When fans watched the original Yellow, Black, and Red Rangers leave Mighty Morphin Power Rangers behind in its second season, it marked the end of an era for the show. Little did those fans know that one of those characters would have the chance to return to the franchise two years later when Power Rangers Zeo aired.

RELATED: Power Rangers: 10 Ways Tommy Changed Between Mighty Morphin & Dino Thunder

Power Rangers Zeo saw what's left of the team from the final Mighty Morphin season take on new bad guys with the help of a new power source, new allies, and new Zords. Jason Lee Scott, the original Red Ranger for the series, joined the team as the Gold Ranger temporarily in the second half of the series. Fans loved the return of one of the strongest Rangers, but the Jason who fought alongside the Zeo Rangers was a much more mature version of the one who led the team with the tyrannosaurus power coin.

10 Jason Was Calmer

Original Power Rangers Led By Jason

When it came to the sudden appearance of monsters sent by Rita Repulsa in Mighty Morphin Power Rangers, Jason was someone who would often immediately react to the situation and jump in. That's not the case in the Zeo season.

With over a year since he last donned the spandex and helmet, Jason seemed to have become calmer, less reactionary. He was willing to wait and see how events played out before putting himself or his teammates at risk.

9 Jason Was Willing To Run From A Fight

Power Rangers Zeo S1E50 Good As Gold

When fans knew Jason as the Red Ranger, he was always the last person to leave a fight. He nearly sacrificed himself fighting Goldar as he tried to get Tommy's power back.

As the Gold Ranger, however, Jason knew the value of running away - or regrouping. Even when he's reintroduced to the audience, he wore a disguise and dodged Cogs until he was able to get the Gold Ranger power. Likewise, when the power was weakening toward the end of his time on the show, he didn't place himself at risk and battle things out with the Cogs. He even let Rita Repulsa and Lord Zedd fight Cogs for him so he could get away at one point. Jason was much more willing to figure out the lesser of two evils and strategize.

8 He Was Also Willing To Fight Other People

Jason Lee Scott In Power Rangers Zeo

Interestingly, Jason also seemed to become a bit more willing to step over the line of Zordon's "never escalate a fight" rule, but not when it came to the enemies of the Power Rangers. Instead, he was perfectly willing to get into altercations with regular human beings.

When a biker gang made trouble at Ernie's new beachside venture, Jason stood up to them. Not only did he talk to their female member Emily, who eventually started waitressing for Ernie and hanging out with Jason, but he also got right in the faces of the bikers. The Red Ranger Jason would have tried to diffuse the situation before resorting to intimidation tactics, but the new Jason clearly knew that wouldn't work.

7 Jason Didn't Try To Lead

Kat And Jason In Power Rangers Zeo

Most often, Power Ranger teams are led by Red Rangers. That was true for most of Jason's time in the original series, which meant he was used to being the one calling the shots for the team. That even led to some friction between him and Tommy.

RELATED: Power Rangers: Which Red Ranger Are You Based On Your Zodiac Sign?

Even when Tommy officially became the leader, Jason was still there to direct his friends in battle. In Power Rangers Zeo, Jason didn't do that. For one thing, all of the team members had been Power Rangers for as long as him at that point. For another, Tommy was very much the leader with Adam as his second. Jason had clearly learned how to take a step back, and he didn't step on anyone's toes to make his voice heard. He even deferred to Kat, even though she was clearly the weakest fighter of her team at the time.

6 Jason Wasn't As Competitive

jason and tommy handshake power rangers

It wasn't just leadership styles that caused friction between Jason and Tommy in the original show. Jason was also incredibly competitive then.

In addition to putting his all into martial arts tournaments, Jason also competed with Tommy outside of the ring quite a bit. He also set out to beat Bulk's bench pressing record - twice. By the time he returned to Angel Grove, however, his competitive streak wasn't as strong. He didn't miss a beat when Rocky worried about Jason competing for his spot amongst the team, assuring Rocky he had no intention of doing that.

5 Jason Became Supportive First & Teased Second

Power Rangers Zeo S1E35 Mondos Last Stand

Jason's interaction with Rocky after returning to Angel Grove actually showcased another change in his behavior pretty well. In his early days with the team, Jason tended to tease his friends first before he offered up his support in tricky situations - especially with his male friends. It was particularly noticeable with how much he would make fun of Zack or Billy before coming to their aid.

With Rocky, Jason didn't jump right to the teasing. Instead, he listened to Rocky's concerns and gave a thoughtful response about them being teammates. At some point after leaving the Red Ranger position, Jason must have learned that teasing could make a situation like that worse.

4 He Pursued Love

Jason And Emily In Power Rangers Zeo

The Power Rangers franchise might not be a series about romantic relationships, but a lot of the teams do tend to see members pair up. In the early seasons, Tommy and Kimberly were the main romantic pairing, but all of the characters pursued social lives - and love - outside of the team. All of the characters, that is, except for Jason.

RELATED: Which Classic Power Ranger Should Be Your Best Friend Based On Your Zodiac Sign?

Jason was fully committed to his leadership role. While he hung out with his friends, it was mostly to train and teach martial arts. He helped his friends when they had crushes on other people, but didn't seem to have any himself. Jason didn't have much of a social life outside of the team at all. That changed in Zeo as he befriended, and the show implied, dated, Emily. While the audience never got to learn what happened between him and Emily, they were together as Zeo ended.

3 Jason Became Interested In Life Beyond The Power Rangers

Power Rangers Zeo team together without their masks

It wasn't just Jason's social life that was previously dominated by Power Rangers - it was his entire life. He only seemed to hang out with his fellow Rangers, lead martial arts and self-defense classes with his fellow Rangers, and study for school with his fellow Rangers.

Jason didn't have many outside interests, so it's amazing that he was even chosen to represent teens at the World Peace Conference (his original reason for leaving the show). Faced with the idea of losing the Gold Ranger powers, and his Ranger status for a second time, Jason was a little sad, but not completely lost. He seemed ready to move on with his life. His world didn't have to revolve around saving the day anymore.

2 Jason Started Wearing Black And White

Jason In Power Rangers Zeo S1E34 A Golden Homecoming

This might not have been as much of a serious change, but it was a noticeable one in the show. The Rangers tend to be color coordinated even for civilian wardrobes. When Jason was the Red Ranger, his closet was full of red clothing.

When he reappeared in Angel Grove at Tommy's request, he wore white instead. His time as the Gold Ranger saw him mostly wear black. It was a nice change for him and a nod for the audience that he wouldn't be taking over as the Red Ranger in the Zeo season.

1 Jason Was Willing To Be Friends With Rocky

red-ranger-jason-rocky-featured

When Rocky, Aisha, and Adam replaced Jason, Trini, and Zack, they didn't really get to know the previous Rangers. Instead, they became friends with Billy, Kimberly, and Tommy.

Jason and the others didn't offer up any advice to the newcomers either. Jason's return in Zeo helped to remedy that as it gave Jason the chance to befriend a new Power Ranger that didn't earn their powers with him. He and Rocky bonded, and there didn't appear to be any apprehension about befriending his actual replacement.

NEXT: Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: 5 Reasons Jason Is The Best Red Ranger (& 5 Reasons Rocky Is)