A Mighty Morphin Legend is Out for Blood at Any Cost

The following contains major spoilers for Power Rangers #19, available now from Boom! Studios.

The Mighty Morphin Power Rangers have faced off against some of the most monstrous menaces that their universe has to offer. In that time, they have also seen more than a few of their own fall to the dark side, something their comic book counterparts are also well acquainted with. Unfortunately, the threats that come from within are also the hardest to see coming, and the Omega Rangers are unwittingly setting themselves up to fall to just that. Even worse, the one who stands poised to do the heroes so much harm is someone they should have known about from the very beginning.

After surviving the onslaught of the Eltarian invasion and finally bringing an end to the threat of the near godlike Empyreals, the Power Rangers have been forced to split up in the hopes of both hastening the recovery effort and safeguarding their world against any subsequent attacks. In the case of Red and Blue Omega Rangers Jason and Yale, they have returned to the team's more usual routine of venturing forth to aid planets in need. On the planet KO-35, the two met Andros, a fellow Power Ranger and one of the original series' most memorable characters. With their help, Andros frees his people from the Xurix forces who have imprisoned them before turning back the invading army. What Andros doesn't do, however, is reveal to his new allies the true nature of his mission, and Power Rangers #19 (by Ryan Parrott, Marco Renna, Walter Baiamonte, Sharon Marino, Sara Antonellini, and Ed Dukeshire) makes it perfectly clear Andros is out for blood.

Even though Andros was certainly telling the truth when he explained how his world and team of Rangers fell to the Xurix who had pledged loyalty to Dark Specter, both his origin and end goal have been kept hidden from his new allies, and for good reason. The knowledge that Andros' Rangers were created by Zordon has already raised some red flags, or at least serious questions for Jason. This also helps to inform why Andros is so aggressive in his hunt for Dark Specter's head. If Andros believed that Zordon had left his team behind or sent them headfirst into a death trap, as the Mighty Morphin mentor has done before with the 1969 Rangers led by Grace Sterling, he might be even more antagonisitic towards the team's founder than Grace ever has been.

If true, his would also give Andros a strong reason to distrust any of Zordon's other Rangers, though the Omegas probably aren't the ones who should bear the brunt of it. Considering Jason's team betrayed Zordon to save the universe when his inaction was putting it at risk, the Omegas know better than most that there are some lines that simply have to be crossed. On the other hand, there is no telling just what lines are off limits for the Andros of the comics.

Compared to his small screen counterpart who first appeared on 1998's Power Rangers in Space, this Andros is darker and more violent than ever before. He also carries with him a seething rage that is only barely hidden by his otherwise calm, collected demeanor. Andros might not be an enemy to any of his fellow Rangers, but the uncertainty surrounding what he is up to, not to mention the lengths he will go to in that regard, makes him the scariest sort of liability.

There isn't any doubt that the Andros of the comics is one of the most capable allies the Omega Rangers could have made, nor that he understands the scope of what it is they are up against. That doesn't make up for the danger he is putting them in by not divulging that information, however. It also doesn't help that he seems more concerned with revenge than actually saving the universe from the impossible threat which is soon to be at hand.

With any luck, Jason and the others will be able to convince Andros to open up about his true mission, assuming he won't let go of the hatred festering inside him. If not, the heroes will very likely end up right back in harm's way for no reason other than Andros' anger, and it could be the thing that finally gets them all killed.

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