Power Rangers 30th Anniversary Special On Netflix Will Reunite Some Original Mighty Morphin Stars
"Power Rangers" is one of the biggest franchises to come out of the '90s. Based on the Japanese franchise "Super Sentai," the "Power Rangers" series follows a group of teenagers chosen to fight evil with the help of super suits and giant robots that morph together to make an even bigger robot.
When it premiered, the series was the closest '90s kids got to the Marvel Cinematic Universe. You got a team of superheroes fighting cartoonish villains by punching the hell out of them, with a more diverse team than even the current MCU has.
And just like the MCU, the "Power Rangers" franchise has an expansive universe with a couple of different timelines, and stories that go to space, and travel to different galaxies, yet they all somehow have the same technology as our timeline. Still, no matter how many seasons there are, there is arguably no season of "Power Rangers" as popular or influential as the original "Mighty Morphin Power Rangers," and now, part of the main cast is coming back.
The upcoming "Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: Once & Always" is set to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the franchise with a reunion special that brings back original cast members David Yost and Walter Jones.
It's morphin' time!
The special was announced back in October of 2022 by the franchise's official Twitter account, revealing the return of fan-favorite Rangers from across the first three seasons. This includes not only David Yost and Walter Jones, who played the original Blue and Black Rangers, but also Steve Cardenas, Karan Ashley, Johnny Yong Bosch and Catherine Sutherland, the second Red, Yellow, Black, and Pink Rangers.
The special is also set to introduce Charlie Kersh as the daughter of Trini, the original Yellow Ranger, paying homage to the late Thuy Trang who passed away in 2001.
Entertainment Weekly reported on the upcoming "Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: Once & Always" which is also set to bring back Barbara Goodson, who voiced Rita Repulsa, and Richard Horvitz, who voiced Alpha 5, presumably leading into the next season of the current "Power Rangers: Dino Fury," which will bring back Lord Zedd himself. Here's a sneak peek from behind the scenes:
Of course, one name is missing from the reunion special — the late Jason David Frank, who tragically passed away last year. Neither EW's report nor the original announcement mention anything about Frank being involved in the reunion special, but it's likely there'll at least be some sort of tribute.
Still, this is posed to be a very emotional reunion for fans of the franchise. "Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: Once & Always" premieres on Netflix on April 19, 2023.
According to EW, the special will see the Rangers come "face to face with a familiar threat from the past. In the midst of a global crisis, they are called on once again to be the heroes the world needs. Inspired by the legendary mantra from the franchise 'Once a Ranger, Always a Ranger,' 'Once & Always' reminds everyone when you become a Ranger, you are always a part of the Ranger family and always welcome."