Jake’s Take Celebrates Halloween: The Top 10 Power Rangers Villains Of All-Time

By: Jacob Elyachar, jakes-take.com

It’s Halloween time! As always, Jake’s Take puts the spotlights on our favorite fictional antagonists!  This year’s tribute honors the Power Rangers villains! This group of villains made an impact on the 25-year-old franchise that there was no way that I would not celebrate Halloween without them.   So, without further ado, here are Jake’s Take’s Top 10 Greatest Power Rangers villains.

Warning! Spoilers are ahead…

 

#10: Divatox (Hillary Shepherd & Carol Hoyt) [Turbo: A Power Rangers Movie, Power Rangers Turbo, & Power Rangers in Space]

The polarizing Queen of Evil starts our countdown. Fans met Divatox (Hillary Turner) during 1997’s Turbo: A Power Rangers Movie, when she journeyed to Earth to kidnap an Ewok-esque wizard named Lerigot, who has the powers to unleash a powerful demon named Maligore for her to rule the universe. Sadly, the original incarnation of the Turbo Power Rangers thwarted the intergalactic space pirate queen’s plans. Throughout Power Rangers Turbo, Divatox (Hoyt for the first 25 episodes and Turner for the rest of the season plus Power Rangers in Space) gave the two incarnations of Turbo Rangers a run for their money. At the end of Turbo, Divatox pulled off the unthinkable and joined an elite group of villains who utterly destroyed a Power Rangers team. She launched the monstrous Goldgoyle into battle, who killed the team’s two megazords before he was destroyed. Next, Rygog and Elgar, two of her top henchmen found the Power Chamber, and she launched a massive attack on the legendary headquarters, where she burnt it to the ground.  In Power Rangers in Space, Divatox’s victory over the Rangers was short lived as Dark Specter (more on him later) assigned the Queen of Evil to transport the captured Zordon throughout the solar system.  For her final feat in the two-part Zordon era finale “Countdown to Destruction,” Divatox and her army defeated the Alien Rangers in battle before Zordon’s energy wave purified her.  Hopefully, Divatox will return to the Power Rangers franchise in a future BOOM! Comics storyline.

Key episodes: “Shift into Turbo,” “Chase Into Space,” “From Out of Nowhere, Pt. 1,” “The Delta Discovery,” & “Countdown to Destruction.”

 

#9: Mesogog (Latham Gaines, Power Rangers Dino Thunder)

The sinister Mesogog slithered his way onto the ninth spot on this list. Mesogog is the wicked alter ego of Dr. Tommy Oliver (Jason David Frank)’s friend and world-renowned scientist, Dr. Anton Mercer, who he brought to life due to a botched experiment.  Just like Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, Mercer and Mesogog fought for control all season. However, the dinosaur-like humanoid was able to separate himself from Mercer and committed to transporting the Earth back to the Age of the Dinosaurs. During the Power Rangers Dino Thunder finale, Mesogog absorbed enough of the Rangers’ power source to transform into a nightmarish and self-replicating Mesomonster.  Thankfully, Tommy and his proteges were able to defeat him.  Fans can play as Mesogog in the Power Rangers Legacy Wars mobile video game.

Key episodes: “Day of the Dino,” “Legacy of Power,” “Thunder Storm,” “A Test of Trust,” & “Thunder Struck.”

 

#8: Master Vile (Voice actor: Tom Wyner; Mighty Morphin’ Power Rangers Season 3, Mighty Morphin’ Alien Rangers, Power Rangers Zeo & Power Rangers in Space)

Alien overlord Master Vile made his first appearance in the three-part episode, “Master Vile And The Metallic Armor.” Rita Repulsa and Rito Revolto’s father made his ugly presence known as he searched for the Zeo Crystal. Unlike Rita and her husband, Lord Zedd, the M-51 Galaxy conqueror came very close to conquering the Power Rangers’ world several times using the Blue Globbor and the Orb of Doom, which the latter transformed the Rangers into children. Just before he was able to conquer Earth, Zordon summoned the Alien Rangers of Aquitar to protect the Earth and drive Master Vile’s forces away. Sadly, Master Vile was reduced to cameo appearances during Power Rangers Zeo and Power Rangers in Space. Like Divatox, Master Vile has the potential to make his presence known in the Boom! Comics Power Rangers comics franchise.

Key episodes: “Master Vile & The Metallic Armor,” “Rangers in Reverse,” “Alien Rangers of Aquitar,” “A Zeo Beginning, Pt. 1” & “From Out of Nowhere, Pt. 1.”

 

#7: The Machine Empire (Voice actors: David Stenstrom, Alex Borstein, Barbara Goodson, Douglas Sloan, Oliver Page, Melora Harte & Brianne Siddall) [Power Rangers Zeo, Power Rangers in Space & Power Rangers Wild Force]

After three seasons of Rita and Zedd’s antics, viewers were introduced to a new set of villains: the mechanical Machine Empire. After breaking away from the United Alliance of Evil, King Mondo, Queen Machina, Prince Sprocket, and their army decided to conquer Earth and forced Rita and Zedd to retreat to the M51 Galaxy briefly. While the Machine Empire took control of the Moon, they were unable to defeat the colorful Zeo Rangers. King Mondo soon took matters and decided to unearth the Damocles Sword, which made him grow into a giant.  Eventually, the Zeo Rangers used their Super Zeo Megazord to destroy the Machine King. While Mondo was rebuilt, a plethora of usurpers including his first-built son Prince Gasket and his wife Princess Archerina tried to take the throne. When Mondo did return, he did drive away Gasket and Archerina, but both the Zeo Rangers and Rita and Zedd were able to take down the Machine Empire.  Ultimately, the Machine Empire’s leadership were destroyed by Zordon’s energy wave at the end of “Countdown to Destruction,” while a group of Red Rangers defeated the remaining survivors during the franchise’s tenth-anniversary episode: “Forever Red.”

Key episodes: “A Zeo Beginning,” “Mondo’s Last Stand,” “King for a Day,” “Good as Gold,” “Countdown to Destruction,” & “Forever Red.”

 

#6-Trakeena (Amy Rolle/Jennifer Burns) [Power Rangers Lost Galaxy/Power Rangers Lightspeed Rescue]

The vain Trakeena had quite the story arc during Power Rangers Lost Galaxy. The only daughter (Rolle) of alien overlord Scorpius wanted to prove her worth to her vicious father as a general. Trakeena prided herself with her mortal beauty, which caused a significant rift between herself and her father, which forced her to flee to a desert planet.  However, she met  Villamax, who trained her to become a fierce warrior. Sadly, she lost her father, Scorpius, at the hands of the Lost Galaxy Rangers and vowed revenge. In the three-part “Journey’s End,” the traitorous Deviot brought the Lost Galaxy villain into a mutation device, the Cocoon, where it merged them with a horrific result. A psychotic Trakeena emerged from the Cocoon, where she killed her henchmen, sacrificed her own army, mutated into a terrifying insect, and nearly destroyed Terra Venture before Leo, the Red Lost Galaxy Ranger, defeated her. Trakeena (Burns) returned in the Power Rangers Lightspeed Rescue crossover episode before she was destroyed by the combined forces of the Lost Galaxy and Lightspeed Rescue Rangers.  Trakeena appeared in several video games including Power Rangers: Super Legends and Power Rangers Legacy Wars.

Key episodes: “Race to the Rescue,” “Stolen Beauty,” “Heir to the Throne,” “An Evil Game,” “Journey’s End,” & “Trakeena’s Revenge.”

 

#5-Dark Specter (Suit actor: Terence J. Rotolo; Voice actor: Christopher Cho) [Power Rangers in Space]

The Grand Monarch of Evil comes in at number five on the countdown. Dark Specter masterminded the grand finale of “The Zordon Era.” The large demon not only captured Zordon and nearly drained the Power Rangers’ mentor of all his powers, but he was responsible for ordering the treacherous Darkonda to kidnap Andros, the Red Space Ranger’s little sister Karone, and transforming her into Power Rangers in Space’s main antagonist, Astronema. While Dark Specter’s favoritism towards Astronema upset several major villains such as Divatox, Rita, and Zedd, it was also his undoing. Near the end of In Space, a reprogrammed Astronema used his powers to program the Psycho Rangers, which drained enough of his powers which left him vulnerable to Darkonda’s kamikaze attack in “Countdown to Destruction.” Sadly, Dark Specter had not been seen in any Power Rangers related product since his destruction more than 20 years ago.

Key episodes: “From Out of Nowhere, Pt. 1,” “Shell Shocked,” “Astronema Thinks Twice,” “The Rangers’ Leap of Faith,” “Dark Specter’s Revenge” & “Countdown to Destruction, Pt. 1.”

 

#4-Lord Drakkon (Jason David Frank) [Mighty Morphin’ Power Rangers-Boom! Comics]

Lord Drakkon took the Power Rangers universe by storm in Boom! Comics’ Mighty Morphin’ Power Rangers comics. This dark version of Tommy Oliver is a “What If?” scenario come to life, after the final battle he did not join the original team. He rejoined Rita, and together they conquered the World of the Coinless. However, he was not satisfied and once after killing that world’s Rita; Lord Drakkon set out on a journey to master the entire Morphing Grid.  It turned out to be the greatest test that the Rangers ever faced.  Jason David Frank himself brought Lord Drakkon to life through a live-action promotion for the massive “Power Rangers: Shattered Grid” crossover event.  While Lord Drakkon and his armies were defeated, fans have the opportunity to play the villain in the Power Rangers: Legacy Wars mobile game.

 

#3: Queen Bansheera (Voiced by Diane Salinger)

Queen Bansheera is the scariest villain that the Power Rangers faced in the Post-Zordon era. The wicked matriarch of the Mariner Bay demon clan used her son, Olympius, and her generals to rebuild her palace and conquer the Earth.  Some of her cruel acts included ordering Olympius to destroy Trakeena and showed no remorse for him when a resurrected Diabolico locked him in the Demon Shadow World.  When she was able to get her grotesque body back, Bansheera played a vital role in the destruction of Diabolico, Loki, Vypra, and Olympius and was almost successful in destroying the Lightspeed Rescue Power Rangers. However, Diabolico had the last laugh as his spirit saved Carter, the Red Lightspeed Rescue Ranger, from being dragged down to the Shadow World with Bansheera and killed the wicked ruler.

Key Episodes: “Go Volcanic,” “The Queen’s Return,” “Trakeena’s Revenge, Pt. 2,” “Wrath of the Queen,” “Rise of the Super Demons” & “The Fate of Lightspeed.”

 

#2: Lord Zedd (Suit actors: Ed Neil (TV)/Mark Ginther (Mighty Morphin’ Power Rangers: The Movie; Voice actor: Robert Axelrod) [Mighty Morphin’ Power Rangers: The Movie, Turbo: A Power Rangers Movie, Mighty Morphin’ Power Rangers 2-3, Mighty Morphin’ Alien Rangers, Power Rangers Zeo & Power Rangers in Space]

The evil Lord Zedd made his first appearance during the Mighty Morphin’ Power Rangers: Season Two opening episode, “The Mutiny.” He returned to the Moon to take over the task of conquering the Earth and (temporarily) banished Rita Repulsa. Throughout his debut season, Zedd used his magic to make the Power Rangers’ lives miserable. However, things changed for the villain when Rita returned and smitten him with a love potion that caused Zedd to marry her.  The duo accumulated more victories over the Power Rangers including the destruction of the Thunderzords, Ninja Power Coins, and the Command Center.  While he considered himself to be the alpha male villain of the franchise, he had rivalries with Tommy Oliver, King Mondo, and father-in-law Master Vile and also feared Dark Specter. While Zedd was purified at the end of “Countdown to Destruction,” the villain’s only son, Thrax, terrorized a new generation of Power Rangers in Power Rangers: Operation Overdrive’s “Once A Ranger.” He also appeared as either a playable character or boss in several Power Rangers video games.

Key Episodes: “The Mutiny,” “The Power Transfer,” “Rangers Back in Time,” “Ninja Quest,” “Changing of the Zords,” “Mondo’s Last Stand,” “Good as Gold,” & “Countdown to Destruction.”

#1-Rita Repulsa (Actresses: Machiko Soga (1993-94; Mighty Morphin’ Power Rangers S1 & Power Rangers Mystic Force); Carla Perez (1994-98; Mighty Morphin’ Power Rangers S2-S3, Mighty Morphin’ Alien Rangers, Power Rangers Zeo, Turbo: A Power Rangers Movie, & Power Rangers in Space); Julia Cortez (MMPR: The Movie) & Elizabeth Banks (Saban’s Power Rangers)  Voice Actress: Barbara Goodson (Mighty Morphin’ Power Rangers to Power Rangers in Space)

None of the other villains on this countdown would menace the Power Rangers without Rita Repulsa.  The intergalactic space sorceress has dominated the franchise since she escaped her dumpster in 1993. From creating evil Power Rangers such as the Green Ranger (Tommy Oliver) and hypnotizing humans into becoming henchmen (Katharine Hillard), Rita was a force to be reckoned with for five seasons and two movies. Fans also saw her fall in love, destroy several precious things that belonged to the technicolored teenagers including their Thunder Zords, Ninja power coins, and the Command Center.  Sadly, Rita and her husband were demoted to recurring (and guest) villains in later seasons, but they also developed rivalries with the Machine Empire, Divatox, & Astronema. Eventually, their oldest foe, Zordon, gave Rita and her husband a second chance at life when he purified them at the end of “Countdown to Destruction.”  While Rita reformed as the Mystic Mother during Power Rangers Mystic Force, Pitch Perfect actress and director Elizabeth Banks introduced a new generation of fans to a more menacing version of Rita in Saban’s Power Rangers.

Key Episodes: “Day of the Dumpster,” “The Wedding,” “Stop the Hate Master,” “A Different Shade of Pink,” “Hogday Afternoon,” “Rangers of Two Worlds,” & “Countdown to Destruction.”

I do not own any of the clips featured in this article. All clips from Mighty Morphin’ Power Rangers to Power Rangers: Dino Thunder belongs to Saban & Hasbro.  Also, the “Lord Drakkon” clip belongs to Jason David Frank.