"This is Mirloc. He’s one of the most brilliant masterminds ever. He’s had his hand in every dirty deal and he knows every shady character in the galaxy."
— Commander Anubis "Doggie" Kruger, Power Rangers S.P.D., Reflection Part 1
In the battle between the forces of good and evil, these characters have stood out for their amazing charm and devious tactics.
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Zordon Era
Examples
- Turbo: General Havoc is the far more competent brother of the space pirate Divatox. Bringing with him a space station and the Metallosaurus, Havoc ends his first fight with the Rangers victorious as he manages to steal their Turbo Megazord. Later capturing Cassie, Havoc threatens to turn her to stone unless the Phantom Ranger surrenders. Havoc disguises himself as a petrified Cassie, so he can steal the Power Ruby when the Phantom Ranger tries to use it to save her. While only appearing in a few episodes, Havoc stands out among the space pirates for his polite demeanor and sheer intelligence.
- In Space: Astronema is the self-proclaimed "Princess of Evil" and the second in command of the United Alliance of Evil. Tasked by Dark Specter to destroy the Space Rangers, Astronema fights many battles with them before finding out her identity as Andros' long lost sister Karone, leading to her defection to the Rangers. Kidnapped by a reprogrammed Ecliptor and installed with neural implants to keep her on the side of evil, Astronema decides to kill both the Space Rangers and Dark Specter in order to usurp the latter's position as Grand Monarch of Evil through the creation of The Psycho Rangers, who beat the Rangers within an inch of their lives in their earlier encounters and drained Dark Specter's life force for power. Despite their eventual defeat, Astronema would continue to inflict significant damage on the Rangers, successfully luring them into a trap that saw the destruction of the Delta Megazord by Ecliptor and destroying the Mega Voyager using Tankenstein in the subsequent episode.
Saban Era
Examples
- Lost Galaxy:
- Villamax is a deadly, competent and honorable general. Starting out by saving and then successfully training Trakeena to turn her into a hardened warrior he then sticks by her side when appointed her general after she inherits her father Scorpius' empire after his death. When Trakeena desires revenge on Leo for killing her father, Villamax kidnaps the other five rangers and holds them hostage in exchange for Leo giving himself up so Trakeena can fight and kill him and releases them when he complies to his terms. In the series' final arc, when the treacherous Deviot returns after siding with Captain Mutiny, Villamax is tasked with killing him for his treachery and only fails to end him there and then because of a last-minute merge Deviot has with Trakeena. When the now viler Trakeena starts using her last remaining soldiers as disposable suicide bombers against Terra Venture and its inhabitants, Villamax finds himself disgusted by these methods before ultimately siding against her after he saves an innocent human girl's life, however he can't bring himself to kill his student when facing her and gets killed in return for it, with his final words he merely expresses his disappointment that she learnt nothing in the end.
- "Orion Returns": Impostora is a strategic, ambitious, shape-shifting monster whose only loyalty is to Trakeena. To undermine Trakeena's rival, Treacheron, Impostra expertly disguises herself as Treacheron and orders his subordinate Destructo, who has just seized the Lights of Orion, to absorb their power and fight the Rangers instead of delivering the power to Scorpius. She gives him a supposed good luck luck charm which curses and incapacitates Destructo at a key moment in the battle. Impostra then attempts to absorb the energy of the Light for herself and only fails due to the sudden intervention of the Magna Defender. Impostora wisely retreats rather than face overwhelming odds and is a rare monster in the franchise to successfully achieve at least part of her plan, survive and escape.
- Lightspeed Rescue: Diabolico serves as The Heavy until his first death and was the Lightspeed Rangers' smartest and most noble enemy. Prior to the season's start, Diabolico saved Captain Mitchell's son, Ryan, at the cost of Ryan's life belonging to him. Raising Ryan with the belief that his father doesn't care about him, Diabolico has Ryan infiltrate the Aquabase steal the Titanium Morpher to sidestep the Demon's inability to enter water. When Ryan turns good, he sears a cursed tattoo into his back that will kill him when he morphs too much. When revived by Vypra and Loki, Diabolico works to undermine his rival Olympius, trapping him in the Shadow World and when Ryan manages to find the Sorcerer of the Sands to reseal the demons Diabolico counters the spell, reducing the Sorcerer to sand. When forced by Bansheera to kill Loki, Diabolico swears off fealty and even after his final death manages to end the season taking revenge on her and saving Carter Grayson and the whole world.
- Time Force:
- Ransik is the most powerful Mutant criminal in the year 3000. Shunned by society for his mutations, Ransik forges a criminal empire to take control as part of his revenge and later travels to the year 2001 when his conquering in the future is no longer feasible. Ransik brilliantly orchestrates his escape from prison using a distraction before making his way to 2001. Ransik constantly comes up with ingenious plans to put the world under his control by exploiting the powers of his Mutant followers for schemes to acquire more wealth by using them as distractions or traps against the Time Force Rangers. Ransik eventually fights the Rangers personally and deals them a Curb-Stomp Battle and is nearly about to defeat them till his daughter is injured in the battle. Ransiks renounces his hatred due to what it's doing and later aids the Rangers against the Mut Orgs in Wild Force, nearly giving his life to leave the Mut Orgs vulnerable to defeat. Devious and charming, Ransik ends the series as the only main villain never defeated in combat by the Rangers.
- Frax was once a kind scientist named Dr. Louis Fericks, who saved the life of Ransik but was repaid by being left to die. Dr. Fericks saved his own life, and become the robotic villain Frax and would secretly come to be Ransik's second-in-command. Over the course of the series, Frax carries out ingenious plans such as manipulating the feelings of a Mutant lackey to make the Lackey serve as a distraction for his scheme to acquire Trizyurium Crystals for his giant robots or destroying Ransik's antidote after plotting against him as a way to pay him back. Frax helps aid his creation Dragontron against the Rangers and even creates a device to siphon the powers of the Megazord to help it. Frax later sends his next robot monster to attack the city while he fights the Rangers on the ground, before revealing after its defeat it was simply a test run to gather data for his ultimate creation. Even after he's captured by Ransik, Frax valiantly fights to allow Ransik's daughter Nadira to let go of her hatred and get a better life, at least allowing him the moral victory in death.
- Eric Myers/Quantum Ranger grew up dirt poor and strived through ambition to become greater. Eric is able to obtain the Quantum Morpher and expertly takes down a Mutant criminal through quick thinking and tactics. Aspiring to greater heights, Eric is even willing to attack Red Ranger Wes Collins and leave him for dead in his quest to control the Quantasaurus Rex. Over the series, Eric expertly takes down various Mutants and aids the Time Force Rangers against various foes, using his skills and knowledge to wipe the floor with them. Yet at the same time, despite his ruthlessness, Eric can be genuinely empathetic when it comes to aiding others. Over the series, Eric becomes much more of a friend to the Rangers and helps them save the day. Snarky, with a bad boy attitude and with a huge competence level, Eric would seal his position as one of the most iconic Sixth Rangers in the franchise.
- "Trust and Triumph": Turtlecon is a particularly intelligent turtle-themed Mutant criminal with the ability to create his own pocket dimension. Luring the Rangers into a trap, Turtlecon sends them into this dimension, where they have to face off against doppelgängers of themselves who are specially designed to beat them. Turtlecon effortlessly hunts them down and is seconds away from destroying them before his dimension is shattered. Even then, Turtlecon swears not to go down without a fight, enlarges himself and creates a copy of their Megazord to nearly allow him victory.
- "The Last Race": Dash is a race car driver-themed Mutant who was once Blue Ranger Lucas's friend and rival until he was arrested for reckless driving. Freed in the present, Dash helps Nadira pull off amazing escapes during her robberies and his quick thinking saves the day for her. Taking human form, Dash uses the opportunity to sneak off and challenge Lucas to a race which he nearly wins. After his antics nearly cause harm to others, Dash realizes the error of his ways and allows Lucas to take him in, acknowledging him as the better man.
- "Time Force Traitor": Steelix is a suave steel-themed Mutant who used to be a member of Time Force but sold out their secrets to their archfoe Ransik for a big price. Imprisoned by Pink Ranger Jem, Steelix is freed in the present and stalks and disarms her of her Morpher. Luring her into an abandoned warehouse, Steelix is able to use his expert fighting ability and quick thinking to keep her on her feet. Steelix eventually brainwashes her to "bring her to his way of thinking" and send her against the heroes.
- "Reflections of Evil": Miracon is a zany brain-themed Mutant criminal with the power to send himself and others into his own Mirror World. Luring the Rangers into a trap, Miracon sends them into various mirror worlds where they're forced to defeat various powerful Mutants. Even after they best that, Miracon proves himself to be a remarkably cunning combatant who's able to counter every move they make. After enlarging himself, Miracon is still able to dominate the fight and takes control of the Time Shadow Megazord to have it destroy the main Megazord, coming extremely close to total victory.
- Wild Force:
- Zen-Aku is a wolf Duke Org who comes to possess the future Lunar Wolf Ranger, Merrick Baliton. Zen-Aku is one of the noblest villains in the entire franchise, avoids collateral damage on his quest for revenge against the Rangers and has a moral code forbidding attacking an opponent who can't fight back. Zen-Aku is a master at battle tactics and constantly traps or outwits the Wild Force Rangers, leading him to steal their Zords as a reward. Later helping free another Org sealed by the Yellow Ranger, Zen-Aku upgrades him and then helps fend off the other Rangers to allow him his final rematch with the Yellow Ranger. Later luring Merrick into a trap and countering even their ultimate attack, Zen-Aku reveals to Merrick he plans to fuse once more with him to cure his loneliness and feel whole again. Ultimately, Zen-Aku ends up surviving the series and making peace with Merrick, who he journeys with on a quest for redemption.
- "The Masters Herald" two-parter: Onikage introduces himself as a ninja loyal to Mandilok and conjures schemes to kidnap Princess Shyla. When Toxica fumbles his first plan, Onikage promises he can redeem her if he cuts off her horn to render her immune to the Sacred Water of Animaria, lying that Duke Orgs' horns grow back. This leads to Toxica's death and Shayla's capture. On the verge of defeating the Power Rangers, Onikage reveals his true allegiance as Master Org's right hand man, rendering Mandilok defenseless and resulting in their death. Onikage is defeated in the end mostly by luck but succeeds in almost all his goals, setting the stage for the rest of the season despite only appearing in two episodes.
Disney Era
Examples
- S.P.D.'s "Reflection" two-parter: Mirloc is a brilliant alien criminal known for having had a hand in every dirty deal and knowing every shady character, who was imprisoned for his various crimes. When Schuler "Sky" Tate approaches him for information on another criminal, Mirloc calmly chides him for being rude before agreeing to give the information in exchange for Sky telling him a sad story. When Sky tells him the story of when his father died, Mirloc taunts him about it, causing Sky to cry and allowing Mirloc to use his ability to travel through reflections to escape through his tears. Mirloc is then enlisted by Emperor Gruumm to defeat the S.P.D. Rangers and makes clever use of his powers to trap almost all of the Rangers in mirrors. In his fight with Sam, Mirloc uses his powers to dodge his attacks and blindside him, coming within seconds of winning.
- Mystic Force:
- Imperious is the flamboyantly evil warlock, formerly known as the warrior Calindor, who takes over the role as leader of the Morlocks after the demise of Morticon. After procuring schemes which challenge the rangers to require means outside of their arsenal, Imperious then plots to usurp leadership of the Underworld from Octomus—having his biggest threat Koragg ambushed and almost taken out. Wishing for a world where the Power Rangers never existed, Imperious lords over the surface world, with the timeline only resetting due to the Magic Tribunal. Abandoning his plans of betraying Octomus but instead trying to gain his favour, Imperious captures the rangers to use their powers to free the demonic entity. Facing his Arch-Enemy Daggeron in a duel to the death, Imperious almost comes close to besting his foe if not for Daggeron's Heroic Second Wind—with Imperious then subverting a Villainous Breakdown as he perishes but instead defiantly dies laughing.
- Itassis is a member of the Ten Terrors who heavily contrasts her comrades' desire to see the surface world destroyed but instead strives on philosophical curiousity. A staunch believer of playing fair, Itassis thwarts both Megahorn's secret assault against Daggeron and Serpentina's deceiving scheme to defeat the rangers. When the rangers are trying to look for Vida and Matoombo, Itassis strikes a deal with them to provide them the means to find if they provided her answers for her own quest for knowledge. Chosen by Octomus to raze the surface world, Itassis effortlessly defeats the rangers, realising that her and the Terror's are mere pawns of Octomus. Calmly awaiting her execution for refusing to destroy the surface world, Itassis tries to appeal to Sculpin and Black Lance that they can make their own choices. Revived by Necrolai due to being the only Terror to treat the vampire with kindess and respect, Itassis annihilates Scuplin and even sends Octomus into brief hiding after attacking him. Redeemed, Itassis intends on spending her time following the path of knowledge to sate her curiousity.
- Jungle Fury
- Jarrod, the Black Lion Warrior, starts off as a mere bully before accidentally releasing Dai Shi and becoming his vessel. Under Dai Shi's influence, Jarrod makes repeated attempts to destroy Ocean Bluff to collect enough fear to start a second Beast War, at one point sending the deadly Five Fingers of Poison to take out the Rangers, before giving Camille tips on how to beat the treacherous Naja. Jarrod revives the three overlords to train him and is constantly improving himself to the point that even masters like R.J. can't beat him one on one. When Grizzaka overthrows him, Jarrod plots from the shadows to master Zocato Power and, to do so, outmaneuvers everyone to get to the Rhino Nexus, before taking back his throne. When Scorch's plan using the Spirit Rangers fails, Jarrod has Whiger steal Casey's Spirit. Eventually breaking free from Dai Shi, Jarrod helps the Rangers destroy both Snapper and Dai Shi himself. Constantly growing along with the heroes, Jarrod ultimately proves that he has the heart to go along with his Lion Spirit.
- Camille, the Green Chameleon Warrior, is Dai Shi's beautiful and snarky right hand woman. Responsible for sending monsters to destroy Ocean Bluff, Camille regularly comes up with plans that nearly defeat the Rangers, such as, helping two monsters become a Battle Couple, sending a monster to trap the Rangers in a deadly game show, and cloning one monster into an army, while having the original hide. In one of her finest moments, Camille singlehandedly defeats the treacherous Naja, even tricking the Rangers into helping her, and pretending to turn to lure Naja into letting his guard down. When Grizzaka overthrows Dai Shi, Camille steals the Control Dagger and helps Dai Shi reach the Rhino Nexus. Later falling for Jarrod when he saves her life, Camille joins the heroes in the final fight and enlists at the Pai Zhua academy along with Jarrod. A skilled warrior, Master of Disguise, and not without her softer moments, Camille repeatedly shows that she should never be underestimated by enemies or allies alike.
- Stingerella is a scorpion mutant and member of the Five Fingers of Poison. She is capable of defeating multiple Power Rangers single-handedly but appreciates how much a group can do better than most villains. She comments that her teammate Rantipede was foolish to fight them alone but still mourns him after he's killed. Stingerella also trains her underlings to attack using synchronized and efficient combat strategies. Stingerella initially scorns her teammate Toady's romantic attention but becomes impressed by his chivalry toward her, and they become an affectionate Battle Couple who take so much pleasure out of getting together that they are willing to temporarily spare the injured Rangers to avoid ruining a romantic moment. Later, they prepare to trigger a volcano to wipe out the city and the Rangers and are stopped just in time. Stingerella is crushed by Toady's death and spends the rest of her life travel trying to avenge him.
- Carnisoar, the Overlord of the Skies, contrasts with his fellow overlords by constantly keeping a cool head. Revived to help Jarrod/Dai Shi reach the pinnacle of evil, Carnisoar does so by changing Jarrod's memories of his past good deeds and then putting him through Training from Hell, even sending a pair of monsters to destroy Ocean Bluff, by opening a vortex to suck it into. When Camille revives Jellica, Carnisoar gracefully steps aside to allow her to take over Dai Shi's training and later helps capture R.J. Joining Grizzaka's coup, Carnisoar later uses his illusions to trick the Rangers into attacking each other and defeats two megazords with ease. Even when defeated, Carnisoar defiantly tells the Rangers that the war is far from over.
- Scorch is the leader of the Phantom Beasts who opposed Dai Shi in the original Beast War. After being freed from his Crystal Eye, Scorch plays along with Jellica's plan in order to kill her in front of Dai Shi to prove his loyalty. Tasked with destroying the Rangers, Scorch has a monster act as a distraction while he and his fellow generals kidnap the three still living masters to create the Spirit Rangers which nearly destroy the Rangers repeatedly. When this fails, Scorch has a pair of monsters kidnap the entire city to harvest their fear. Angered at Camille being made a general while Whiger was punished, Scorch undermines her plan of a clone monster army by secretly leading the Rangers to the original one. Later attempting to kill Camille in order to keep Dai Shi strong, Scorch leads the final charge to collect fear and aid Dai Shi regain his true form.
- Whiger is a Phantom Beast general with the Spirit of the White Tiger and is the one who captures Master Finn to help make the Spirit Rangers. Tasked with taking Casey's Tiger Spirit, Whiger ambushes Casey when he is alone and successfully steals his spirit. Later challenging Casey to finish their fight but faced with the test of the team, Whiger bests all four of them and later attacks the city, though avoiding attacking children. Banished and stripped of his Rinzen by Dai Shi, Whiger tries to regain his honor by challenging Casey a final time, only to be saved by him instead. Repaying the favor by helping Casey find the kidnapped citizens, Whiger even gives Casey his Spirit back and helps him battle Camille, proudly proclaiming Casey his friend and fellow Tiger.
Neo Saban Era
- Samurai & Super Samurai: Deker is a swordsman who was cursed to wander the earth as a Human-Nighlok hybrid. Seeking the "Ultimate Duel" to end his curse, Deker declares the Red Ranger Jayden Shiba his rival, constantly saving him from Master Xandred's minions so that he can fight Jayden himself and threatens to harm innocent people should Jayden refuse. Though seemingly killed by Jayden, Deker returns and helps Serrator in his schemes only to betray the Nighlok King once he fixes Deker's sword, foiling his plans in the process. Decker then faces Jayden in one last duel before being killed, accepting his death now that he's free from his curse.
Hasbro Era
- Power Rangers Dino Fury: Tarrick is an alien refugee from the planet Rafkon who lost his infant daughter and had his wife sent into a coma upon coming to Earth. Tarrick becomes Void Knight and hatches various schemes to acquire Sporiox cores in order to return her to full health. To this end, as Void Knight he plots to defeat the Rangers and gain the cores, such as using a monster to manipulate the Rangers into giving the cores to him or using a Zord Jammer to disable the Rangers while he gathers the cores. Tarrick is also a brilliant fighter, and is able to match the Rangers blow for blow and even later builds his own base and robotic generals to aid his schemes. When his wife Santura is finally revived but becomes evil due to Sporiox infection, Tarrick turns on her and helps the Rangers sabotage her scheme for destroying Earth. When his daughter turns out to be alive, Tarrick returns and helps to defuse a bomb that threatens the city and is able to reunite with his wife after she's cured of her condition. In Cosmic Fury, Tarrick continues to be a stylish genius as he leads the resistance against Zedd's rule on Earth and also places a mole in Zedd's organization to help get information to stop him.
Comic Books
- Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers (Boom! Studios): Rita Repulsa is reimagined here as a terrifyingly competent master manipulator. Conquering countless worlds in the name of Lord Zedd while building her entourage of loyal minions, rewarding treachery with horrific suffering and swaying Goldar to her side when he's sent to spy on her by Zedd, Rita managed to banish Zordon into a time warp before being sealed away herself. Once released in the present day Rita sets out to destroy the Rangers before she begins her conquest of Earth, quickly deducing their identities and replacing one of their friends with a Putty imposter. Retrieving the Green Power Coin and manipulating an echo of her mother into teaching her how to use it, Rita grants it to Tommy Oliver and turns him into her brainwashed servant. Even after he escapes her control Rita arranges events such that either he will be driven insane by the Green Chaos Energy, his Power Coin will be stolen by Scorpina, or the Rangers will unleash the Black Dragon in their Command Center; and later successfully uses the Green Candle to drain Tommy's Green Ranger powers. In contrast to her show counterpart's signature temper tantrums, Rita is always unfazed by failure and ready to strike back with another plot.
- Mighty Morphin Power Rangers/Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles:
- The Shredder is the dangerous, ruthless, and honorable leader of the Foot Clan. After he manipulates the undercover Green Ranger Tommy into a trap and steals his Dragonzord, Shredder teams with Rita Repulsa to take down their collective foes. Shredder works with Rita to remove the Power Rangers' abilities and unleash monsters on the Turtles, before personally using a Zord to try to wipe them out himself. Though beaten, Shredder is willing to go out fighting, and later flees from Rita's alliance when he discovers she has teamed with Kraang to enslave humanity. Proclaiming that Earth belongs to him and no one else, Shredder allies with the Turtles and Rangers to fight off the invading Dimension X armies, and regularly goes out of his way to save his allies. Ultimately using a Zord to take down Kraang's giant robot form, Shredder saves the world with the heroes and, though he parts ways amicably with the Turtles, he reveals he has allied with Lord Zedd to further scheme the conquest of Earth.
- Rita Repulsa is a charming enchantress whose skills for subterfuge and manipulation are more competent than ever. Rita first duels Shredder for the Dragonzord he stole from Tommy before the villains decide to work together, leading the Power Rangers into an ambush and removing their powers before unleashing monsters that nearly kills the Turtles. When their initial plan is defeated, Rita takes the opportunity to coerce Shredder into escaping with her to Dimension X, the witch having her own plans to use its advanced technology and an alliance with Kraang to win the day. Rita betrays Shredder and teams with Kraang to invade Earth, staging a variety of assaults and transforming minions into powerful mutants to weaken Earth's defenses. Deducing that Casey Jones has faked his allegiance to her, Rita transforms him into her puppet and uses him to nearly eliminate the Turtles and pave the way for Dimension X's victory.
