Go Go Power Rangers!! You know a project was influential to pop culture when you clearly remember the lyrics to the theme song decades after it premiered. The first of the live-action superhero series debuted on August 28, 1993. For a series targeted at children audiences, the Mighty Morphin Power Rangers was initially criticized for promoting violence. Regardless, the franchise turned out to be a success with 29 seasons, 21 themed seasons, and three theatrical films.
While the premise behind the show was thrilling, it would have been just another story without the impressive performance from the cast. Looking back, these cast members became the favorite superheroes of many back in the day. Let's find out what the 90s Power Rangers are doing now.
8 Austin St. John Got Into The Trouble With The Law
Austin St. John played Jason Lee Scot, the first red/gold ranger on the first installment of the Power Rangers franchise. For a character that marked his first acting role, St. John delivered on his part, thanks to his background in martial arts. Although St. John was stellar at his role, he eventually left the franchise due to poor pay and long working hours.
These days, St. John is not quite the superhero he is in real life; the Power Rangers star was arrested by federal agents over his involvement with wire fraud.
7 Thuy Trang Was Involved In A Fatal Accident
Audri Dubois first portrayed the Yellow Ranger in the series pilot episode, but when Thuy Trang took over, she fit into the role like a glove. Trang's portrayal of Trish was more than just acting; for the Asian community, it was a needed representation of the minority group.
Like her co-star, Trang left the show over meager pay. After leaving the show, Turang bagged a role in The Crow: City of Angels, her last role before she lost her life in a fatal accident.
6 Walter Jones Is Still An Actor
It is not news that the 90s Power Ranger show had a toxic environment behind the scenes. And it was one of such toxicity that saw the original black ranger booted out of the show over contract and payment issues.
While he is most famous for his role as Zack Taylor in Power Rangers, Jones has earned impressive features on TV and films, such as Space Cases, The Shield, Star Trek: Captain Pike, and The Order, among others.
5 David Yost Settled For A Career Behind The Scenes
After moving to California in search of greener pastures, the Council Bluff native got his big break as the blue ranger on the show. Yost made many firsts with his role as Billy Cranston; his character's color was never changed or transcended to a successor, and he appeared in every episode in the original series.
Yost eventually left the show, but unlike the others who went over insufficient pay, the blue ranger rightfully quit after being bullied over his sexuality. After the show, Yost focused on working behind the scenes as a producer for TV shows. Currently, he's back to playing Billy on Power Rangers Cosmic Fury.
4 Jason David Frank Was A Martial Artist
Jason David Frank's portrayal of Tommy Oliver was spot on; it made his character one of the most loved rangers in the franchise. After having the longest run from the original cast, Frank left the show to focus on his career in martial arts, where he developed the Toso Kune Do martial arts system. Frank also continued acting in more minor roles on TV and in films, with his most recent role in Legend of the White Dragon.
Unfortunately, on November 20, 2022, the Mighty Morphin Power Rangers star died by suicide in a Texas hotel.
3 Amy Jo Johnson Soared As An Actress
Amy Jo Johnson's breakthrough role as Kimberly Hart, the pink ranger in the original installation of Power Rangers, set her acting career in the right direction. After two years on the show, Johnson left to pursue better opportunities. The pink ranger's exit paid off as she made significant strides on the small screen.
She was featured as a part of the main cast in Felicity, The Has Been, The Division, and Flashpoint. Outside the movies, Johnson has a flourishing career as a musician.
2 Steve Cardenas Retired From Acting
Steven Cardenas' life changed when he replaced Austin St. John as the red rangers in Mighty Morphin Power Rangers. Although he had no prior acting experience, Cardenas embodied the role for two seasons, eventually transitioning into Blue Zeo Ranger for Power Rangers Zeo.
After four seasons with the franchise, Cardenas abandoned acting to establish his martial arts studio. After over two decades away from acting, Cardenas returned to the screen in the 2023 Power Rangers Cosmic Fury.
1 Johnny Yong Bosch Is A Voice Actor
Walter Jones' portrayal of the black ranger left huge shoes to fill for his replacement, but Johnny Yong Bosch gave a good account of himself with a near-perfect interpretation of the role. After leaving the show, Bosch went on to have a decent career in voice acting and music.
Bosch's voice was featured in notable film and video game projects such as Kaneda, Trigun, Bleach, and Mortal Combat X, among others.