One of the most iconic franchises of the '90s is Mighty Morphin Powers Rangers was one of the most, and its original cast is just as recognizable. Chief among them was the Pink Ranger, a typical valley girl named Kimberly Hart.
Like many of the show’s initial elements, Kimberly was eventually phased out of the show. Her story extended beyond the initial three seasons of MMPR, however, giving a look at her life beyond the Pterodactyl helmet. Now, we're taking a closer look at the original Pink Ranger and where she went when she left Angel Grove.
WHO IS THE PINK RANGER?
Like most of the original “teenagers with attitude,” Kimberly embodied a cliché high school role, as the team's resident valley girl. Witty and sarcastic, she initially joked about turning down being a Power Ranger because the helmet might mess up her hair. Many of the first Rangers also had some sort of athletic ability before becoming Rangers, and Kimberly was a skilled gymnast.
As the Pink Ranger, she had the power of the Pterodactyl and could also summon the massive robotic Pterodactyl Dinozord. When the Rangers’ were given their new Thunderzords, she controlled the Firebird Thunderzord, which transformed from the original Pterodactyl into its new form. The most popular aspect of character was easily her romance with Tommy Oliver, the Green Ranger, which continued even when Tommy lost his powers.
HOW KIMBERLY LEFT POWER RANGERS
Midway through Season 3 of the original series, Kimberly’s actress, Amy Jo Johnson, exited the show to pursue other opportunities. This led to a 10-episode story arc to send the character off. At the storyline’s conclusion, she relinquished her Power Coin to the Rangers’ new ally Katherine Hillard and departed Angel Grove to participate in the Pan Global Gymnastics Games.
BOOM! Studios’ Mighty Morphin Power Rangers comic book series roughly follows the original series, though with a sliding timescale that sets the story in the present day.
Brenden Fletcher, Kelly Thompson, Tini Howard and Daniele di Nicuolo's Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: Pink is an adventure set right after Kimberly’s departure in Season 3, and follows Kimberly in Europe at the Pan Global Games. There, she encounters an independent Goldar who's wreaking havoc in a village. Since she didn’t use the Sword of Light to transfer her powers, as had been done with former Rangers Jason, Trini, and Zack, she still had enough latent Pink Ranger Energy to fight off the space monster.
In the show, Kimberly was next mentioned in Power Rangers: Zeo, where she broke up with Tommy by way of a "Dear John" letter. Tommy would later become romantically involved with Kimberly’s replacement Katherine, with a Christmas episode even foreshadowing that the two later married and had a family in a development that drew the disdain of many longtime fans.
Where's Kimberly Now?
Kimberly and Jason Lee Scott, the original Red Ranger, returned to Angel Grove in Turbo: A Power Rangers Movie. In that film, they were kidnapped by Divatox and later possessed by her “betrothed” Maligore. The appearance occurs without much fanfare, with Tommy and Kimberly never even speaking.
Kimberly would reappear with the other Mighty Morphin Rangers in a more substantial role in Power Rangers: Super Megaforce. Here, she served as part of a massive group of Legendary Rangers led by Tommy to aid the current Rangers in defeating the evil Armada. It isn’t revealed as to how the original Rangers got their powers back, nor is it suggested that they have been operating as Power Rangers again before this fight. Unfortunately, she only appeared in her masked, morphed appearance and largely blended in with the crowd of Rangers.
While not much is known of the Pink Ranger’s fate beyond that, Tommy does end up with Katherine and has a son named J.J.. Alternate versions of the character appear in BOOM! Studios’ comic book spinoffs, as well as the 2017 Power Rangers movie. The original Pink Ranger is also set to make an appearance in the upcoming Season 2 of Power Rangers: Beast Morphers, although it's unclear if Amy Jo Johnson will reprise her role.