Tommy Oliver was promoted to Red Ranger in Zeo, a Tommy’s run as the Green Ranger was only the start of his Power Rangers legacy.

In Mighty Morphin season 2, after losing his Green Ranger powers, Tommy was given the White Light and became the White Ranger. The show had run out of Zyuranger footage to use for the Green Ranger, which is why Tommy’s new form had to come from a different Sentai entirely – Dairanger. This was also when Tommy became the leader of the Power Rangers, replacing Jason. Given that Jason was about to be written out of the show, it made sense for Tommy to become the team’s new leader. When MMPR transitioned to Zeo, Tommy became the new Red Ranger.

Power Rangers Zeo Proved Tommy Wasn’t Fit To Be A Red Ranger

Tommy Was A Great Character But Not A Great Red Ranger

Tommy becomes the Red Ranger in “A Zeo Beginning,” an episode that marked a new era for Power Rangers. After three seasons using Zyuranger as the basis for Mighty Morphin, it was time for Power Rangers to reinvent itself with new costumes and Zords. Zeo covered Chouriki Sentai Ohranger, whose initial lineup included Red, Blue, Green, Pink, and Yellow rangers. Given that this was slightly different from the usual Mighty Morphin lineup, some changes had to be made. For example, Adam went from Black Ranger to Green Ranger, and Tanya replaced Aisha as the Yellow Ranger.

The biggest change, however, was Tommy becoming the Red Ranger. While the White Ranger was the leader of the Mighty Morphin team in seasons 2 and 3, he was technically a sixth Ranger. When Zeo began, the team only had five . In other words, Tommy now had to become a proper leader – the Red Ranger around which the team would be formed. Compared to his White Ranger run, Tommy had to be a more traditional leader than the Red Ranger in Zeo. Unfortunately, Zeo was one of the least interesting phases of Tommy’s Power Rangers history.

Audiences loved Tommy, and it only made sense for the show to make him the Red Ranger eventually.

Always striking first and asking questions later, Tommy was ready for whatever fight but not necessarily to be a great leader. As a character, Tommy Oliver naturally drew too much attention to himself because of how popular he had become. In Mighty Morphin, Tommy was the reformed warrior who had now found a place in the world alongside his Ranger friends. However, in Zeo, Tommy is framed as the sole protagonist, often spending too much time in the spotlight. Granted, audiences loved Tommy, and it only made sense for the show to make him the Red Ranger eventually.

Power Rangers Turbo Confirmed Tommy Wasn’t Meant To Be A Red Ranger

Turbo Got Better Once The New Cast Came In

Given how much the Red Ranger role means in Power Rangers, I’m glad that a character as iconic as Tommy got to be one. That said, Turbo was the final confirmation that Tommy Oliver was not meant to be a Red Ranger. The first half of Turbo – the one before the introduction of the new cast – is widely considered one of the worst phases of the show. Repetitive and almost a parody of itself, Turbo was a reminder that Power Rangers needed something new. Midway through the season, the actors’ contracts weren’t renewed, and a new cast was brought in.

The new cast of Power Rangers Turbo remained on the show for Power Rangers in Space, a fan-favorite season that saved the series following Turbo's poor ratings.

The fact that Turbo got way better once T.J., Cassie, Carlos, and Ashley were introduced as the new Red, Pink, Green, and Yellow Rangers confirmed the biggest problem with the first half of the show. After following the Mighty Morphin/Zeo crew for several years now, audiences had become tired of seeing the same characters going through the same things every week. Tommy’s character in particular had become stuck. After such an interesting development in Mighty Morphin, it seemed like Power Rangers did not know what to do with Tommy for most of Zeo and Turbo.

Tommy Was Much Better As An Extra Ranger Than As A Red Ranger

Tommy Worked Better As The Outsider

Tommy Oliver worked much better as the sixth Ranger – the extra member of the team who stands out from the rest due to his costume and powers. The Green Ranger was the first extra Ranger in the franchise and set up a trope that would be used several other times. Lost Galaxy’s Magna Defender, Lightspeed Rescue’s Titanium Ranger, Time Force’s Quantum Ranger, and Dino Thunder’s White Ranger are just some examples of characters who were introduced as antagonists and later ed the heroes. While this trope originates from Super Sentai, its success in Power Rangers traces back to Tommy.

Tommy was reckless and not a great strategist, especially compared to characters like Billy or Jason. This is why he worked so well as an extra Ranger, someone who would do what the other Rangers would not. Interestingly, while the White Ranger was the leader in MMPR seasons 2 and 3, he essentially worked as an extra Ranger due to the available Sentai footage. The White Ranger was based on a Dairanger character, whereas all the other Mighty Morphin costumes came from Zyuranger. This is why the White Ranger rarely interacted with the other ones in battle.

Dino Thunder’s Black Ranger Was The Perfect Role For Tommy

Dino Thunder Black Combined The Best Things About Tommy

After Turbo, Tommy would return for a cameo in Wild Force as part of the “Forever Red” crossover. It is interesting how one of the greatest Power Rangers episodes of all time celebrated Tommy’s legacy as a Red Ranger, with the character using his Zeo Ranger V-Red form alongside all the other veteran Red Rangers. Two years after Wild Force, Jason David Frank returned to the franchise with a recurrent role in Power Rangers Dino Thunder. Now a high school teacher, Tommy accidentally became the mentor to a new team of Rangers.

After being the “Zordon” of Dino Thunder for a couple of episodes, Tommy suits up again in “Back in Black.” Dino Thunder’s Black Ranger combined everything great about Tommy in Power Rangers. He was both a late addition to the team and an experienced figure who would guide the younger heroes. Tommy was not the leader in Dino Thunder – Red Ranger Connor was – but that did not stop him from being a great mentor. Tommy’s experience even helped the Rangers deal with the evil White Ranger, whose story mirrored the original Green Ranger arc in many ways.