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The secret history of the Power Rangers has changed everything on how Lord Zedd became their most iconic villain.
WARNING: The following contains major spoilers for Mighty Morphin #11, available now from Boom! Studios.
As the secret history of the Power Rangers has slowly come into focus, more and more questions about their place in the universe have been raised. The Rangers of the present have already been dealing with the revelation that their predecessors have left them with a reputation as tyrants, and everything that fans have learned recently seems to support that. Even worse is the fact that the heroes’ greatest enemy was once the universe’s foremost champion for justice before his trauma induced paranoia sent him down the dark path to becoming Lord Zedd.
Thousands of years ago, the Guardians of Eltar were faced with the threat of Dark Specter, and the bureaucratic Council of Eltar’s inability to make any decision regarding the matter drove a wedge between the two that ended in tragedy. Zophram, the then Supreme Guardian, took it upon himself to retrieve the fabled Zeo Crystal in the hopes that its power would turn the tides of war. Unfortunately, the artifact had been booby trapped with powerful magic, sending out a devastating blast once Zophram took hold of it. Miraculously, Zophram survived, aided by the Silver Guardian Zartus.
In Mighty Morphin #11 by Ryan Parrott, Marco Renna, Walter Baiamonte, Sara Antonellini, Katia Ranalli, and Ed Dukeshire, the severity of Zophram’s injuries have been made clear. As it turns out, the damage goes beyond his body to Zophram’s mind as well. When Zartus informs Zophram that he has been declared dead to avoid any further attacks, he mentions that they should tell Zordon the truth. This only angers Zophram, however, as he immediately assumes that Zordon was the one who betrayed him. Of course this isn’t the truth, but that doesn’t matter when all the signs are there.
Zordon was the first to insist that Zophram wield the power of the Zeo Crystal, and he is also next in line for the title of Supreme Guardian. As far as Zophram is concerned, those are reasons enough to assume that Zordon was behind the attack. Zartus tried to dissuade this line of thought only to be met with further accusations, this time lobbed at himself. Thankfully, having saved Zophram’s life is enough to have his own spared for now, though that isn’t the life which the former Supreme Guardian wants to live any longer. He declares that Zophram of Eltar has indeed died sacrificing himself to protect his world, one that was undeserving of such an act. In that moment, his vision narrows towards the singular goal of ensuring Eltar’s destruction, and Lord Zedd is born.
Lord Zedd has long been one of the Power Rangers’ most loathsome foes, but the reasons behind his hatred from the heroes has always been relatively vague. Like so many other concepts that originated on the small screen before being translated to the comics, the expansion on Lord Zedd’s history has shaken the very foundation of the world that fans thought they knew.
This also gives Zedd a personal stake in his war against the Rangers beyond being just a generic tv supervillain. And, just maybe, it opens the door for some sort of reconciliation down the line.
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