BOOM! Studios’ Biggest Power Rangers Mistake: Why “Everything is Canon” Was Never Going to Work

Let's get this out of the way: I loved what BOOM! Studios did with Power Rangers. They took a show a lot of us grew up with and gave it more depth, more character moments, and way more emotional weight. They took what could have just been a nostalgia cash grab and turned it into something that felt meaningful. Lord Drakkon? Amazing. Shattered Grid? Absolutely epic.

But… there was always one thing that bugged me.

BOOM! kept saying that everything was canon. Every season. Every team. Every event from the shows, plus everything they were adding in the comics. It all counted. At first, that sounds like a great idea, right? A giant, connected Power Rangers universe! But the more I thought about it, the more it felt… exhausting.

And honestly? It made things messier than they needed to be.

Power Rangers Was Never Meant to Be One Big Universe

Here's the thing about Power Rangers: it was never designed to have a perfect, cohesive timeline. The whole show started as a mash-up of Japanese footage and new American stories. Every season was its own thing—new teams, new villains, new worlds. Sometimes they connected, sure, but a lot of the time they didn't. And that was fine! That's part of the charm. Every season is a fresh start, a new adventure.

But BOOM! tried to force it all into one giant, multiverse-spanning canon. They gave us timelines, alternate realities, and explanations to make everything fit together. And while it was fun in a "what if" kind of way, it also made the whole thing feel way more complicated than it needed to be.

Like, are we really supposed to believe that the RPM post-apocalypse world exists in the same timeline as Ninja Storm, which is just... regular Earth with surfboards? Or that SPD, set in the future, somehow fits with the modern-day stuff? Trying to make all of that fit together just doesn't really work.

And honestly? It doesn't need to.

Expanded Continuity Would Have Made More Sense

Instead of saying, "Hey, everything is canon!" BOOM! should've taken a different approach. They should've said, "We're telling stories that expand the universe. We're filling in gaps, exploring new ideas, and sometimes tweaking things to make a better story."

You know who does this really well? Movie novelisations.

Think about it—when a movie comes out, there's often a novelisation that adds extra scenes, dialogue, and character moments. Those extra details aren't in the movie, but they enrich the story. They make it feel fuller. Fans don't freak out about whether the novel is "canon" or not—they just appreciate the extra layers it adds.

BOOM! could've done the same thing. They could've said, "Look, these comics build on what you know. We're going to add depth to the characters and explore things the show didn't have time to cover. But we're not trying to perfectly fit every detail into a single timeline."

That approach would've taken a lot of pressure off—and it would've made it easier to just enjoy the stories for what they were.

Let's Talk About Lord Drakkon

Take Lord Drakkon, for example. Easily one of the coolest things BOOM! introduced. He's an alternate version of Tommy Oliver—a twisted, power-hungry villain. His story explores what happens when someone with too much power loses their way. It's dark, it's tragic, and it's so good.

But does Drakkon need to fit perfectly into the timeline of the TV show? Nope. Not at all.

Drakkon works because he's a "what if" scenario. What if Tommy never became a hero? What if he went down a darker path? That's what makes his story interesting. Trying to force him into the show's continuity—where Tommy has five different redemption arcs—just complicates things.

The VR Troopers Crossover Tease Was Fun, But…

Another example? BOOM! teased a crossover with VR Troopers. That's a fun nod to fans of '90s Saban shows, but again, it raises questions. Are we supposed to believe VR Troopers existed in the same world as Power Rangers this whole time? Or is it an alternate universe?

Instead of trying to make it all fit into one canon, it would've been better to say, "Hey, here's a cool crossover idea we had. Let's just have fun with it."

Canon vs. Great Stories

At the end of the day, fans don't need everything to be canon. What we really want are great stories. We want characters we care about, worlds that spark our imagination, and moments that stick with us long after we put the comic down.

And that's what BOOM! did best. They gave us deeper characters. They explored what it means to be a Ranger. They made Rita Repulsa's motivations more interesting. They gave us emotional stakes we didn't always get in the show.

But by trying to make everything fit into one giant, connected canon, they tied themselves in knots. And honestly? They didn't need to.

Final Thought: Let Stories Breathe

If there's one lesson future Power Rangers stories can take from BOOM!'s run, it's this: let stories breathe.

Not everything has to fit perfectly. Not everything has to be canon. It's okay to take creative liberties, to add depth where it's needed, and to explore alternate takes on familiar characters.

The best stories aren't the ones that follow a rigid set of rules—they're the ones that make us feel something.

And that's what BOOM! did at their best. They reminded us why we fell in love with Power Rangers in the first place. They just didn't need to tie themselves down with canon to do it.

So here's hoping the next era of Power Rangers storytelling takes that to heart. Embrace the flexibility, the creativity, and the spirit of reinvention that's always been at the core of the franchise. Let the stories stand on their own. Let fans enjoy the ride.

Because sometimes, the best thing you can do is let go of the timeline—and just tell a great story.