Power Rangers Officially Kills Off The Only Team That Could've Replaced The Mighty Morphin Rangers

Published Oct 11, 2026, 12:45 PM EDT Tom is a Senior Staff Writer at Screen Rant, with expertise covering everything from hilarious sitcoms to jaw-dropping sci-fi epics. Initially he was an Updates writer, though before long he found his way to the TV and movies team. He now spends his days keeping Screen Rant readers informed about the TV shows of yesteryear, whether it's recommending hidden gems that may have been missed by genre fans or deep diving into ways your favorite shows have (or haven't) stood the test of time. Tom is based in the UK and when he's not writing about TV shows, he's watching them. He's also an avid horror fiction writer, gamer, and has a Dungeons and Dragons habit that he tries (and fails) to keep in check. Sign in to your ScreenRant account Ever since Mighty Morphin Power Rangers debuted in 1993, the original team has been the face of the Power Rangers franchise. Dozens of different Ranger lineups have come and gone, introducing new costumes, but none have come close to matching the cultural impact of the original Mighty Morphin team. Even today, when most people think of Power Rangers, it's the original teenagers with attitude who immediately spring to mind. Their popularity has become both the franchise's greatest strength and its biggest limitation. The problem Power Rangers has is that the franchise has always survived by reinventing itself, but every subsequent iteration felt even less likely to replace MMPR as its defining lineup. Even some of the most beloved seasons have struggled to establish a pop-culture footprint beyond the existing fanbase. However, this looked like it could finally change when Disney and Hasbro announced plans for an ambitious live-action Power Rangers reboot on Disney+ that would completely reimagine the franchise for modern audiences. Rather than simply following the established formula and introducing a new team of Rangers, the Disney+ reboot was being developed as a complete reinvention. By resetting the continuity and moving away from the Super Sentai footage model, it had the potential to give a new generation their own definitive Power Rangers team. For the first time in decades, Power Rangers seemed ready to create something that could genuinely rival the Mighty Morphin originals. Sadly, the Disney+ reboot was shelved earlier in 2026, potentially costing the franchise its best opportunity yet to escape MMPR’s enormous shadow. The Disney+ Reboot Was Going To Reinvent Power Rangers For A New Era The Disney+ Power Rangers reboot was shaping up to be one of the franchise's most ambitious projects in decades. Percy Jackson and the Olympians showrunners Jonathan E. Steinberg and Dan Shotz were attached, and the series would have introduced an entirely new take on the Rangers beyond simply centering on a fresh team. The Disney+ reboot was going to start a new continuity rather than simply continue the story that began with Mighty Morphin Power Rangers. It would also have been the first the franchise used absolutely no footage from Japan's Super Sentai series. Historically, Power Rangers combined original American footage with action sequences taken from its Japanese counterpart. Creating everything from the ground up would have given the creative team considerably more freedom over everything from the Rangers' costumes and powers to the design of their enemies and Zords. The Power Rangers Disney+ reboot was also due to follow a more serialized storytelling approach, moving away from the largely episodic monster-of-the-week structure that MMPR established. While specific plot details remained under wraps, Disney and Hasbro had teased a more interconnected narrative that allowed for greater character development, and longer story arcs. This prestige-style approach to Power Rangers could have made the franchise feel like a genuine competitor to modern streaming action and sci-fi shows, rather than another iteration of a familiar brand traditionally geared toward younger viewers. Unfortunately, the project's cancellation means audiences will never discover whether this fresh approach to Power Rangers could have worked. The reboot's biggest selling point was arguably its willingness to leave the franchise's established identity behind. Instead of asking audiences to embrace another variation of the Mighty Morphin formula, it could have created a Power Rangers experience fit for the age of streaming. Power Rangers Can’t Rely On The MMPR Formula Anymore The original Mighty Morphin Power Rangers formula was enormously successful, but the TV landscape has changed considerably since the 1990s. The franchise's traditional combination of monster-of-the-week adventures, colorful costumes, martial arts, and straightforward moral lessons worked well for a long while, but felt less and less resonant with younger viewers with each passing decade. Simply copying MMPR’s approach today would be unlikely to generate enough interest to support a long-term show. The franchise has proved this fact itself. The most recent Power Rangers TV show, Cosmic Fury, arrived three years ago. There’s been no mainline new live-action Power Rangers show since. For a series that used to release new chapters more-or-less annually, this is incredibly telling. The failure of Cosmic Fury is clear evidence that Power Rangers needs to make substantial changes to survive. However, this doesn't mean abandoning everything that makes Power Rangers recognizable. The colorful costumes, transformation sequences, Zords, and emphasis on teamwork will always be essential ingredients. However, they need to be reworked to support more ambitious storytelling rather than exist as weekly check-boxes in a predictable episodic structure. For the franchise to survive, a new series needs to introduce more complicated characters, genuinely threatening villains, and an overarching narrative that rewards audiences for following the Rangers' adventures from beginning to end. The Disney+ reboot appeared to be heading in precisely this direction, which makes its cancellation especially disappointing. Still, Power Rangers has had many studios behind it over the decades, and whoever eventually takes responsibility for the franchise's next major live-action incarnation will hopefully recognize that replicating the Mighty Morphin Power Rangers formula isn't a sustainable long-term strategy. The franchise doesn't need another team trying to live up to the MMPR originals. It needs a team capable of establishing an entirely new standard for what Power Rangers can be. TV Show(s) Mighty Morphin Power Rangers, Mighty Morphin Alien Rangers, Power Rangers Zeo, Power Rangers Turbo, Power Rangers In Space, Power Rangers Lost Galaxy, Power Rangers Lightspeed Rescue, Power Rangers Time Force, Power Rangers Wild Force, Power Rangers Ninja Storm, Power Rangers Dino Thunder, Power Rangers S.P.D., Power Rangers Mystic Force, Power Rangers Operation Overdrive, Power Rangers Jungle Fury, Power Rangers RPM, Power Rangers Samurai, Power Rangers Megaforce, Power Rangers Dino Charge, Power Rangers Ninja Steel, Power Rangers Beast Morphers, Power Rangers Dino Fury, Power Rangers Cosmic Fury Video Game(s) Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: Mega Battle, Power Rangers: Battle for the Grid, Saban's Power Rangers Megaforce, Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: Rita's Rewind First Film Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: The Movie First TV Show Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers Cast Dacre Montgomery, Naomi Scott, RJ Cyler, Ludi Lin, Becky G., Bryan Cranston, Bill Hader, Elizabeth Banks, David Yost, Amy Jo Johnson Created by Haim Saban, Shuki Levy, Shotaro Ishinomori