Power Rangers failed Tommy Oliver, but a legacy season from the 2000s thankfully redeemed him. It is easy to understand why Tommy became the face of Power Rangers during the 1990s. The original Green Ranger was an instant favorite character whose popularity contributed to Mighty Morphin becoming a pop culture phenomenon, even though Tommy only joined the show in episode 17. Be it as a brainwashed villain or as a hero, the Green Ranger was as cool as a character could be.

Even after MMPR had run out of Dragon Ranger footage to use, it only made sense to keep Tommy around. It did not take long for Tommy to return after losing his Green Ranger powers, this time as the even more powerful White Ranger. From then on, Tommy was no longer the outsider – he was now the team’s leader, replacing Jason. However, as much as I enjoyed seeing my favorite Power Ranger lead the team, the rest of the Zordon Era did not know how to use Tommy and almost ruined the character.

Power Rangers Gave Tommy Oliver Too Much Focus During The Zordon Era

Tommy Was Everywhere Between MMPR Season 2 And Turbo

Too much of anything can be bad, and that is exactly what happened to Tommy in Power Rangers. We went from Tommy being the cool new kid who would sometimes fight alongside the core Rangers to him leading three different teams and having four different sets of powers in just three years. Tommy was everywhere during the early 1990s, especially after he became the White Ranger. With Jason no longer on the show, Power Rangers found in Tommy its new leader, but it never properly developed the character so that he would earn that position.

In terms of lore, Tommy succeeding Jason made a lot of sense – the White Light made him the strongest member of the team. By the time the show went from Zyuranger to Ohranger and had to switch up the color scheme, it was only natural for Tommy to become the Red Ranger. That said, I don’t think Tommy ever quite worked as a Red Ranger. The problems with the character became even more noticeable in Turbo, during which it seemed like not only Tommy but the rest of the MMPR/Zeo crew had become parodies of themselves.

The Original Green Ranger Always Worked Better As An Extra Ranger Than As A Leader

Tommy And Red Just Didn’t Match

Not all characters are meant to be protagonists or leaders, which might have been the case for Tommy. The original Green Ranger was much cooler when he was an extra Ranger off doing his own thing than when he was the leader. Tommy was reckless and not the best strategist, not to mention how he would always try to solve things on his own. Of course, there was only so much nuance that a character could have in Power Rangers. But even when compared to Jason, T.J., and Andros, Tommy wasn’t as interesting as a leader.

Tommy was not the only MMPR character that the show failed in the long term. In fact, by the time the new Turbo Rangers came in, the show desperately needed a breath of fresh air. Every possible dynamic between the remaining original characters had already been explored, with Tommy being the Red Ranger in two different seasons. It seemed as if Power Rangers did not know what else to do with Tommy other than having appear everywhere, including the two movies. Even as a mᴀssive Tommy fan, I was glad to see the show move on to different characters during Turbo.

Power Rangers Dino Thunder Redeemed Tommy Oliver (By Turning Him Into Zordon)

Having Tommy Be An Older, Wiser Ranger Was A Great Decision

I never would have imagined that Tommy, of all characters, would grow up to become a formidable mentor, which is why I was pleasantly surprised with how Dino Thunder turned out. Jason David Frank’s character could have easily overshadowed everyone else on the show, yet Dino Thunder made it so that Tommy was always serving the new Rangers’ stories. Granted, Tommy quickly became a Power Ranger again in Dino Thunder, but he was a mentor to Kira, Ethan, Connor, and Trent first and foremost.

Tommy may not have been a great leader during his Red Ranger days, but he was an amazing “Zordon” in Dino Thunder. The fact that one of the most reckless, individualist Rangers was now wise enough to guide four high schoolers while also having time to suit up himself made Tommy far more interesting than he had ever been. Tommy even reflects on his evil Green Ranger days during Dino Thunder’s White Ranger arc and helps his pupils save Trent. Dino Thunder is a fantastic Power Rangers season, and it gave us the absolute best version of Tommy.