"Oh, don't leave! You'll miss my coming-out party. That's where I destroy the nearest planet!"
Self-proclaimed "Empress of Evil" and all-round great character, Rita Repulsa was trapped by the wizard Zordon for 10,000 years on the surface of the Moon. When she finally broke free, Rita's first imperative to her followers was a simple one; destroy the Earth. I dunno, it's something about all those tree-hugging hippies that gets to her or something. Rita's plans of attack almost always involve monsters, which he has an obsession with, and using magic from afar. To my knowledge, she has not once taken on the Power Rangers in an actual straight-up fight, but with that headdress, it's easy to see why.
First Appearance:
Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers Episode I: Day of the Dumpster
Powers/Abilities:
Rita is an extremely powerful sorcerer, with the ability to create monsters and minions magically using everyday items, such as clay, rocks or personal items of the Rangers themselves. In addition, she is able to magically transform her monsters into giant behemoths should the fight be going badly (of course, this never works - it's a kids' TV series, after all) and even summon entities of similar power to herself to aid her schemes. Her primary weapon of choice is her magic staff (c'mon, that thing is so not a wand, it's as tall as I am) and her backup weapon seems to be her best warrior, Goldar, who is usually sent to kick some ass and take names whilst Rita's monster gets into place.
Now, I know what you must be thinking: Why is Rita so high on this list?
Well, MMPR was a big part of my childhood back in the day, and if I'm honest, I loved every minute of it. Sure, Rita Repulsa was silly and over-the-top and clichéd as a villain, but hey, that's where her charm lies; she doesn't try to be some dark anti-hero or "poor misunderstood soul," she's evil, she knows it and she frickin' loves it. That and, to be honest, sometimes she genuinely came up with sinister plans; the two-episode special The Green Candle was absolutely great, and she only improved as the series' went on, in my humble opinion.
But who has crushed Rita's latest monster and triggered her greatest headache of all to get to #5? Find out soon...
No comments:
Post a Comment