WARNING: This article contains SPOILERS for Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: Once & Always and Power Rangers: Soul of the Dragon.
Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: Once & Always referenced “J.J.”, a very important character in the lives of Katherine Hillard and Tommy Oliver. The Power Rangers reunion brought back some of the original Power Rangers and introduced a new Mighty Morphin lineup. Power Rangers has a new Yellow Ranger after Power Rangers: Once & Always’ ending battle, but the special also teased another legacy character.
When Kat was summoned by Alpha 9 through the Bandora Protocol, the second Pink Ranger mentioned that J.J. was in class. Toward the end of Power Rangers: Once & Always, Kat commented that being a mother to J.J. can be more challenging than saving the planet from Rita Repulsa. Katherine Hillard and Tommy Oliver are married at this point in the Power Rangers timeline.
J.J. Oliver Is The Son Of Tommy Oliver & Katherine Hillard
J.J. Oliver was first introduced in Power Rangers Super Ninja Steel’s “Dimensions in Danger” as Tommy Oliver’s son. Tommy Oliver, the first Green Ranger, and Katherine Hillard, the second Pink Ranger, got married at some point between Power Rangers Dino Thunder and Power Rangers Super Ninja Steel. Tommy and Kat had met each other during Mighty Morphin Power Rangers season 3, during which Kat replaced Kimberly as the Pink Ranger. Following Tommy’s breakup with Kimberly at the beginning of Power Rangers Zeo, Power Rangers gained a new couple, Tom and Kat. Super Ninja Steel revealed that Tommy and Kat remained together decades after Zeo and had a son.
Following J.J. Oliver’s introduction in “Dimensions in Danger,” Kat and Tommy’s son was revisited in the Power Rangers: Soul of the Dragon comic. Set 20 years after Power Rangers Dino Thunder, BOOM! Studios!‘ Soul of the Dragon (2018) followed a retired Tommy Oliver trying to find his missing son. Between Super Ninja Steel and Soul of the Dragon, Kat and Tommy’s son joined the S.P.D. as a cadet, following in his parents’ footsteps. J.J. Oliver was sent on an undercover mission by former Red Ranger Sky, now S.P.D.’s director, and had to fight his own father. At the end of Soul of the Dragon, J.J. Oliver became S.P.D’s Green Ranger.
Once & Always’ “J.J.” Mentions Tease Power Rangers’ Next Generation
Kat mentioning “J.J.” in Power Rangers: Once & Always is bittersweet following the death of Jason David Frank. Assuming that Power Rangers: Soul of the Dragon is considered canon, Power Rangers cannot kill Tommy right away. Soul of the Dragon takes place shortly after Power Rangers S.P.D., which was set in 2025. Considering that Power Rangers: Once & Always is set in the present, the events of Soul of the Dragon have yet to happen in the Power Rangers timeline. That said, the nods to Kat and Tommy’s son in Once & Always teased the next generation of Power Rangers.
Whether Power Rangers: Once & Always will have a sequel is difficult to say, but Power Rangers already has the perfect setup for a new generation of Mighty Morphin characters. Minh Kwan is now the new Yellow Ranger, taking on the Sabertooth Tiger powers once used by Trini Kwan and Aisha Campbell. Once & Always is the first time since Mighty Morphin Power Rangers ended that a new character becomes one of the Mighty Morphin Rangers. Power Rangers’ timeline can be a bit confusing, but Minh Kwan should be around the same age as J.J. Oliver. A Mighty Morphin Power Rangers legacy sequel featuring Minh and J.J. could work.
J.J. Oliver Could Continue Tommy Oliver’s Power Rangers Legacy
J.J. Oliver was not necessarily created as a new major character for Power Rangers to follow. However, after Soul of the Dragon, it is clear that Kat and Tommy’s son has a lot of potential as a character. The next Power Rangers season is Power Rangers Cosmic Fury, which will follow the Power Rangers Dino Fury team, now with new powers. Still, if Power Rangers plans to revisit the Mighty Morphin era, then J.J. Oliver could continue Tommy Oliver’s Power Rangers legacy. Power Rangers will never be the same without Tommy, but having J.J. pick up his father’s mantle would honor the original Green Ranger’s importance to the saga.
Considering that Tommy Oliver retired at the end of Soul of the Dragon, Power Rangers does not even have to kill off the character. A Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: Once & Always sequel building up from the events of Power Rangers S.P.D. and Soul of the Dragon would be the perfect opportunity to introduce a new Mighty Morphin Power Rangers lineup. Minh, Trini’s daughter, and J.J., Kat and Tommy’s son, would naturally be the first members of this hypothetical team. J.J. Oliver becomes the S.P.D. Green Ranger, but he does have access to a malfunctioning Morpher Master. Therefore, the classic “Dragon Zord” Green Ranger could return.
