Though he wasn't part of the original five Power Rangers that made up the heroes of Mighty Morphin Power Rangers when it debuted in 1993, the Green Ranger became one of the most popular characters of them all. Tommy Oliver debuted in the "Green With Evil" arc under the influence of Rita Repulsa's magic. When the spell was broken, he became a hero and never looked back.
Since he began his tenure as the original Green Ranger, Tommy Oliver has gone on to become a member of three more teams and is one of the most decorated Rangers in history. It's no wonder that fans want to know more.
10 What Did Tommy Want To Do When He Grew Up?
When a fan club video released for Mighty Morphin Power Rangers, the actors answered interview questions in character. One of those questions concerned their post-high school plans.
While Tommy wanted to attend college, he also made a point that he would like to run a karate school. That would make perfect sense. Tommy, Zack, and Jason all taught martial arts classes at the Angel Grove Community Center. In the comic book miniseries Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: Pink, former Rangers Zack and Trini taught martial arts in Central America, but in the television arm of the franchise, Tommy became a scientist.
9 Why Did The Green Ranger Sit Out So Many Battles?
Many fans know today that the Power Rangers franchise doesn't always feature original footage. Instead, costumed footage is repurposed from the Super Sentai series from Japan. That started with the original series.
Unfortunately, that meant that Tommy couldn't do battle quite as often as the characterization might have called for. That's because his Sentai counterpart was a character whose life was ending. That meant Tommy had to deal with stories that drained his powers to account for the absence of the Green Ranger on the field.
8 How Did Fans Learn Tommy's Birthday?
The original lineup of Rangers had their birthdays revealed as part of an interactive CD-ROM. That's not where Tommy had his birthday revealed.
Instead, during the first season of the series, a toy was released that featured Tommy with the Dragonzord as well as an information card about the character. On that card, and the packaging for the toy, Tommy's birthday was revealed to be October 20.
7 Which Teammate Did He Share A Birthday With?
That October 20 birthday didn't just belong to one team leader for the Power Rangers. Tommy shared it with the leader that came before him.
Jason led the team as the Red Ranger. Though he and Tommy were often rivals, they had a lot in common, including their birthday. They both wanted what was best for the team and shared the weight of the guilt for every bad call.
6 Did Kimberly Really Think Of Tommy As A Brother?
After Pink Ranger Kimberly chose Kat to take her place, she and Tommy tried to make their relationship work long distance. It didn't last. Kimberly sent him a letter that revealed she thought of him as a protective brother and met someone else.
Some fans are still angry about that break up two decades later. The Pink comic book miniseries, however, gave that letter new context. There, it was revealed that Kimberly didn't actually meet anyone new or think of Tommy as a sibling. Instead, she thought telling him that would make their break up easier so he could focus on his team and move forward.
5 Could He Play Any Instruments?
When morphed as the Green Ranger, Tommy's dagger played a tune to call the Dragonzord. That skill wasn't entirely exclusive to his morphed form.
Thanks to the Dragonzord toy that gave fans Tommy's birthday, they also knew some of his hobbies. One of them was playing the blues. Specifically, he could play the blues on a flute. It's lucky he became a Ranger whose weapon doubled as a musical instrument.
4 Was There A Green Ranger Before Him?
This particular question depends on just which Power Rangers medium fans examine. The original series never gave an explanation for how Rita Repulsa ended up with the Green Ranger power coin. The 2017 movie remake posited that Rita was the Green Ranger first, but that's not the only explanation.
Boom Studios comic book series inspired by the original TV show had another Green Ranger as well. Loriyan was one of Rita's minions in the comics, and it was Loriyan that stole the power coin from Ninjor for Rita. He became greedy and wanted the power for himself, and tried to use it to morph. While he morphed, it was unstable because he was "unworthy" of the power.
3 Did He Marry Another Power Ranger?
Tommy was a Ranger through his high school years. He passed the torch during the Power Rangers Turbo season and moved on. As an adult, he returned for a few team-ups, but also without a spouse, to mentor a new team in Power Rangers Dino Thunder. By the time he returned to help again during an arc in Power Rangers Ninja Steel, he had a son, and quite possibly a wife.
It's never outright stated during his appearance, but he and his former teammate Kat left at the end of the arc hand-in-hand. In the Soul Of The Dragon graphic novel, the two were married with a son who also was on track to become a Power Ranger, so the television series may have borrowed some inspiration from there.
2 How Did His Wardrobe Change For Power Rangers Dino Thunder?
It's common practice in the Power Rangers franchise that every Ranger always wore the color associated with their Ranger status. Tommy went through a lot of color changes on the show: green, white, red, and black. The color wasn't the only thing that changed in Power Rangers: Dino Thunder.
Tommy had a penchant for sleeveless shirts in high school. In Dino Thunder, he tended to wear long sleeves. That's a result of Jason David Frank having a lot more tattoos in the years that had passed. The sleeves hid his tattoos without the makeup department having to do it.
1 How Many Different Power Rangers Did Tommy Work With?
Thanks to appearing on several different teams, and for almost every major anniversary team-up episode, Tommy Oliver is the Power Ranger who has worked with the most other Power Rangers.
He worked with the original five, plus their replacement Rangers. Tommy also worked with the Rangers from Aquitar, Trey Of Treyforia, Turbo additions Tanya and Justin, the second generation of Turbo Rangers, and every Red Ranger in the first 10 years of the franchise. That's in addition to the Dino Thunder Rangers, the Ninja Storm Rangers, several SPD Rangers, the Megaforce Rangers, the Hyper Force team-up of Rangers, and the Ninja Steel Rangers. All in all, Tommy Oliver has worked with more than 60 Power Rangers directly.