When one thinks of the Power Rangers, any number of things could come to mind first. It could be any of the incredible stories that the series has told over the decades, or it could be one of the fantastic characters that have appeared on screen and in the pages of comics. While every fan of the Power Rangers is bound to have a favorite Ranger, they probably also have some love in their hearts for Zordon.

For those whose first introduction to Power Rangers was the Mighty Morphin Power Rangers series from the nineties, Zordon will have been one of the very first characters any person could come across. With his booming voice and admittedly bizarre form inside that big tube, Zordon was instantly iconic for many. Despite Zordon being an incredibly important figure in the Power Rangers lore, many fans may not know what Zordon’s origins are and how the character came to be that floating head in a tube.

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Where Did Zordon Come From?

Believe it or not, Zordon was rather powerful long before he uttered this iconic line from the original Mighty Morphin Power Rangers:

While his origins may differ depending on the line of canon one looks at, Zordon of Eltar was a powerful wizard long before the start of the original Power Rangers series. It seems that Zordon ranked rather highly on his planet or among its outposts, one that was fixated on protecting whatever freedom existed across the galaxy. Unfortunately, there is very little information on Zordon’s homeworld Eltar despite it being a background focus off and on in various Power Ranger stories.

What is known is that the alien beings from Eltar are typically bald and have blue skin. Considering they are capable of engaging in galaxy-wide warfare against evil, it’s also safe to say that the Eltarians are a rather advanced group of people. It is possible and even hinted at in other canons, that Eltar may have had or has its own versions of the Power Rangers, though they seem to concern themselves with even bigger threats than what many Power Rangers face on the regular.

Why Is Zordon In A Tube?

Roughly ten thousand years before the series began, Zordon was locked in a struggle with the vile sorceress Rita Repulsa. As she sought to conquer as much of the galaxy as she could, Zordon and his disciples fought to keep the galaxy free from her tyranny. In a war that stretched across roughly two thousand years, the two forces would clash throughout the galaxy in what seemed to have been a fairly bloody war. Eventually, Rita would create a base on Earth’s moon at the behest of the excellent villain Lord Zedd, but Zordon would not stand for Rita conquering the peaceful Earth.

While it may not have been the event that ended the massive war, Rita and Zordon would come into conflict one last time. Somehow, Rita was able to use her magic to trap Zordon inside a time warp, rendering him unable to assist in the effort any longer. While he would manage to trap Rita and her allies in return, Zordon would then be stuck having to communicate with the wider universe through a large energy tube. While it is easy to assume that Zordon would be incredibly limited by being trapped in a time warp, it seems that he was able to use his time well, making new allies, constructing the necessary infrastructure for a team of Power Rangers on Earth, and even making sure there were powerful weapons and Zords spread out among the stars.

Zordon's Other Forms

Most people will know of Zordon as a big ghostly head inside of a massive tube, but that is only one of his many forms to date. Even in the main continuity, it seems that Zordon’s universe-saving sacrifice didn’t result in his complete destruction. There seems to be some lingering essence of Zordon in the universe, as in the Cosmic Fury series, it is hinted that Zordon was able to communicate directly to Aiyon as a being similar to Zayto while in a void. There have been hints since Zordon’s death that he may one day return in some form, but he has yet to do so in the main universe.

In Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: The Movie, Zordon’s body is seen for the first time after Ivan Ooze attacks him. Zordon is doomed to die in that state, but luckily, the Rangers are able to save him and return him to his energy tube. It is also worth noting that in the World of the Coinless, an alternate reality, Zordon is mostly the same despite Tommy Oliver joining the forces of darkness. In the 2017 reboot film, Zordon remains mostly the same, though different in design and origin. Instead of being a powerful wizard, this version of Zordon was said to be one of the Red Rangers that battled against Rita Repulsa in a great war, eventually resulting in his essence being linked to his ship by Alpha 5.

A major shift for Zordon in terms of his form has come not from the Once & Always reunion special, but instead, the comics. While not technically Zordon’s being, his body has been controlled by evil to become the vessel for Dark Specter. In the Mighty Morphin Power Rangers Boom! Studios comics, Zordon is much more than just a head in a tube. He is seen in his physical form as a warrior of Eltar on a number of occasions. At one point, Zordon takes on the role of the Bronze Guardian and even the Supreme Guardian as a member of the Guardians of Eltar, proving that he can be just as powerful as any of the Power Rangers.

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