The following contains major spoilers for Mighty Morphin #20, available now from Boom! Studios.
Despite the presence dozens of lineups across nearly as many teams, the Power Rangers franchise has managed to produce some of the most memorable heroes in all of pop culture. While some of these characters have gone on to have long-running adventures throughout the years, others have found a peaceful life for themselves in retirement. Of course, not every version of ever character is looking for the same things as their more mainstream counterpart, and Kimberly Ann Hart might be the most devastating example of that truth to date.
Mighty Morphin #20 (by Mat Groom, Moises Hidalgo, Raul Angulo, and Ed Dukeshire) found the eponymous team of heroes spreading out across the cosmos. While Red Ranger Rocky has stayed behind on Earth to protect it from whatever new threats might emerge, the others have taken to the stars in search of a new Command Center. As Kimberly and Adam battled their way into the stronghold of the Lion Galaxy’s ruling family, the former expresses her concern over hanging up her Morpher. Adam, as a second generation member of the team himself, doesn’t quite see things the same way, But his attempts at reassurance clearly didn’t resonate the way he had intended.
While Adam tried to convince Kimberly that the weight of the entire world doesn’t solely rest on her shoulders, that was exactly how she has felt for years now. She has been a part of the team from the beginning, and her duties are an indelible part of her life and personality. Like the rest of her teammates, Kimberly has been shaped by her interstellar adventures and treks through realities, and she isn’t ready to let go of it. Then again, for how much she has accomplished, that might not be something she ever has to do in the first place.
Kimberly isn’t just any member of the team, she’s a legacy in her own right. When her family disappeared among other civilians, Kimberly formed her own team of Rangers, sharing her power through the Sword of Light. This powerful artifact may have been lent by Zordon, but her latent connection to the Morphin Grid was her own. As such, it’s easy to see why putting her days as a hero behind her would be so painful. Yet there is another Power Ranger icon who has both retired from the field and stayed in the action as much as possible. Grace Sterling could very well be the inspiration Kimberly needs.
Although Grace’s history as leader of the original 1969 Mighty Morphin team is gut-wrenching, it drove her to accomplish things that may have otherwise been impossible. In her dedication to the cause, Grace founded Promethea, led it to greatness, and ended up with her very own Green Ranger. Though she didn’t necessarily do all of these things on her own, it was her ambition and innate desire to do better than her predecessor which fueled Promethea’s work. In turn, her developments helped save the world more than once, and are already poised to do so again.
Assuming Kimberly does have to leave behind her current station, she won’t necessarily be leaving the Rangers behind. Kimberly has already proven she’s a capable leader on top of being a hero of the highest caliber. Should she follow in Grace’s footsteps, Kimberly could easily find herself heading up the next generation of Power Rangers. For everything she has lived through and all the overwhelming odds she has overcome, it’s hard to imagine anyone better suited to that task.