Power Rangers 30th-Anniversary Special Will Bring Back Major Classic Villain
Power Rangers is going all out for its milestone 30th Anniversary, and the special episode bringing back members of the original Mighty Morphin Power Rangers cast will also be bringing back a major villain from the classic series right alongside them, Rita Repulsa! As part of the celebration for the massive anniversary, the franchise will be having a special episode hitting Netflix this Spring that brings together members from the various Mighty Morphin Power Rangers seasons together as they battle a new threat. But as detailed in recent announcements, this new threat will actually be very familiar to fans of the classic series.
Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: Once & Always revealed the first real details about what fans can expect from this 30th Anniversary special, and along with bringing back some of the members from the original cast across the first three seasons of the franchise, it was also confirmed by Hasbro that the special will also be bringing back Barbara Goodson as the voice of Rita Repulsa. Meaning the classic foe will be playing a major role in the new special.
What Is Rita Repulsa's Role in Power Rangers' 30th-Anniversary Episode?
Goodson will be returning to voice Rita Repulsa, but fans familiar with the villain might be wondering what's up. Not only did the villain get purified by Zordon's big Z Wave at the end of Power Ranges In Space, but she was seen years later as the Mystic Mother during Power Rangers Mystic Force. It was teased during Hasbro Pulse's special livestream for the series that Rita Repulsa will actually be returning as a "Robo" version of herself.
It's yet to be revealed how this robotic version of the classic villain will be created, or why, but with Goodson returning to voice the role it's going to be a welcome return for the fan favorite villain that helped start this all those years ago. As for what to expect from the story of the Once & Always special itself, it's teased as such:
READ MORE: Power Rangers 30th-Anniversary Special Reveals Release Date, Synopsis | Power Rangers 30th-Anniversary Confirms Entire Mighty Morphin Team in Costume | Power Rangers Reveals First Footage From 30th-Anniversary Special
"In Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: Once & Always, thirty years after the wise and powerful Zordon formed the Mighty Morphin Power Rangers, the team comes face to face with a familiar threat from the past. In the midst of a global crisis, they are called on once again to be the heroes the world needs. Inspired by the legendary mantra from the franchise 'Once a Ranger, Always a Ranger,' Once & Always reminds everyone when you become a Ranger, you are always a part of the Ranger family and always welcome."
What are you hoping to see in the Power Rangers 30th Anniversary special? Let us know all of your thoughts about it in the comments! You can even reach out to me directly about all things Power Rangers, animated and other cool stuff @Valdezology on Twitter!