Summary
- Zack Taylor, the original Black Ranger, left the Power Rangers in Mighty Morphin season 2 along with two other original cast .
- Zack made a comeback 30 years later in Power Rangers: Once & Always.
- While the TV show didn't feature Zack much after Mighty Morphin, he made technically made cameo appearances in other episodes with his helmet on and may have been part of Cosmic Fury's final battle.
Zack Taylor, the original Black Ranger, exited the team midway through Mighty Morphin but continued to be an important part of the Power Rangers Cosmic Fury’s ending may have been the end of the current chronology, but at least Once & Always got to revisit iconic characters like Zack first.
Watching Power Rangers in order can be frustrating for those looking for strong continuity, as almost every season after the death of Zordon stands on its own. That said, between crossover episodes, legacy seasons, and special appearances, the legacy of the original Power Rangers lived on after Mighty Morphin. Walter Emanuel Jones’ Zack played a huge role in Once & Always, but the character did not have many appearances after MMPR. The original Black Ranger’s story in the comics diverges from that of the TV show, the former of which never properly revisited Zack for 30 years.
Zack Exited The Power Rangers In Mighty Morphin Season 2
Walter Emanuel Jones, Thuy Trang, & Austin St. John all left the show
The original Black Ranger exited the Power Rangers in Mighty Morphin season 2, during which Walter Emanuel Jones, Thuy Trang, & Austin St. John all left the show due to a contract dispute. Rather than recasting the original Black, Yellow, and Red Rangers, the show decided to write all three characters off the show. Enter the “Peace Conference,” an event that would be hosted in Switzerland and that would have Jason, Trini, and Zack as youth ambassadors. “The Power Transfer,” which only featured archive footage of those three Rangers, was Zack’s final appearance in Mighty Morphin Power Rangers.
Zack Taylor was replaced by Adam Park (Johnny Yong Bosch) as the new Black Ranger. Adam would remain as the Black Ranger until the end of Mighty Morphin when the show transitioned to Power Rangers Zeo. Now adapting a different show, Power Rangers had to change its color scheme. Adam went from Mighty Morphin Black Ranger to Zeo Green Ranger and would later become the Turbo Green Ranger. That said, the original Black Ranger powers would still be used by Adam in In Space’s “Always a Chance” episode and Operation Overdrive’s “Once A Ranger” crossover.
Zack Never Appeared In Another Power Rangers Show Or Movie For Decades
The original Black Ranger would only return in Once & Always
After Mighty Morphin season 2, Walter Emanuel Jones would only reprise his role as Zack Taylor almost 30 years later in Power Rangers: Once & Always. The Netflix special was designed as a Mighty Morphin reunion set three decades after the original series and brought together two of the first-generation Rangers – Zack and Billy (David Yost). Both Jones and Yost had been away from the franchise since the Zordon Era, which is why seeing them back in action in Once & Always was so exciting. Fortunately, Once & Always helped fill in the gaps in Zack’s story.
Although what happened to Zack between Mighty Morphin and Once & Always in the Power Rangers TV canon is mostly a mystery, the special revealed that the character followed a career in politics and was currently a congressman. This makes sense considering Zack was interested in politics since the days of the Peace Conference, but it raised some questions regarding the canon status of the Power Rangers comics. Regardless, Zack helped raise Trini’s daughter after the original Yellow Ranger died and mentored the girl who would become the new member of the Power Rangers.
Mighty Morphin Power Rangers Original Cast |
|
|---|---|
Actor |
Character |
Austin St. John |
Jason/Red Ranger |
Amy Jo Johnson |
Kimberly/Pink Ranger |
Walter Emanuel Jones |
Zack/Black Ranger |
David Yost |
Billy/Blue Ranger |
Thuy Trang |
Trini/Yellow Ranger |
Jason David Frank |
Tommy/Green-White Ranger |
Once & Always also marked the first time Zack and Adam shared a scene in Power Rangers, a significant moment considering the latter replaced the former. Although Zack was technically in “The Power Transfer,” those were reused scenes, meaning Jones and Bosch had never been on the same set together before Once & Always. The Power Rangers reunion confirmed that Zack became the Mighty Morphin Black Ranger again at some point, whereas Adam became part of an organization known as S.P.A. When exactly that happened did not become clear.
In theory, Zack’s Black Ranger power coin should no longer exist based on what happened at the end of Mighty Morphin. However, Power Rangers has proven multiple times that the existence of power coins can be retconned at will depending on what the story asks for. From an in-universe perspective, it can be assumed that the Morphin Masters gave the original Rangers new power coins, which allowed the classic team to return to action at some point between Zordon’s death and the return of Rita Repulsa in Once & Always.
The Original Black Ranger Appeared A Few Other Times After Mighty Morphin
Zack appeared with his helmet on a couple of times in Power Rangers
It must be noted that Zack’s story is far more convoluted in the BOOM! Studios Power Rangers comics, which have followed the original Black, Red, and Yellow Rangers on a separate story set after the events of “The Power Transfer.”
Although Once & Always marked Walter Emanuel Jones’ return to the franchise, the original Black Ranger may have been in a couple of other episodes in the past 30 years – but with his helmet on. Super Megaforce’s “The Legendary Battle” and Beast Morpher’s “Grid Connection” both featured appearances of the Mighty Morphin Power Rangers, but they never removed their helmets. It can be argued that Adam could be the Black Ranger in question in both of those cases, but both instances suggested the original heroes were the ones showing up to help.
What Happened To The Original Red Ranger After He Left The Power Rangers? Jason's Timeline Explained
Jason left the Power Rangers midway through Mighty Morphin season 2, but that was not the end of the story for the original Red Ranger.
Zack may also have been part of Cosmic Fury’s final battle, which took place after Once & Always in the Power Rangers timeline. Although the Blue and Yellow Rangers were the only ones who appeared in the Megazord transmission the Cosmic Fury characters were receiving, it can be assumed that the rest of the MMPR team was there. In other words, the original Rangers continued to operate as a team after defeating Robot Rita, with Zack presumably continuing to be the Black Ranger.
It must be noted that Zack’s story is far more convoluted in the BOOM! Studios Power Rangers comics, which have followed the original Black, Red, and Yellow Rangers on a separate story since the events of “The Power Transfer.” The comics establish that the Peace Conference was a lie and that the trio became Omega Rangers working for the Blue Emissary. Mighty Morphin Power Rangers Pink also revisits Zack after Mighty Morphin, but none of those stories are necessarily canon to the Power Rangers TV show.
Most Power Rangers seasons are streaming on Power Rangers' official YouTube channel.
Watch Power Rangers: Once & Always on Netflix
- Created by
- Haim Saban, Shuki Levy, Shotaro Ishinomori
- First TV Show
- Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers
Power Rangers is a long-running multimedia franchise that debuted in 1993 with the TV series Mighty Morphin Power Rangers. Created by Haim Saban and adapted from the Japanese Super Sentai series, Power Rangers became a cultural phenomenon by combining action-packed footage from Super Sentai with new scenes featuring American actors. The franchise follows teams of young heroes who transform into Power Rangers to battle various villains, using martial arts, special powers, and giant mechas called Zords. Over the decades, the franchise has expanded into multiple TV series, films, comics, video games, and merchandise, becoming one of the most successful children's franchises in the world.
- Video Game(s)
- Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: Mega Battle, Power Rangers: Battle for the Grid, Saban's Power Rangers Megaforce, Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: Rita's Rewind
