'Power Rangers' TV Series Introduces First LGBTQ+ Ranger

The Power Rangers television show has introduced its first LGBTQ+ ranger.

In the latest iteration of the much beloved franchise, Power Rangers Dino Fury, Izzy, the Green Ranger, is seen with the character Fern. The pair walk hand in hand in the final moments of episode 13, which is shown in a clip that's making its way around social media. The series won't hit U.S. audiences until later this month.

On Twitter, fans celebrated the scene, while others said LGBTQ+ characters should have been introduced much earlier.

One user even called it a marketing ploy.

Power Rangers producer Simon Bennett responded to the tweet writing, "I assure you, it was no marketing ploy. And yes, [well] overdue."

Bennett added in another tweet that he was looking forward to the episode's airing in the U.S.

Played by Tessa Rao, Izzy, isn't the first LGBTQ+ in the Power Rangers universe. In the 2017 film, the Yellow Ranger, Trini comes out.

"For Trini, really she's questioning a lot about who she is," the film's director Dean Israelite told The Hollywood Reporter when the movie was coming out. "She hasn't fully figured it out yet. I think what's great about that scene and what that scene propels for the rest of the movie is, 'That's OK.' The movie is saying, 'That's OK,' and all of the kids have to own who they are and find their tribe."

The original Blue Ranger David Yost quit the show in the 1990s after harassment on the Power Rangers set due to his sexual orientation.

When the film was released, Yost told THR, "I think so many people in the LGBTQI community are going to be excited to see that representation."