Power Rangers Reboot Introduces a Painful Origin for This Fan-Favorite Character

Power Rangers Prime is about to reveal the heartbreaking origin story of the franchise's new Blue Ranger.

In a preview of Power Rangers Prime #6 from BOOM! Studios, fans can catch their first glimpse of Mark Zhao's tragic early years on Aquitar. As a young Mark cries out for someone to help him, the boy is rescued from the ocean in which he was stranded. From there, the preview shifts to the modern day, in which an older, teenage Mark is being questioned by none other than the leader of the VR Troopers himself - Ryan Steele.

Power Rangers Prime #6

• Written by MELISSA FLORES
• Art by JO MI-GYEONG
• Colors by ELLIE WRIGHT
• Letters by ED DUKESHIRE
• Main cover art by DAN MORA
• Variant covers by NIMIT MALAVIA, MIGUEL MERCADO, ERICA D'URSO, KEYLA VALERIO, and ALESSIO ZONNO

Introduced at the outset of Power Rangers Prime, Blue Ranger Prime Markon Zhao is a student at Angel Grove University who came to Earth as a half-Aquitian refugee. Like so many others, Mark's life has been largely defined by the presence of the Eltarian Empire, who lord over Earth and all its denizens with a purportedly benevolent iron fist. Despite this harsh upbringing, Mark has maintained a kind, caring, and considerate disposition. So much so that he was the one to offer Lauren Shiba, the former Red Samurai Ranger and current Red Ranger Prime, safe haven when she was on the run from the Eltarian Empire's ruthless agents.

Throughout the first four issues of the series, Power Rangers Prime charted Lauren's run from the Eltarian Empire and her unlikely friends' attempts to help her find her family and escape unscathed. The series also introduced a whole new take on the iconic Mighty Morphin Power Rangers villain and franchise mainstay Rita Repulsa. Rather than lashing out at Lauren and the others in this version of the story, it is Rita who gives the eponymous heroes their color-coded powers and ultimately created the Prime Rangers as a whole.

While the Power Rangers are only just getting their footing in BOOM! Studios' latest take on the franchise, they aren't the only superpowered teens who call Angel Grove their home. Even though the Eltarian Empire is a massively formidable force unto itself, it has still enlisted various human heroes as part of its living propaganda campaign. Specifically, it is Saban's VR Troopers who have stepped into the role of a paramilitary police force at the behest of their Eltarian overlords. The Power Rangers, on the other hand, have been all but hunted to extinction by the Eltarian Empire, leaving Lauren as the last of her kind up until her new teammates became Rangers for themselves.

Power Rangers Prime #6 will be available April 30 from BOOM! Studios.

Source: BOOM! Studios