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If you were a 90s kid, you were probably watching the best effin after-school show ever: Mighty Morphin Power Rangers. Adapted from the Japanese series Super Sentai, the premise was simple: five teenagers are given superpowers to fight the evil sorceress Rita Repulsa and beat her Putty monsters with giant robots called Zords. (And it had the best theme song).
Each episode follows a predictable formula, with the kids morphing into their Ranger suits, almost losing to the baddies, riding in their robots and forming the ultimate fighting machine, Megazord.
Now with the reboot dropping today, it’s obvious the good ol’ days are long gone. And maybe that’s a good thing. While the new film, Saban’s Power Rangers, looks kitschy—not that the original show wasn’t the definition of kitsch—it does have its merits by including LGBTQ and autistic superheroes, dope new Rangers costumes and Breaking Bad’s Bryan Cranston.
While we still hold the original dear, that doesn't mean that we can't call out Mighty Morphin Power Rangers for its flaws. Example: each Ranger’s suit color correlating with their race (so wrong!). But on set dark truths have also emerged—missing fingers, death, even murder. In fact, a whole slew of misfortune has befallen Rangers alums, causing fans to believe there’s a Power Rangers Curse—prepare to kill your childhood with the list below.
Ever wonder why the Black Ranger couldn’t flip villains off?
Because it was a kids’ show, fool! But seriously, actor Walter Jones who played Zack—arguably the most popular Ranger besides Green/White Ranger Tommy—is missing his middle finger on his left hand. It’s hard to notice—the Ranger suits conveniently covers the missing digit with gloves—but out of costume the evidence is in plain sight. Rumors circulated that the actor lost his finger on set. Apparently, Jones had an accident at age 4. However, this little piece of trivia still flies over diehard fans’ heads.
In memoriam of the original Yellow Ranger
The Power Rangers series continues with Rangers’ passing on their powers, but if you want an original Mighty Morphin Power Rangers reunion, one member will be tragically missing. Thuy Trang was one half of the kickass female duo on the Ranger team, as Trini the Yellow Ranger. Trang died in a car accident at the too-young age of 27. All four of the original co-stars attended her funeral to pay their respects.
The Green Ranger’s bro died IRL
Missing from Trang’s funeral was Jason David Frank, who was Tommy the Green/White Ranger. But that’s because Frank was at another funeral. His older brother, Erik Ray Frank, died at age 29 of an “unspecified illness.” The elder Frank played the onscreen long lost brother of Tommy in Power Rangers: Zeo.
Cancer is the real Power Rangers villain
Machiko Soga was the original-original villain of the Mighty Morphin Power Rangers series. Soga starred as Bandora in the Japanese Super Sentai Series. Her character was redubbed and renamed Rita Repulsa on the Mighty Morphin version, well-known for her evil laugh, overdone eye makeup and pre-Queen Amidala hairstyle. Soga died of pancreatic cancer at age 68. She was found alone in her home, which really bums us out.
Even the giant head in the tube wasn’t spared
Zordon, the wise, deep-voiced being from Eltar, is the all mighty force who bestowed the Rangers their powers and served as their mentor to defeat evil on Earth. The actor who portrayed Zordon, Robert L. Manahan, sadly died of a heart aneurysm at age 43. Oh Rangers, if only you could have annihilated cancer in the ass like one of Rita’s Putties. RIP, Zordon.
The Blue Ranger was a victim of onset homophobia
David Yost, the original Blue Ranger aka Billy, stayed on from the show’s beginning until his exit in Power Rangers: Zeo. As the longest staying cast member, Yost finally left the show in 1996, with fans believing the actor quit due to a low salary. Over a decade later, Yost revealed he left the series due to harassment over his sexual orientation by crew members. Yost tried conversion therapy to “cure” his homosexuality. He eventually accepted his sexual orientation after a nervous breakdown, hospitalization and recovery. Recently, Yost has reunited with his costars on the red carpet and praised the reboot—and Beauty and the Beast—for their inclusions of gay characters.
A kid with a bit role became a homicidal maniac
Skylar Julius Deleon starred in an uncredited role as a kid attempting to play soccer in Mighty Morphin episode “Second Chance” when he was 14. Years later, at 25, Deleon confessed to the murder of Thomas and Jackie Hawks and was sentenced to death. While in jail, Deleon was also accused of murdering a man in Mexico. And soliciting the deaths of his father and cousin were also on his agenda. It gets even more cray when Deleon partially severed his penis with a razor blade while in jail in 2008. Deleon claimed the motivation for cutting off his penis and murdering the Hawkses was for a sex-change operation.
The Red Lion Ranger murders his roommate with a samurai sword
In 2002, the new incarnation of Power Rangers, Power Ranger Wild Force, aired with Cole, the Red Lion Ranger and leader of the Rangers. The Red Lion Ranger was played by Ricardo Medina, Jr., who would later portray the villain Deker in Power Rangers Samurai. In Samurai, Deker is a warrior who wields the sword Uramasa. This past month, the 38-year-old pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter. Medina allegedly stabbed his roommate to death with a sword. And no, it wasn’t Uramasa—it was a “Conan the Barbarian” sword. You can’t make this stuff up.