 This article is about a/an comic book issue in the Power Rangers comic sub-franchise by Boom! Studios.
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 This article is about a/an one-shot in the Power Rangers franchise.
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Power Rangers Unlimited: The Morphin Masters is a one-shot issue published by BOOM! Studios that follows the Ranger Slayer during the Darkest Hour story event.
Synopsis[]
Picking up right after the shocking events of Mighty Morphin Power Rangers #116, an iconic returning character has entered The Grid searching desperately for the Morphin Masters and the answers they might possess. But as Dark Specter's infection grows increasingly more dangerous... new revelations are uncovered that will shake the Power Rangers universe to its very core!
Iconic Rangers writer Ryan Parrott returns to the franchise alongside co-writer Rachel Wagner (Power Rangers, Rogue Sun) and artist Daniel Bayliss (Firefly). Fans will not want to miss this key tie-in issue expanding the epic Darkest Hour event![1][2][3]
Continuity and Placement[]
The story follows MMPR #116 during the Darkest Hour event.
Plot[]
Inside the Grid, Kimberly reflects on her life as she narrates that archery is a lot like gymnastics as both require precision, practicing repeatedly just to land on one precise target. She remembers being under Lord Drakkon’s control and his intense and cruel training to mold her into a killer and then the moment when she was infected by Dark Specter’s dark influence to kill Drakkon with her arrow.
She says that bad people like her do not have a chance to make mistakes, because if she does, if she is one millimeter off her aim, she would be dead. She thinks about her alternate younger self and says that happy endings do exist in the world and so do guardian angels (speaking of Prime Kimberly’s relationship with her Tommy) but those angels are never meant for saving her as her thoughts return to how she murdered Drakkon.
She remembers the White Tiger Power Coin opening up a new area inside the Grid that she has just been flung into, feeling like she was just thrown around in the “back of an interdimensional cement truck”. Upon starting her search for the Morphin Masters, she senses that something feels wrong about the forest, it smells like crayons and chlorine and she sees oozing infections spreading through it. She doesn’t even know where to start looking for the Morphin Masters, which frustrates her.
Kimberly thinks to herself that Drakkon should have been the one to go through the Grid on this quest, but instead he had to be all stupid and self-sacrificial. She tries using the White Tiger coin, hoping maybe it would guide her like a compass, but it does nothing. She laments that too much of the Grid is already infected by Dark Specter, worrying that she is already too late and she can’t do this mission, this thought is interrupted by a XI android bound to a tree asking if she is at the end of the beginning or the beginning of the end. It continues to talk incoherently and then says that Kimberly will “see his face in the water”.
Kimberly is annoyed that the XI Unit “can’t speak forward” and talks like an Emissary with a disjointed perception of time. She asks him for the location of the Morphin Masters, to which he says that they retreated further into the light when the darkness came. Just as she is about to ask where the light is, Kimberly is attacked by infected constructs of giant animals and insects. XI says it is no use resisting, the Grid is falling and the dark is closing in.
Kimberly puts her helmet up and asks the creatures if she can go in peace in another direction and pretend she was never there but is met with roar from the infected Lion construct as the animals continue to attack her. As she fights back, she narrates that fighting The Possessed is always the worst because you pull your punches and even if you win, you still kind of lose. She runs away and then hears a voice guiding her, telling her to go left to avoid a red gorilla. Kimberly asks who the voice is and where is it leading her, but the voice says that they can have time for explanations if she survives and then tells her to run straight ahead without stopping to a boat in the middle of an ocean. The voice urges her to reach the boat quickly, but Kimberly doubts that she can reach it, the voice encourages her to trust in herself and believe she is part of something bigger. Kimberly makes a running start and leaps, nearly missing the boat and crashing head first into it. She pulls herself up, catching her breath and grumbling that she hates running while wearing a cape.
The voice is revealed to be the Pink Emissary, who tries to introduce herself only to be told to sit down by Kimberly and called “Pinkie”, saying she knows who the cosmic being is and asks why she is here. Pink reveals that she is here to aid Kimberly on her quest to find the Morphin Masters and free them to fix the Morphin Grid with their powers to purge Dark Specter’s infection.
While Kimberly is thankful, she is annoyed that the Pink Emissary didn’t just give her actual help to keep her safe like preventing the animals from attacking her. The Pink Emissary says it is not her place to intervene and this journey is Kimberly’s alone. Kimberly asks if she knows the way to the Morphin Masters, to which she says that knowledge is not in her possession much to Kimberly’s further irritation.
Pink explains that the Grid is a vast and constantly metamorphic place, always changing and built from the thoughts and energy of countless generations that poured their hearts and minds into strengthening it. If the Grid falls, all life in the universe will die. Kimberly summarizes that in short, Pink came to help but cannot do anything, wants to guide her but doesn’t know the way and if Kimberly fails this mission, then the universe will cease to exist. Pink sees ahead and says that not all of the three things she said are true and she is allowed to fail in order to grow as that is the way of the Morphin Masters. Kimberly responds sarcastically how lucky she is to have Pink with her, then asks about her he clouds of fog coming towards them and if she will grow failing all the way down to her death. Pink reassures her she is on the right path and they see floating pyramids with waterfalls coming out of them. Kimberly is amazed by the structures and Pink says that the Masters lived with many sentient beings long ago and after exploring their world and solving every social and economic problem, they desired to unlock the secrets of the universe. This curiosity and ambition helped them discover the Morphin Grid, with Kimberly figuring out that the Masters moved their entire civilization into the Grid. She then sees that the ocean is ending in a waterfall and worries but Pink says that she needs to learn to free her mind as that could save her life one day. They arrive at a structure after floating in the air for a bit and Kimberly wonders where everyone is, with Pink speculating that they went deeper into the Grid to avoid the corruption, but the Fountains of Knowledge could give them answers. The Fountains are a communion area where people can communicate with others across the Grid and Kimberly compares it to a church.
Kimberly is reunited with “Billy”
A voice says that it may not be a place of worship, but in certain cases can communicate with the dead, as an image of Billy Cranston from the World of the Coinless appears and compliments Kimberly on her pink and black costume. Kimberly is shocked to see him as she remembers that he died by her hand, Billy says that he did but his time as the Blue Ranger connected him to the Grid and his essence was brought into it by the Morphin Masters. Kimberly doesn’t understand, asking where he is and what he is now, to which Billy says that he is life, an echo, nowhere and everywhere at the same time and a part of the Grid itself but also her friend. He knows how badly Kimberly has suffered for so long and apologizes, wishing he could have been there for her when she needed him. This causes Kimberly to start crying while Pink asks him where everyone went, Billy says that all the Masters have fled deeper into the Grid to escape except for The Ilumination, six of the wisest sages of the Morphin Masters, but they cannot last much longer without the White Light to protect them as the darkness comes closer. Pink says that they have the White Light with them and the White Tiger coin is damaged, but the power of the Light remains.
Billy is relieved that it is not too late and asks Kimberly to hand over the White Tiger coin to him so he can deliver it to The Illumination, extending out a hand to take it. While Pink is overjoyed that their quest is over, Kimberly is suspicious and wary how easy this is and that she will be defenseless against the corruption without the coin. She demands to see the Masters herself and despite Billy saying that is impossible she refuses to give up the coin given what she lost to get here. Pink says it is not their place to question the Masters, but Kimberly says that maybe they should given how they did nothing to stop the spread of the infection. Billy asks that she have faith in the Masters and to trust him, which Kimberly says that she does trust her old friend but wants to ask him a question: What is her favorite color?
Pink is annoyed as they have no time for games, but Kimberly says she is being extra cautious and Billy is hesitant to answer. Pink thinks she needs therapy to deal with her trust issues but it is revealed that “Billy” is the corrupted Blue Emissary who then lunges at them both from the waterfall after saying that her favorite color is Blue. They are is surprised that Kimberly could see through their deception, to which she says it was easy because they got Billy’s hair all wrong and that the real Billy uses logic and doesn’t force his friends into using blind faith, then asks Pink for help. Blue says that she is devoted to her vow of non-interference so she will not fight and Kimberly is going to fight them alone. Pink guides her to the exit and Kimberly says for the record, her favorite color is turquoise.
Outside, Kimberly is taunted by the Blue Emissary as she fires some arrows, seemingly missing her target but she was aiming for the supports of the structure and it crashes down on Blue, killing them. Back on the boat, Kimberly apologizes for killing Pink’s friend but she is sorry that they attempted to kill her. As they journey onward, Kimberly takes issue with the fact that Pink just stood there again and almost let her die twice now. Pink tries to justify that Kimberly needed to save herself to become stronger, to which she argues that it is her life and she cannot get stronger if she is killed.
She believes that Pink is some kind of devious manipulator that doesn’t care about her, doesn’t care that once upon a time she wanted to make designer brand hats as a career and saved up her allowance for months to buy a sewing machine and make a hat to match her prom dress to a prom that never happened because of the tragedy of her world. She exclaims how “fire” her hat was and she never got to even wear it. All Pink sees is a lily pad that she uses to get from point A to B and doesn’t care if she drowns while stepping on her because she can be replaced by another one to step on. Pink understands why she would feel that way, as she is unlike other Kimberlys in the multiverse, one who endured a hell that no other version has ever dealt with and lost more people in her life than any other. Kimberly gets angrier saying Pink never appeared before her when she needed it nor has she compared herself to the others but finds it unfair that they have everything to lose and get to lose nothing while she has nothing to lose and still suffers loss. Pink tries to encourage her that despite her trauma and the hard road she has traveled, Kimberly had endured in a way not many could and to be proud of what she has accomplished, thinking that the Morphin Masters are right about her and admiring her bow. Kimberly swipes it back and says that the Masters had nothing to do with her bow, she taught herself to shoot and to do it perfectly and Pink’s blind faith almost got them killed and the coin stolen earlier. If they want to see this through to the end, Kimberly expects Pink to have more faith in her rather than the Masters.
The two arrive at the entrance to the Heart of the Grid and the Inner Sanctum of The Illumination is open. Kimberly senses something and two other corrupted Emissaries, the brothers Green and Black, declare that in the name of Dark Specter to hand over the White Tiger coin or die. Pink laments that she now is the last of the Emissaries not corrupted by Dark Specter while Kimberly refuses their demands and that they are just zombified puppets. Green argues that Dark Specter freed them and gave them individuality as he summons Adam’s Zeo Pod Sword and one of his Square Crushers to attack. Black attacks Kimberly too and rambles that the Morphin Masters took everything from him and the others: their families, their friends and their identities. They gave everything to be nothing more than slaves and forced to watch as universes suffered and burned while the Masters did nothing and they valued the equilibrium of the Grid over the lives of innocents. Black shifts from Wild Force Black to Operation Overdrive Black and uses their weapons together to try and destroy Kimberly, ranting that their master freed them from their puppet strings and they will not be bound again.
Kimberly says while she has no love for the Masters, she has seen the The Corrupted who don’t share Dark Specter’s perspectives and what happens to them and they are living a lie because they are still slaves, only to a master who doesn’t care about them or the innocent. The living few willing to fight back will keep doing so rather than become part of his undead army. She tries to strike down the Black Emissary with her bow, only for him to break it in half with the Black Bison Axe.
Green then summons Damon’s Quasar Launcher and fires from behind, knocking Kimberly down for the count and Black attempts to lunge at her for the killing blow, only for Pink to pick up one of the blades of Kimberly’s bow and stabs him in the back from behind. Kimberly gets up, coughs, and asks Pink what took her so long. Pink says that she didn’t feel like looking for another lily pad. Green advances to attack, calling his former comrade a hypocrite for breaking her vow and as her first act, stabs one of her friends in the back. He says that the war is almost over and it is time that she joins the right side whether she likes it or not, stabbing her in the stomach with a dagger. Pink screams in pain as Kimberly rushes to help with the two double slashing the Green Emissary in the chest. Kimberly says she liked it better when there were only Three Emissaries. Black and Green say that the two Pink Rangers don’t understand anything and the saviors that they seek will not help them.
The two Pinks are determined to reach the end of their journey to the Morphin Masters, even if it means killing the two former Emissaries. The two Corrupted retreat, but say that it is only a matter of time before the Grid is completely theirs and that the Rangers will learn their lives are built upon a lie.
Pink collapses from her injuries, which Kimberly blames herself for since she only acted to protect her. Pink tells her that doesn’t matter and she doesn’t matter, urging Kimberly to hurry to the citadel, give the Masters the Power Coin and leave her. Kimberly refuses to do that and carries her, saying that she risked so much to save her life and its only right to do the same for her as both descend into the citadel.
The Illumination greet Aleia and Kimberly.
The Illumination can be heard speaking fragments of something as they get closer: about the timing of a plan and not making assumptions of persistence outweighing tolerance and being dependent on variables. As they enter and are greeted, Kimberly learns that the Pink Emissary is named Aleia and that The Illumination has been expecting them both. One expresses concern that Aleia is hurt, but she insists she is fine and informs them all of great news as she and Kimberly explain what brings them here. They say that now that they have the White Light, Dark Specter’s infection can be purged with the power of the Masters as they give them the Power Coin. The Masters see the White Tiger Power Coin as a beguiling find and the two Pink Rangers are bewildered that one treats it like an Oreo cookie and tries to eat it, breaking his tooth in the process. They insist that the two sit and dine with them, boasting about their well cared for vegetables in their garden being used for their dinner.
The two Pinks are shocked that the Masters are eating nothing from empty bowls and plates and Aleia pleads for them to do something as they have come all this way for help. One Illumination says that they are such children and another says that the bowl represents peace and if one shatters it to pieces, then each piece forms a new bowl. Two more state that life becomes death and death then becomes rebirth while another asks for someone to pass the salt to him for his imaginary soup. Aleia writhes in pain as the wound she sustained had Corruption in it and she is in disbelief that the Masters don’t care about their situation, pleading them and saying they can’t…but Dark Specter’s voice tells her that they can and they are all doomed. Kimberly goes to check on her asking if she is alright, Aleia tries to say she is fine but Kimberly knows she is lying. She then angrily shouts for the “apathetic deities” to pay attention as their Emissary is dying and if they don’t do something she will use them for target practice. The Illumination are confused, wondering when Kimberly entered their citadel.
An eerie insane laugh comes from Aleia, realizing it is too late as the Masters have lost themselves to the Grid. They are lost and alone and then soon forgotten by them. She spent so much time on her path and never wavering..until now, revealing that she had given in and became a Corrupted. She believes she has had a revelation, that the Morphin Masters lied to them, that they watched them and laughed in safety while others fought and died in their name. She feels that it is time that they paid back the favor by killing them, raising a blade from Kimberly’s bow in an attempt to strike them down only to be blocked by Kimberly. She pleads for her friend to fight the infection, but Aleia says that she finally understands what Telosi and Xev meant, that faith is a prison and that she is now free from it. Aleia shifts into the Pink Galaxy Ranger as she continues, that once she believed in a grander plan, one too complex for her to truly comprehend. She then summons the Beta Bow and blasts Kimberly as she goes on, saying that even if she saw so many horrible and unimaginable things, she convinced herself that all death had purpose and that the suffering would help balance a morality scale. She now has a new perspective, that she was wrong and that the universe is uncaring and indifferent and that they need to forge their own destiny. She then shifts into the Pink Space Ranger and uses the Satellite Stunner to send Kimberly flying into a wall.
Kimberly tries to get back up and says if that is true then show her the mercy that the Masters could have given to her, which Aleia angrily refuses to as she shifts into Time Force Pink and summons the Chrono Sabers, if the Masters intend on not allowing them to survive then neither should they.
As the fight between the two continues, Kimberly narrates that as Aleia leapt towards her, she cannot help but think how sorry she is for her. But as she thought deeper about it, she was right about her, all the pain, loss and injury, everything she experienced in her life had built her up into the person that she is and to this exact moment. She understood what Aleia meant when the three things that she said were not true in her visions: Kimberly was meant to fail so that when the time was right, she would get strong enough to defeat Aleia. She uppercuts Aleia and knocks the Chrono Sabers away as the latter summons a dagger to try and stab Kimberly.
Kimberly narrates that archery is all about precision, but sometimes you just don’t want to hit the bullseye as she summons an arrow and uses it to run through Aleia’s chest. She softly and sorrowfully says how sorry she is and cradles her in her arms as she lays dying. She then narrates that sometimes meeting your guardian angel doesn’t lead to a happy ending.
Kimberly cries and tells Aleia how sorry she is again and she didn’t want to kill her, but she had no other way of stopping her. Aleia thanks her and encourages her to keep going, she can still save the others and fix this, saying with her last breath that she believes in her before passing away. Kimberly cries even more but the Masters in their senile state think that Aleia is sleeping and they can wake her before eating again. They then offer Kimberly a place at their side if she wants it and she can remain safe in the citadel forever (while the rest of the universe dies).
Kimberly narrates that sometimes a lifetime of training is just the beginning, it is not the Morphin Masters who will save all of them, they need to find the strength to save themselves. Kimberly dries her tears, gets up, takes her blades and leaves the citadel, silently rejecting the offer to try to find another way to save the universe.
To be continued…
Appearing[]
Featured Characters:
| Ranger Slayer | Kimberly Hart |
| Pink Drakkon Ranger |
| Pink Emissary | Aleia ► Dark Specter/Aleia |
| Blue Emissary | Dark Specter/Orisonth “Billy Cranston” |
| Green Emissary | Dark Specter/Telosi |
| Black Emissary | Dark Specter/Xev |
Supporting Characters:
- XI Unit
- Morphin Masters
- The Illumination
Locations:
Covers[]
Reprints[]
- Power Rangers Unlimited: Forever Rangers
Errors[]
- To be added
Notes[]
Aleia becomes the non-existent Pink Dino Thunder Ranger
- The Pink Emissary briefly turns into Dino Thunder Pink. It's currently unknown if this was artist's mistake or an easter egg.
- The way the Illumination act is akin to those suffering from dementia. Whether this is intentional on the author's part is currently unknown.
References[]
Footnotes[]
