Amy Jo Johnson reprised her role as Kimberly inPower Rangerstwo years after the original Pink Ranger departed from the team, yet the circumstances of her return were not what I was expecting.Kimberly Hart was one of the original Mighty Morphin Power Rangersand appeared in all three seasons of the original show. However, Kimberly did not remain on the team until the very end ofMMPR3, as Amy Jo Johnson left the show after the “A Different Shade of Pink” arc.Kimberly was replaced by Katherine Lillard, played by Catherine Sutherland.
Unlike the exits of Jason, Zack, and Trini from the team, Kimberly’s departure was very well handled. Not only did we get to meet Kat a couple of episodes before she became the new Pink Ranger, but Kimberly also got to pass the torch herself to her successor. Kat would go on to build a legacy of her own as the Pink Ranger in the remaining episodes ofMMPRas well as inZeoandTurbo. While Amy Jo Johnson never returned to thePower RangersTV show,she did reprise her role inTurbo: A Power Rangers Movie.
Kimberly’s Return In Turbo: A Power Rangers Movie Was Not As A Ranger
Kimberly And Jason Were Captured And Brainwashed
Kimberly returned toPower Rangerstwo years after “A Different Shade of Pink,” yet not as a Power Ranger.Austin St. John and Amy Jo Johnson reprised theirMighty Morphinroles as Jason and Kimberly, respectively, forTurbo: A Power Rangers Movie, although neither character was a Power Ranger by that point. Jason and Kimberly were seemingly on vacation together and were kidnapped by Divatox to be used as weapons against the Power Rangers. The original Red and Pink Rangers were brainwashed and forced to fight their friends in the film’s third arc.
A romance subplot between Jason and Kimberly was cut from the movie. This would have explained why they were on vacation together.
While I was incredibly excited to see Kimberly and Jason back, it was strange having the original Pink Ranger back but not as a Power Ranger.Jason had already returned forZeoa year earlier, during which he became the second Gold Ranger, which is why I would have loved to see Kimberly’s return leading into something bigger. That said, given that Amy Jo Johnson’s return as Kimberly was supposed to be a one-off thing for the film, it made sense for her not to have any Ranger powers. Seeing Kimberly back in action was still a lot of fun.
Kimberly’s Other Appearances After Turbo Were All Without Amy Jo Johnson
The Original Pink Ranger Appeared A Few Times (In Costume)
TheTurbomovie was technically not Kimberly’s final appearance inPower Rangers. During “Legendary Battle,”nearly every Power Ranger in the franchise up until that point appeared to assist the Megaforce Rangers.However, most of those Rangers never removed their helmets, with one of the exceptions beingJason David Frank as the original Green Ranger. Although “Legendary Battle” had a lot of inconsistencies, it can be assumed that the Mighty Morphin Pink Ranger shown in this crossover episode was Kimberly Hart. Likewise, the Mighty Morphin Power Rangers assembled in 2019 to help Jason in “Grid Connection.”
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The original Red Rangerwas the only one to appear without his costume in that episode, leaving us to assume the identities of the other Mighty Morphin Rangers. More recently,Kimberly was one of the Rangers kidnapped by Robot Rita inMighty Morphin Power Rangers: Once & Always.Kat, who had appeared in a previous crossover with her Zeo Pink powers, was brought in by Alpha to help fight Robot Rita using the Mighty Morphin Pink powers. From an in-universe perspective, Kimberly eventually became the Pink Ranger again and continued to fight alongside her friends.
Amy Jo Johnson’s Only Other Appearance In Power Rangers Wasn’t As Kimberly
Amy Jo Johnson would appear in anotherPower Rangersmovie20 years after Turbo, yet not as Kimberly. The original Pink Ranger’s actress made a cameo in 2017’sPower Rangers, which served as a reboot and reimagined the events ofMighty Morphin Power Rangers. Johnson was not the onlyMighty Morphinactor to have a cameo in the film, with Jason David Frank also appearing.Both played Angel Grove citizens who were watching the Power Rangers save the dayduring the final battle.
Power Rangers’ 2000s Era Peaked 20 Years Ago With A Crossover That Will Never Be Topped
One of the coolest team-up episodes in Power Rangers history aired 20 years ago and combined two of the show’s best seasons from the early 2000s.
Amy Jo Johnson and Jason David Frank’s cameos inPower Rangers(2017) confirmed them as the only two actors to have appeared in all three theatricalPower Rangersmovies. While Johnson hasn’t played Kimberly since 1997, she recently returned to thePower Rangersuniverse with a comic book series by BOOM! Studios. Johnson, who had served as a consultant for theMighty Morphin’s Power Rangers: Pinkcomic, co-wrote a brand-new series in 2024.Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: The Returntold an alternate universe story in which the original team never split.
Power Rangers Turbo
Cast
Power Rangers Turbo is the fifth season of the Power Rangers franchise, airing in 1997. The season follows the continuing adventures of the Turbo Rangers as they battle the evil space pirate Divatox and her sister, Rygog. Meanwhile, the Rangers face personal struggles and lineup changes as they work together to save the world from destruction.
