WARNING: The following contains spoilers for Power Rangers Drakkon: New Dawn #2 by Anthony Burch, Simone Ragazzoni, Raul Angulo, and Ed Dukshire, on sale now.
The Power Rangers franchise, through all of its tv series, films, reboots, comic books and alternate timelines, has produced some of the most colorful and memorable characters in all of pop culture. But with the sheer volume of characters across all of the different Power Rangers media, it isn't uncommon for some truly remarkable characters to get drowned out and never really shine on their own. However, BOOM! Studios' comics have given one forgotten Power Rangers villain, Scorpina, a new lease on life.
In the original Mighty Morphin Power Rangers series, Scorpina was one of Rita Repulsa's right-hand assistants, most often fighting alongside Goldar. While the character didn't appear in many episodes throughout the original series run, she did find a following as a fan-favorite, being one of the few monsters to serve as the primary antagonist in three episodes across the first two seasons.
As a villainous sidekick, Scorpina was already a threat with her clawed left hand and crescent sword, and her kaiju form as a giant scorpion monster with an electrified stinging ponytail is even more deadly. Little touches such as her pet silkworm only added to how memorable Scorpina would become for young fans of the show. In Season 3of the original series, Scorpina was unceremoniously replaced by Rito Repulsa, the absent-minded and bumbling army skeleton brother of Rita Repulsa.
Thankfully, Scorpina has found in the comics the foothold she never quite got on the small screen. She starred as the primary antagonist in 2018's Power Rangers: Soul of the Dragon, by Kyle Higgins and Giuseppe Cafaro, where she orchestrated the abduction of Tommy Oliver's son in order to use the boy as a sacrifice in exchange for immense power. This series saw her not just putting up a great fight but also showcased her cunning and ability to mislead others so that they played right into her hand.
Moreover, Scorpina got an even greater chance to shine across the Lord Drakkon sagas in the main Mighty Morphin Power Rangers series. Going off of her previous place as Rita Repulsa's closest friend, the loss of Rita sent Scorpina into a tailspin. When Lord Drakkon came into power, she found a place by his side and tried to fill the hole in herself that had been left by Rita's death by opening up to the evil alternate of the first Green Ranger. And when Lord Drakkon was deposed, she eventually claimed the seat of his throne for herself. Scorpina's reign was very short-lived, as she soon passed the throne on to Kimberly Hart, this timeline's Pink Ranger who became the Ranger Slayer.
Currently, Scorpina is fighting alongside Kimberly and the rest of the remaining Rangers. After freeing and unmasking the Unknown Ranger, Scorpina identifies the new threat that they are facing and explains just how dire things are to the rest of the group. While she initially states that she is leaving, Scorpina once again changes her mind within moments, and charges into battle against an enemy that she herself described as "no mere monster," and even in defeat continues to find a way to protect the innocent and do what she can to help.
For a character who was essentially a glorified sidekick, Scorpina's rise to become one of the more important figures in Boom's Power Rangers renaissance is ultimately as surprising as it is welcome.