Friday Five – Power Rangers Villains

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Welcome to the Friday Five! Each Week we help you get to know our writers with he help of a top five list. This week’s category: Power Rangers Villains!
 
So, the third Friday Five entry in our Power Rangers 20th Anniversary Monthly spectacular brings us t one of the most important elements of the show, the villains. Without these adversaries the Power Rangers would be nothing more than teenagers with attitude, and who wants to watch a show about that? Well, pretty much anyone into reality TV, but that’s besides the points. Now, we have a f=pretty diverse list here. We range from some of the monsters of the week, and even onto the main baddies themselves. So, sit back and check out our list! Don’t forget to tell us what your favorites are in the comments below!
 

Chris

1. Lord Zedd – I remember when Lord Zedd came on the scene, holy crap was he scary. Granted I was like 8 or 9 at the time so why wouldn’t a guy that looks like that be scary. It’s a shame he went from such a terrifying villain to kind of a joke with the whole Rita giving him a love potion and what not.
2. Tommy Oliver / Green Ranger – Not only was the Green Ranger one of the best Rangers ever, but he was also one of the best villains. Tommy Oliver and the Green Ranger were introduced in the 5 part story Green With Evil, and man did he play evil well. That was really the first time in the show where the Rangers got soundly defeated multiple times.
3. Ivan Ooze – Ivan was kind of a joke when it comes to villains, not as much as Zedd was later on, but still a joke. He did however manage to trash the command center and kick the rangers butts, forcing them to head to a distant planet to gain the power of the Ninjetti. And he had those two crazy zords, the Ectomorphicon Titans, and of course he like fuzed with one at the end and fought the Ninja Falcon Megazord! And come on he got taken out with a crotch shot.
4. Mesogog – Mesogog was an interesting villain because he actually had ties to characters in the show, specifically the Rangers. He wasn’t just some random alien that wanted to destroy or take over the planet. Add to it, that he was kind of a tragic figure, his alter ego didn’t seem like a bad guy, just a very strict person.
5. Goldar – Man Goldar was a jerk! And kind of lame too, but he’s one of the few monsters to ever tangle with the Megazord and walk away from it. Well he usually ran away, but that’s beside the point.

 

 

JohnScott

I generally like my Big Bads to have some real motivation, and an ongoing story for why they feel the need to antagonize the Rangers, besides just having a Gargamel Complex and being one note characters. They need to be more than the guy (or gal) who plays the villain week in and week out because thats what the plot required so their characterization and motivation changes from week to week. I like consistency and character growth, which you should be able to see in most of my picks.

1. Royal House of Gadgetry of The Machine Empire (PRZ) – For some reason I really enjoyed the petty bickering and family squabbles of a bunch of dumb ineffective machines.
2. Divatox (PRT) – OK, Power Rangers Turbo is pretty much the worst series in the pantheon of all of rangerdom. It’s all that stupid Blue ranger, Justin Stewart’s fault. “Oh yeah, lets make a 12 year old a Power Ranger. Because it worked so well on Star Trek: The Next Generation. I’m sure no one will hate him!. And for some reason, when he morphs he’s adult sized.” The only thing the show had going for it was Divatox, it’s over the top, campy villain. I really liked her because I was a fan of Hilary Shepard Turner’s guest spots on Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. She was actually played by two different actresses because Turner had a baby between the movie and production of the series, so she’s only in the later half. Carol Hoyt played the character so well, and the makeup and costume department were so good you can’t even tell there’s a difference.
3. Astronema (PRIS) – One of the best villains on the show, she did not mess around. She is one of the few to send in more than one monster at a time, and the only one to ever attack a Megazord while it was transforming. In fact, she did manage to beat Zordon, which is kind of a big deal. Her backstory was complex and engaging, being the Red Space Ranger’s sister who was abducted as a child and raised to be evil. She eventually grew to resist her upbring and reject evil, and was eventually the second Pink Galaxy Ranger.
4. Mesogog (PRDT) – Another complex villain, who had a whole Jeckyll/Hyde thing going on with his other personality, Anton Mercer, who just happened to be the father of the White Dino Ranger.
5. Scorpina (MMPR) – What? I was a twelve year old boy when she was on the show, I couldn’t turn down a hot asian warrior babe. Looking back though, I can appreciate that her American voice was provided by Wendee Lee, who also did Faye Valentine on Cowboy Bebop.

With special runner up to Squat, for being the final piece that won the Wrigley’s luggage stacking contest in the classic Adventures of Pete and Pete episode “King of Road”
 

 

Pisko

1. Goldar – By far my easiest choice. Goldar started out as Rita’s whipping boy but threw her ass under the bus as soon as Lord Zedd showed up and it earned him some sweet wings. Though they made him a bit bumbling later on in the series I will always remember Goldar as the big baddie in the Cyclopsis Zord.
2. Lord Zedd – Another character that the show would go on to neuter; Poor Lord Zedd started off as a supreme badass. I mean, he was Rita Repulsa’s boss, after all. He even posed a serious risk to the rangers week after week. Then love potions and marriage to Rita got in the way and Zedd never really had a chance after that. Sad to see him go… Living on an RV on the moon.
3. Mesogog – The classic Dr. Jekyll / Mr. Hyde scenario. Though, unlike Jekyll/Hyde, Dr. Anton Mercer was just as unlikeable as his dino counterpart Mesogog minus the need to take over the world or turn it into dinosaurs or something… Dr. Anton Mercer’s son Trent was the White Dino Ranger and was pretty messed up thanks to his ‘ol dino dad. Both personalities would go on to torment his son just for funsies.
4. Lothor – Man I loved Lothor. Equal parts crazy and comical. He was once Kiya Watanabe, the brother of Sensei Watanabe (The guinea pig in a robe) who got all pissed at his brother because he didn’t like him playing with black magic. Family, right?! He also had a couple of nieces that helped keep the mood light with their valley girl personalities and bumbling adventures.
5. Mr. Ticklesneezer

 

 

Eric

Ok, so while I may remember a bunch of the random episodes i’ve seen in the past, I have a hard time remembering specific enemies. Well, other than the big baddies that is. So I’ll try to make this interesting. . .

1. Putty Patrol – Ok, they were weird. Even goofy sometimes. But the original random soldiers the Rangers fought had to be my favorite. Their silly sounds and creepy movements just made them fun to watch. Oh, and they didn’t have that glaring weak spot that Lord Zedd’s versions had. Z-Putties my ass!
2. Goldar – His face never moved! The actor was so animated inside the costume to make up for the fact that goldar never changes facial expressions.
3. Finster – Somehow this guy got a job making monsters out of clay. His models never looked like the monster it produced, ever! But I always wanted that machine, if only to make creepy monsters terrorize my brother and sister.
4. Eye Guy – This is probably one of the only random monsters I can remember from the show. Not because he was terrifying or anything tho. Because I always thought it had to hurt so bad walking around on your own eyes!
5. Tommy oliver/ The Green Ranger – He was evil, and awesome. Probably the coolest storyline ever told on the series.

 

Eric is not a boss. You can Email Eric or follow Eric on Twitter @EricSweeten or Facebook

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