At Random

Faces of Evil

The Many Villains of Power Rangers Part 2

Power Rangers is a series that should be familiar with just about everyone growing up during the nineties. Many kids fell in love with the colorful costumes and the slick karate moves. Each child had a favorite Ranger that they wanted to be for halloween. Well I never quite liked the Rangers. In fact, the only time I was a fan of a ranger, was when he/she was under the villains spell fighting against his comrades. The truth is I always gravitated toward the villains of the show, which Power Rangers had plenty of. There have been a fair amount of silly, demented, and even downright terrifying baddies whose presence only made the series that much more enjoyable. After all, what is a hero without a villain? Considering I have seen a fair share of the Power Ranger seasons (more than a sane person should anyway), I thought I would share my personal thoughts on these wicked menaces. Everything I say here should be taken with a grain of salt as I in no way suggest that you begin taking this show (even its villains) seriously. This is simply me giving my appreciation to a show that bestowed upon me many fond memories.

Power Rangers Lost Galaxy

Scorpius – How is this guy in the least bit threatening? He looks like skinned hamster. What is there to be afraid of? Anyway, he was kind of a take off of Jabba the Hutt; an intergalactic warlord who was fat and never really all that threatening to begin with. I have no clue how this guy amassed his army but at least he was killed off before the end to make room for better villains.

Trakeena – The daughter of Scorpius, Trakeena had probably the most character depth out of any Power Rangers villain in any season. She never wanted to be a galactic princess or rule an empire. In fact, she ran away and went on her own journey of self discovery. Of course, tragedy struck in the form of her father’s death, forcing her to take up the throne. A series of unfortunate events later, and Trakeena not only lost her mind, but she also transformed into a full blown monster strong enough to nearly destroy the Rangers. She returned the next season for a one off appearance before finally being laid to rest at the hands of two seasons worth of Rangers.

Power Rangers Light Speed Rescue

Queen Banshira – Banshira was the queen of the demon kingdom. She spent most of the series trapped in an alternate dimension, giving orders to those she chose to lead in her place until she could be freed. Towards the end, she betrayed her generals and absorbed their powers into her own to return to full power before being defeated by the Rangers.

Diabolico – What a disappointment; a demon with feelings? This guy cared about his subordinates and comrades, going so far as to betray Banshira because she used them. By the end of the season, it was impossible to take him seriously. On top of his countless failures, Diabolico just wasn’t much of a threat. When she had no more use for him, Banshira tossed him aside. I would think since he had been serving her for a millennia, he would have known better than to trust her.

Prince Olympius – The prince of the demon empire was the son of Banshira and heir to the kingdom. He was constantly feuding with Diabolico for her favor despite the fact that he was far more competent at bringing the fight to the Rangers. He went through so many transformations throughout the season that by the end he was one of the strongest villains to ever threaten the Rangers.

Power Rangers Time Force

Ransik – Wow was this guy ugly! Ransik was the leader of a mutant army that was merely misunderstood. He was a sympathetic villain who just wanted equal rights for his brothers and when he couldn’t have them, decided to take them by force. Wait….evil mutant leader that wants equal rights? This guy is Magneto! He even had enough power to crush the Rangers himself. Heck, I think he is the only villain that actually did defeat them but surrendered because his daughter got caught up in the mess. He was eventually redeemed the following season.

Nadira – Ransik’s daughter and a pretty useless one at that. Her main purpose was to accompany mutants on their mission and just over see everything. When the action started, she usually was quick to run away.

Power Rangers Wild Force

Jindrax and Toxica – These two weren't really all that powerful. In truth, they weren’t that evil to begin with. They were just close friends that were following the orders of their superiors. In the end they marched off into the sunset to travel the world.

The Duke Orgs – Each one of these supposed “Dukes” was useless and met their end at the hands of the Rangers only to be resurrected and killed off again. Each one was formidable but they were really just placeholders for their true master.

General Venjix – As the last general of the machine empire, Venjix took it upon himself to attempt to conquer the Earth. It even took the combined strength of every Red Ranger up to that point to defeat him. Of course, in reality, Venjix was just a recycled Beetleborg costume that only added to my disappointment. What robot has antennas anyway?

Master Org – This was the leader of all orgs and quite a potent threat. After transforming from his chubby human form, he adopted the form of a giant muscled up Jindrax, with enough power to destroy the Ranger’s zords and strip them of their powers. He was ultimately destroyed but he made sure to push them to the limit before getting blasted into the great beyond.

Power Rangers Ninja Storm

Lothor – An evil space ninja? What will they come up with next? Lothor is the Joker to the Ranger’s Batman. His personality changes to accommodate the situation he is placed in. One minute he was hosting an evil beauty contest, the next he was stealing the Ranger’s powers. Lothor even broke the fourth wall on more than one occasion, talking directly to the viewer. He was also one of the few villains to have a familial relationship to a Ranger, being the Green Ranger’s uncle. Lothor is up there as one of the best in the Rangers storied history of villains.

Power Rangers Dino Thunder

Mesogog – This tyranno terror was perhaps my favorite villain to challenge the Rangers. Just look at him. He looks like he could chew the head off a Ranger! Equiped with telekinesis, super strength, and a brilliant mind, Mesogog was a formidable threat. He also had an unfortunate weakness in the form of a human transformation that wanted nothing more than to separate himself from Mesogog, but by the end of the season, he was all the more powerful for it. He also had the unique ability to evolve, further enhancing his strength.