The following contains major spoilers for Mighty Morphin #18, available now from Boom! Studios.
The Mighty Morphin Power Rangers have overcome some truly dark chapters in their time as the world's foremost line of defense against any alien threats. While the Rangers of today are busy recovering from the Eltarian invasion, their mentor and predecessor are both finally coming to terms with their shared tragedy. As unlikely as it might seem, Grace Sterling and Zordon appear to have found some genuinely common ground in the aftermath of the latest battle for Earth. Not only that, this may be the beginning of the end to the animosity between them, even if it has made Grace the person she is today.
In the wake of the war with the Empyreals and Eltarian army, Angle Grove has been left devastated. For the Power Rangers it isn't just their homes that were destroyed, but their Command Center as well, forcing much of the team to take to the stars in the hopes of finding a new base of operations. Rocky, the Red Ranger, has done a fine job of keeping an eye on things back home, but there is nothing he can do to ease the tensions between the heroes of Promethea and Zordon. The Mighty Morphin mentor was openly apologetic to Grace Sterling for the threats he lobbed her way leading up to the Eltarian invasion, though he also made it a point to apologize to her for the way her own time as a Ranger went under his purview. As seen in the pages of Mighty Morphin #18 (by Mat Groom, Moises Hidalgo, Raul Angulo, and Ed Dukeshire) that small, simple gesture means more than anyone could have guessed.
First introduced back in Mighty Morphin Power Rangers #17, Grace Sterling's budding career in space exploration was hindered by the rampant sexism of her superiors. While Grace had to watch on from the ground as the 1969 moon landing she should have been part of went on without her, the astronauts who made the trip would unwittingly free the dormant Psycho Green from his cosmic confinement. The release of Psycho Green spurred Zordon to form the very first team of Rangers on Earth, with Grace leading the charge as the Red Ranger. Grace's team had some understanding of the stakes, but Zordon neglected to inform them of the true danger they faced. Because of this and the Rangers' complete lack of experience or training, Psycho Green slaughtered all but two members of the team before his defeat. Even worse, Zordon unceremoniously dismissed the surviving Rangers upon their return, stripping them of their powers and sending them on their way with little more than some half-hearted thanks for their efforts.
This brutal introduction to the world of the Power Rangers was what drove Grace to found Promethea, and in the years since it has grown into something that legitimately rivals the current Rangers' own operation. Apart from acting as an infrequent mentor, Grace has helped Billy Cranston rebuild the Green Ranger better than ever, not to mention giving Matthew Cook the chance to take up that mantle. Though Matthew has proven himself to be a genuine hero in his own right, that hasn't stopped Zordon from drawing ire at the idea that someone else could wield that kind of power, let alone that one of his own Rangers would go behind his back to help. Previously, Zordon had threatened to remove Billy from the team and to take Matthew's powers from him, all with force if necessary. Now that Zordon has been humbled by the events of the past few months, it looks like he has also come to realize just how out of touch he has been.
Zordon's frequently stoic, and occasionally fiery demeanor is one that fans are more than familiar with, and it has served him well enough in his confrontations with the heroes' enemies. It has also alienated him from the people that should be their greatest allies.
That Zordon is genuinely staring down his past and reconsidering his actions isn't just a sign of personal growth for him, but one that the old wounds between him and Grace could finally be healing. If that's the case, it may be a sign that all the tension and infighting that the Power Rangers have been struggling with is coming to an end. Even if that is understandably not enough for Matthew so soon after being treated like an enemy, it is still an important step in the right direction.
