Warning: contains spoilers for Mighty Morphin Power Rangers #103!When it comes to taking down cosmic level threats, BOOM! Studios’ Mighty Morphin Power Rangers have more than their fair share of experience. With their connection to the Morphin Grid as well as access to out-of-this-world weapons and Zords, the Power Rangers are typically pretty well-equipped against any threat that gets in their way. But there’s one substance that even the Ranger’s incredible weapons can’t pierce.
The Power Rangers have had their hands full lately with nonstop attacks first from the Death Ranger, and now from their old enemy Rita Repulsa, now calling herself Mistress Vile. And with their Omega teammates on the other side of the galaxy, the Teenagers with Attitude are spread more than a little thin. Unfortunately for the team, Mighty Morphin Power Rangers #103 finds the heroes of Angel Grove going up against a monstrous distraction sent by Rita and made of the one material that traditional Ranger weapons can’t overcome – crystal.
Mighty Morphin Power Rangers #103 by Melissa Flores and Simona Di Gianfelice finds the battle-weary Power Rangers with their backs against the wall, after a conflict with the newly returned Rita Repulsa leaves their old foe Lord Zedd gravely injured and the Green Ranger, Matt, in her evil clutches. The Mistress of Malevolence seeks to turn up the heat on the Power Rangers, sending the beast known as Crystakular to terrorize Angel Grove. The Rangers give it their best shot, but they quickly realize their weapons are no match for the monster’s crystaline hide, and it ultimately takes a blast from the Pink Ranger’s Pterodactyl Firebird Thunderzord to destroy Crystakular before it can cause any more damage.
The Power Rangers Aren’t as Powerful as Fans Think
While it’s surprising that the Power Rangers would be weak to such a common material, what’s more interesting is that the Rangers seem well aware of this limitation. After all, it’s the Blue Ranger, Billy – the team’s de facto big brain – who points out Crystakular’s invulnerability to their weapons, telling his teammates that there’s no point continuing to attack in the same way not because of a power the monster possesses, but simply because they have no hope of piercing crystal. Strange as this weakness is, it actually fits perfectly into Power Rangers lore.
The Power Rangers’ Greatest Strength Could Be Their Greatest Weakness
The Rangers’ inability to break crystal is an interesting development, essentially giving the team its own Kryptonite, but with a unique twist. Crystals are important to Power Rangers lore – the entire Morphin Grid’s physical structure is that of a powerful crystaline gem, and Rita Repulsa’s attack is intended to win her the Zeo Cystal – the most powerful energy source in the universe. Seeing as how the Power Rangers essentially draw their power from a crystal of their own, it’s possible that other forms of crystal – even the seemingly mundane – are able to absorb or redirect the energy that strengthens them, rendering their powerful weapons ineffective.
The Power Rangers are powerful forces for good, but even they have limitations. While crystal may not be the most obvious weakness for the Mighty Morphin Power Rangers, there are plenty of interesting potential reasons why this vulnerability exists, and many ways to use it in future stories.
Mighty Morphin Power Rangers #103 is available now from BOOM! Studios.
