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Just yesterday, we all got the sad news that Jason David Frank is no longer with us. He passed away on November 19th, at age 49, in Texas, U.S. Frank played the role of Tommy Oliver, the original Green Ranger in the Mighty Morphin Power Rangers. The role of Tommy Oliver was set for 14 episodes, but due to his role being popular, he was brought back as the White Ranger and became the new leader of the team. Today, in honor of a true legend, we will share a list of Jason David Frank’s roles in Power Rangers. Frank had 7 different roles and appearances throughout the franchise, having a significant impact on many generations.
1. The First Green Ranger
The first Power Ranger Frank ever played was Tommy Oliver, earning the hearts of many Mighty Morphin Power Ranger fans. His popularity even earned him more roles as a Power Ranger in later teams and seasons. Tommy Oliver, as mentioned above, wasn’t supposed to be in more than 14 episodes, but with everyone loving him, they brought him back as the White Ranger, who becomes the new leader of the Mighty Morphin Power Rangers. The series ran from 1993 to 1995 and also had a movie in 1995. This role is the role Frank is most wildly known for, The Original Green Ranger.
2. Red Zeo Ranger, AKA Zeo Ranger V
Power Rangers Zeo is the fourth season of the Power Rangers which took place after season 3 of Mighty Morphin Power Rangers and after Mighty Morphin Alien Rangers, which was in 1996. Jason David Frank returned to the Power Rangers franchise as the Red Zeo Ranger and resumed that role for 50 episodes throughout 1996. As the red ranger, he led the team throughout Power Ranger Zeo. This Ranger had a unique look with white and gold, but also a big star on the helmet. The other team members also had interesting symbols on their helmets, like blue having a triangle, pink with a circle shape, green with a square, and yellow with two stripes.
3. The First Red Turbo Ranger
Following Power Ranger Turbo, Frank’s character Tommy Oliver became the first Red Turbo Ranger. However, about mid-season, Frank and other co-stars that were his cast members in Power Rangers Turbo agreed to leave the show, then were replaced. A couple more Red Turbo Rangers followed after Frank’s leaving in 1997; he then didn’t return for about four years.
4. Frank Returned As Red Zeo Ranger
As mentioned, Frank left his role as Tommy Oliver in 1997 but returned about four years later in 2002. He returned as the Red Zeo Ranger for the special 10th-anniversary episode called “Forever Red” in the Power Rangers Wild Force. This episode brought back ten years of former Red Rangers, which was a fantastic episode for fans alike, also bringing back Tommy Oliver to the franchise.
5. The Black Dino Ranger
Frank resumed his role in 2004 in Power Rangers Dino Thunder as the Black Dino Ranger. Frank is known to have many tattoos on both his arms, so he was often seen wearing long-sleeve shirts to cover them in his roles. He returned in the episode “Back in Black.” Another cool little note is Tommy’s Morpher resembles the last Morpher he had. The Dino Thunder team was one of many’s favorites.
6. The Green Ranger in Super Megaforce
Frank once again becomes the Green Ranger for an episode in Power Rangers Super Mega. This series of Power Rangers started in 2013 and continued until 2014. When Frank appeared in the episode, he was back in his classic old as The Original Green Ranger, Mighty Morphin Power Rangers suit from the original Green Ranger. Jason David Frank had expressed wanting to do a Green Ranger solo-type series or even a film after he had an encounter with Stan Lee at a Comic Con. Having a whole solo series with The Original Green Ranger would have been a fantastic thing to see, and we honestly haven’t seen anything like that yet in the franchise. Frank did, however, have a cameo in the 2017 film Power Rangers.
7. Tommy Returned Again in Super Ninja Steel
After his cameo in 2017 in the Power Rangers movie, Frank’s role as Tommy Oliver returned in episode 10 of Power Rangers Super Ninja Steel in 2018 for the 25th anniversary of Power Rangers. After this appearance, it was the last time he was in any of the Power Rangers franchise’s films or shows. This was the very last time that Jason David Frank played a role as a Power Ranger. Frank played the red ranger a total of three times, the white ranger once, and the green ranger two times, totaling him playing the same role, Tommy Oliver, in six different iterations of the Power Rangers.
It was just this year, 2022, that Frank revealed he had retired completely from the franchise as a Power Ranger. He still attended Comic Cons up to his death to meet and greet fans of his work as a Power Ranger. Jason David Frank greatly impacted today’s children and adults who grew up with him in their childhoods. He will definitely be remembered for his amazing roles and for everyone he inspired through these roles. We know that the world is so sad to have seen him pass away so young, especially after leading a career that inspired thousands worldwide.
Jason David Frank passed away on November 19th at age 49. Fans from all over have been posting memories and tributes to Frank, sharing how this star had changed their lives, brought them positivity, and inspired them to chase after the things they wanted in life. Jason David Frank showed many that no matter how old you are or how long you’ve been doing something, it’s okay to still love it. That everyone can be a hero, even if we are different. The Original Green Ranger, Jason David Frank, will be missed by many. The Power Rangers can be streamed on Netflix and Amazon Prime.