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Goldar (known as Flydar in the pilot episode) is a fictional character from the television series ''
Mighty Morphin Power Rangers ''Mighty Power Rangers'' (''MMPR'') is an American superhero television series that premiered on August 28, 1993, on the Fox Kids programming block. It is the first entry of the ''Power Rangers'' franchise, and became a 1990s popular culture, ...
''. A powerful yet overconfident warrior that serves under the command of Rita Repulsa and
Lord Zedd This is a list of characters in the ''Power Rangers'' franchise's inaugural season ''Mighty Morphin Power Rangers'', its theatrical adaptation '' Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: The Movie'', and the anniversary special '' Mighty Morphin Power Rang ...
, he is one of the chief antagonists of the titular protagonists in the show's first three seasons. Goldar is based on the ''
Kyōryū Sentai Zyuranger is a Japanese ''tokusatsu'' television series and the sixteenth installment in the long-running ''Super Sentai'' metaseries of superhero programs. Produced by Toei Company, Toei, it aired on TV Asahi from February 21, 1992 to February 12, 1993, w ...
'' villain Grifforzar (also spelled as Grifforzer or Griforza by some sources). Goldar has been portrayed by numerous actors: in the ''Sentai'' footage repurposed for the Power Rangers, the Japanese actors who physically portrayed the character were Takashi Sakamoto for non-action scenes and Kazutoshi Yokoyama for battle sequences; while in original footage produced by
Saban Entertainment BVS Entertainment, Inc., previously known as Saban Productions, Saban Entertainment and Saban International, is a subsidiary of the Walt Disney Company. Founded on April 24, 1980, as a music production company by Haim Saban and Shuki Levy, it ...
, Goldar was physically portrayed by Danny Wayne Stallcup for the first two seasons, and by David Wald and several other actors during season three. Goldar is voiced by
Kerrigan Mahan Kerrigan Patrick Mahan (born January 27, 1955) is an American voice actor. He has had voice roles in '' Lensman'', ''Zillion'', ''Vampire Hunter D'' and '' Crying Freeman'', as Goldar in ''Mighty Morphin Power Rangers'' and ''Power Rangers Zeo' ...
in every major adaptation of the show since the franchise's inception until the 2007 video game '' Power Rangers: Super Legends'' where the character is voiced by
Nolan North Nolan North (born October 31, 1970) is an American actor best known for his voice acting roles. After his breakthrough role as Dr. Chris Ramsey on the ABC soap opera '' Port Charles'' in 1997, North moved into voice acting when the show ended ...
. A reimagined version of Goldar is voiced by
Fred Tatasciore Fred Tatasciore ( , , born June 13, 1967) is an American voice actor who has provided voices in animated and live-action films, television shows, and video games. He is known for voicing the Hulk, Volstagg, and Beast in various Marvel media and ...
in the 2017 reboot film. A more powerful and reincarnated version of Goldar known as Goldar Maximus appears in two episodes of Season 2 of ''
Power Rangers Beast Morphers ''Power Rangers Beast Morphers'' is the twenty-sixth and twenty-seventh seasons of the American television program ''Power Rangers''. The first season premiered on Nickelodeon on March 2, 2019, while the second season premiered on February 22, 2 ...
'', voiced by Paul Harrop and Adrian Smith respectively. Various merchandise for the character, as with other of the series' characters, has been released since the inception of the ''Power Rangers'' franchise.


Character overview

Goldar is depicted as a bipedal
Manticore The manticore or mantichore (Latin: ''mantichorās''; reconstructed Old Persian: ; Modern ) is a legendary creature from ancient Persian mythology, similar to the Egyptian sphinx that proliferated in Western European medieval art as well. It ha ...
-like alien from
Titan Titan most often refers to: * Titan (moon), the largest moon of Saturn * Titans, a race of deities in Greek mythology Titan or Titans may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Fictional entities Fictional locations * Titan in fiction, fictiona ...
, who wields a sword, and wears a gold-plated suit of "Titanian Armor", with a matching helmet which looks like a mix of ancient Greek and Egyptian visual design. He had red eyes, a long mane, a lion-like snout, a scorpion-like tail, and speaks in a gravelly voice. He originally served Lord Zedd long ago, and was later assigned to serve Rita prior to their imprisonment on the Moon. He is usually depicted as the obsequious commander of Rita and Zedd's minions, the Putty Patrol (or Putties), to frighten and distract the Power Rangers. The Putties are typically used as a diversion for Goldar's masters to further their plans, and Goldar would often engage in speculation as to the likelihood of said plan's success. Goldar is portrayed as a formidable enemy in the show's pilot episode and often depicted in the show's early seasons as capable of holding his own against the entire Power Ranger team and defeat them single-handedly unlike many of their opponents. In later seasons of the series, Goldar's characterization became less threatening and more comical in nature.


Creation and development

Much of the footage for the ''Mighty Morphin Power Rangers'' series was taken from the Japanese TV show ''Kyōryū Sentai Zyuranger'' and used as the basis for its costumes, Zords, and villains. Scenes were shot with North American actors and spliced together with recycled footage from ''Zyuranger'' together to make a brand new show with radically different plots and storylines. Goldar's design was initially identical to the original character design for his Zyuranger counterpart Grifforzar, which is visually similar to a
manticore The manticore or mantichore (Latin: ''mantichorās''; reconstructed Old Persian: ; Modern ) is a legendary creature from ancient Persian mythology, similar to the Egyptian sphinx that proliferated in Western European medieval art as well. It ha ...
: a humanoid face, the body of a lion, and the tail of a scorpion. From the first episode, "
Day of the Dumpster "Day of the Dumpster" is the first episode of both the American tokusatsu television series ''Mighty Morphin Power Rangers'' and the ''Power Rangers'' franchise. It premiered on the Fox network on August 28, 1993 as part of its Fox Kids progr ...
", to "Lions and Blizzards", the Goldar costume looked like Grifforzar, where the snout would move awkwardly whenever the character is talking. Goldar's costume was revised in the show's second season, with more realistic skin, long fangs, and a mouth that could fully move, though the old iteration of Goldar with the rising snout would occasionally appear in recycled footage. In addition to the changes in his facial appearance, the revised costume has a permanent pair of extended wings. Although Goldar is shown with the ability to fly in early episodes, the wings on the ''Sentai'' original costume were designed to fold behind the character. The bird-like wings later disappear for reasons not explained within the season, though the show's writers later addressed this by making the wings symbolic. When Goldar defects from Rita upon
Lord Zedd This is a list of characters in the ''Power Rangers'' franchise's inaugural season ''Mighty Morphin Power Rangers'', its theatrical adaptation '' Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: The Movie'', and the anniversary special '' Mighty Morphin Power Rang ...
's arrival in "The Mutiny, Part I", Zedd uses his staff to restore Goldar's wings as a reward for his loyalty. It was implied that Rita had taken them away as punishment for the character's repeated failures against the Rangers, which was confirmed when he lost his wings during the ''Power Rangers Zeo'' series. Mahan initially used a gruff, growling voice for Goldar's, but he could not sustain the voice which eventually took a toll on his vocal cords; while experimenting with different voices, he came up with a voice that was more low-pitched and grumbly. Mahan's original high pitched voice for Goldar can still be heard in later episodes, particularly in recycled scenes where Goldar would fight or grow to giant size, as the showrunners did not re-dub any recycled footage.


Appearances


''Mighty Morphin Power Rangers''

Goldar led Rita Repulsa's first invasion against Earth. However, he has soon faced the Power Rangers and was beaten by their Megazord after an intense fight. Ever since then, Goldar is a recurring opponent of the Rangers and their Zords, developing a particular vendetta for
Jason Lee Scott Jason Lee Scott is a fictional character in the ''Power Rangers'' franchise, played by actor Austin St. John. Jason is known as the first on screen Red Ranger from the first on screen series, ''Mighty Morphin Power Rangers'', as well as the le ...
and
Tommy Oliver Dr. Thomas "Tommy" Oliver is a fictional character in the American live-action television franchise ''Power Rangers''. He is best known as being the original Green Ranger and the first evil Ranger who fought and nearly defeated the original Power ...
, the Red and Green Rangers respectively. In the first season he is often berated by Rita for his failures, who calls him by a variety of derogatory names. This pattern also happened when
Lord Zedd This is a list of characters in the ''Power Rangers'' franchise's inaugural season ''Mighty Morphin Power Rangers'', its theatrical adaptation '' Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: The Movie'', and the anniversary special '' Mighty Morphin Power Rang ...
was introduced as well; in addition to insulting the now apparently incompetent golden warrior, he often blamed Goldar for his ''own'' failures and had a habit of silencing him frequently. Goldar also pilots a Zord known as Cyclopsis, an ancient war machine owned by Rita, but the Zord was defeated by the Rangers' Ultrazord after a prolonged battle. He was also one of
Bulk and Skull Farkas "Bulk" Bulkmeier and Eugene "Skull" Skullovitch are fictional characters in the ''Power Rangers'' universe. They appeared as permanent cast members from ''Mighty Morphin Power Rangers'' until '' Power Rangers in Space''. Bulk was a recurr ...
's more memorable encounters with a monster, where he picked up a bus with the duo inside while giant-sized. When
Lord Zedd This is a list of characters in the ''Power Rangers'' franchise's inaugural season ''Mighty Morphin Power Rangers'', its theatrical adaptation '' Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: The Movie'', and the anniversary special '' Mighty Morphin Power Rang ...
arrived on Rita's Moon palace in the second season, Goldar eagerly defected and regained his wings in the process. As Zedd's right-hand man, Goldar led many missions for him, repeatedly encountering Tommy (now the White Ranger). Each time they fought, the White Ranger would best him, sending Goldar back to Zedd in disgrace. Rita later returned to the Moon and successfully seduced Zedd into marrying her as part of her plan of usurping Zedd. When he later discovered it was a cover for Rita's plot, he immediately made Finster create an antidote for the love spell that Rita used. Goldar discovered to his dismay that Zedd had come to love Rita on his own, even after the antidote has been applied. In the third season, Goldar is often paired with Rita's brother
Rito Revolto This is a list of characters in the ''Power Rangers'' franchise's inaugural season ''Mighty Morphin Power Rangers'', its theatrical adaptation '' Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: The Movie'', and the anniversary special '' Mighty Morphin Power Rang ...
and is often disgusted by his buffoonish behavior. Goldar was also essential in Lord Zedd's powering of the Shogun Zords, as he defeated the Power Rangers' ally Ninjor, allowing Zedd to capture and use him as a power source for the Zords.


''Mighty Morphin Alien Rangers''

In the ''
Mighty Morphin Alien Rangers ''Mighty Morphin Alien Rangers'' is a ''Power Rangers'' mini-series set immediately after the end of the third season of ''Mighty Morphin Power Rangers''. As with the third season of ''Mighty Morphin Power Rangers'', this mini-series adapted fo ...
'' mini-series, which sets up the transition from ''Mighty Morphin Power Rangers'' to ''Power Rangers Zeo'', Goldar and Rito plant a bomb outside of the Command Center, but it is defused by Alpha 5. Goldar also played a role in the destruction of the Ninja power coins, but only after Billy returned to his normal age. Later, Goldar and Rito were sent to the Command Center, having been given a map of the Command Center's basement, and attempted to destroy the Command Center with an implosion device. The bomb went off and destroyed the Command Center. Just before the implosion device went off, Goldar steals the Zeo Crystal with the help of Rito.


''Power Rangers Zeo''

In ''Power Rangers Zeo'', the Rangers discovered the Zeo Crystal in the ruins of the Command Center, surmising that Rito and Goldar must have dropped it. An amnesiac Goldar, who also lost his wings along with his memories, is later seen wandering around Angel Grove along with Rito. As Zedd and Rita flee from the Machine Empire, one of their Tenga Warriors is seen carrying Goldar's detached wings after his failure to destroy the Rangers, despite successfully blowing up the Command Center. They eventually encountered Bulk and Skull and ended up becoming their
butler A butler is a person who works in a house serving and is a domestic worker in a large household. In great houses, the household is sometimes divided into departments, with the butler in charge of the dining room, wine cellar, and pantries, pantr ...
s in exchange for food and shelter. Zedd and Rita eventually found them and restored their memories with Zedd also restoring Goldar's wings. They returned to their masters and helped them in their quest to destroy the
Machine Empire ''Power Rangers Zeo'' is a television series and the fourth season of the ''Power Rangers'' franchise, based on the 19th Super Sentai series '' Chouriki Sentai Ohranger''. It is the continuation of ''Mighty Morphin Power Rangers'' and aired in 1 ...
.


''Power Rangers in Space''

Goldar was last seen in the final episode of ''Power Rangers in Space'', "
Countdown to Destruction ''Power Rangers in Space'' is a television series and the sixth season of the ''Power Rangers'' franchise, based on the 21st Super Sentai series ''Denji Sentai Megaranger''. ''In Space'' was a turning point for the Power Rangers franchise, as t ...
". Unlike Rito, Goldar went with Zedd and Rita to the Cimmerian Planet for Dark Specter's conference, where he was responsible for revealing Andros' identity as a Power Ranger by removing his cloak. He was later present in their invasion of the Vica Galaxy, helping to subdue the Gold Ranger. Goldar's final fate was not shown among the other villains but he was confirmed destroyed following Zordon's destruction as the subsequent energy wave.


''Power Rangers Beast Morphers''

Goldar's sword is one of the many villain relics in Ryjack's collection that are acquired by Venjix/Evox and his minions as they had to choose which villain's weapon to use the Re-Animizer on. Following the death of most of Sledge's crew at the hands of the Beast Morpher Rangers, Evox chose Goldar to be revived and ordered Scrozzle uses Ryjack's Re-Animizer on Goldar's sword. This reincarnated Goldar as an even more powerful version of the original known as Goldar Maximus. Upon learning that Evox/Venjix is the one who resurrected him, Goldar Maximus pledges his loyalty to Evox/Venjix. The recently revived Sledge mocks him by saying he has more strength in his toenail causing Goldar Maximus to attack him. Evox/Venjix have no more use for Sledge then orders Goldar Maximus to kill Sledge in which he proceeds to do despite Sledge pleading with them. Goldar Maximus is finally destroyed by Team Mighty Morphin, Team Dino Thunder and Team Dino Charge Rangers.


Reception

Goldar is considered to be one of the ''Power Ranger'' franchise's most notable villains, and his original iteration's appearance is considered to be recognizable. Loryn Stone from ''Nerdbot'' was of the view that Goldar stood out from the rest of the ''Power Ranger's'' ensemble cast of characters as a "legitimately terrifying" antagonist. She praised Goldar's characterization and depiction in ''Mighty Morphin Power Rangers'', and considered him to be the show's most definitive villain.


In other media


Movies


''Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: The Movie''

Goldar appears as a thoroughly bumbling sidekick who serves Lord Zedd and Rita Repulsa and does not carry a sword, unlike his television counterpart. His suit was specifically created for the movie and was of much higher quality than the ones seen in the show, as it allowed the character's face to be more expressive and had increased flexibility that allowed the actor to move naturally. Goldar accompanies Zedd and Rita to Earth, where they release the sorcerer Ivan Ooze from his egg-like prison. Goldar and his cohort Mordant defect to Ooze immediately after he traps both Rita and Zedd in a snowglobe and deprives them of their powers. He serves Ooze as his right-hand man while the sorcerer brainwashes the Adults in Angel Grove and helps in instructing them on digging up Ivan's war machines the Ecto-Morphicon Titans. He flees Earth for the Moon after Ivan merges with Hornitor in an attempt to defeat the resurgent Power Rangers. In a mid-credits scene, Goldar had taken over the Moon palace and calls himself King Goldar, after Ivan Ooze's demise. He lounges on Zedd's throne being served by Mordant, only to panic when Zedd and Rita unexpectedly appear.


''Power Rangers (2017 film)''

Goldar is a secondary antagonist in the 2017 movie reboot with his vocal effects provided by
Fred Tatasciore Fred Tatasciore ( , , born June 13, 1967) is an American voice actor who has provided voices in animated and live-action films, television shows, and video games. He is known for voicing the Hulk, Volstagg, and Beast in various Marvel media and ...
. He appears as a giant
gargoyle In architecture, and specifically Gothic architecture, a gargoyle () is a carved or formed Grotesque (architecture), grotesque with a spout designed to convey water from a roof and away from the side of a building, thereby preventing it from ...
-like a monster made purely out of gold. In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, director
Dean Israelite Dean Israelite (born September 20, 1984) is a South African film director, writer, and producer, best known for directing the found footage film ''Project Almanac'' (2015), the 2017 reboot of ''Power Rangers (film), Power Rangers'', and the 2019 ...
envisioned Goldar to be a
kaiju is a Japanese term that is commonly associated with media involving giant monsters. Its widespread contemporary use is credited to ''tokusatsu'' (special effects) director Eiji Tsuburaya and filmmaker Ishirō Honda, who popularized the ''kaiju'' ...
-like a beast that would be a physical manifestation of Rita’s evil, as opposed to an individual with a distinct personality. Israelite and production designer Andrew Menzies said Goldar is a faceless and intimidating extension of Rita which is nigh unstoppable, and designed the creature's look after a chocolate fountain with a melting form that never takes shape. Menzies commented, "I think as humans we always search for character in a face, and if it’s always shifting and changing, it becomes scary". In the film's narrative, Goldar was created by Rita to penetrate the force field that protects the Zeo crystal. Goldar's molecular essence was scattered after he was vaporized by Zordon into a cloud of microscopic gold particles during the opening action sequence on Ancient Earth. Rita reconstitutes Goldar by stealing gold from jewelry stores, buildings, and even dental implants to manifest the monster. As Rita orders Goldar to retrieve the Zeo Crystal from underneath the local
Krispy Kreme Krispy Kreme, Inc. (previously Krispy Kreme Doughnuts, Inc.) is an American multinational doughnut company and coffeehouse chain. Krispy Kreme was founded by Vernon Rudolph (1915–1973), who bought a yeast-raised recipe from a New Orleans ch ...
shop, the Rangers confront him with their Zords for the first time, which culminates in them assembling the Megazord. Rita attempts to counter them by merging herself with Goldar directly, but the Rangers are able to destroy the monster enough to send Rita flying towards the Moon. A preview of Goldar's appearance, in the form of a tie-in action figure for the 2017 film has generated commentary about the film's visual direction, with various sources noting his gold-centric character design as one of the biggest departures from the 1990s series. Otterson described the iteration as "someone took an old Goldar action figure and put it through a few popcorn cycles on a microwave". Other sources have described his appearance as a "melting candle of gold", "a giant chocolate fountain", "a golem formed out of molten, melted gold", and "someone took the classic Goldar and drowned him in nacho cheese."


Comics

Goldar appears as a recurring character in the ''Mighty Morphin Power Rangers'' comic series, published by
Boom! Studios Boom! Studios (stylized as BOOM! Studios), is an American comic book and graphic novel publisher. They are headquartered in Los Angeles, California, United States. The company is a subsidiary of Random House division of Penguin Random House sin ...
. The comic series revealed that Goldar once had a
gorilla Gorillas are primarily herbivorous, terrestrial great apes that inhabit the tropical forests of equatorial Africa. The genus ''Gorilla'' is divided into two species: the eastern gorilla and the western gorilla, and either four or five su ...
-like brother named Silverback, and they both served Lord Zedd as the emperor where they were both classified as being from an alien primate race (this is a call-back to the times when Goldar was called a monkey in the TV series). At one point, Silverback tries to overthrow Zedd. Silverback is gravely wounded by Zedd who instructs Goldar to finish off his own brother with his sword. Goldar complies without much hesitation. In a later issue, Goldar became a member of a new incarnation of the Dark Rangers where he operated as the Yellow Dark Ranger.


Video games

Goldar has appeared in multiple iterations of ''
Power Rangers ''Power Rangers'' is an American media franchise created by Haim Saban, Shuki Levy and Shotaro Ishinomori built around a live-action superhero television series, based on the Japanese tokusatsu franchise ''Super Sentai''. It is currently ow ...
'' video games. He serves as the main villain in the Mighty Morphin' section of the game '' Power Rangers: Super Legends'' voiced by
Nolan North Nolan North (born October 31, 1970) is an American actor best known for his voice acting roles. After his breakthrough role as Dr. Chris Ramsey on the ABC soap opera '' Port Charles'' in 1997, North moved into voice acting when the show ended ...
. He is first seen complaining about Rita making him do her dirty work. Lord Zedd then appears in a time hole and tells him to contaminate Angel Grove's water supply, zombifying everyone there to form an army of Z-Putties. Goldar follows Zedd's demands, however, the Power Rangers are hot on his tail. The "chase" ends at Angel Grove, where Goldar is ready to contaminate the water supply, however, the Power Rangers stop him and he is forced to grow. He is defeated in the Megazord battle.


Stage play

Goldar appeared in ''Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers Live'', a traveling stage show featuring voice recordings of the entire cast of the TV series for their lines and scenes, with different actors playing all the characters on stage.


Promotion and merchandise

Like many ''Power Rangers'' series characters, various merchandise has been made of Goldar since the inception of the franchise. An exclusive figure to video game retailer
GameStop GameStop Corp. is an American video game, consumer electronics, and gaming merchandise retailer, headquartered in Grapevine, Texas (a suburb of Dallas). The brand is the largest video game retailer worldwide. , the company operated 3,203 stor ...
was released as part of the Power Rangers Lightning Collection. The action figure features Goldar's trademark sword and battle FX accessories, as well as fully articulated wings. Goldar's iteration in the 2017 reboot film was recreated as an action figure for the Power Rangers Movie Interactive Megazord series by
Bandai is a Japanese multinational corporation, multinational toy manufacturer and distributor headquartered in Taitō, Taitō, Tokyo. Its international branches, Bandai Namco Toys & Collectables America and Bandai UK, are respectively headquartered ...
.


References


External links

{{Subject bar, portal1=1990s, d=y Extraterrestrial supervillains Fictional henchmen Fictional kidnappers Fictional swordfighters in television Male supervillains Power Rangers characters Television characters introduced in 1993 Television supervillains Video game bosses