Power Rangers has been around since the early 1990s and has been a major part of a lot of our lives growing up, especially for Millennials and early Gen Z.
Since its inception back in the early 1990s, there have been 4 movies and 21 different series, but the vast majority have been catered towards children, which is fine, it’s what it’s made for.
However, a lot of us who grew up with the franchise are now adults. For me personally, I struggle to re-watch some of the older series as I find them cringeworthy. This is me as a 31-year-old man compared to when I was a child. I have fond memories of the franchise, and I think re-watching them now can somewhat tarnish that, hence the reason why I don’t.
The idea of a more gritty, darkened version of Power Rangers came to light back in 2015 with a fan-made film. To jog your memory, I have put the video below;
This short film went viral and rightfully so. It reimagined Power Rangers into a more realistic setting than we normally see (I know Power Rangers isn’t realistic, but you get my point). This is one of the reasons why I’d love to see a studio pump a proper full budget into it, the possibilities are endless.
We also have to discuss the 2017 Power Rangers film. See, for me, I liked it. Did I think it was perfect? No. It was still a fun movie, nonetheless, despite the issues it had.
This film, in particular, was the closest thing to an adult-friendly film we’ve had. It was stuck between the middle of being catered to children with adults. What’s missing for me is something specifically designed for adults.
An adult, gritty Power Rangers series would be a bold and exciting evolution of a franchise that defined the childhoods of millions. Imagine a world where the brightly colored suits are worn not by teenagers in high school, but by battle-scarred veterans or emotionally complex adults burdened by real-world consequences.
Instead of fighting cartoonish monsters with campy dialogue, the Rangers would face morally grey villains, internal conflict, political manipulation, and the psychological trauma that comes with wielding immense power. The stakes would be higher, the visuals sharper, and the stories richer. Something similar to the style of The Boys or Daredevil.
A gritty reboot wouldn’t just be for shock value; it would allow the franchise to grow up with its audience. Those who watched Mighty Morphin in the ’90s are now adults who crave deeper narratives but still hold a deep nostalgic love for the universe.
If it’s done right, it could explore themes like leadership under pressure, sacrifice, redemption, and the blurred line between heroism and control. It wouldn’t erase the fun and energy of the original; it would reframe it, showing what happens when the morphers are handed to people with real-world baggage. The potential for character-driven storytelling, emotional weight, and high-stakes action is enormous and long overdue.
We know the rumored pitch is in regard to the Shattered Grid story. We recently wrote an article about the pitch itself, which you can read here. At this point, we’re not sure if it will be adult-friendly, but we’re really hoping it will be.
What are your thoughts? Would you like to see an adult version of Power Rangers? Let me know down in the comments below.
