Austin St. John, who played Jason in Mighty Morphin Power Rangers, eventually exited the show and would only return to the franchise a few years later. Though there have been dozens of Red Rangers, it is difficult not to think of Jason when it comes to Power Rangers leaders. Despite being part of Zordon’s team for less than two seasons, Jason wrote his name in Power Rangers history as one of the most iconic Rangers that ever was.
Of the original Power Rangers who fought Rita Repulsa’s first monster in "Day of the Dumpster", only David Yost’s Billy was present in the final Mighty Morphin Power Rangers episode. After Jason’s exit from the team, it became common for the Power Rangers to rotate their roster, be it due to in-universe or behind-the-scenes reasons. For example, there were two Power Rangers’ Red Rangers during the Mighty Morphin era.
Austin St. John Left Mighty Morphin Power Rangers Over Pay Issues
Austin St. John, Walter Emanuel Jones, and Thuy Trang all exited Mighty Morphin Power Rangers ahead of season 3 over pay issues. The Jason, Zack, and Trini actors reportedly did not accept the salary offer to renew their contracts going into Mighty Morphin Power Rangers season 3, which is why the original Red, Black, and Yellow Rangers exited the team. The in-universe explanation as to why Jason, Zack, and Trini quit the Power Rangers was the same for all of them – the trio was selected to participate in a Peace Conference in Switzerland, where they would be able to do good despite not being Power Rangers anymore.
That said, the BOOM! Power Rangers comics retconned Jason, Zack, and Trini’s exits from Mighty Morphin. In the Power Rangers comics timeline, the Peace Conference was a lie told by the former Red, Black, and Yellow Rangers so that they could the Blue Emissary and become Omega Rangers. The trio continued to fight side by side with Zordon’s team, although the Omega Rangers were often in space. In the Power Rangers TV canon, Austin St. John’s Jason returned in Power Rangers Zeo, assuming the role of the Gold Zeo Ranger. Jason also returned in Turbo: A Power Rangers Movie, Wild Force’s “Forever Red”, and Beast Morpher’s “Grid Connection”.
Steve Cardenas’ Rocky Replaced Jason As The Red Ranger
Jason was not recast in Mighty Morphin Power Rangers following Austin St. John’s exit from the show. Instead, Rocky, played by Steve Cardenas, was recruited by Zordon to become the new Red Ranger. Rocky, Adam, and Aisha – the Stone Canyon Rangers – ed Zordon’s team during Mighty Morphin Power Rangers’ “The Power Transfer” after proving their courage and strength, replacing Jason, Zack, and Trini, respectively. A few episodes before Jason left, former Green Ranger Tommy Oliver, now the White Ranger, became the Power Rangers’ new leader, as the writers were already aware that Jason would soon be written off of the series.
As a result, Rocky became the first Red Ranger not to lead his Power Rangers team. Still, Rocky made his mark on the Power Rangers franchise, remaining as the Red Ranger until the end of the Mighty Morphin era. Steve Cardenas reprised his role as Rocky in Power Rangers Zeo, now as Zeo Ranger III Blue. Rocky then left the Power Rangers during the events of the Turbo movie, being replaced by Blake Foster’s Justin as the Blue Ranger. Cardenas would return to the franchise in recent Power Rangers specials, including the Power Rangers reunion on Netflix. Austin St. John will not return as Jason in Once & Always.