In a class in college, I had to give a speech about a figure that was important to me. I chose the “Power Rangers,” which made everyone in my class either laugh or form a lifelong opinion that I’m weird.
While the latter is true, there is absolutely nothing wrong with liking the “Power Rangers.” Talks have been circling about the possibility of a female Tommy Oliver aka the Green Ranger. And with the world as it is, she just might be the hero we all need.
Originally played by Jason David Frank, Tommy Oliver was originally the “bad” power ranger. The Green Ranger was recruited by Rita Repulsa (played by Elizabeth Banks in the film) and given the task of destroying the “Power Rangers.”
A troubled but talented teen, Tommy almost succeeded in destroying the rangers. Then the original red ranger, Jason, freed him of Rita’s control. Tommy went on to become leader of the “Power Rangers” when Jason left. He became a doctor and served as different rangers in different iterations of the series.
Dacre Montgomery, who plays the film’s Jason, said that he and the rest of the cast would like to see Tommy Oliver as a girl. He mentioned that it would make the “Power Rangers” even with three female rangers and three male ones.
The film follows the original skew of the team so far with three guys and two girls. Even Steven wouldn’t be a bad way to go. RJ Cycler, the blue ranger, said “I would lose my mind” when expressing how cool he thought a female ranger would be.
Jason David Frank, power ranger turned MMA fighter, responded that gender didn’t matter when it came to the green ranger. “It doesn’t matter what your skin color is. It doesn’t matter if you’re female or you’re male.”
Either way, whoever steps up to the plate as the next Tommy Oliver actor is going to have a generation’s worth of shoes to fill. And spandex to wear.
Four out of five 2017 “Power Rangers” are people of color. (Did your head just explode? Mine did.) RJ Cycler’s character Billy, the blue ranger, is on the autism spectrum. His portrayal has been well received within and outside of the autistic community.
His character is easily the heart of the group. Becky G’s character Trini, the yellow ranger is queer and closeted. Bullying is a present theme in the film as well.
Tommy Oliver has a romance with Kimberly Hart, the pink ranger in the original. Making Tommy a girl and changing nothing else about her story still gives the filmmakers an opportunity to make a statement. Making a girl the leader of the “Power Rangers” would be another refreshing development.
There have been countless iterations of the power rangers. They come in nine different colors, and only Green, Black and Gold have never been girls. The other female power rangers have always been badass, and several of them have helmed the team.
But only two have been the red ranger. One of them was evil and the other was only in a few episodes. Not to mention that all except for one, the other female leaders of the “Power Rangers” were mostly temporary. Until a man came along. Because men should run things.
When I was kid I dressed up as the pink ranger for Halloween. I couldn’t be the red one or the green one because they weren’t girls. When “Power Rangers” first premiered it was more popular than “The Oprah Winfrey Show.” The “Power Rangers” 2017 film did amazingly at the box office.
That means it’s reaching a wide array of people in various circumstances around the globe. In addition to showing an incredibly diverse team, filmmakers Haim Saban and Dean Israelite could show the world a woman in power with a female Tommy Oliver. Then maybe little girls could finally dress up as their favorite rangers and know that it could be them.
And Dean, if you can’t find anyone for the part, I’ll gladly do it for you. Seriously.
