The Power Rangers have been doing their thing for decades, but recent times have been kind of all over the place. While the Boom! comics have been going for nearly a decade in the Mighty Morphin time period under a rotating roster of creators, Hasbro hasn’t done a lot with the larger property. But a new beginning is seemingly in store for the Rangers, so let’s unpack what’s happening, shall we?
Earlier in the week, Hasbro revealed it’d outsourced the Power Rangers toyline to Playmates, which has previously made third-party merch for properties like Ben 10, Frozen, and Godzilla vs. Kong. The first set of products will debut in 2025 with Mighty Morphin toys aimed directly at kids, Playmate has rights to make any “cross-category” products it chooses (aka toys, plush, vehicles, etc.) for everywhere but Asia. Meanwhile, Hasbro will “retain all entertainment rights” for the Power Rangers property at large, and handle non-toy merchandise like fashion, publishing, and presumably video games or movies.
Casey Collins, Hasbro’s president for licensed consumer products, called Playmates “the perfect fit to fully expand the Power Rangers franchise. Hasbro’s aim is to feature more Rangers material at joints like San Diego Comic-Con, or through their Hasbro Pulse channel, so this partnership will hopefully “create an entirely new play and collecting experience for fans of all ages.” What’s more, the press release highlights Playmates’ ability to create “affordable products [that] revitalized several iconic brands.” It may be the closest Hasbro gets to admitting it’s handling of Power Rangers has been…not the best, hence why it’s handing over some of the reigns to another company.
And in the comics, the Mighty Morphin line of books are coming to an official end after a fairly long eight-year run. This July, the original teenagers with attitude will close things out with Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: Darkest Hour from Melissa Flores, Simona Di Gianfelice, and Raúl Angulo. In it, the Rangers have their final battle with Dark Specter that’s said to feature some returning friends and enemies, and conclude with “unexpected consequences.” Flores called penning the finale “one of the biggest tasks of my career…I hope the ending is as satisfying for the reader as it was for me to write it!”
From the press release, Boom! is going to still be in the business of making Power Rangers comics once this event wraps. The company teased some “exciting” announcements would come over the next few months, some of which will take place at San Diego Comic-Con in late July. Maybe this’ll be where the company moves on to a new Ranger team—but whichever one that is, we’ll have to wait and see. There’ve been rumblings of a widescale reboot for some time now, but it’s anyone’s guess as to whether these new comics and toys are a part of those plans.
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