Power Rangers (2017) cast Bryan Cranston as Zordon, but the Breaking Bad star, who already had a history with the franchise, ended up playing one of my favorite versions of a Red Ranger as well. Way before he played the hilarious Hal in Malcolm in the Middle and won dozens of awards for his portrayal of Walter White in Breaking Bad, Cranston had a couple of voice roles in Mighty Morphin Power Rangers. He played Snizzard in the monster’s first of multiple appearances and later voiced Twin Man, another monster of the week.

Given 1990s Power Rangers characters. Interestingly enough, Cranston’s version of Zordon was also the Red Ranger.

Power Rangers (2017) Made Bryan Cranston’s Zordon The Original Red Ranger

Zordon Was Once A Power Ranger Himself In This Universe

Power Rangers (2017) opens with a pre-historic team of Rangers from outer space crashing their Zords on a Cenozoic Earth as rogue Green Ranger Rita Repulsa betrays them and kills everyone but the Red Ranger. In this version of the story, Zordon was the original Red Ranger whose team perished in battle. Deeply injured and hoping to stop Rita Repulsa from escaping, Zordon had Alpha change the trajectory of a meteorite to Earth so that both he and Rita would die. However, neither of them exactly died. Zordon’s essence was transferred to a ship, whereas Zita eventually returned.

Even though I was expecting Power Rangers (2017) to play around with the franchise’s canon and do new things, I would have never imagined seeing Zordon and Rita as former Power Rangers. In the original show, while Zordon and Rita were intergalactic beings, they were not former Rangers at all. Although not much is revealed about Zordon’s past in the original show, we eventually learn that the Power Coins used by the Rangers to morph were created by Ninjor. In the reboot, the Power Rangers were of alien origin, with Zordon being trapped on Earth after Rita’s betrayal.

Zordon Being A Former Red Ranger Was A Genius Idea For A Power Rangers Reboot

Power Rangers (2017) Made Some Clever Changes To The Franchise’s Lore

In hindsight, making Zordon a former Red Ranger was an awesome idea, particularly for a reboot. In the original Power Rangers continuity, Zordon was very much a “space wizard” from the planet of Eltar who lost his body and used his powers to mentor different teams of Rangers. For example, while this is never shown on-screen, Zordon mentored In Space Red Ranger Andros. By making Zordon the original Mighty Morphin Red Ranger, the 2017 film streamlined the franchise’s lore and added a personal twist to Zordon’s crusade of putting together a new team of heroes.

In BOOM! Studios' Power Rangers comic book universe, Zordon first tried to put together a group of Power Rangers on Earth in 1969 to stop the Psycho Green Ranger. They were sent on a mission on the moon, but only Red Ranger Grace Sterling survived and made it home.

I also loved that Rita Repulsa was the original Green Ranger in the 2017 reboot. Rita Repulsa was the one who created the evil Green Ranger in Mighty Morphin Power Rangers by brainwashing Tommy Oliver and giving him a corrupted Power Coin, so it only made sense for her to be connected to the Green Ranger in the reboot as well. Unfortunately, even though Power Rangers’ post-credits scene teased Tommy Oliver, we never got to see what this universe’s version of “Green With Evil” would’ve been like since a sequel never happened.

I So Wish Power Rangers Would Use The 2017 Movie’s Lore In Other Stories

The Power Rangers Reboot’s Ideas Died With The Film’s Box Office

Power Rangers (2017) bombed at the box office and never got a sequel, which is unfortunate for many reasons. Firstly, Power Rangers has such a vast lore of characters and locations that it would have made for a very fun cinematic universe with sequels and potential spinoffs. Additionally, all of the cool new ideas from the reboot might not ever be used again. Concepts like Zordon being the former Red Ranger or Rita having once been a hero are not part of the franchise’s main canon and might never be revisited.

Even the BOOM! Studios Power Rangers comics have preferred to stick to the original show’s lore, although they do tell a lot of original stories and create new connections within that existing sandbox. Power Rangers (2017) got a comic book sequel shortly after the film was released, but it was a one-off story that never continued into a full series. If no other Power Rangers story ever reimagines Zordon as a former Power Ranger, I’m glad that the 2017 reboot at least tried something different with Bryan Cranston’s character.