WARNING: The following contains spoilers for Mighty Morphin #5 by Ryan Parrott, Marco Renna, Walter Baiamonte, Sara Antonellini, Katia Ranalli and Ed Dukeshire, on sale now.
Things are never easy for the Power Rangers. Just over the past few months, they’ve faced off against Dark Rangers, Terrorzords, and a lethal new breed of Lord Zedd’s Putty foot soldiers. The Mighty Morphin team might not have made it out of any of those encounters alive if it weren’t for the sudden introduction of the latest Green Ranger, a mantle that carries with it a complicated history. Even if the new Green Ranger is on the same side as the rest of the Power Rangers, he still might be the cause of some serious tension for the heroes in the very near future.
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The previous issue revealed Matthew Cook as the new Green Ranger, but it’s only now in Mighty Morphin #5 that readers have been given a glimpse into just how he came into that role. After being rescued and recruited by Grace Sterling during the Terrorzord attack, Matthew tried to walk away from the Green Ranger mantle, believing it to be a one-time gig. Grace was able to talk him into sticking around, much like she was convinced by Billy Cranston to offer the job to Matthew in the first place, but it quickly took a toll on his personal life. Aside from the stresses of giving up on his dreams of a football scholarship and lying to his family about why Matthew also had to keep the secret from everyone else he was close to. If it weren’t for that exact same scenario that has been such a major moment in his life once already, it might not be so bad.
A week before Lord Zedd’s latest attack left Angel Grove in shambles, Matthew and Kimberly found a chance to catch up with one another at the Youth Center. Their conversation quickly turned to the possible identity of the then mysterious Green Ranger. Kimberly revealing that the Power Rangers were completely in the dark as to who was beneath the mask came as a relief to Matthew, as was her trust in the new Ranger being on their side from the start this time around.
When she expresses concern for whoever their new ally is being out on their own, Matthew wonders if there could be something keeping this new Ranger from doing so, and in doing so stumbles into the topic of he and Kimberly’s own personal history.
Before meeting Tommy Oliver, Kimberly and Matthew had been dating for quite some time. The two even had a good thing going until Kimberly’s duties as a Power Ranger, as well as the rules prohibiting her from being honest about those duties began to breed resentment between them. This would all come to a head after Matthew came to realize just who the Power Rangers really were, yet even after being confronted with the truth, they chose to remain silent.
The split wasn’t amicable, but since then Matthew and the Rangers have all come around to friendly terms once again, even if they aren’t as close as they used to be. That time has also seen Kimberly and Tommy become an item, which doesn’t make Matthew’s lingering feelings any easier for him. Now that he has been thrust into the Power Rangers’ world, he’s also bridged the gap that had previously kept him and Kimberly apart. Whether this all leads to a Mighty Morphin love triangle is yet to be seen, but if it does, it might just be enough to cause another break in the team.
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