Warning: Spoilers for Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: The Return #1!Billy Cranston continues to put his tech skills to good use long after his days as one of the Mighty MorphinPower Rangers are behind him. Billy was always the resident expert when it came to perfecting the technology of the Power Rangers. He was the creator and innovator of the team’s communicator devices, which he equipped with secret abilities some don’t even know about.
The original Blue Ranger continues to advance the team’s technology, even when his hero days are past him in Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: The Return #1 by Amy Jo Johnson, Matt Hotson, Nico Leon, Francesco Segala, Gloria Martinelli, and Ed Dukeshire. The series looks at an alternate timeline where the Mighty Morphin team doesn’t disband until they’re certain that evil is finally vanquished.
As an adult, Billy seems to have moved on to found a telecommunications company. That itself is on brand for him, but the secret project his company is funding is what really feels apropos. He’s been using Alpha-5’s operating system and Ranger tech to develop teleportation technology.
The Original Blue Ranger’s Technical Skills Continue to Make Him an Asset
Along with Tommy Oliver, Billy Cranston has the longest series longevity past his original run as a Ranger. His time as a Power Ranger on the original show ended after the third season, leading into Power RangersZeo, but he remained a member of the cast as the team’s tech expert. Being so skilled and knowledgeable when it comes to creating technology is what first gave Billy longevity, providing a second life outside of Rangerhood once his days as an actual Power Ranger had passed. The same is the case here in this alternate reality.
Not only does tech prove to come in handy in his civilian life, but for this secret project where he’s trying to use old Ranger tech to create a teleporter to help people in need in a snappy fashion. That’s what’s always been most impressive about Billy: the fact that creating tech allows him a chance to help people, whether he’s a Ranger or not. It highlights how he remains a valuable asset to the team in whatever capacity, be it as a Ranger, a tech guru, or a mentor to the Power Rangers.
Billy’s Tech Goals Hint at the Rangers’ Dark History
What’s most telling about is that it subtly reveals the nature of Trini’s death in this alternate universe. Billy lists all the things that this secret technology he’s creating has the potential to do, and hypothesizes teleporting diseased cells out of a sick person. Kimberly reminds him Trini’s death wasn’t his fault, but he starts to say she’d still be there if he started his project sooner. Billy and Trini were always close as Mighty MorphinPower Rangers, so it will be interesting to see how her death informs his character development and motivations moving forward in this series.
