Kimberly left the team duringPower Rangersseason 3, but the fate of the original Pink Ranger in the franchise has been incredibly frustrating. FollowingAmy Jo Johnson’s exit fromPower Rangersin 1995, the show introduced Catherine Hillard as the new Pink Ranger. Unlike the firstMighty MorphinPower Transferwhen Jason, Zack, and Trini never actually interacted with their replacements,MMPRseason 3 was able to give Kimberly a proper sendoff as she transferred her powers to Kat. WhilePower Rangershandled Kimberly’s exit well, replacing such a beloved character was difficult.
Kat made for a great Pink Rangernot just inMMPRbut also inZeoandTurbo. As the Pink Ranger for three consecutive teams, Kat built a legacy of her own and grew beyond the “Kimberly replacement” stigma. That said, no one could replace Kimberly as a character, and seeing the show move forward without the original Pink Ranger was bittersweet. It was only in 1997 that Amy Jo Johnson reprised her role as Kimberly forTurbo: A Power Rangers Movie. However,not only was Kimberly no longer a Power Ranger, but she never returned to the show.
Kimberly Never Appeared In A Power Rangers Show Again After Mighty Morphin
Kimberly Eventually Returned, But Not In The TV Show
While Kimberly did return toPower Rangersin 1997, the original Pink Ranger only appeared in theTurbofilm. Unlike the 1995 movie in which Amy Jo Johnson starred alongside most of the original cast,Turbo: A Power Rangers Moviewas canonto the TV show and marked the transition betweenPower RangersZeoand the upcomingPower RangersTurbo. Kimberly was not the only original Power Ranger to return in theTurbofilm, as Austin St. John’s Jason also appeared. In the story,Jason and Kimberly are kidnapped by the bad guys and forced into fighting their friends.
1993-1995
1997
2018
2020
Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: Once & Always(cameo, in costume only)
2023
Seeing Kimberly reunited with Jason and Tommy felt very nostalgic, not to mention how she got to interact a little more with characters like Kat and Adam. Unfortunately, that was the last we saw of Kimberly on screen, at least without her helmet. TheMighty MorphinPink Ranger was featured in two crossover episodes, but in both cases, she and the rest of the team were wearing their costumes and had no lines. Interestingly,Amy Jo Johnson had a cameo in the 2017Power Rangersreboot alongside Jason David Frank.However, they weren’t playing Kimberly and Tommy.
Kimberly Was Back As The Pink Ranger In 2023, But There Was A Catch
We Don’t Know When And How Kimberly Became A Ranger Again
Netflix’sMighty Morphin Power Rangers: Once & Alwaysbrought back David Yost and Walter Emanuel Jones for an hour-long scripted special celebrating the show’s 30th anniversary. WhileAmy Jo Johnson did not return for the Netflix special, Kimberly was part of the story.Once & Alwaysopened with the original Power Rangers – Jason, Kimberly, Trini, Zack, Billy, and Tommy – fighting a new version of Rita Repulsa. At the end of the fight,the original Yellow Ranger was killed. A year later, Robot Rita returned and captured most of the team, with only Zack and Billy escaping.
Robot Rita capturing the Power Rangers was howOnce & Alwayshandled the absences of the original characters whose actors didn’t return. Although finding an excuse for why the rest of the Rangers weren’t there for most of the Netflix special made sense, the fact that Kimberly and the others were fighting as a team in theirMighty Morphincolors at the start ofOnce & Alwayswas strange.TheMighty Morphinteam was no more after the original show ended, meaning they must have reassembled offscreen at some point.
Kimberly chose not to be a Power Ranger anymore because she wanted to pursue other things, yet she was now a superhero again.
Power Rangers showing up out of nowhere using their old powers that were not supposed to exist anymore has become part of the show’s charm at this point. From Adam’s broken Power Coin to Tommy’s Master Morpher,Power Rangerskeeps finding ways to bring the classic costumes back. That said,having the original Rangers operating as a team again inOnce & Alwaysraised some questions that the special did not bother to answer.For example, Kimberly chose not to be a Power Ranger anymore because she wanted to pursue other things, yet she was now a superhero again.
It’s Frustrating How Little We Know About What Happened To Kimberly After MMPR
The Only Answers We Can Find About Kimberly’s Fate Are From The Comics
Power Rangers: Once & Alwayswas a frustrating reminder of how little we know about what happened to Kimberly after the events of “A Different Shade Of Pink.” Apart from the fact that she and Jason were on vacation together in 1997 and that she eventually became the Pink Ranger again and fought alongside her original crew, we have no canon information about Kimberly’s post-MMPRlife. Granted,Power Rangerswas never about following continuity and having a cohesive canon.However, it is frustrating to know so little about one of the franchise’s most important characters.
In Matt Hotson and Amy Jo Johnson’sMighty Morphin Power Rangers: The Return, Kimberly and Tommy had a daughter, Olivia Heart.
The lack of Kimberly in thePower Rangersuniverseis not a problem when it comes to the comics. InMighty Morphin Power Rangers: Pinkfrom 2016, we follow Kimberly after the events ofMMPRseason 3 and learn more about why she chose not to be a Ranger anymore and why she wrote that letter to Tommy duringZeo. More recently,Amy Jo Johnson herself co-wrote aPower Rangerscomic book for BOOM! Studios set in an alternate continuitywhere the events ofZeonever happened. While these are not canon, they are a great way to revisit Kimberly’s character.
Despite Only Returning Once, Kimberly Remains One Of The Most Iconic Power Rangers
The Pink Ranger’s Legacy Is Bigger Than Just How Many Episodes She Appeared In
Many of the actors who leftPower Rangersduring the Zordon Era ended up returningto the franchise at some point, either for a small cameo or an extended role. For example, Jason David Frank returned for multiple crossover episodes and even played a major role inDino Thunderafter Tommy left the team in 1997. David Yost, who was not involved withPower Rangersfor decades, reprised his role as Billy in two different 2023 projects –Once & AlwaysandCosmic Fury. Another example is Austin St. John, who returned inZeo, theTurbomovie, and two crossover episodes.
Power Rangers’ Controversial Pink Ranger Story Changed The Trajectory Of The Show And Was Retconned 21 Years Later
The original Pink Ranger’s departure from Power Rangers led to an infamous storyline that changed the show forever and was eventually retconned.
The fact that these and many other actors continued to appear inPower Rangersin some form added to their legacy and made their characters even more iconic. This puts into perspective how special the original Pink Ranger is considering her relatively small amount of screen time in the franchise. Amy Jo Johnson hasn’t played Kimberly since 1997, but the character remains as important to fans today as she was three decades ago.
