One of the most memorable Sixth Rangers of all time has finally landed in the Boom! Studios version of the Mighty Morphin Power Rangers universe.
WARNING: The following contains major spoilers for Power Rangers Unlimited: Edge of Darkness #1 by Frank Gogol, Simone Ragazzoni, Igor Monti, Sabrina Del Grosso, and Ed Dukeshire, on sale now.
The world of the Power Rangers is getting more explosive than ever. The Mighty Morphin team on Earth have just ended what might be their most grueling battle yet, and in the process have finally freed Angel Grove of Lord Zedd’s influence. An even more terrifying threat is on its way, though, and the Omega Rangers have so far been completely helpless to stop it no matter how hard they try.
Now, in the pages of Edge of Darkness, a classic hero, the Phantom Ranger, has finally found their way into the Mighty Morphin universe, and they might just be the ally the Rangers need to stop the Empyreals once and for all, if he’s on their side.
Thousands of years ago on the planet Da’Quar, the sorceress Lady Fienna was on the run from Master Vile and his avian foot soldiers, the Tenga Warriors. With her is her young daughter Rita. As their pursuers crowd around them, a new hero steps into the fight – the Phantom Ranger. This futuristic, black-clad warrior provides Fienna and Rita just the time they need to escape once again and is relentless in protecting his newfound wards. Even when mortally wounded, the Phantom Ranger doesn’t give up the fight, and with Lady Fienna’s help is even able to join them in their journey to the stars and live to fight another day. Then again, this shouldn’t be too surprising considering what the Phantom Ranger is capable of, not to mention the fact that he is still fighting the forces of Dark Specter to this very day.
The Phantom Ranger first appeared during 1997’s “The Phantom Phenomenon” from Power Rangers Turbo. When the Phantom Ranger first arrived on Earth, neither the Power Rangers nor their enemies knew what to think of them. Divatox sent her soldiers to greet the mysterious stranger, though they would ultimately be foiled in their plans by the Rangers and their enigmatic new ally. The Phantom Ranger was only featured in a few episodes of Turbo, and later on appeared in three episodes of Power Rangers In Space, but their identity has never been revealed. During their first appearance, Dimitria was able to determine that their energy was Eltarian in origin, but that isn’t any guarantee that the Phantom Ranger is from Eltar, Zordon’s homeworld, themselves. But between their incredible cloaking technology, battle prowess, and connection to Zordon, that possibility certainly can’t be discounted.
Edge of Darkness features a lot of flashbacks to a time well before the Mighty Morphin Power Rangers, but it begins on the current ruins of Hartunia following its destruction by an Empyreal. Not only is the Phantom Ranger aware of what ended all life on this world, but they are reporting all of their findings back to Zordon as well, and there is no chance whatsoever that the other Rangers are aware of their mentors’ secret Sixth Ranger.
Seeing the Phantom Ranger making their first proper appearance in the comics is an exciting moment for any fan, but the revelation that they are being kept from the others for an unknown reason only creates more questions than this issue could ever answer.
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