Ever since his first appearance on the original television series nearly thirty years ago, Jason David Frank has been the quintessential Power Ranger for millions of fans. Whether they know him best as the first Green Ranger or as the founder of the Dino Thunder team, there is no doubt that Tommy Oliver holds a special place in the heart of everyone who fell in love with the franchise. This makes the news of his passing on Nov. 20, 2022, especially heartbreaking, yet it also ensures that his legacy will live on for years to come, and that's just as true in the comics as it is on the small screen.
When Frank made his initial introduction as Tommy Oliver in 1993's "Green With Evil" from the original Mighty Morphin Power Rangers, he was the worst threat that the eponymous team had ever faced. Apart from the powers that Tommy wielded as Rita Repulsa's Green Ranger, Tommy wreaked havoc on the Rangers' Command Center before nearly annihilating Angel Grove. Thankfully, the heroes were able to help Tommy break Rita's hold over him before Zordon offered him a place among the rest of the Mighty Morphin team. This began what would be a long and storied career as a Ranger for Tommy, one which saw him carry five distinct mantles over the course of four iterations of the franchise, though they were hardly the entirety of the legacy he left behind.
Jason David Frank Has Three Distinct Legacies in the Power Rangers Comics
2018's Power Rangers: Soul of the Dragon graphic novel by Kyle Higgins and Giuseppe Cafaro brought readers into a not-so-distant future where Tommy had long ago retired from being a Ranger after a near-fatal encounter with yet another monstrous enemy. Tommy's son JJ, on the other hand, was well on his way toward becoming a hero in his own right as a member of the S.P.D. rangers. That was until his abrupt exit from the force was followed by JJ disappearing entirely. Despite wielding only a broken Morpher and being left crippled by his previous injuries, Tommy leaped back into action to save his son. Of course, the fact that JJ was only ever undercover certainly complicated matters, though it also proved just how much like Tommy he had grown to be.
Soul of the Dragon offered a cathartic cap on the original Tommy Oliver story, but the ongoing series from BOOM! Studios have their own Tommy for fans to follow. Much like the Tommy of the small screen, his comic book counterpart began as a pawn of Rita Repulsa before eventually joining the rest of the Rangers in their fight against evil. Over more than one hundred issues, Tommy has gone from Green to White and taken over leading the Mighty Morphin team in Jason Lee Scott's stead, just as he did in the primary timeline. Unlike any other iteration of the character, however, Tommy has also had to face his own worst instincts in the form of the comics' greatest villain yet - Lord Drakkon.
Power Ranger Comics Have Remixed Jason David Frank's Tommy Oliver
Drakkon, the twisted Tommy Oliver from another timeline who chose evil, has been the most pressing concern for the comic book Rangers for the majority of their existence. Not only did Drakkon murder and usurp Rita's place, but he also remade the entire Multiverse in his own image before his reign of terror was brought to an end. Between all the abject cruelty, it seemed as if there was never any hope of redemption for Drakkon, yet the past year has shown that even he has some semblance of the old Tommy left buried inside. When the Rangers were faced with the near unstoppable threat of the Empyreals, Drakkon proved to be instrumental in bringing about their defeat.
Although he was last seen leaving for the stars with a new army, the fact that Drakkon didn't turn on the Rangers as soon as he got the chance proves that he isn't merely a villain. If anything, Drakkon proves that even the absolute worst Tommy Oliver is still capable of doing amazing things. Whether standing tall as a retired or active hero or something else altogether, Tommy has, is, and will always encapsulate everything that it means to be a Power Ranger. Luckily, fans will always have their favorite episodes to look back on if they need reminding of where it all began, just as they have the comics to look forward to when it comes to finding out where Tommy's story is headed next. Where ever that might be, may the power protect him.
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