morphin Power Rangers #10 (by Kyle Higgins and Jonathan Lam)
One thing consistent with Billy across all media is a stark lack of confidence. Believing in his abilities as a Ranger was always a roadblock for Billy, and this entire issue examines why. After being too scared to pull the trigger on a monster, Billy obsessively trains and tries to choreograph his technique, using the Hero’s Quest book as a guide. When Zack sees how much all this stresses him out, he has a conversation with Billy that he takes to heart. While Billy initially feels like he’s being cowardly, Zack speculates that his hesitancy is due to his intellect, and his genuine understanding of everything that could go wrong on a mission. Billy manages to work through his fears, becoming a better Ranger both by examining his weaknesses and embracing what makes him unique – this continual growth is the key to every other feat on this list.
8 Sacrificing His Life to Save Trini
Mighty Morphin Power Rangers #13 (by Kyle Higgins and Hendry Prasetya)
When Billy and Tommy are transported to the World of the Coinless, the Blue Ranger discovers a world where he truly met his hero potential. This world’s Rangers were defeated during ‘the Great Battle,’ during which their Billy sacrificed himself to save Trini. Self-sacrifice isn’t something that everyone would expect out of Billy – in fact, it’s not something Billy expects out of himself. The moment taught fans and Billy that when the chips are down, he’ll sacrifice himself to safeguard his friends, despite the fact that even he didn’t realize he had such instinctual bravery in him.
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7 Liberating the World of the Coinless from Lord Drakkon
Mighty Morphin Power Rangers #16 (by Kyle Higgins and Hendry Prasetya)
Learning about the heroic efforts of the Coinless version of himself gave present-day Billy the motivation he needed to prove himself in a moment of desperation. The World of the Coinless’ Blue Ranger left behind his Morpher in death, and main canon Billy finds a way to repurpose it unexpectedly. On the pretense that he’s surrendering, Billy gives the Morpher to Lord Drakkon. Unbeknownst to Drakkon, it’s a trap. Billy reverse-engineers this Morpher with the Black Dragon’s power disruptor beforehand, immediately and permanently dismantling Lord Drakkon’s powers, along with most of his army. Despite having just been reminded how mortal he was, Billy applied his genius, took a huge risk, and single-handedly liberated the World of the Coinless.
6 Investigating Grace Sterling and Promethea
Mighty Morphin Power Rangers #23 (by Kyle Higgins and Jonas Scharf)
After learning that Lord Drakkon is still alive, the Blue Ranger investigates Grace Sterling of Promethea, discovering that Drakkon is her prisoner. This is especially impressive given how much Billy idolizes the former Red Ranger and the company she founded (a company that he attempted to intern at during the Go Go Power Rangers series.) He was enamored when the Rangers had the chance to closely work with Promethea to stop Finster, but not enamored enough to keep his blinders on. As soon as Billy gets the impression that Grace and co. are hiding something from the Rangers, he does some snooping – even though Lord Drakkon couldn’t deserve his help less.
5 Secretly Working for Grace Sterling and Promethea
Mighty Morphin Power Rangers #53 (by Ryan Parrott and Moisés Hidalgo)
In a shocking turn of events following Shattered Grid, Billy does manage to follow his dreams of working for Promethea as an assistant under Grace Sterling. Albeit, he does so in secret and Grace often compels Billy to lie to Zordon and his teammates about his extracurricular activities. It becomes difficult for Billy to regain their trust once his deceit is revealed, but the opportunity allows Billy to hone his skills as a science and tech expert outside of Rangerhood. His crowning achievement at the company is figuring out a way to recharge the Dragon Power Coin after stealing it from Zordon, helping Promethea create a new Green Ranger.
4 Connecting to the Blue Emissary
Mighty Morphin #14 (by Ryan Parrott and Marco Renna)
The Emissaries Three are three god-like beings within the Morphin Grid, protecting it from the inside. Given their cosmic importance, they are not easy to contact, even for the Rangers and Zordon. However, when the Silver Guardian of Eltar destroys Zordon’s pod during the “Eltarian War” arc, leaving Zordon lost in the time warp, the Emissaries are needed to find him. Most Rangers go years without ever meeting the Emissaries, and Trini herself found it difficult trying to get ahold of the Yellow Emissary. Billy, though, proves in a matter of seconds that he’s worthy of meeting the Blue Emissary when he immediately and successfully performs the ritual to do so.
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3 Creating a New Warrior Suit for Zordon
Mighty Morphin #14 (by Ryan Parrott and Marco Renna)
After making contact, Billy and the Blue Emissary are able to find Zordon and bring him back into their world. However, given how close he is to his home planet Eltar and this war, Zordon has no intention of working from the sidelines. Zordon admits that with the Command Center destroyed, he is unsure how helpful he can be during this war, but Billy assures him that he’s been working on “something special” for Zordon. The end of the issue reveals that “something special” is one of Billy’s most impressive gadgets: a battle suit personally made to contain Zordon and allow him to fight.
2 Entering the Morphin Grid
Mighty Morphin Power Rangers #112 (by Melissa Flores and Hendry Prasetya)
When Grace Sterling recruited Billy to work at Promethea, it was because he impressed her as someone with the potential to be his team’s true leader. They maintain a close partnership to this day – even after her death – as she made Billy a vital part of her failsafe program, expecting a worst-case scenario before she died. The program sends Billy directly into the Morphin Grid, something few of his teammates can say they experienced. There, the program manifests as a hologram of Grace essentially telling him that he’s the universe’s last hope during its Darkest Hour.
1 Becoming a Ranger Academy Mentor
‘Ranger Academy: Office Hours’ from Mighty Morphin Power Rangers 30th Anniversary Special #1 (by Maria Ingrande Mora and Jo Mi-Gyeong)
Continuations of the show have revealed that Billy is destined to mentor the Rangers of Cosmic Fury, but he also continues to train the next generation of Rangers in the distant future. While at grad school in his post-Ranger life, he gets a call from the Headmaster of Ranger Academy, asking him if he’d like a professor position where he’d call in from his timeline, speaking to students in the future. Though apprehensive, a trial call convinces Billy to commit to the opportunity. Readers see Professor Cranston again in Ranger Academy #3. The comics highlight the substantial growth and evolution of the original Blue Power Ranger from reluctant hero to confident mentor.
While the Red and Green Rangers may be more immediately cool, not being the team’s initial leader left Billy Cranston far more room to grow and mature as the Blue Ranger. Again and again, Billy has used his bravey and genius to do what others consider impossible – whether getting a hated enemy to lend a hand or talking to the gods themselves. This growth shows how Billy Cranston became Power Rangers‘ ultimate Blue Ranger, influencing future generations of the team both by example and in person.
