Warning! Contains spoilers for Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: Once & AlwaysAmy Jo Johnson, the original Pink Ranger, is not in Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: Once & Always. A Power Rangers 30th-anniversary special, Once & Always sees the return of multiple Power Rangers actors for a scripted reunion featuring Rita Repulsa as the main villain. Power Rangers: Once & Always revolves around the Yellow Ranger Trini’s death, bringing the original team together over a major loss. There is a Pink Power Ranger in Power Rangers: Once & Always — it just isn’t Amy Jo Johnson.
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Amy Jo Johnson’s absence from Power Rangers: Once & Always might seem surprising considering how important Kimberly is to Power Rangers history. One of the original five teenagers with attitude picked by Zordon in “Day of the Dumpster,” Kimberly only left the team toward the end of the Mighty Morphin era and remained in touch with the Rangers according to canon. As such, the fact that Kimberly is not in Once & Always would have gone unnoticed. Thankfully, some clever editing and the presence of another Pink Power Ranger meant Power Rangers: Once & Always could work around this obstacle.
Amy Jo Johnson Isn’t In The Power Rangers Reunion Because Of Pay Issues
Amy Jo Johnson declined the offer to return in Power Rangers: Once & Always. The original Pink Ranger explained through a Twitter post why Kimberly isn’t in the Power Rangers reunion, making sure to point out that she “never said no” to a potential Kimberly comeback. According to Amy Jo Johnson, she just “didn’t say yes to what was offered.” The original Pink Ranger shared her enthusiasm for the upcoming Power Rangers reunion, though, stating that she is “looking forward” to seeing her “friends kick ass.”
Of the original Power Rangers cast, only David Yost and Walter Jones returned for Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: Once & Always. However, it’s only Amy Jo Johnson who didn’t return because of a pay dispute. The reasons for original Red Ranger Austin St. John’s absence haven’t been given, and original Yellow Ranger Thuy Yang sadly passed away in 2001. Jason David Frank, who played the Green Power Ranger, passed away in 2022, which is why he’s also absent.
Who Is Kat, The Pink Ranger In Power Rangers: Once & Always
Catherine Sutherland, who plays Kat in Power Rangers, did returnin for Power Rangers: Once & Always. Kat was the second Pink Ranger, replacing Kimberly toward the end of the original Power Rangers show. Kat was then the Pink Ranger during Power Rangers Zeo, which featured most of the cast of Mighty Morphin season 3 now with new powers. During Power Rangers Zeo, Kat and Tommy, the latter of which had broken up with Kimberly, became a couple. In fact, Kat and Tommy are married at this point in the Power Rangers timeline. Kat was also the first Turbo Pink Ranger before exiting the show ahead of Turbo season 2.
While Kimberly will always be the first Pink Ranger, Kat’s Power Rangers legacy cannot be ignored. Kat remained an active Power Ranger even longer than Kimberly and received multiple different Ranger powers – the Mighty Morphin‘s Power Coin, the Zeo Crytal, and the Turbo Morpher. Kat recently returned to Power Rangers, namely for the Legendary Battle, in which she fought side by side with legacy Rangers. Kat’s return in Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: Once & Always was a welcome announcement for many fans, and she was a more than suitable stand-in for Amy Jo Johnson in Once & Always.
What Happens To The Pink Power Ranger In Once & Always
Kimberley and Kat are both present in Power Rangers: Once & Always. However, Kimberly isn’t seen without her helmet. Her scenes are achieved using archive audio, and a stand-in actress is in the Pink Power Ranger costume. Rita Repulsa kidnaps Kimberly along with several other original Power Rangers early on in Once & Always. Kat is then granted the ability to become the Pink Power Ranger once more, and is enlisted to help combat Rita alongside another familiar face — Red Ranger Rocky DeSantos (Stever Cardenas).
From there the Pink Power Ranger joins Black Ranger Zack, Blue Ranger Billy, Rocky, and new Yellow Ranger Mihn (the daughter of the original Yellow Ranger Trini), and the Red Ranger to take the fight to the newly mechanized Robo-Rita. So, while Amy Jo Johnson isn’t in Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: Once & Always, the Pink Power Ranger is still in the movie in a way that both lives up to the 30th-anniversary feel of the movie and keeps the character of Kimberly present.
