| “ | Magic Wand, make my monster GROW! | „ |
| ~ Rita Repulsa's famous cathphrase while using her Magic Wand. |
| “ | Ahh! After 10,000 years, I'm free! It's time to conquer Earth! | „ |
| ~ Rita Repulsa, in the show's opening. |
Rita Repulsa (also known as Witch Bandora in the original Japanese version) is one of the main antagonists of the Power Rangers franchise she is the main antagonist of the superhero TV series Mighty Morphin Power Rangers. She is an evil space witch wielding her signature Magic Wand who sought to conquer the planet Earth. She was the main antagonist of Season 1 in Mighty Morphin Power Rangers and the secondary antagonist of Seasons 2 and 3, as well as the minor villainess in both Zeo and In Space, and a supporting villainess in Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: the Movie.
In the original series, she was portrayed by the late Machiko Soga in Season 1, and Carla Perez in Season 2 onwards, and voiced by Barbara Goodson in all seasons, who also voiced Mother Talzin in Star Wars: The Clone Wars. In the 2017 movie, she was portrayed by Elizabeth Banks.
Biography
Past
Rita Repulsa was an intergalactic sorceress who journeyed throughout the universe causing chaos and mischief with her minions and magical powers. She eventually found her way to the Milky Way Galaxy, where she found an opponent in the benevolent alien sage Zordon of Planet Eltar. After many years of conflict, Rita lured her foe to a supposed peace talk where she managed to trap him in an other dimensional time warp. However she and her minions were trapped themselves by Zordon in the Space Dumpster.
Mighty Morphin Power Rangers Season 1
Rita regaining her freedom.
However, Rita wasn't trapped forever and 10,000 years after her imprisonment, she and her minions were freed by a pair of astronauts who found her dumpster on the Moon.
Now free to take control of Planet Earth, Rita reestablished herself from the forgotten Moon Palace where she began sending down monsters to attack the planet. However, she found herself confronted by Zordon's champions, five super-powered teens known as the Power Rangers. Rita even created her own evil Power Ranger (Tommy Oliver, the Green Ranger), but he turned good and she was faced with an even greater challenge. However Rita later took away his powers with a green candle that would drain his powers when it burned out. However, she still didn't get back the powers when Tommy passed his Dragon Coin (the source of his powers) to Jason, the Red Ranger. Another of Rita's more inspired plans was to capture the parents of Angel Grove so as to force the Power Rangers to hand over their Power Coins. Even after getting the Power Coins, she still didn't hand return the parents. But after Tommy received a temporary charge to his Dragon Coin, this plan was foiled as well.
Mighty Morphin Power Rangers Season 2
Zedd arriving to take over from Rita.
Disgusted with Rita's failures, Lord Zedd angrily came to the moon to take over from his servant, by modifying Rita's fortress and taking her minions under his wing. He then banished her into another dumpster, leaving her shrunken and helpless, and cast her into space. Rita's dumpster found its way back to Earth where it was found by Bulk and Skull. She attempted to tell them the Power Rangers' secret identities, but the Rangers stopped her and sent her back into space. Rita returned again where she got in contact with her still loyal scientist, Finster, who grew her back to normal size and made her look younger. He also gave Rita a love potion that she managed to get into Zedd's system, making him fall in love with her and instantly marry her. She planned to get rid of Zedd so that she could take control of his empire.
Mighty Morphin Power Rangers Season 3
Soon after Rita married Zedd, her brother, Rito Revolto, came to the moon to help them battle the Power Rangers. In an attempt to defeat the Rangers, she sent in a girl under her control named Katherine Hillard to spy on the Rangers and help bring them down but the girl turned on Rita. Goldar laterr removes the Love Potion from Zedd's insides only to find out that it had worn off long ago and that Zedd and Rita truly loved each other now rather than her prior planning to betray him. Later Rita's father, Master Vile, came to the moon seeking the Zeo Crystal and he helped her and Zedd battle with the Rangers. Vile left after turning back time in Angel Grove, reverting the Power Rangers to children, which proved extremely helpful to Rita and Zedd. They managed to get their hands on the Power Coins and destroyed them, along with the Command Center.
Power Rangers Zeo
Rita and Zedd began celebrating their final defeat of the Power Rangers, only to find themselves under attack by the Machine Empire. They found refuge with Master Vile, but returned to take their vengeance on the Machine Empire . Rita and Zedd first attempted this by sending Louie Kaboom, under their control, to become the empire's new ruler, but he became independent and they had to think of something else. Rita and Zedd, along with the Machine Empire, tried to gain the Gold Ranger powers. After King Mondo was defeated by the Zeo Rangers again, the pair managed to plant a bomb that blew the Royal House of Gadgetry to bits.
Turbo: A Power Rangers Movie
After Divatox found herself having trouble taking down the Power Rangers, she gave Rita a call to try and get advice on how to fight them. She simply cackled and said that if she knew how to do that, she wouldn't be listening to Zedd's snoring and told Divatox to flee.
Power Rangers In Space
Rita as a human.
Rita and Zedd later went to the United Alliance of Evil's meeting on the Cimmerian Planet. Before the meeting began, she had a run in with Divatox, who bragged about defeating the Power Rangers. Rita in turn sarcastically told her that she should not be so certain of this. After a Red Ranger was discovered at the meeting and escaped, she volunteered to Dark Specter to go after him, but Astronema was chosen instead. Rita and Zedd took part in the Grand Monarch of Evil's universal invasion of the universe. But after Zordon sacrificed himself, the energy wave from his shattered tube swept over Rita and Zedd, making them human and turning them good.
Mystic Force
Rita as the Mystic Mother.
Rita regained her magical powers, but this time it was from good magic and she became the Mystic Mother, Empress of Good Magic and leader of the Mystic Ones. She was apparently the one who gave the Mystic Force Rangers their link to the Morphing Grid and when the Master returned, he attacked the Mystic Mother. She was unable to fight him, but survived the battle and helped the Mystic Rangers defeat the Master.
Power/Rangers
Rita Repulsa appeared as the main antagonist in the 2015 short film Power/Rangers. This dark horned alien witch disguised herself as the original Pink Ranger Kimberly Hart (who died in battle) and had killed the rest of the original Rangers in an attempt to rule the world with the Green Ranger Tommy Oliver. Once Rita reveals herself, Tommy fights her at the final scene.
Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: The Movie
In Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: The Movie, Rita appears as one of the main antagonists as with Mainstream series, but is unceremoniously outmatched by the worse villain Ivan Ooze who usurped the leadership over their party until his death.
Power Rangers (2017)
- Main article: Rita Repulsa (Power Rangers 2017)
Personality
As the infamous intergalactic evil witch with screechy voice and diabolical leader of her band of space aliens, Rita's notoriety was matched by her terrible temper and unpleasant attitude. She was prone to either cried out "I have a headache!", taking her frustration out on her underlings, or even both whenever her latest scheme ended up foiled by the Rangers — even if they had absolutely nothing to do with what went wrong. She was also noted to be petty even in her youth as according to her brother Rito, Rita once set her own home ablaze just because she received a dragon instead of a planted like she wanted for her birthday. Not even the serious and proud Goldar can stand her petty abuse, so much that he gladly sided with Lord Zedd when the latter arrived to take over the band for Rita's recurring failures and regretted the idea of brainwashing Kimberly to be an evil queen like his former boss only for the pink Ranger seemingly gained the latter's petty personality as well (though this was technically a flawless ruse in Kimberly's part since the spell for the brainwasging only gave her Rita's outfit).
Rita genuinely love her brother and father Master Vile, and sought to become an accomplished evil conqueror just like the latter. This motivated her in her fight against Zordon and later, his Power Rangers despite of them foiled her plans time and time again. Not even being sealed into a dumpster twice (first by Zordon ald by her superior Lord Zedd) can extinguish her resolve. Although Rita initially planned to overthrow Lord Zedd after he took over her band in the light of her recurring failures, she came to love her superior and the two ended up become a couple as their feelings are mutual. Their ability to feel love was arguably one of reasons why she and Zedd ended up purified by Zordon's energy wave.
After becoming Mystic Mother, Rita practiced good magic and has since abandoned her evil ways. In an ironic twist of fate, she became a powerful yet wise figure who aided her own band of Power Rangers (Mystic Force Rangers) just as her past nemesis Zordon did to (Mighty Morphin Rangers) did. Despite this, traces of her past self still persist, notably her habit in crying out having a headache when things not going into the way she wanted.
Powers and Abilities
The Magic Wand
Rita Repulsa is a powerful, manipulative, and treacherous extraterrestrial sorceress who possesses a variety of dark magical powers. Her most used one being her ability to grow her minions to giant size through her Magic Wand. Though she mainly relied on Finster to make her monster minions, she created a few herself. After becoming Empress of All Good Magic, Rita gained great and benevolent magical abilities.
Enemies
- Zordon
- Alpha 5
- Jason Lee Scott
- Trini Kwan
- Zack Taylor
- Kimberly Hart
- Billy Cranston
- Tommy Oliver
- Rocky DeSantos
- Adam Park
- Aisha Campbell
- Katherine Hillard
- Aurico
- Delphine
- Cestro
- Tideus
- Corcus
- Tanya Sloan
- Trey Of Triforia
- Machine Empire
- Divatox
- Elgar
- Astronema/Karone
- Andros
Gallery
Trivia
- Rita Repulsa and Lord Zedd had a son at one point that appeared during Power Rangers: Operation Overdrive, Thrax.
- Rita seems to have a fierce rivalry with Divatox, most likely because the space pirate succeeded where she failed.
- She likes to tickle Zedd whenever he thinks that the Power Rangers will lose.
- Rita's counterpart from Kyoryu Sentai Zyuranger, the Super Sentai series that Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers was adapted from, was Bandora.
- Rita's last name Repulsa is based on the word "repulsive".
- Barbara Goodson, who voiced Rita got messed around with by Saban during pre-production of the show. She was given the part, and told to voice Rita like the Wicked Witch of the West from The Wizard of Oz. She did, and got fired. They decided to try to make Rita sound angrier, and rather than let Goodson try, they forced her to re-audition. According to her, she did, and said, "You want angry? [Rita's screech comes out of nowhere] I'LL SHOW YOU ANGRY!" Not knowing she would have to do the part for seven years. She mentioned going through a lot of water and cough drops to help her voice.
- In Japanese material, Rita (Bandora) was played by Machiko Soga.
- Carla Perez played Rita during Seasons 2 and 3 of Mighty Morphin Power Rangers, as well as the character's appearances in Zeo, Turbo, and In Space. Perez also appeared in 2015's Power/Rangers as Rita; her first appearance as the villainess in close to 17 years.
- Her character is used in two Nostalgia Critic reviews. In the first one, she is the main antagonist trying to ruin the reputation of the Power Rangers by making everyone watch Turbo: A Power Rangers Movie. In the second review, she assists the Nostalgia Critc in reviewing the film Devil. She is killed by Lord Shyamalan but at the end of the video, she comes back to life and turns into Cthulhu.
