Power Rangers: The Original Choice for Green Ranger Confirms Who Should’ve Been the Team’s Leader

An unexpected Mighty Morphin Power Rangers member almost became Rita Repulsa’s right-hand man. Tommy Oliver’s reputation as one of the greatest Power Rangers ever began when he was mind-controlled into doing Rita Repulsa’s bidding as the Green Ranger – but as it turns out, Tommy wasn’t Rita’s first choice for her agent.

Mighty Morphin Power Rangers #5 – by Kyle Higgins, Thony Silas, Bryan Valenza, and Ed Dukeshire – revealed that Tommy wasn’t Rita’s first attempted recruit for her Green Ranger; in fact, she first approached Zack Taylor, the Black Ranger, to try to coerce him to the side of evil.

In a flashback, watching the Rangers on a mission, Rita identifies an insecurity in the Black Ranger, one she attempts to manipulate to sway him onto her side. Though it doesn’t work, everything that Zack pulls off in this issue showcases the leadership potential he actually holds, while also finally confirming that he was always the team’s second in command.

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Zack Taylor Was Rita’s First Pick For Her Green Ranger

Taking place before the five-part “Green with Evil” episodes, Mighty Morphin Power Rangers #5 features the Rangers averting a crisis in Italy, by fighting a Shakespearean monster. While piloting the Megazord following an impromptu exit from Jason, Zack ultimately saves the day, but it’s largely the Red Ranger who receives adoration from the crowd. Sensing jealousy from the Black Ranger, Rita Repulsa has Zack kidnapped, bringing him in for a conversation in her lair. Rita promises she comes in peace, and that she only wants to help Zack make the world a better place. That’s when she unveils the Dragon Coin – and upon outright calling Zack “a second in command,” she promises him a leadership position on her team.

Repulsa shows Zack a vision in her crystal ball where he – donning a Green Ranger outfit –averts all the world’s crises while receiving praise from a loving audience. The temptation nearly gets to Zack, until he comes to his senses, and punches his way back to the Command Center. Afterward, Rita convinces herself that rather than turn one of the Rangers against their team, she needs someone with a clean slate, and no connection to the Rangers, someone easier to manipulate. That’s when her crystal ball shows her a glimpse of the new kid in town: Tommy Oliver, leading into the franchise-defining events of “Green With Evil.”

The Black Ranger Deserved More Recognition As A Leader

Many fans of the original 1990s Mighty Morphin’ Power Rangers series viewed Zack as the team’s second in command before Tommy joined the team, but that was never directly put into words in the way that Boom! Studios’ MMPR #5 does. Rita’s words are the first time that he’s explicitly referred to as such, which in turn recontextualizes his role in Netflix’s Once & Always, where he’s positioned as the de facto leader. Many of his best leadership skills are on display in the team’s Italy fight, even to the point he impresses the very hard-to-please, anti-Ranger villain, Rita Repulsa. It at least raises the question of Zack should’ve perhaps always been the team’s leader.

That isn’t to knock Jason’s abilities as a leader, nor does it campaign for Zack as a Red Ranger. It is more an acknowledgment that Mighty Morphin’ Power Rangers #5 depicts the future congressman’s underappreciated leadership qualities, which were evident from his first appearance. As always, Zack’s savvy ability to leap into action when the unexpected occurs proves his virtues as one of the most dedicated, resourceful Power Rangers. It shows that in an alternate scenario where the Red Ranger wasn’t the unquestionable leader of the Mighty Morphin Power Rangers, the Black Ranger had more than what it takes to put the team on his back if needed.