Since his debut in Mighty Morphin Power Rangers, Tommy Oliver quickly became a fan favorite. Fans were enamored by his good looks and boyish charm, but his storyline soon shifted to evil. He became a puppet controlled by Rita Repulsa and soon became the Rangers’ number one enemy for a handful of episodes before turning back into a hero.
Tommy’s role in the franchise didn’t end with the first series. He would go through many story arcs from becoming the Red Zeo Ranger to making his return in crossover episodes and becoming the Black Dino Ranger. Fans have been along for his entire journey and have fond memories and moments to look back on.
Updated January 13th, 2023 by Amanda Bruce: Tommy Oliver, played by Jason David Frank, is one of the most decorated Power Rangers in history. Not only was he a member of the first Mighty Morphin Power Rangers team, but he was also a member of the Zeo, Turbo, and Dino Thunder teams along with appearing to help in battles in four more Power Rangers series. As a result, Jason David Frank has been the face of the franchise since 1993. Fans were hit hard by the news of his death in November 2022, but the fans that love him can still see his most memorable scenes in the franchise thanks to Netflix having the streaming rights to the series.
Tommy And Jason Learn The Value Of Teamwork
When Tommy Oliver first became a member of the first Rangers team in the franchise, he was used to doing things on his own, and Jason was used to giving the team instructions. As a result, the two butted heads a lot.
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When the arguing between the two gets to be too much for the team, Zordon actually sends Jason and Tommy on his version of a team-building exercise. They have to learn to work together in order to retrieve an artifact – without the help of the rest of the team. The two slowly start to understand one another, and the experience helps bond them. The sequence makes them a great team moving forward in the series, and the audience gets treated to a lot of great sparring sessions between them as a result.
Tommy Gets The Girl (Twice)
Because the Power Rangers franchise is aimed primarily at children, the focus is often on staying positive among times of adversity, learning to work together, and maintaining honesty among friends. Romance isn’t a huge focus, but that doesn’t mean relationships don’t pop up since the main characters are usually teenagers.
The first long-running romance in the series occurs when Tommy joins the show. He and Pink Ranger Kimberly are in a relationship even after Kimberly decides to move away. The show didn’t shy away from how much the two liked one another and got along outside the rest of the group, so it was nice for fans to see their relationship blossom. Of course, when Kimberly broke up with him in the Zeo season, it was also gratifying for fans to see Tommy find happiness again with Kat, who had a crush on him from the moment she met him.
Tommy Kicks A Dinosaur In The Face
While a lot of Tommy’s most memorable moments in the Power Rangers franchise are truly more about his legacy in the series, or how willing he is to play any part in achieving the greater good, he also has moments like this one that are just really fun for the audience to see happen – whether they’re young fans watching for the first time or adults who have a soft spot for the nostalgia of the series.
When Tommy was reintroduced in the Dino Thunder series, he got to show the audience that even though he wasn’t a teenager anymore, he could still do a great spin-kick. He did it by spin-kicking an actual dinosaur right in the face. It’s the kind of moment that would be rare to see in any action series, but exactly the kind of moment Power Rangers fans could expect.
Tommy’s Emergency Video
In Power Rangers Dino Thunder, Tommy returned and guided the Dino Rangers in their journey. Fans can recall a certain episode when Tommy leaves the Rangers an emergency video message. Prior to this, they had no idea who Tommy Oliver really was in the Power Ranger world.
Fans can agree this moment made chills run up their spine. The Dino Rangers only think he’s their teacher but soon flabbergasts them when he says it’s a documentary of his history as an original Ranger. Fans got to see a montage of the original series.
Tommy’s First Dino Thunder Morph
Soon after the Rangers learn of Tommy’s history, he returns and becomes the Black Dino Ranger. In “Back In Black,” Tommy harnesses the Black Dino Gem with the ability to become invisible. It’s a riveting scene as Tommy once again becomes a Ranger but under a new color.
Using his Brachio Morpher, he battles Elsa, Zeltrax, and the Pollinator monster. There’s nothing like watching the O.G. Power Ranger kick some butt like old times. He even makes jokes about being out of practice. However, fans agree with Tommy that he looks good in black.
Tommy Vs. Tommy
For the Power Rangers’ 25th anniversary, Nickelodeon created a special bringing back some old favorites. It was a momentous Power Rangers crossover that included Rocky, Wes, and even Lightspeed Rescue team members. Tommy was also in attendance. One scene that fans took away from was the epic battle between Tommy and Tommy.
Not many can go up against him. So what better opponent than an evil version of Tommy? The evil version is dressed the same but with bags under his eyes. Both morph into their Dino suits, but Tommy has a trick up his sleeve. His new morpher allows him to morph into his past Ranger forms. Fans cheered as he not only turned into the Zeo Ranger but the White and Green Ranger.
Tommy Vs. Goldar
Goldar was a loyal subject to Rita Repulsa. On a couple of occasions, he had to do the dirty work himself. Goldar tries to get Tommy to submit to him and return to the forces of evil. This scene is impactful as it showcased Tommy’s true fight skills without the need to morph.
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Jumping high in the air, Tommy lands a forceful punch to Goldar’s chest right as the Green Power Ranger theme songs hits. In an open field, Tommy takes the upper hand landing kick after an impressive kick. It’s a true scene to marvel at. It makes even the oldest fans still feel giddy.
Green Ranger Vs. White Ranger
In the original series, there were a couple of episodes that were strictly dedicated to the Green Ranger aka Tommy. In “Return Of The Green Ranger, Part 2,” Tommy is in for the ride of his life when he’s faced with an evil clone of himself. All thanks to Rita and the help of the Wizard of Deception.
Part two has one of the best fight scenes after Tommy and Evil Tommy morph into their respective Ranger forms. Tommy versus Tommy means double the insane and jaw-dropping martial arts.
Tommy & Jason’s Fight Scene In The Turbo Movie
The Rangers broke away from the show to take part in a movie. Turbo: A Power Rangers Movie would serve as the link between the prior series and the new one. Tommy along with the new Rangers have now become Turbo Rangers and left behind their Zeo forms and morphers.
The movie brought back Kimberly and Jason, who are both turned evil by Maligore. Evil Jason goes head-to-head against Tommy in a fight. It’s a memorable moment as Jason has red eyes and tries to choke Tommy over the lava pit, all while evil Kimberly tells him to drop him in the fire. An angry and seasoned martial artist like Jason versus Tommy makes for a golden scene.
His Return In “Forever Red”
The entire “Forever Red” episode ranks as being the best of the best when it came to crossovers. All major Red Rangers banded together to stop the rebuilding of King Mondo’s empire, including Tommy Oliver. Fans were stoked to see Jason return. As the other Rangers gather, Andros explains they were brought together by a veteran Ranger.
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Cue Tommy appearing in the distance and T.J. even calls him a legend. Fans also squealed when Jason and Tommy reunited. The episode had many great moments, highlighted by all the Rangers morphing once again.
Tommy Turns Evil
Rita Repulsa may have been a formidable villain for the Rangers. But nothing topped Tommy when he was put under Rita’s spell to become the evil Green Ranger. Rita kidnaps him and soon sends him back to Angel Grove. In his first act of evil, he enters the Command Center to wreak havoc.
There are many memorable scenes to take notice of. Fans can recall the famous moment where he’s doing a chest workout when Kimberly comes to talk to him. Or his huge fight with Jason as well as when he used his Dragon Dagger and his evil laugh.
The Return Of The White Ranger
After Tommy is no longer under Rita’s spell, his powers start to dwindle and ultimately hurt him. While Tommy is swimming in the lake, he is transported with a white light to the Command Center. Alpha and Zordon reveal their plans to create a new Ranger.
Fans clapped as a beaming white light shined down and the White Ranger descended. They held their breath, and he slowly removes his helmet to reveal Tommy. The rest of the team was so surprised that Kimberly even fainted.
Tommy Fights His Old Selves
In the Dino Thunder “Fighting Spirit” episode, Tommy goes on a journey, and it becomes his best moment in the franchise. Tommy tries to become visible again but falls into a coma in the process. In a bizarre new place, Tommy is welcomed by the Zeo Ranger V Red. But Tommy must fight for his life to prove himself.
As he defeats his former Zeo form, he’s faced with the White Mighty Morphin Power Ranger. Tommy’s biggest challenge of all is defeating his Green Ranger form that doesn’t bring back the best memories. Defeating them all, the three former selves congratulate him and his courage and return him to his Dino Gem. It was simply epic television.
NEXT: 10 Fan Favorite Black Power Rangers Characters Over The Years
