Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: Kimberly Hart 101
Few Power Rangers are as adored as Mighty Morphin's Kimberly Ann Hart, and even all these years [...]
Few Power Rangers are as adored as Mighty Morphin's Kimberly Ann Hart, and even all these years later she is still a big part of the Power Rangers universe.
Kimberly Hart is a fun loving gymnast who ends up becoming the Pink Power Ranger, and while there have been several others to don those colors in subsequent series, Kimberly managed to make a lasting impression.
The character has been played by two different actresses throughout her tenure. The original is played by actress Amy Jo Johnson, while the newest member of the Power Rangers universe is actress Naomi Scott. Scott played the character of Kimberly in the newest live-action reboot, and fans are hopeful she'll return at some point if the film gets a sequel.
Kimberly was rarely negative, and most often helped to lift the team's spirits, even when the chips were down. She commanded the Pterodactyl Dinozord, though that would later get an upgrade to the Firebird Thunderzord and then again to the Crane Ninjazord.
Kimberly also has the distinct honor of appearing in every Power Rangers film thus far, which includes Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: The Movie, Turbo: The Movie, and a cameo in the recent live-action reboot, where she appeared alongside fellow Mighty Morphin star Jason David Frank.
The character has also appeared in her very own comic series as part of BOOM! Studios Power Rangers comic-verse, titled Power Rangers: Pink, and of course also stars in their Mighty Morphin Power Rangers core series and the newest addition Go Go Power Rangers.
You can also thank her for the term "Morphinominal", which she coined back in season 1.
Suffice it to say, Kimberly has won many hearts over the years, so here's a walk down Mighty Morphin memory lane as ComicBook.com gives you the Kimberly Ann Hart 101.
Mighty Morphin Era
Kimberly is an avid gymnast when she is recruited by Zordon in the pilot episode of Mighty Morphin, and it was often implemented into her battle scenes and during the R&R when the Rangers hung out at the Angel Grove youth center.
Kimberly's story would see a massive change when Tommy Oliver was introduced. Tommy was a new kid at school that Rita Repulsa would turn into her evil Green Ranger, but Kimberly already liked him before she found out he was under Rita's spell.
Alongside the other Rangers, she would fight to break the spell, eventually freeing him from Rita's control. Afterward, they entered a romance, but villains would cause havoc with it throughout the series. At one point Lord Zedd took a fancy to Kimberly and had his minions capture her so she could become his queen. It's one of the more memorable sequences from the show, as Kimberly did her best Rita impression until she could escape.
Zedd would later again mess with Kimberly by creating a monster from her nightmares, but she was able to conquer this as well.
Kimberly was a mainstay through the Dinozord, Thunderzord, and Ninjazord years, gaining new powers and Zords along the way. During the Ninja Ranger era, she would finally walk away from the Ranger life after a series of events caused by Rita Repulsa. Rita had put Katherine Hillard under a spell and used her to gain access to Kimberly's power coin. It would drain her of her life force over time, and that caused havoc with both her Ranger duties and her training for a spot at the Olympics. While Katherine eventually overcame Rita's control and get Kimberly help, after her recovery Kimberly decided to pick Katherine for her replacement and take on gymnastics full time.
Turbo: The Movie
Kimberly didn't make her appearance in Turbo under the best circumstances, as she found herself captured alongside fellow Ranger Jason Scott by Divatox.
The two were captured so they could be sacrificed to Maligore, and while Kimberly did escape at one point, she was recaptured along with Jason.
Divatox would chain them up and lower them into a pit of lava as part of the sacrifice. While the Turbo Rangers were able to find them, the two Rangers were submerged before they could free them. That resulted in both being possessed, and they would fight their rescuers as a result.
Kimberly would focus on Katherine, the Range she chose as her replacement on the original Power Rangers team. Katherine tried to get her to overcome what was controlling her, and Tommy even threw in as well, but that wouldn't stop her.
It wasn't until Lerigot and Lara intervened that the spell would be broken, which caused the former Rangers to join the Turbo Ranger team and turn the tide against Divatox and Maligore.
Super Megaforce
Kimberly was brought back once more during the Legendary Battle episode of Super Megaforce, alongside the rest of the original Mighty Morphin Power Rangers.
The Super Megaforce Rangers fought their hardest against Emperor Mavro, but were on their last legs and without Zords as he made his final assault. A Legendary assembly of Rangers would arrive to help them fight off the final invasion, including the original Pink Ranger and her power bow.
They ultimately pushed back the XBorg and Bruiser army and would return to the past as quickly as they appeared.
Power Rangers Reboot
Naomi Scott would take the baton from Amy Jo Johnson for the live-action Power Rangers reboot, though there were some similarities between the two characters.
This version of Kimberly is not a gymnast, but she is popular in school like the original. Well, at least she was anyway, as part of her storyline involves her posting a private photo of one of her friends to social media, causing her to have a fallout with her popular crowd.
She is a bit sarcastic like her predecessor and does pilot the same Zord. She does not wield the Power Bow, however, but that was because none of the Power Weapons were included in the reboot.
Unofficial Short Film
In Adi Shankar and Joseph Kahn's unofficial short film, the Power Rangers were given a much grittier makeover, and Kimberly played a big role in the story.
Spoilers for the fan film incoming, so you've been warned.
The film starts with Kimberly (played by Katee Sackhoff) being interrogated by former Ranger and traitor Rocky (James Van Der Beek). He is asking her where Tommy is, and throughout the interrogation, you learn that the other Rangers have all fallen in some brutal fashion or another.
There are also flashbacks to the war between the Rangers and the Machine Empire, one in which the Rangers lost.
Eventually, Tommy makes his way into the facility where Kimberly is being held, where he starts fighting with Rocky. Rocky starts to gain the upper hand when Kimberly shoots him.
Spoilers incoming, so you've been warned (just wanted to give you one more chance).
When Kimberly tries to talk to Tommy, he asks her who she is. She explains it's really her, but Tommy reveals that Kimberly died during the war in his arms. It is then shown that the other Rangers were killed by Kimberly, but it isn't really Kimberly. This was all a plan to lure Tommy out, and her form fades away to reveal Rita Repulsa.
