Warning: Spoilers for Mighty Morphin Power Rangers #117!One of the most underrated Power Rangers in the franchise is getting a new role in the comics. After more than 30 years, the series has seen several team leaders come and go. And no matter how good they are in the role, it’s easy to forget or even overlook some of the more skilled leaders the franchise has to offer. Taylor Earhardt, the Yellow Eagle Ranger of Power Rangers Wild Force, is such an overlooked leader.
Thankfully, Taylor finally gets her due in Mighty Morphin Power Rangers #117 by Melissa Flores, Simona Di Gianfelice, Marco Renna, Raul Angulo, Jose Enrique Fernandez, and Ed Dukeshire. Taylor is introduced as one of the Rangers battling Dark Specter during the ongoing Darkest Hour event.
It’s decided that the best use of her skills would be to lead and train civilian Rangers in training, so to speak. This feels like a natural evolution to her journey, while also highlighting just how skilled she is as the last surviving member of the Wild Force team.
Who Is Taylor, Power Rangers Wild Force‘s Overlooked Leader?
At the start of Power Rangers Wild Force, before they had a Red Ranger, Taylor had served as the team’s leader for more than a year, making her the first Yellow Power Ranger to lead the team. She personally recruited each member of the team and went as far as to write an entire Ranger rulebook for them to follow. Despite her determination as a leader, her strict nature caused tension within the team. Once Cole joined as the Red Ranger, Taylor was relegated to second-in-command, which caused friction among the Rangers until Taylor learned the importance of teamwork.
Now, in the comics, Dark Specter’s evil reign has turned the rest of her team into zombified members of his Dark Ranger Army, while the Rangers’ Zordon-esque mentor, Princess Shayla, has fallen into a coma. Taylor joins the other Rangers as the only survivor. As Rangers across time and space are being abducted, taken over, or killed, the surviving Rangers accept the help of civilian volunteers to protect Earth. Taylor the former Air Force pilot is not only at the forefront leading the charge, but she’s tasked with training them within a few days.
The Yellow Eagle Power Ranger’s Journey Comes Full Circle
It’s impressive enough to see that Taylor remains skilled enough to be the only Wild Force Ranger not to fall victim to Dark Specter, but more importantly, this appearance is all about how far Taylor has come in her overall character journey. Much of Taylor’s journey on the show was about her unlearning her authoritarian approach to crime-fighting. Taylor is introduced to audiences as someone who has the skills and qualities of an ideal leader, but not the right attitude when it comes to actual teamwork. She then struggled to follow someone else when she was relegated to being a co-captain.
Now, all the character growth she achieved on the show has evolved into her being a willing and able mentor. Gone are the rigid rulebook and the harsh orders displayed in the earliest episodes. In this issue, the ex-military leader briefly displays a level of patience and cooperation with the new trainees that she would never have had if not for the character development that brought her to this part of her journey. It’s no wonder she’s pegged as one of the strongest Rangers. Taylor’s resurfacing in the comics reminds readers just how skilled the Power Rangers’ forgotten leader is.
