In the nearly thirty years that the Power Rangers have been staples of pop culture, they have taken on dozens of forms across a myriad of tv shows, comic books, and feature films. Of course, the earliest of these lineups will always be the most iconic, yet that hasn’t stopped their successors from finding a place as longtime favorites among fans. While the likes of the original Mighty Morphin team have found new life in the comics, others haven’t been so lucky. In fact, few have had it worse than the now long-gone Space Rangers.
Fans have already seen the ruins of KO-35 in the wake of Dark Specter’s invasion, but Power Rangers UNLTD: Countdown to Ruin #1 (by Marguerite Bennett, Anna Kekovsky Chandra, Giuseppe Cafaro, Saran Antonellini, Sharon Marino, Fabi Marques, and Ed Dukeshire) brings readers back to that fateful day to witness those who survived managed to escape. As their home burned, a young Andros and Zhane found the Space Rangers. While the Rangers couldn’t save their world, they did give the boys a sense of purpose. Despite his reservations, Andros would eventually join them as both the Red Space Ranger and as the last of them all.
When the Space Rangers finally came face-to-face with the full might of Dark Specter’s invasion, every single one of them was brought down except for Andros. Whether killed, captured, or left to an uncertain fate, no member of the team escaped unscathed, least of all Zhane. After the Silver Ranger’s demise, Andros was left with nothing but his grief and his ship, though that too would be stolen away from him. As such, Andros didn’t just become the last survivor of his team, but of an entire world. It also gave him a particularly keen insight into the severity of the threat at hand few others have lived to talk about.
The Space Rangers have never been an especially weak team, and while the lineup seen in Countdown to Ruin isn’t the same as their small screen counterparts, they’re still a formidable forcet. This makes seeing them fall to Dark Specter’s army all the more surprising. Dark Specter himself seemed to merely be overlooking the events as they unfolded, but the Rangers were aware of what they were going to be up against. Their fall before Dark Specter’s arrival, proves the extent of the villain’s power continues to reach new heights. And with that ever-increasing sense of dread, the chance of staving off the next invasion by usual tactics may as well be none.
As seen in the currently ongoing Power Rangers by Ryan Parrott and Marco Renna, the Andros of the present has grown willing to go to horrifying lengths in his quest for vengeance. He was willing to kill and torture the opposition and to embrace one of the darkest paths any Ranger has walked, Andros has no qualms about doing whatever he deems necessary, regardless of ethics. This isn’t just because he has been left jaded by the horrors he has witnessed, but because he understands what’s coming. In dealing with an evil that can lay waste to entire Ranger teams, there is no room for holding back.
On the other hand, Andros’ single-minded hunt for revenge has left him keeping no small number of secrets from the Omega Rangers who rescued him. If Andros really has become totally unhinged due to his experiences, then he could very easily be putting the lives of every other Ranger at risk. Between the false impressions he has given and the drastic measures he has taken, Andros is quickly turning into the Omegas’ biggest liability. Hopefully, someone will come along who can pull him back from the brink. If not, the legacy of the Space Rangers might just be lost forever.