One of the biggest lore changes in Power Rangers franchise history happens in the comics. The BOOM! Studios comics constantly found new ways to redefine classic Power Rangers lore, as well as reinvent classic characters from the franchise. As an extension of the show, it presented the franchise the opportunity to recontextualize staples of the series in fresh ways.
Among the classic ideas reinvented for the modern Power Rangers franchise comes in Mighty Morphin Power Rangers #4 by Kyle Higgins, Hendry Prasetya, Matt Herms, and Ed Dukeshire, which puts a twist on Zords vs. Monsters. There was a time when it was a full-blown, in-universe rule uttered by Zordon for Rangers to not bring out their Zords until a monster grows. The introduction of the Black Dragon puts a twist on that dynamic in a way that has major implications on the difference between this world’s heroes and villains.
The Power Rangers’ Black Dragon Zord, Explained
Unraveling the origins of a Zord/Monster hybrid
The television show notably saw Tommy Oliver leave Rita Repulsa’s side and join the Power Rangers, but the comics show that this isn’t a betrayal that she’d take lightly. She uses her iconic (yet underrated) henchwoman Scorpina to enact revenge by having Finster (another underrated monster) create a duplicate Dragon Dagger to overtake the Green Ranger’s Dragonzord. Scorpina’s plan is thwarted, and she’s brought to the Command Center, but as tensions flare, the chaos energy of the duplicate Dagger is fueled by Tommy’s anger, exploding and causing the Commander Center to explode.
When the smoke clears, it turns out the Dagger’s destruction opens a portal to another dimension, and through it emerges the Black Dragon. The Black Dragon is initially presented as a mysterious monster who has the ability to grow at will to the size of a giant monster and back to shrink to meet the Rangers at eye level. It also has a sonic scream that forces the Rangers to de-power. In addition, once it steals and uses and the Blue Ranger’s Power Coin as an access point to the Morphin Grid, it completely neutralizes the Rangers’ powers.
In due time, Tommy and Billy find a way to destroy the Black Dragon, but oddly enough, this monster dematerializes as metal parts, revealing it to be a Zord, not a monster. Trini soon discovers that the Black Dragon was built from parts that are exactly identical to Tommy’s Dragonzord. It is soon revealed that the Black Dragon was created by and belongs to Lord Drakkon, an alternate-universe version of Tommy and the franchise’s ultimate villain. Whenever the Black Dragon spoke, it was Drakkon communicating from the World of the Coinless.
How The Black Dragon Broke The Franchise’s Zord vs. Monsters Rule
In the pilot episode of the Mighty Morphin Power Rangers television show, Zordon lays out the three ground rules to being a Ranger: “Never use your power for personal gain … never escalate a battle unless Rita forces you to, and finally, keep your identities secret.” In relation to “never escalate a battle unless Rita forces you to,” this specifically refers to the Rangers using their Zords. Their giant Zords and Megazord combo is enough to win a battle immediately, but if they were to pit their skyscraper-sized Zords against a normal-sized monster, that wouldn’t be fair or heroic.
This explains why the Rangers would always wait to use their Zords as opposed to pulling them out at the first sign of danger. It’s also reason enough to explain away why the show followed the common formula of waiting until the monster grew before introducing the Zords. To do so otherwise would be going against one of Zordon’s rules. While the heroes are not breaking the rules during this story arc, seeing the monsters themselves break that rule presents itself as practically a gamechanger.
What Happened When Power Rangers Broke The Franchise Rule?
Throws the Rangers Off their Game
Future issues since its debut would showcase how the Black Dragon was unlike anything the Power Rangers faced before. This is a monster/Zord who was able to switch back and forth between growing to fight Zords and shrinking to fight the Rangers. One second, the Black Dragon is fighting the Green Ranger on the ground, and moments later, it grows to punch the Dragonzord in the face. Another moment, it shrinks to pilot a stolen Triceratops Zord, then grows to fight a Megazord.
This is a monster who actively throws the Rangers off their game. The Rangers don’t need to escalate the battle, as the monster escalates and even de-escalates the battle whenever it so pleases. The moment the Rangers meet the Black Dragon, they think they have to pull their Zords out until the Black Dragon immediately shrinks down to their level. This is a monster that the Power Rangers can’t prepare for because the Black Dragon is playing with an unfair advantage at all times.
