Top 20 Darkest Moments on Power Rangers
#20: The End of the Green Ranger
Top 10 Darkest Power Rangers Moments
“Mighty Morphin Power Rangers” (1993-96) It turns out that Rita doesn’t like it when her evil Green Rangers abandon her. When Tommy turns on her, she conjures up a magic candle that steals Tommy’s powers as it burns. When Jason goes to retrieve the candle, he is forced to make a difficult decision that would haunt him. An intense battle on earth ends up endangering Tommy’s life. In order to save his teammate, Jason abandons hopes of getting the candle back and lets Tommy’s Green Ranger’s powers fade away. For a famously lighthearted and goofy season, this was a surprisingly grim moment that highlights that not every decision we make will be easy.
#19: A Terrifying Rescue Mission
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“Power Rangers Lost Galaxy” (1999) When Terra Venture receives a distress beacon, Mike and Leo lead a team of GSA soldiers on a rescue mission inside an unknown spacecraft. The mission quickly becomes something out of a horror film! Although the ship is dark, covered in webs, and the only parts of the ship’s crew left are gooey remains, the heroes aren’t alone. They find themselves being hunted by a vicious and lightning-fast alien monster that picks them off one at a time. A rescue mission quickly becomes a fight to make it out alive! Thankfully, everyone survives in the end. But the tense, foreboding atmosphere makes this one of the scariest episodes of the whole “Power Rangers” series.
#18: “Did Something Happen To Me?”
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“Power Rangers Operation Overdrive” (2007) Throughout Operation Overdrive, there are subtle hints that Mack might be more than meets the eye. Eventually, the truth is found out in one of the biggest plot twists in the series. It’s revealed that Mack is actually an android Dr. Hartford designed. He was built only two years prior to the events of the series. To sell the ruse, Mack was given false memories of a childhood that never happened. Suffice it to say, Mack is an emotional mess when all these truths are revealed. Learning that everything he ever believed about his life was all a lie was pretty dark. And if that wasn’t disturbing enough for you, there’s a lovely shot of Mack’s detached cyborg head to seal the deal.
#17: Deker’s Defeat
“Power Rangers Super Samurai” (2012) When you look at the facts, Deker’s whole life is dark on its own. He was cursed as a half-human/half-nighlok with no memory of his former life. All Deker had was an insatiable need to find a worthy opponent to break his curse. After two seasons of build-up, he finally gets his ultimate duel against red ranger Jayden. Despite how exhausted both warriors get, Deker refuses to quit. He keeps going even when he’s too tired to lift his sword. Although Jaden doesn’t want to strike the final blow, Deker still keeps trying to provoke his opponent. When blue ranger Kevin strikes the villain down, he happily embraces the end in a truly grim scene.
#16: Lord Zedd’s Twisted Demands
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“Mighty Morphin Power Rangers” (1993-96) You know you’ve hit rock bottom when you’re forced to negotiate with the devil. Pink Ranger Kimberly was once held hostage. With her life force fading away, the Rangers are left with no choice but to allow Lord Zedd into the Command Center to make a deal. Zedd’s demands are simple and wicked. The Rangers must either serve him and pilot his evil zords, or risk letting one of their own perish. This situation is grim enough with the original Pink Ranger’s life on the line. But seeing the villain sit smugly in the Rangers’ sacred sanctuary with all the cards in his favor is just bone-chilling.
#15: The Truth Behind Cole’s Parents
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“Power Rangers Wild Force” (2002) For all his life, Cole desperately wanted to know what became of his parents. Tragically, what he finds is not good news. His parents were once close with a human named Dr. Adler. However, the medical professional became bitterly jealous of their love. After turning himself into a monster, Master Org put an end to his “suffering” by making THEM suffer the ultimate price. Cole’s parents were good people who were dedicated to protecting the earth. Unfortunately, their lives were cut short because someone they dared to call a friend let his bitterness consume him. It’s a heavy storyline that made Cole’s fight against evil feel a lot more painful and personal.
#14: Cruger Loses Everything
“Power Rangers S.P.D.” (2005) The realization that you’re the sole survivor of a conflict can be a lot to handle. Unfortunately, Commander Cruger knows all too well what that’s like. The evil emperor Gruumm once invaded the commander’s homeworld Sirius. Although Cruger tried his best to lead the charge and fight against the invaders he lost. He was overpowered, his wife was taken… and his planet was conquered. Cruger was left thinking that he was the very last of his kind. That dreaded day haunted Cruger so much that he vowed never to pick up his sword again. But when a shadow of his past comes back to finish him off, he faces his inner demons and fights again.
#13: Dayu’s Dark Deal With Serrator
“Power Rangers Samurai” (2011) While Nighloks thrive on human fear and misery, Dayu is arguably more miserable than anyone on earth. Once upon a time, she was a human that was married to Deker. But her love was fatally wounded in a house fire. Dayu was so desperate to save him that she made a deal with the Nighlok king Serrator. After agreeing to trade her humanity so that Deker may live, she realizes that she agreed to a terrible deal. Serrator made Deker half-Nighlok with no memory of his humanity or Dayu. Additionally, he has an unquenchable thirst for combat. Dayu, on the other hand, remembers everything. She’s forced to live with the pain of losing everything she once held dear.
#12: The End of the Wild Zords
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“Power Rangers Wild Force” (2002) During the season finale of Wild Force, it seemed like all the orgs had finally been destroyed. Unfortunately, Master Org was alive, recently reached his full power, and had begun his final takeover of Earth. He decides to kick off his conquest by destroying the Animarium. Although the Wild Zords fight valiantly, it's not enough. One by one, Master Org effortlessly slices them into extinction. The end of the zords means that the Rangers no longer have any powers or hope of protecting the world from Master Org’s terror. Seeing these sentient animal fighters fall in battle right before the ranger’s eyes made for a disturbing scene.
#11: Imperious' Dark Wish
“Power Rangers Mystic Force” (2006) The Mystic Force Rangers learn the hard way that they should never stop appreciating what they have. After winning their fair share of matchups, they become overly dependent on using their magic and keep looking for mystical shortcuts. Sadly, their laziness costs them dearly when the vile Imperious takes advantage of their powers to make an evil wish. The villain changes reality so that the Power Rangers never came to their hometown of Briarwood. As a result, all the good magic and color is sucked away. The city is left at the mercy of the darkness. Worst of all, our heroes are powerless. All they have is the memories of their old lives and the knowledge they caused all this by taking their magic for granted.
#10: Alex is Struck Down
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“Power Rangers Time Force” (2001) Time Force is undeniably one of the most mature seasons of the show. It cemented its role as a serious series from day one. At the very beginning of the series, Alex was the original red Time Force Ranger and pink ranger Jen’s fiancée. He’s tasked with bringing in the mutant warlord Ransik. In the season premiere, the two clash. But Ransik comes out on top and viciously strikes Alex in the back. He lies in his fianceé’s arms and entrusts her to finish the mission he would never get to complete. For longtime fans, the sight of a red ranger dying was incredibly intense and depressing. While Alex would eventually come back due to time travel, his relationship with Jen was never the same.
#9: Mirloc Toys with Sky
“Power Rangers S.P.D.” (2005) Mirloc is essentially treated like the Hannibal Lecter of the Power Rangers Franchise. Since he has the ability to travel through reflective surfaces, he’s kept locked away in a remote facility. But Mirloc gets a visitor when blue ranger Sky needs information on a fugitive. The villain agrees to give up vital info if the hero recounts his saddest memory. Reluctantly, Sky tells the story of how his red ranger father didn’t come home one day. Once the hero sheds a single tear, Mirloc escapes his cell through the tear’s reflection. What makes this scene worse in hindsight is the fact the villain slayed Sky’s father. Mirloc literally capitalized on the pain he caused to escape and hurt even more people.
#8: Trakeena Goes Too Far
“Power Rangers Lost Galaxy” (1999) After gaining more power, the big bad Trakeena completely snaps and orchestrates a ruthless attack on the peaceful city of Terra Venture. Not only does she directly assault the colony with her ship, but she attaches bombs to her Stingwingers to blow up anything they come in contact with. They go on to destroy or seriously damage both structures and megazords. Even her loyal general Villmax is disgusted by her carelessness. What makes this invasion even more horrifying is how closely it parallels other real-world tragedies. Scenes like this showed that there are villains that will go to truly disturbing lengths to beat the rangers.
#7: Ransik’s Hatred
“Power Rangers Time Force” (2001) Despite being a kid's show, Time Force was not afraid to tackle heavy subjects like prejudice. The audience eventually learns that hatred is why the main villain Ransik became a criminal. As it turns out, he was born as a mutant due to a random accident. Society rejected Ransik solely because he looked different. Since he couldn’t bear to live in a world that wouldn't accept him, he decides to raise an army of his own kind to make humans suffer for rejecting him. The villains of this season only exist because society wasn’t willing to give him a chance. While power ranger big bads don’t always get extensive backstories, we definitely understood why Ransik was so evil.
#6: Billy Drowns
“Power Rangers” (2017) From the opening scene, it was obvious that the 2017 “Power Rangers” movie would be the darkest live-action Power rangers movie yet. It was packed with mature themes and saw the heroes dealing with more realistic and hard hitting problems. The bleakest moment came when Rita tied up all the rangers. She threatens to kill them if they don’t tell her where the precious Zeo Crystal is. To protect his friends, blue ranger Billy gives up the crystal’s location. Rita thanks him by letting him drown. His friends are forced to carry him back to the base while they’re still mourning. Although Billy gets a second chance at life, the scene of his death is an image we can’t get out of our heads.
#5: The Power Rangers Lose Their Base
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“Power Rangers Turbo” (1997) When the good mentors are away, the devious Divatox orders her troops to attack the Power Chamber. The Rangers attempt to fight back against the continuous forces. Unfortunately, they’re grossly outnumbered. In the end, the unthinkable happens when Divatox blows up the Power Chamber. The Rangers thankfully survive the tremendous explosion. However, that doesn’t make the whole sequence any less intense. And it’s painful to see the normally bright and majestic Power Chamber darkened and being torn apart bit by bit. Up to this point, Divatox wasn't a very effective villain. But her destruction of the power chamber cemented her place in franchise evil history.
#4: Magna Defender’s Past
“Power Rangers Lost Galaxy” (1999) The Galaxy Rangers weren’t fond of the Magna Defender’s lone warrior attitude. But can you blame him after everything he’s endured? Years ago, he was a gallant, benevolent warrior and a father. But one fateful encounter with the evil Scorpius ruined his life. During the battle, Magna Defender’s son rushed in to protect his father. But Scorpius snuffs the young soul right out in front of his father’s eyes. Since that horrible day, the Magna Defender strayed from his righteous path and became a vengeful, bitter warrior determined to make Scorpius pay. While he could’ve been a better team player, it’s understandable that he’d be so cold after losing so much.
#3: Kendrix’s Sacrifice
“Power Rangers Lost Galaxy” (1999) No matter how much time has passed since the original pink galaxy ranger Kendrix’s demise, it never gets less tragic. During a tense battle, the heinous Psycho Pink unleashes a deadly storm that threatens to wipe out Cassie and all of Terra Venture. Kendrix rushes in and silences the storm. Unfortunately, her heroic deed comes at the cost of her life. Behind-the-scenes, this decision was made because actress Valerie Vernon, who played the ranger, was undergoing treatment for leukemia. It was great to hear that she recovered in real life and was able to return to the show. But until Vernon recovered, her character's death served as a bleak dose of reality that not everyone comes back from a battle alive.
#2: Zordon’s Death
“Power Rangers in Space” (1998) During the season finale of “In Space”, the struggle between good and evil escalated to an all-out war throughout the universe. All the forces of good were left struggling to survive. Longtime ranger mentor Zordon says the universe can be saved if his energy tube is shattered. Unfortunately, the only person around to do it is the red ranger Andros. After agonizing over what needs to be done, the hero agrees to take Zordon out. A reluctant blow from Andros marks the end of an era. Not only did Zordon help many young adults become heroic warriors, but the fans at home spent six seasons with him. Unlike most Ranger deaths, Zordon’s demise was permanent.
#1: Doctor K Unintentionally Starts an Apocalypse
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“Power Rangers RPM” (2009) Since RPM is set in a world where a sentient computer virus was responsible for eliminating most of the human population, this season’s mere existence is pretty dark. But nothing could’ve prepared fans for the reveal of how the world got this way. Power Ranger mentor Doctor K reveals that she was a child prodigy forced to remain inside for most of her formative years. In an attempt to escape the agency that had imprisoned her, she created a virus to disrupt their system. But when Doctor K’s plans are interrupted, her creation escapes out into the world. She has to live with the knowledge that many lives, including the loved ones of some of her rangers were lost because she wanted freedom.
