Warning: Spoilers for Power Rangers Prime #2!Rita Repulsa shakes up the landscape of thePower Rangersfranchise by aligning with an unexpected ally of the team.Power Rangers Primeshowcases a completely rebooted universe, whichrelaunches the franchise’s mythos. In doing so, it offersa new version of Rita Repulsa, and in turn, has just revealed a new sidekick for the Empress of Evil.
InPower Rangers Prime#2 – written by Melissa Flores, with art by Michael Yg –Rita Repulsa acquires the services of beloved series sidekick, Farkas “Bulk” Bulkmeier. Bulk was one of the original supporting cast members of theMighty Morphin PowerRangers.The duo of Bulk and Skullcontinued to recur in the franchise throughout multiple seasons, even the post-Zordon Era.
In this universe, he’ll be paired with Rita Repulsa, completely changing his role in the franchise from being a wannabe-Power Ranger to directly opposing them.
The Power Rangers Prime Universe Shakes Up The Franchise’s Traditional Dynamics, As Bulk Joins Forces with Rita Repulsa
Power Rangers Prime#2 – Written By Melissa Flores; Art By Michael Yg; Color By Fabi Marques; Lettering By Ed Dukeshire
The first issue ofPower Rangers Primeended with the debut of Rita Repulsa, as her space dumpster crashed into Angel Grove. InPrime#2, Bulk debuts as a member of the Earth Security Taskforce - created bya government overruled by Eltar– assigned to investigate the scene and fend off this planetary invader. The Taskforce are no match for Rita’s magic or the fiery trash monster she summons. Bulk is one of the surviving soldiers on hand, and before Rita is ready to dispose of him, he draws attention to her monster moments before it turns on Rita.
In need of allies, Rita Repulsa forces Bulk to follow her, as her minion.
When she survives her monster’s betrayal, Rita thanks Bulk by sparing his life. Upon realizing that her classic monsters have minds of their own now, Rita acknowledges that she can’t just ridicule them at will anymore, and more importantly, she can’t expect undying loyalty from them. In need of allies, Rita Repulsa forces Bulk to follow her, as her minion. While Bulk, pleading for his life, does opt to follow Rita as opposed to being killed,it’s worth noting that he is following Rita with his tracker activated, meaningthe VR Troopers could find themand bring Rita to justice.
Power Rangers Prime Puts a New Twist on Bulk and His Motivations
From Hero to Villain
Bulk and Skull were always the comic reliefofMighty Morphin Power Rangers, but as bullies, they were introduced as secondary antagonists to the teenagers with attitude. Each season, the duo would grow older, and with age comes character development. They went from bullying the Rangers to idolizing and wanting to be Rangers themselves.ByPower Rangers in Space, they become full-blown heroes, willing to sacrifice themselves to protect the Rangers. Bulk and Skull evolved into genuine heroes,but inPower Rangers Prime, Bulk could experience the opposite of that arc.
Power Rangers Just Retconned Earth’s History Thanks to a Villain Far Worse Than Zedd
Lord Zedd is easily one of the worst super-villains in the Power Rangers franchise, but even he cannot compete with Power Rangers' newest bad guys.
InPower Rangers Prime, Bulk could evolve from hero to villain. He’s certainly not evil by any means when he meets Rota, being depicted as a good-natured soldier. Even if it’s just because he wanted a government job, Bulk thinks he’s doing right for forces of good. However, Rita gives him this ultimatum with the option to walk away:“you’re able to choose to remain a subject … or you can choose to be free.“If he continues working with Rita, Bulk chooses to oppose thePower Rangers,thus marking the beginning of his evolution into becoming a genuine force of evil.
Power Rangers
Power Rangersis a long-running multimedia franchise that debuted in 1993 with the TV seriesMighty Morphin Power Rangers. Created by Haim Saban and adapted from the JapaneseSuper Sentaiseries,Power Rangersbecame a cultural phenomenon by combining action-packed footage fromSuper Sentaiwith new scenes featuring American actors. The franchise follows teams of young heroes who transform into Power Rangers to battle various villains, using martial arts, special powers, and giant mechas called Zords. Over the decades, the franchise has expanded into multiple TV series, films, comics, video games, and merchandise, becoming one of the most successful children’s franchises in the world.
