Power Rangers recently confirmed the original Blue Ranger is the most important member of the show’s classic Migthy Morphin team. Even though there have been dozens of Ranger teams in the Power Rangers chronology, the Mighty Morphin characters arguably remain the franchise’s most iconic. Jason, Zack, Kimberly, Billy, Triny, and Tommy established what it means to be a Power Ranger and set the stage for a saga that is still going strong 30 years later. Some of these characters would appear in other subsequent Power Rangers movies and TV shows, whereas others would take decades to show up again.
The second generation of Mighty MorphinPower Rangers actually had a bigger presence in the franchise compared to the original heroes, going from MMPR to Turbo and having cameos in other seasons. Of the five Power Rangers featured in the Mighty Morphin pilot, Billy Cranston was the only one to remain on the show until its final episode. Billy also appeared in the first few episodes of Power RangersZeo, after which he would only return to the saga after 27 years for two very special appearances that confirmed the original Blue Ranger’s importance.
2023 Confirmed How Important The Original Blue Ranger Is To Power Rangers
David Yost reprised his role as Power Rangers’ Billy twice in 2023, marking his first appearance in the franchise since 1996’s Power RangersZeo. Billy was one of the lead characters in Power Rangers:Once & Always, the Netflix special that celebrated the show’s 30th anniversary. Once & Always also saw the return of Walter Emanuel Jones, who had not appeared in Power Rangers since Zack’s exit from the team in MMPR season 2. The special presentation also included second-generation MMPR heroes, namely Kat, Rocky, Aisha, and Adam, making it an incredibly nostalgic experience.
Naturally, Once & Always focused heavily on Billy and Zack, the only two original Power Rangers to be featured in the Netflix special. While it was bittersweet to have a Power Rangers reunion that could not possibly include all of the original actors, seeing two of the most iconic characters in the franchise back after multiple decades was very emotional. With the rest of the team captured, Billy and Zack had to step up and lead an unusual Power Rangers formation featuring Pink Ranger Kat, Red Ranger Rocky, and, later, Yellow Ranger Minh.
While Once & Always was designed as a one-off story, David Yost’s return as Billy was not limited to the special presentation. Billy was a recurrent character in Power RangersCosmic Fury, the first Power Rangers TV show since Zeo to have Yost as part of the cast. Billy was not a cameo in Cosmic Fury. Instead, he was an essential character who followed the Dino Fury/Cosmic Fury Rangers throughout most of their journey. Billy served as a mentor to this new generation of Power Rangers and even created their new Cosmic Fury morphers.
Billy Helped Defeat Rita Repulsa & Lord Zedd Once And For All In 2023
Within a few months, both from a real-world perspective and in-universe, Billy helped destroy Rita Repulsa and Lord Zedd once a for all, a feat that none of the original Rangers ever achieved. Granted, Billy’s mistake when trying to bring Zordon back to life was what caused Rita Repulsa to return. Still, the original Blue Ranger was able to make up for his failure by leading the team that rescued all the Power Rangers captured by Robot Rita. Billy was also the one to give the final blow against Robot Rita Repulsa at the end of Once & Always.
After defeating the Mighty Morphin Power Rangers’ original nemesis, the original Blue Ranger would run into another classic villain in Cosmic Fury. The newest Power Rangers season opened with the Dino Fury Rangers tracking down Lord Zedd, during which Billy appeared to help the young heroes. Without Billy’s mentorship, the Cosmic FuryPower Rangers would have never been able to take down Lord Zedd and his allies. Interestingly, Billy actually fought Lord Zedd in Cosmic Fury, something that none of the original Rangers had ever done in Mighty Morphin as Zedd was often on his throne.
Power Rangers Needed More Of The Original Blue Ranger After Billy’s Disappointing Exit
2023 marked Power Rangers’ 30th anniversary but also delivered the Billy return viewers had been waiting for since Zeo. Yost’s exit from the show and the circumstances behind had always been a sad chapter in the franchise’s history, and the way Zeo handled Billy’s character was very disappointing. From Billy giving away his Zeo crystal and thus no longer being a Power Ranger to the Gold Ranger fakeout, the original Blue Ranger deserved better from the Mighty Morphin sequel. Additionally, Billy abandoning his friends to live on a distant planet never really made much sense.
Power Rangers Reveals How To Defeat Lord Zedd 30 Years After The Villain’s Introduction
Power Rangers recently revealed how to defeat Lord Zedd, one of the show’s original villains, once and for all – and it makes a lot of sense.
Power Rangers had thriven on nostalgia and cameos for decades, yet the original Blue Ranger had yet to show up again in the franchise. While the Mighty Morphin Blue Ranger technically appeared a couple of times on the show after Zeo, namely in “The Legendary Battle” and “Grid Connection,” none of these episodes featured Billy without his helmet. Power Rangers needed to find a way to honor its original actors in 2023 after 30 years of legacy built on the success of Mighty Morphin. Fortunately, Billy’s return was part of it.
The Original Blue Ranger Had Always Been An Essential Power Ranger
2023 may have been Billy’s year, but the original Blue Ranger had always been an essential team member, if not the most essential. Billy was behind multiple tech creations, including wrist communicators, that the Power Rangers could not have lived without. From flying cars to monster detectors, there was nothing Cranston could not build in his garage using nothing but scraps. Several Power Rangers episodes saw the Blue Ranger saving the day with one of his inventions, which ranged from small gadgets to new Zords.
Mighty Morphin Power Rangers First Team | |
|---|---|
Character | Color |
Jason | Red Ranger |
Trini | Yellow Ranger |
Zack | Black Ranger |
Billy | Blue Ranger |
Kimberly | Pink Ranger |
Tommy | Green Ranger |
For example, Billy helped establish the Green Ranger’s powers, allowing Tommy Oliver to keep his Ranger form longer than Rita Repulsa was expecting. Despite having a reduced role in Zeo compared to Mighty Morphin, Billy continued to be essential in defeating the monster of the week. Unsurprisingly, Once & Always confirmed that Billy’s genius intellect made him into a successful businessman who runs a tech company built on his invections – Cranston Technologies. Between Once & Always and Cosmic Fury, Power Rangers brought Billy’s story full circle 30 years after Migthy Morphin.
Watch Power Rangers: Once & Always on Netflix
Watch Power Rangers Cosmic Fury on Netflix
Power Rangers Cosmic Fury
Power Rangers Cosmic Fury is the sequel to the Dino Fury series and marks the celebration of the 30th anniversary of the Power Rangers franchise. The show follows a new team of Rangers, joined by old heroes, to chase Lord Zedd into the depths of space and stop him once and for all.
- Cast
- Russell Curry , Hunter Deno , Kai Moya , Tessa Rao , Chance Perez , Jordon Fite , David Yost
- Release Date
- September 29, 2023
- Seasons
- 1
- Streaming Service(s)
- Netflix
