WARNING: The following contains spoilers for Power Rangers #5 by Ryan Parrott, Francesco Mortarino, Simona Di Gianfelice, Raul Angulo, Jose Enrique Fernandez and Ed Dukeshire, on sale now.
The Omega Rangers -- Jason, Trini and Zack -- have been on the run from their closest allies and dealing with the gravest threat they have ever known in space. Their hunt for any edge over the impending Empyreal invasion has led the team to kidnap Lord Drakkon and drag him across the cosmos. The former tyrant led the heroes to his former prison world. Once a utopia designed by Drakkon himself, it is now the shattered remains of a strange and twisted dream. As bizarre as that experience was, it pales in comparison to the one the Omega Rangers are about to have when a classic villain comes to them begging for help.
Their exit from Drakkon's former prison left the Omega's ship in desperate need of repair, but their status as intergalactic outlaws makes getting help a difficult task to accomplish. Luckily, Drakkon knows just the place, and he leads the Rangers to the desert world of Onyx, a gathering place for monsters of all sorts. Jason and Zack head into town in disguise to find the parts they will need to get the Spectrum II off the ground, leaving Trini and Xi behind with Drakkon to handle whatever repairs can be made with what they have. The former tyrant isn't helpful with the hard work at hand, but his cunning proves useful when he spots a hooded figure, Ecliptor, creeping around the ship.
Drakkon lashes out at the lurker while Trini and Xi make their way across the ship to join in the fray. Before any real harm can be done, the intruder produces a massive sword and swings it wildly to distance himself from the others. With only a moment before things go from bad to worse, the intruder implores the others to listen rather than fight before revealing himself to be Ecliptor.
Ecliptor was first introduced in the third episode of Power Rangers in Space as the second-in-command to his adopted daughter, Astronema. Ecliptor was fueled by his devotion to her, as well as his hatred towards Andros, the Red Space Ranger. Ecliptor never followed the same redemption path that Astronema did, though he did turn on his own forces when they attempted to bring her harm. His efforts to keep Astronema from learning of her true lineage may have failed, but Ecliptor was steadfast in his love for her, fighting on her behalf all the way until his death at the end of the franchise's Zordon Era.
While a gender-bent version of the character known as Eclipta was the primary antagonist of the Power Rangers: Drakkon New Dawn miniseries by Anthony Burch, Simone Ragazzoni, Raúl Angulo and Ed Dukeshire, the original villain himself is just now making his first appearance in the BOOM! Studios mainline comic continuity. It's unclear what Ecliptor's intentions are, but it is surprising to see him ask the Rangers for help. Whatever Ecliptor does next will surely have a great impact on where the Omega Rangers end up, but it might not matter nearly as much to longtime fans as him being there in the first place.
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